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Psych Ch. 3 Terms
The Biological Aspects of Psychology
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Biological Psychology | The study of cells and organs of the body and the physical and chemical changes involved in behavior and mental processes. |
| Nervous System | The billions of cells that make up your brain, spinal cord, and other nerve fibers. |
| Neurons | Cells that are specialized to rapidly respond to signals and to quickly send signals of their own. |
| Glial Cells | Help neurons communicate by directing their growth, help keep their chemical environment stable, providing energy, and secreting chemicals to help restore damage. |
| Outer Membrane | Acts like a fine screen, letting some substances pass while blocking others. |
| Cell body | Contains a nucleus (Red blood cells have no nucleus) The nucleus carries genetic information that determines how a cell will function. |
| Mitochondria | Structures that turn oxygen and glucose into energy. |
| Axons | Fibers that cary signals away from the cell body, out to where communication occurs with other neurons. |
| Dendrites | Fibers that receive signals from the axons of other neurons and carries those signals to the cell body. |
| Synapses | The tiny spaces between neurons |
| Action Potential | Sudden wave of electrochemical changes in the Axon. |
| Myelin | Fatty substance that wraps around some axons like a stocking and speeds action potentials. |
| Refractory Period | A short rest between firings, during which the neuron can't fire. |
| Neurotransmitters | Chemical messengers that communicate between neurons across the synapse. |
| Neural Receptors (Receptors) | Proteins that neurotransmitters attach to when they reach the membrane of the postsynaptic cell. |
| Postsynaptic Potential | The changes that take place in the membrane potential of the postsynaptic cell. |
| Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential | A depolarizing postsynaptic potential. |
| Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential | A hyper-polarizing postsynaptic potential. |
| Neural Networks | Groups of neurons in the brain and spinal cord. |
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | The brain and spinal cord, which are cased in bone for protection. |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | Extends throughout the body and, relays information to and from the brain. |
| Somatic Nervous System | Transmits information from the senses to the CNS, and carries signals from the CNS to the muscles that move the skeleton. |
| Sensory Neurons | Bring information into the brain. |
| Motor Neurons | Carry information from the brain to direct motion. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | Carries messages back and forth between the CNS and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands. |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | Mobilizes the body for action in the face of stress. |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | Regulates the body's energy-conserving functions. |
| Spinal Cord | Receives signals from the senses, including pain and touch from the fingertips, and relays those signals to the brain through fibers in the cord. |
| Reflexes | The response to an incoming cell is directly "reflected" back out. |
| Hindbrain | Lies just inside the skull, actually a continuation of the spinal cord. |
| Medulla Oblongata | Reflexes and feedback systems are important to the functioning of the hindbrain, just as they are in the spinal cord. |
| Reticular Formation | Threading throughout the hindbrain and into the midbrain is a collection of cells that are not arranged in any well-defined nucleus. |
| Locus Coeruleus | "Blue Spot" Only about 30,000 of the 100 billion cells in the brain. |
| Cerebellum | Coordination of movements |
| Midbrain | Above the hindbrain, certain types of automatic behaviors that integrate simple movements with sensory input are controlled here. |
| Substania Nigra | "Black Substance" This small area and it's connections to the STRIATUM are necessary to smoothly begin movements. |
| Forebrain | Responsible for most complex aspects of behavior and mental life. |
| Thalamus | Relays pain signals from the spinal cord, as well as signals from the eyes and most other sense organs to upper levels of the brain. |
| Hypothalamus | Lies under the Thalamus, is involved in regulating hunger, thirst, and sex drive. |
| Suprachiasmatic Nuclei | Keep an approximate 24 hour clock that establishes your biological rhythms such as walking and sleeping, as well as cycles of body temperature. |
| Amygdala and Hippocampus | Part of the Limbic System. Interconnected structures of this system, (which also includes the Hypothalamus and the Septum), play important roles in regulating memory and emotion. |
| Cerebral Hemispheres | Halves of the brain. |
| Cerebral Cortex | Analysis of information from all senses, control of voluntary movements, higher-order thought, and other complex aspects of out thoughts and mental behavior. |
| Sensory Cortex | Lies in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes and is the part of the cerebral cortex that receives information from our senses. |
| Motor Cortex | In the frontal lobe, create voluntary movements in specific parts of the body. |
| Association Cortex | Perform complex cognitive tasks, such as associating words with images. |
| Lateral Dominance (Lateralization) | Each side of the brain is programmed to preform certain functions more efficiently than, and almost independently of, the other hemisphere. |
| Corpus Callosum | A massive bundle of more than a million fibers that connects the two hemispheres. |
| Neural Plasticity | Ability of central nervous system to strengthen neutral connections at synapses, as well as to establish new connections. |
| Neural Stem Cells | Special glial cells that are capable of dividing to form new tissue, including new neurons. |
| Acetylcholine | Used by neurons of the parasympathetic nervous system to slow the heartbeat and activate the digestive system and by neurons that make muscles contract. |
| Norepinephrine | Occurs in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, it contributes to arousal. |
| Seratonin | Affects sleep and mood. |
| Dopamine | Neurotransmitter used in the substantia nigra and striatum, which are important for movement. |
| Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) | Reduces the likelihood that postsynaptic neurons will fire an action potential. |
| Glutamate | Major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. |
| Endorphins | Refers to all neurotransmitters that can bind to the same receptors stimulated by opiates. |
| Endocrine System | Regulates functions ranging from stress responses to physical growth. |
| Glands | Communicate by secreting chemicals, much as neurons do. |
| Hormones | Chemicals secreted by endocrine organs. |
| Fight-or-Flight Syndrome | Prepares us for action in response to danger or other stress. (Heart beats faster, liver reduces glucose into the bloodstream, files are mobilized from fat stores, and we usually enter a state of high arousal. |
Created by:
chloe.spencer.11
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