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unit 2 ap psych
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Roger Sperry | Discovered that human beings are of two minds. He found that the human brain has specialized functions on the right and left, and that the two sides can operate practically independently. |
| Action Potential | The firing of the neuron |
| Adrenal Glands | Produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions- located on top of kidneys |
| Agonist | Enhance effects of something |
| All-or-none Response | The action potential either fires or it doesn't |
| Amygdala | A roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. |
| Antagonist | Blocks effects of something |
| Association Areas | Areas integrate incoming sensory information, and also form connections between sensory and motor areas |
| Autonomic Nervous System | Regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal |
| Axon | Carries nerve impulses away from the cell body |
| Behavior Genetics | The study of the influence of an organism's genetic composition on its behaviour and the interaction of heredity and environment insofar as they affect behaviour |
| Biological Psychology | The study of the biology of behavior |
| Brainstem | Connects the rest of your brain to your spinal cord |
| Chromesomes | A threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes |
| Cerebellum | Helps coordinate and regulate a wide range of functions and processes in both your brain and body |
| CT Scan | Combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images (slices) of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside your body |
| Cognitive Neuroscience | Studies the biological processes that underlie human cognition, especially in regards to the relation between brain structures, activity, and cognitive functions |
| Consciousness | The state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings |
| Corpus Callosum | Bundle of more than 200 million myelinated nerve fibers that connect the two brain hemispheres, permitting communication between the right and left sides of the brain |
| DNA | Molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism |
| Dendrites | Designed to receive communications from other cells |
| Dopamine | It plays a role as a “reward center” and in many body functions, including memory, movement, motivation, mood, attention and more |
| Dual Processing | How thought can arise in two different ways, or as a result of two different processes. Often, the two processes consist of an implicit, unconscious process and an explicit, conscious process |
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | Records an electrogram of the electrical activity on the scalp that has been shown to represent the macroscopic activity of the surface layer of the brain underneath |
| Epigenetics | study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work |
| Endocrine System | Uses hormones to control and coordinate your body's metabolism, energy level, reproduction, growth and development, and response to injury, stress, and mood |
| Michael Gazzaniga | Revolutionized the understanding of human consciousness by showing that the brain’s two cerebral hemispheres undertake distinct cognitive functions. Known as the father of cognitive science |
| Paul Broca | He announced his discovery of the seats of articulate speech in the left frontal region of the brain, since known as the convolution of Broca |
| Carl Wernicke | Discovered that the patient had a localized lesion in a posterior region of the left hemisphere of his brain, around where the temporal and parietal lobes meet |
| Charles Darwin | Had a theory of evolution and is most famous for natural selection |
| Endorphins | Any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions |
| Enviornment | The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates |
| Evolutionary Psychology | Theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective |
| fMRI | Imaging to measure the tiny changes in blood flow that take place in an active part of the brain |
| Fraternal Twins | Happen when two different eggs are fertilized by two sperm |
| Frontal Lobes | Important for voluntary movement, expressive language and for managing higher level executive functions |
| GABA | Brains main inhibitory NT. Regulates sleep and wake cycles |
| Genes | Considered the basic unit of inheritance |
| Genome | The haploid set of chromosomes in a gamete or microorganism, or in each cell of a multicellular organism |
| Glial Cells | Non-neuronal and are located within the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste transport |
| Glutamate | Brains main inhibitory NT. Basis of learning and long term memory |
| Heritability | Measure of how well differences in people's genes account for differences in their traits |
| Hormones | Body's chemical messengers, sending signals into the bloodstream and tissues |
| Hypothalamus | A region of the forebrain below the thalamus which coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activit |
| Identical Twins | conceived from one egg and one sperm |
| Interaction | communication or direct involvement with someone or something |
| Interneurons | they connect spinal motor and sensory neurons. As well as transferring signals between sensory and motor neurons, interneurons can also communicate with each other, forming circuits of various complexity. |
| Lesion | A region in an organ or tissue which has suffered damage through injury or disease, such as a wound, ulcer, abscess, or tumor |
