Psychology Chapter 2

Front 1

biological Pyschology

Back 1

the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.

Front 2

neuron

Back 2

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Front 3

dendrite

Back 3

the neurons bushy branching extensions that recieve messages and conduct impusles toward the cell body

Front 4

axon

Back 4

the neurons extension that passes messages through its branching terminal fibers that form junctions with other neurons, muscles, and glands

Front 5

action potential

Back 5

neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Front 6

threshold

Back 6

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Front 7

synapse

Back 7

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cel body of the recieving neuron

Front 8

neurotransmitters

Back 8

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neuron. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitter travel accross the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the recieveing neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generat a neural impulse

Front 9

endorphins

Back 9

morphine within-natural opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

Front 10

Nervous system

Back 10

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system

Front 11

central nervous system

Back 11

the brain and spinal chord

Front 12

peripheral nervous system

Back 12

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

Front 13

nerves

Back 13

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Front 14

motor neurons

Back 14

neurons that carry outgoing info form the brrain and spinal chord to muscles and glands

Front 15

interneurons

Back 15

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internaly and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Front 16

somatic nervous system

Back 16

part of peripheral nervous system. deals with control of skeletal muscles

Front 17

autonomic nervous system

Back 17

controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs

Front 18

sympathetic nervous system

Back 18

part of autonomic nervous sytem that arouses the body in stressful situations

Front 19

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 19

part of autonoic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Front 20

reflex

Back 20

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Front 21

endocrine

Back 21

system the body's "slow" chemical communication system. a set of glands tht secrete horomones into the bloodstream

Front 22

horomones

Back 22

chemical messangers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through bloodstream and affect other tissues

Front 23

adrenal glands

Back 23

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete horomones taht help arouse the body in times of stress

Front 24

pituitary gland

Back 24

the endocrine systems MOST INFLUENTIAL gland. regulates growth and controls Endocrine glands

Front 25

lesion

Back 25

tissue destruction. a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally destruction of brain tissue

Front 26

brainstem

Back 26

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Front 27

electroencephalogram

Back 27

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brains surface. these waves are measure by electrodes placed on the scalp

Front 28

PET (position emission tomography) scan

Back 28

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

Front 29

MRI(magnetic resonance imaging)

Back 29

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves torproduce computer generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy

Front 30

fMRI(Functional MRI)

Back 30

a technique revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing succesive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain anatomy

Front 31

Medulla

Back 31

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Front 32

thalamus

Back 32

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory recieving areas areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Front 33

reticular formation

Back 33

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Front 34

cerebellum

Back 34

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem" at the rear of the brainstem. functions include some nonverbal learning, processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Front 35

limbic system

Back 35

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres associated with emotions and drives

Front 36

amygdala

Back 36

two lima bean sied neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Front 37

hypothalamus

Back 37

neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenace activities (eating, drinking, body temperature)

Front 38

cerebral cortex

Back 38

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and info processing center

Front 39

frontal lobes

Back 39

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movement and in making plans and judgements

Front 40

parietal lobes

Back 40

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; recieves sensory input for touch and body position

Front 41

occipital lobes

Back 41

portion of the cerebral crotex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that recieve information from the visual fields

Front 42

temporal lobes

Back 42

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each recieving info primarily from opposite ear

Front 43

motor cortex

Back 43

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Front 44

sensory cortex

Back 44

area at the front of teh parietal lobes taht registers and processes body touch and movement sensation

Front 45

associtation areas

Back 45

areas of the cerebral cortex taht are not involved in primary motor or sensory fucntions; rather they are involved in higher mental funtions such as speaking, learning, remembering, thinking, speaking and integrating info

Front 46

aphasia

Back 46

impairment of language, usualy caused by left-hemisphere damage either to brocas area or to wenicke's area

Front 47

Broca's area

Back 47

controls language expression. left hemisphere. muscle movement in speech

Front 48

Wernicke's area

Back 48

controls language reception. language comprehension and expression

Front 49

plasticity

Back 49

the brains ability to change. especially during childhood. by recognizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Front 50

neuro genesis

Back 50

the formation of new neurons

Front 51

corpus callosum

Back 51

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Front 52

split brain

Back 52

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them