Psychology Terms From Chap 2

Front 1

Psychobiology

Back 1

The area of psychology that focuses on the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes.

Front 2

Neuroscience

Back 2

The study of the brain and the nervous system.

Front 3

Neuron

Back 3

Individual cells that are the smallest units of the nervous system.

Front 4

Dendrites

Back 4

Short fibers that branch out from the cell body and pick up incoming messages.

Front 5

Axon

Back 5

Single long fiber extending from the cell body, it carries outgoing messages.

Front 6

Nerve (tract)

Back 6

Group of axons bundled together.

Front 7

Myelin Sheath

Back 7

White fatty covering found on some axons.

Front 8

Sensory (afferent) Neurons

Back 8

Neurons that carry messages from sense organs to the spinal cord or brain.

Front 9

Motor (efferent) Neurons

Back 9

Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord or brain to the muscles and glands.

Front 10

Interneurons

Back 10

Neurons that carry messages from one neuron to another.

Front 11

Glial Cells

Back 11

Cells that form from the myelin sheath, they insulate and support neurons by holding them together, removing waste products, and preventing harmful substances from passing from the bloodstream into the brain.

Front 12

Ions

Back 12

Electrically charged particles found both inside and outside the neuron.

Front 13

Resting potential

Back 13

Electrical charge across a neuron membrane due to excess positive ions concentrated on the outside and excess negative ions concentrated on in the inside.

Front 14

Polarization

Back 14

The condition of the neuron when the inside is negatively charged relative to the outside for example, when the neuron is at rest.

Front 15

Neural impulse

Back 15

The firing of a nerve cell.

Front 16

Graded Potential

Back 16

A shift in the electrical charge in a tiny area of a neuron.

Front 17

Threshold of Excitation

Back 17

The level an impulse must exceed to cause a neuron to fire.

Front 18

All-or-None Law

Back 18

Principle that the action potential in a neuron does not vary in strenght; the neuron either fires at full strength or it does not fire at all.

Front 19

Absolute Refractory Period

Back 19

A period after firing when the neuron will not fire again no matter how strong the incoming message may be.

Front 20

Relative Refractory Period

Back 20

A period after firing when a neuron is returning to its normal polarized state and will fire again only if the incoming message is much stronger than usual.

Front 21

Synaptic Space

Back 21

Tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of the next neuron.

Front 22

Neurotransmitters

Back 22

Chemicals released by the synaptic vessels that travel acrosss the synaptic space and affect adjacent neurons.

Front 23

Receptor Site

Back 23

A location on a receptor neuron into which a specific neurotransmitter fits like a key into a lock.

Front 24

Terminal button

Back 24

Structure at the end of an axon terminal branch.

Front 25

Synapse

Back 25

Area composed of the axon terminal of one neuron, the synaptic space, and the dendrite or cell body of teh next neuron.

Front 26

Neural Plasticity

Back 26

The ability of the brain to change in response to experience.

Front 27

Central Nervous System

Back 27

Division of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord.

Front 28

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 28

Division of the nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Front 29

Hindbrain

Back 29

Area containing the medulla, pons and cerebellum.

Front 30

Cerebellum

Back 30

Structure in the hindbrain that controls certain reflexes and coordinates the body's movement.

Front 31

Midbrain

Back 31

Region between teh hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight and it is one of the several places in the brain where pain is registered.

Front 32

Thalamus

Back 32

Forebrain region that relays and translates incoming messages from the sense receptors, except those of smell.

Front 33

Hypothalamus

Back 33

Forebrain region that governs motivation and emotional responses.

Front 34

Reticular Formation

Back 34

Network of neurons in the hindbrain, the midbrain, and part of the forebrain whose primary function is to alert and arouse the higher parts of the brain.

Front 35

Limbic System

Back 35

Ring of structures that play a role in learning and emotional behavior.

Front 36

Cerebral Cortex

Back 36

The outer surface of the two cerebral hemispheres that regulates most complex behavior.

Front 37

Association Areas

Back 37

Areas of the cerebral cortex where incoming messages frm teh separate senses are combined into meaingful impressions and outgoing messages from the motor areas are integrated.

Front 38

Occibital Lobe

Back 38

Part of the cerebral hemisphere that receives and interprets visual information.

Front 39

Temporal Lobe

Back 39

Part of the cerebral hemisphere that helps regulate hearing, balance and equilibrium, and certain emotions and motivations.

