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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
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Biological Psychology
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a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
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Neuron
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neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
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Sensory Neurons
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neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
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Motor Neurons
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neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
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Interneurons
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the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive the messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
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Dendrite
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the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
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Axon
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a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.
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Myelin Sheath
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a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down and axon.
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Action potential
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a level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
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Threshold
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the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft.
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Synapse
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chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.
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Neurotransmitters
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a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.
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Reuptake
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the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
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Nervous System
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the brain and spinal cord.
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Central Nervous System
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the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
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Peripheral Nervous System
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bundled axons that form neural 'cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
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Nerves
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the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles.
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Somatic Nervous System
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the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
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Autonomic Nervous System
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the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
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Sympathetic Nervous System
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the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
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Parasympathetic Nervous System
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a simple, autonomic response to a sensory stimulus such as the knee-jerk response
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Reflex
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the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
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Endocrine System
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chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
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Hormones
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a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secret hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress.
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Adrenal Glands
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the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
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Pituitary Gland
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tissue destruction; a brain lesion is naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.
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Lesion
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an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface.
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Electroencephalogram (EEG)
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a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body.
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CT Scan
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a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
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PET Scan
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a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.
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MRI
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a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.
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fMRI
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the oldest part of the central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions.
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Braiinstem
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the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
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Medulla
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a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.
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Reticular Formation
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the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem
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Thalamus
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the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem
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Cerebellum
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doughnut-shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.
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Limbic System
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two lima bean-sized neural clusters in limbic system; linked to emotion.
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Amygdala
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a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activites, helps govern the endocrine system, linked to emotion and reward.
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Hypothalamus
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the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
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Cerebral Cortex
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cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.
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Glial Cells
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portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements.
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Frontal Lobes
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portion of the cerebral cortext lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.
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Parietal Lobes
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portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
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Occipital Lobes
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portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.
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Temporal Lobes
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an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
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motor Cortex
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area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
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Sensory Cortex
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areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.
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Association Areeas
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impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage to Broca's area or to Wernicke's
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Aphasia
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controls language expression that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
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Broca's Area
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controls language reception-a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe.
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Wernicke's Area
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the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage of by building new pathways based on experience.
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Plasticity
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the formation of new neurons.
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Neurogenesis
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the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.
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Corpus Callosum
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a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them.
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Split Brain
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our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
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Consciousness
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the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition.
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Cognitive Neuroscience
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the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.
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Dual Processing
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the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
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Behavior genetics
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every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.
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Environment
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threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.
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Chromosomes
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a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.
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DNA
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the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein.
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Genes
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the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes.
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Genome
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twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.
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Identical Twins
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twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.
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Fraternal Twins
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the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes.
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Heritability
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the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor depends on another factor.
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Interaction
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the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.
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Molecular Genetics
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the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
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Evolutionary Psychology
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the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproductions and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
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Natural Selection
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the random error in gene replication that leads to a change.
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Mutation
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