Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ch 2 Vocabulary
AP Psychology Neuroscience and Behavior Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biological psychology | A branch of psychology concerned with the links between psychology and behavior |
| Neuron | A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
| Dendrite | The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
| Axon | The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
| Myelin sheath | A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next |
| Action potential | A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane |
| Threshold | The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| Synapse | The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
| Neurotransmitters | Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. |
| Endorphins | Natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
| Nervous system | The body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems |
| Central nervous system | The brain and spinal cord |
| Peripheral nervous system | The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
| Sensory neurons | Neurons that carry information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system |
| Interneurons | Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| Motor neurons | Neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
| Sympathetic nervous system | The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
| Parasympathetic nervous system | The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
| CT scan | A series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body |
| PET scan | A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
| MRI scan | A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain |
| Medulla | The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
| Reticular formation | A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| Thalamus | The brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
| Cerebellum | The “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |
| Limbic system | A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus. |
| Hypothalamus | A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |
| Cerebral cortex | The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
| Frontal lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
| Parietal lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; included sensory cortex |
| Occipital lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field |
| Temporal lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear |
| Plasticity | The brain's capacity for modification, as evident following damage and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development |
| Endocrine system | The body's slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| Hormones | Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
| Adrenal glands | A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress |
| Pituitary glands | The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
Created by:
lthom
Popular Psychology sets