click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ap psych mod 1
Biological bases of behavior
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| nature vs nurture | controversy over contribution genes and experiences make to development of psychological traits and behavior |
| Natural selection | fruitful traits more likely to pass down |
| Evolutionary psychology | the study of evolution of behavior and mind using principles of natural selection |
| mutation | random error in gene replication that leads to change |
| behavior genetics | study of relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior |
| Nervous system | the body's speedy electrochemical communication network consisting of all nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system |
| Central nervous system | brain and spinal cord |
| peripheral nervous system | helps CNS communicate by transmitting sensory info to brain and sending commands to muscles and glands |
| Somatic nervous system | enables voluntary bodily movement via skeletal muscles transmits sensory info to CNS |
| Sensory(afferent) neurons | carry incoming info from body's tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord |
| motor(efferent) neurons | carry outgoing info from brain and spine to muscles and glands |
| Interneurons | within brain and spin; communicate internally and process info between sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| Autonomic nervous system | self regulating consisting of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system |
| sympathetic nervous system | arouses the body preparing for flight or fight response |
| parasympathetic nervous system | calms the body and returns to normal resting state |
| neuron | nerve cell; basic building block of the nervous system |
| cell body | part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; cells life support center |
| Dendrites | neurons branching extensions that receive and integrate messages conducting impulses |
| Axon | segmented neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or muscle glands |
| Meylin sheath | fatty tissue layer over the axons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next |
| neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons. When released neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on receiving neurons influencing wether neural impulse will generate |
| Synapse | junction between axon tips of sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
| Reuptake | a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by sending neuron(when impulse is not generated) |
| Action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
| Threshold | level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| refractory period | in neural processing a brief resisting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired |
| All or nothing response | a neuron's reaction of either firing(full strength) or not firing |
| Glial cells | nervous system cells that support, nourish, and protect neurons; also involved in learning, thinking, and memory |
| endorphins | natural opioid-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure |
| agonist | a molecule that increases a neurotransmitters actions |
| Endocrine system | the "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands and fat tissue that secretes hormones into the blood stream |
| Hormones | chemical messengers made by the endocrine glands travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| Psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters the brain causing changes in perceptions and moods |
| tolerance | diminishing effect with regular use of same drug dose requiring user to take more to experience effects |
| addiction | every day term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harm |
| withdrawl | discomfort/distress following stopping an addictive drug/behavior |
| Depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body function ex:alcohol |
| Barbituates | drugs that depress the CNS activity reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment ex:tranquilizer |
| Opioids | depress neural activity temporarily reducing pain and anxiety ex:fentanyl, morphine, heroin |
| Stimulants | drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body function ex:nicotine, caffeine, tobacco |
| Ecstasy(MDMA) | Stimulant and mild hallucinogen can lead to dehydration, overheating, and death |
| Hallucinogens | psychedelic drugs distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input ex:LSD, ecstasy, psiolcybin |
| Near Death experience | altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death often similar to drug induced hallucinations |
| Audition | sense or act of hearing |
| frequency | number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| amplitude | height of a sound wave, connects to our perception of loudness (higher=louder) |
| Outer ear | Pinna and auditory canal |
| middle ear | chamber between the eardrums and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window |
| inner ear | innermost part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircle canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Chochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | most common form, caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; aka nerve deafness |
| conduction hearing loss | less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea |
| Cochlear implant | a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea |
| place theory | theory that links pitch to the place where the cochleas membrane is stimulated aka:place coding |
| frequency matching theory | theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone thus enabling us to sense the pitch aka:temporal coding |
| Wavelength | the distance from the peak of one light/sound wave to the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from short gamma waves to long pulses of radio transmission (longer=red shorter=blue) |
| Hue | dimension of color determined by wavelength of light |
| intensity | amount of energy in a wave which influences whats percieved as brightness/loudness determined by amplitude |
| Cornea | eye's clear protective outer layer covering the pupil and iris |
| pupil | adjustable opening through which light enters |
| iris | a ring of muscle tissue that forms colored portion of eye around pupil and controls size of pupil opening |
| Lens | transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on retina |
| acommodation | process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus images of near and far objects |
| Retina | light sensitive back inner surface of the eye containing receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin processing of visual info |
| Rods | Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray and are sensitive to movement |
| Cones | retinal receptors concentrated near center of the retina that function in daylight or well-lit conditions, detect fine detail and color |
| Fovea | central focal point in retina around which cones cluster |
| Optic nerve | carries neural impulses from eye to brain |
| Blind spot | point at which optic nerve leaves the eye |
| young-helmholtz trichromatic theory | the theory that the retina contains 3 different types of color receptors (red, green, blue) |
| Opponent processing theory | theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision |
| feature detectors | nerve cells in the brains visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape, angle, or movement |
| parallel processing | processing multiple aspects of a stimuli or problem simultaneously |
| Biological psychology | scientific study of links between biological and psychological processes |
