Psychology Chapter 2

Front 1

Neurons

Back 1

Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system

Front 2

Dendrite

Back 2

A cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons

Front 3

Axon

Back 3

The part of the neuron that carries messages destined for other neurons

Front 4

Terminal buttons

Back 4

Small bulges at the end of axons that send messages to other neurons

Front 5

Myelin sheath

Back 5

A protective coat of fat and protein that wraps around the axon

Front 6

All-or-none

Back 6

The rule that neurons are either on or off

Front 7

Resting state

Back 7

The state in which there is negative electrical charge of about -70 millivolts within a neuron

Front 8

Action potential

Back 8

An electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron's axon when it is set off by a "trigger", changing the neuron's charge from negative to positive

Front 9

Mirror neurons

Back 9

Specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior, but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior

Front 10

Synapse

Back 10

The space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron by using chemical messages

Front 11

Neurotransmitters

Back 11

Chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron

Front 12

Excitation message

Back 12

A chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fuie and an action potential will travel down is axon

Front 13

Inhibitory message

Back 13

A chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire

Front 14

Reuptake

Back 14

The reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button

Front 15

Central nervous system

Back 15

The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord

Front 16

Spinal cord

Back 16

A bundle of neurons that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back and is the main means for transmitting messages between the brain and the body

Front 17

Reflex

Back 17

An automatic, involuntary response to an incoming stimulus

Front 18

Sensory (afferent) neurons

Back 18

Neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the central nervous system

Front 19

Motor (efferent) neurons

Back 19

Neurons that communicate information from the nervous system to muscle and glands

Front 20

Interneurons

Back 20

Neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons, carrying messages between the two

Front 21

Peripheral nervous system

Back 21

The part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body

Front 22

Somatic division

Back 22

The part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs

Front 23

Autonomic division

Back 23

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs

Front 24

Sympathetic division

Back 24

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to prepare the body for action in stressful situations, engaging all the organism's resources to respond to a threat

Front 25

Parasympathetic division

Back 25

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to calm the body after an emergency has ended

Front 26

Evolutionary psychology

Back 26

The branch of psychology that seeks to identify behavior patterns that are a result of our genetic inheritance from out ancestor

Front 27

Behavioral genetics

Back 27

The study of the effects of heredity on behavior

Front 28

Endocrine system

Back 28

A chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream

Front 29

Hormones

Back 29

chemicals that circulate through the blood and regulate the functioning or growth of the body

Front 30

Pituitary gland

Back 30

The major component of the endocrine system, or "master gland," which secretes hormones that control growth and other parts f the endocrine system

Front 31

Central core

Back 31

The "old rain," which controls basic functions such as eating and sleeping and is common to all vertebrates

Front 32

Cerebellum

Back 32

The part of the brain that controls bodily balance

Front 33

Reticular formation

Back 33

The part of the brain extending from the medulla through the pons and made up of groups of nerve cells that can immediately activate other parts of the brain to produce general bodily arousal

Front 34

Thalamus

Back 34

The part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily to relay information about the senses

Front 35

Hypothalamus

Back 35

A tiny part of the brain, located below the thalamus, that maintains homeostasis and produces and regulates vital behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior

Front 36

Limbic system

Back 36

The part of the brain that controls eating, aggression, and reproduction

Front 37

Cerebral cortex

Back 37

The "new brain," responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains four lobes

Front 38

Lobes

Back 38

The four major sections of the cerebral cortex; frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

Front 39

Motor area

Back 39

The part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the body's voluntary movement

Front 40

Sensory area

Back 40

The site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each other senses, with the degree of sensitivity related to the amount of tissue

Front 41

Association areas

Back 41

One of the major regions of the cerebral cortex; the site of the higher mental processes, such as thought, language, memory and speech

Front 42

Neuroplasticity

Back 42

Changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, new interconnections between neurons, and the reorganization of information-processing areas

Front 43

Neurogenesis

Back 43

The creation of new neurons

Front 44

Hemispheres

Back 44

Symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location

Front 45

Lateralization

Back 45

The dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language