Front 40

Parietal Lobe

Back 40

Part of the cerebral cortex that receives sensory information from throughout the body.

Front 41

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Back 41

Area of the parietal lobe where messages from the sense receptors are registered.

Front 42

Frontal lobe

Back 42

Part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for voluntary movement; it is also important for attention, goal-directed behavior, and appropriate emotional experiences.

Front 43

Primary Motor Cortex

Back 43

The section of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement.

Front 44

Corpus Callosum

Back 44

A thick band of nerve fibers connecting the left and right cerebral cortex.

Front 45

What are the two major language areas called and what are their functions?

Back 45

Wenicke's area is crucial in understanding what others are saying. Boca's area is considered essential to our ability to talk.

Front 46

Spinal Cord

Back 46

Complex cable of neurons that runs down the spine, connecting the brain to most of the rest of the body.

Front 47

Somatic Nervous System

Back 47

The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages from the senses to the central nervous system and between the central nervous system and the skeletal muscles.

Front 48

Autonomic Nervous System

Back 48

The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the central nervous system and the internal organs.

Front 49

Symathetic Division

Back 49

Branch of the autonomic nervous system, it prepares the body for quick action in an emergency.

Front 50

Parasympathetic Division

Back 50

Branch of the autonomic nervous system; it calms and relaxes the body.

Front 51

Endocrine Glands

Back 51

Glands of the endocrine system that release hormones into the bloodstream.

Front 52

Hormones

Back 52

Chemical substances released by the endocrine glands; they help regulate bodily activities.

Front 53

Thyroid Gland

Back 53

Endocrine gland located below the voice box; it produces the hormone thyroxin.

Front 54

Parathyriod

Back 54

Four tiny glands embedded in the thyroid; they secrete parathormone.

Front 55

Pineal Gland

Back 55

A gland located roughly in the center of the brain that appears to regulate activity levels over the course of a day.

Front 56

Pancreas

Back 56

Organ lying between the stomach adn small intestine; it secretes insulin and glucagon to regulate blood-sugar levels.

Front 57

Pituitary Glands

Back 57

Gland located on the underside of the brain; it produces the largest number of the body's hormones.

Front 58

Gonads

Back 58

The reproductive glands, testes in males and ovaries in femailes.

Front 59

Adrenal Glands

Back 59

Two endocrine glands located just above the kidneys.

Front 60

Behavior Genetics

Back 60

Study of the relationship between hereditary and behavior.

Front 61

Evolutionary Psychology

Back 61

A subfield of psychology concerned with the origins of behaviors and mental processes, their adaptive value, and the purposes they continue to serve.

Front 62

Genetics

Back 62

Study of how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next.

Front 63

Genes

Back 63

Elements that control the transmission of traits; they are found on the chromosomes.

Front 64

Chromosomes

Back 64

Pairs of threadlike bodies within the cell nucleus that contain the genes.

Front 65

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Back 65

Complex molecule in a double-helix configuration that is the main ingredient of chromosomes and genes and forms the code for all genetic information.

Front 66

Human Genome

Back 66

The full complement of genes within a human cell.

Front 67

Dominant Gene

Back 67

Member of a gene pair that contrls the appearance of a certain trait.

Front 68

Recessive Gene

Back 68

Member of a gene pair that cna control the appearance of a certain trait only if it is paired with another recessive gene.

Front 69

Polygenic Inheritance

Back 69

Process by which several genes interact to produce a certain trait; responsible for our most important traits.

Front 70

Strain Studies

Back 70

Studies of the heritability of behavioral traits using animals that have been inbred to produce strains that are genetically similar to one another.

Front 71

Selection Studies

Back 71

Studies that estimate the heritability of a trait by breeding animals with other animals that have the same trait.

Front 72

Family Studies

Back 72

Studies of heritability in humans based on the assumption that if genes influence a certain trait, close relatives should be more similar on that trait than distant relatives.

Front 73

Twin studies

Back 73

Studies of identical twins and fraternal twins to determine the relative influence of hereditary and environment on human behavior.

Front 74

Adoption Studies

Back 74

Research carried out on children, adopted at birth by parents not related to them, to determine the relative influence of hereditary and environment on human behavior.

Front 75

Natural Selection

Back 75

The mechanism proposed by Darwin in his theory of evolution, which states that organisms best adapted to their environmen tend to survive, transmitting their genetic characteristics to succeeding generations, whereas organisms with less adaptive characteristics tend to vanish from the earth.