| Limbic System | A complex system of nerves and networks in the brain, involving several areas near the edge of the cortex concerned with instinct and mood. It controls the basic emotions (fear, pleasure, anger) and drives (hunger, sex, dominance, care of offspring |
| MRI Scan | A medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body |
| Medulla | Its location means it's where your brain and spinal cord connect, making it a key conduit for nerve signals to and from your body. It also helps control vital processes like your heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure |
| Molecular Genetics | A scientific discipline concerned with the structure and function of genes at the molecular level and includes the technique of genetic engineering, |
| Motor Cortex | An area within the cerebral cortex of the brain that is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements |
| Motor Neurons | Transmit impulses from the spinal cord to skeletal and smooth muscles (such as those in your stomach), and so directly control all of our muscle movements |
| Mutation | A change in the usual DNA sequence at a particular gene locus |
| Myelin Sheath | An insulating layer, or sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord |
| Natural Selection | The process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change |
| Nerves | Cables that carry electrical impulses between your brain and the rest of your body |
| Neuron | They use electrical impulses and chemical signals to transmit information between different areas of the brain, and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system |
| Neurogenesis | The process by which new neurons are formed in the brain. |
| Neurotransmitters | A chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the synapse or junction, causes the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fiber, a muscle fiber, or some other structure |
| Nervous System | Includes the brain, spinal cord, and a complex network of nerves. This system sends messages back and forth between the brain and the body. The brain is what controls all the body's functions. The spinal cord runs from the brain down through the back |
| Norepinephrine | Responsible for arousal and alertness, mood elevation |
| Occipital Lobes | Primarily responsible for visual processing. It contains the primary and association visual cortex |
| PET Scan | An imaging test that can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of your tissues and organs |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | A network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger. It also helps run life-sustaining processes, like digestion, during times when you feel safe and relaxed |
| Parietal Lobes | Responsible for processing somatosensory information from the body; this includes touch, pain, temperature, and the sense of limb position |
| Peripheral Nervous System | Divided into two main parts: Autonomic nervous system (ANS): Controls involuntary bodily functions and regulates glands. Somatic nervous system (SNS): Controls muscle movement and relays information from ears, eyes and skin to the central nervous system |
| Pituitary Glands | It monitors and regulates many bodily functions through the hormones that it produces, including: Growth and sexual/reproductive development and function. Glands (thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and gonads |
| Plasticity | Ability of certain solids to flow or to change shape permanently when subjected to stresses |
| Reflex | An action or movement that is made automatically without thinking as a reaction to a stimulus |
| Refractory Period | The time immediately after orgasm and ejaculation, where a man is either physiologically unable to be erect, psychologically disinterested in sex, or both |
| Reticular Formation | The primary regulator of arousal and consciousness |
| Reuptake | The absorption by a presynaptic nerve ending of a neurotransmitter that it has secreted |
| Sensory Neurons | The nerve cells that are activated by sensory input from the environment - for example, when you touch a hot surface with your fingertip |
| Seretonin | A chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout your body |
| Somatic Nervous System | Controls conscious motor functions in this area |
| Somatosensory Cortex | A region of the brain which is responsible for receiving and processing sensory information from across the body, such as touch, temperature, and pain |
| Split Brain | Since information cannot be directly shared between the two hemispheres, display unusual behaviours, particularly concerning speech and object recognition |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | Best known for its role in responding to dangerous or stressful situations- activates to speed up your heart rate, deliver more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help your get out of danger |
| Synapse | Refer to the points of contact between neurons where information is passed from one neuron to the next |
| Temporal Lobes | It is primarily responsible for interpreting sounds from the ears and plays a significant role in recognizing and using language |
| Thalamus | All information from your body's senses (except smell) must be processed through your ______ before being sent to your brain's cerebral cortex for interpretation. Your________ also plays a role in sleep, wakefulness, consciousness, learning and memory |
| Threshold | The magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result, or condition to occur or be manifested |
Created by:
schmiame