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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Biological Psychology:
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Study of physical and chemical changes involved in behavior and mental processes.
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Nervous System:
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Network of billions of cells that detects what is going on inside or outside the body and guides appropriate responses.
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Neurons:
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Specialized cells of the nervous system that send and receive messages.
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Glial Cells:
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Nervous system cells that hold neurons together and help them communicate with each other.
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Axon:
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Fiber that carries signals away from the cell body.
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Dendrites:
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Fibers that receive signals from axons of other neurons.
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Action Potential:
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The electrochemical impulse or message that is sent down an axon and stimulates release of a neurotransmitter.
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Refactory Period:
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A short recovery times after cell firing, during which the cell cannot fire again.
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Neurotransmitter:
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Chemical that transfers messages across synapses.
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Synapse:
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Tiny gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of another.
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Neural Networks:
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Neurons that operate together to perform complex functions.
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Central Nervous System (CNS):
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Brian and spinal cord.
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Peripheral Nervous System:
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Part of the nervous system that sends messages to and from the central nervous system.
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Somatic Nervous System:
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The subsystem of the Peripheral Nervous System that transmits information from the senses to the CNS and carries signals from the CNA to muscles that move the skeleton.
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Sensory Neurons:
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Neurons that provide the brain with information about the environment.
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Motor Neurons:
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Neurons that influence muscles and other organs to responds to the environment in some way.
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Autonomic Nervous System:
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The subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the CNS and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands in the body.
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Sympathetic Nervous System:
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Subsystem of the Peripheral Nervous System that readies the body fir vigorous activity.
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Parasympathetic Nervous System:
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Subsystem of the Autonomic Nervous System that typically influences activity related to the protection, nourishment, and growth of the body.
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Nuclei:
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Clusters of nerve call bodies in the CNS.
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Fiber Tracts:
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Bundles of axons that travel together.
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Spinal Cord:
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The part of the CNS that receives information from the senses, asses these signals to the brain, and sends messages from the brain to the body.
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Reflexes:
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Simple, involuntary, unlearned behaviors directed by the spinal cord without instructions from the brain.
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Hindbrain:
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The portion of the brain that lies just behind the skull and is a continuation of the spinal cord.
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Medulla:
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Area of the Hindbrain that controls vital autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
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Reticular Formation:
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Collection of the cells and fibers in the hindbrain and midbrain that are involves in arousal and attention.
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Locus Coeruleus:
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Small nucleus in the reticular formation that is involved in directing attention.
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Cerebellum:
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Part of the hindbrain that controls finely coordinated movements.
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Midbrain:
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Small region between the hindbrain and the forebrain that, among other things, helps produce smooth movements.
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Forebrain:
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Part of the brain responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life.
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Thalamus:
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Forebrain structure that relays messages from the most sense organs to higher brain areas.
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Hypothalamus:
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Forebrain structure that regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drives and has many connections to and from the autonomic nervous system and other parts of the brain.
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Amygdala:
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A forebrain structure that links information from various systems and plays a role in emotions.
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Hippocampus:
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Forebrian structure associated with the formation of new memories.
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Cerebral Cortex:
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Outer surface of the forebrain.
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Corpus Callosum:
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Bundle of fibers that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
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Sensory Cortex:
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Part of the cerebral cortex located in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes that receives stimulus information form the skin, eyes, and ears, respectively
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Motor Cortex:
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Part of the cerebral cortex that conveys voluntary movement.
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Association Cortex:
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Parts of the cerebral cortex that integrate sensory and motor information and perform complex cognitive tasks.
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Neural Plasticity:
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Property of the CNS that has the ability to strengthen neural connections at synapses as well as to establish new connections.
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Endocrine System:
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Cells that form organs called glands and that communicate with one another by secreting hormones.
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Glands:
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Organs that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
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Hormones:
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Chemicals secreted by glands into the bloodstream, allowing stimulation of cells that are not directly connected.
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Fight or Flight Response:
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Physical reactions triggered by the sympathetic system that prepare the body to fight or to run from a threatening situation.
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