| Biopsychosocial approach | incorporates biological, psychological, and social cultural levels of analysis |
| Neuroplasticity | Brains ability to change especially during childhood by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience |
| Lesion | tissue destruction; Brain lesions use neuroplasticity by building new pathways after damage |
| Electro Encephalogram | amplified recording of electrical activity sweeping across the brains surface, waves measured by electrodes place on the scalp |
| Magnetoencephalography | a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain's natural activity |
| Positron emission tomography | detects brain activity by displaying where radioactive form of glucose goes while brain performs a give task |
| MRI | a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue, shows brain anatomy. |
| FMRI | reveals blood flow and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans shows brain function and structure |
| Hindbrain | consists of medulla, pons, and cerebellum; directs essential survival functions ex:sleeping, breathing, etc |
| Brain stem | central core, begins where spine swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions |
| Medulla | hindbrain structure, base of brainstem, controls heartbeat, chewing, and swallowing |
| Pons(bridge) | Part of brainstem just above the medulla helps coordinate movement and control sleep |
| Cerebellum | hindbrain's "little brain" at rear of brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output, and balance; enables nonverbal learning and memory |
| Mid brain | found atop brainstem; connects hind and fore brain; controls some motor movement and transmits auditory and visual info |
| Forebrain | cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus; manages complex cognitive activities sensory and associative functions, and voluntary movements |
| Cerebral cortex | intricate fabric of the interconnected neural cells covering forebrains cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and info processing center |
| Thalamus | forebrain's sensory control center located on top brainstem; directs messages to sensory receiving areas in cortex transmitting replies to cerebellum and medulla |
| Reticular formation | nerve network that travels through the brainstem into thalamus; filters info and plays a role in controlling arousal |
| Limbic system | neural system located mostly in forebrain-below cerebral hemispheres-includes amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus; associated with emotions and drives |
| Amygdala | 2 limba bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion |
| Hypothalamus | neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs maintenance activities (eating, drinking, temp, etc) helps govern endocrine system, linked to emotion and reward |
| Hippocampus | neural center that helps process explicit memories of faces and events for storage |
| cerebrum | largest part of brain, responsible for some of most complex functions |
| Frontal lobes | portion of cerebral cortex behind forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and planning and judgment |
| Occipital lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive info from visual fields |
| Temporal lobes | portion of cerebral cortex roughly above ears; includes auditory areas each of which receives info from opposite ear |
| Motor cortex | cerebral cortex area at rear of frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
| Somatosensory cortex | cerebral cortex area at front of parietal lobes, registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
| Neurogenesis | formation of new neurons |
| corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibres connecting 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
| split brain | condition resulting from surgery that separates the brain hemispheres by cutting connecting fibers |
| left brain | logical reasoning, mathematical processing, and language |
| right brain | facial recognition, spatial reasoning, self awareness |
| Cognitive neuroscience | interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition |
| Dual processing | the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks |
| Parallel consciousness | processing multiple aspects of a stimulus simultaneously |
| sequential processing | processing one aspect of a stimulus at a time, slower but more conscious in approach to new problems |
| Blindsight (agnosia) | condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it |
| Sleep cycle order | Nrem1, Nrem2, Nrem3, Nrem2, Nrem1, REM |
| Alpha waves | relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed awake state |
| Delta waves | large slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
| NREM 1 | a brief stage during which a person may experience hallucinations and hypnagogic sensations |
| Hypnagogic sensations | bizarre experiences such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly while transitioning to sleep |
| NREM2 | About 20 minutes long sleep spindles appear on EEG |
| NREM3 | deep sleep marked by delta waves |
| REM sleep | rapid eye movement sleep, recurrent stage when dreams commonly occur, aka paradoxical sleep because muscles are relaxed but other body systems are still active |
| Circadian Rythm | biological clock, regular bodily rhythms that occur on 24 hour cycle |
| Suprachiasmatic Nucleus | A pair of clusters in hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm in response to light, adjusts melatonin production |
| Insomnia | recurring problems in falling asleep and staying asleep |
| Sleep Apnea | sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings |
| Narcolepsy | sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks |
| REM sleep behavior disorder | disorder in which normal REM paralysis doesn't occur; instead twitching kicking or punching may occur |
| REM rebound | tendency to enter REM faster when sleep deprived |
| Bottom up processing | info processing that begins with sensory receptors and works up to brains integration of sensory info |
| top down processing | guided by higher level mental processes as when we construct perceptions drawing form prior experience and expectations |
| transduction | conversion of one form of energy into another. Transforming physical energy into neural impulses |
| Psychophysics | the study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimulus such as intensity and our psychological experiences of them |
| Absolute threshold | minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
| Signal detection theory | a theory predicting how and when we detect presence of faint stimuli and background stimulation; assumes no absolute threshold and detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness |
| Difference threshold | minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50 % of the time (just noticeable difference) |
| Webers law | the principle that to be perceived as different 2 stimuli must differ by a constant min % (rather than number) |
| Sensory adaptation | diminished sensitivity as consequence of constant stimulation |
| Gate control theory | says that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass to the brain |
| nociceptors | specialized sensory receptors that detect harmful temps, pressure, or chemicals |
| gustation | sense of taste |
| olfaction | sense of smell |
| kinesthesis | movement sense; system for sensing position and movement of body parts |
| vestibular sense | balance sense; sense of body movement and position enabling balance |
| sensory interaction | principle that one sense can influence another as when smell of food influences taste |
| embodied cognition | influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments (ex shoulders back=confidence) |