Flashcards: AP Psychology Biological Basis
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jaquiwilson on April 21, 2008
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AP Psychology terminology for biological basis of psychology
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Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Peripheral nervous system (PNS) | division that connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body; divided into somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system |
| neural impulse | action potential; the firing of a nerve cell; the entire process of the electrical charge (message/impulse) traveling through inner on; can be as fast as 400 fps (with myelin) or 3 fps (no myelin) |
| motor projection areas | primary motor cortex; areas of the three boat cortex for response messages from the brain to the muscles and glands |
| endocrine glands | the bodies "slow" chemical communication by secreting hormones directly into the bloodstream |
| synaptic cleft | synaptic gap or synaptic space; tiny gap between the terminal of one neuron and the dendrites of another neuron (almost never touch); location of the transfer of an impulse from one neuron to the next |
| parasympathetic division | a branch of the autonomic nervous system that maintains normal body functions; it calms the body ever conserves energy |
| cerebral cortex | 80% of weight of human brain; 70% of CNS's neurons; wrinkled outer portion of un-myelin aided cells (cerebrum) covering both hemispheres; processes thought, vision, language, memory, and emotions; most recently of all part of nervous system |
| behavioral genetics | study of hereditary influences and how it influences behavior and thinking |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid; genetic formation in a double-helix; can replicate or reproduce itself; made of genes |
| acetylcholine (ACh) | distributed widely throughout CNS; involved in arousal, attention, memory, motivation, and movement; involved in muscle action at neuromuscular joints (skeletal muscles); implicated in Alzheimer's disease-loss of memory and severe language problems; too much dopamine = spasms and tremors; too little dopamine = paralysis and torpor |
| interneurons | connection neurons; Association neurons that carry messages to another neuron |
| serotonin | "mood molecule"; chemical that affects regulation asleep, dreaming, mood, hunger, pain, and aggressive behavior; and attaches to many receptors (receptor sites) |
| dopamine | chemical that influences voluntary movement, learning, pleasure, memory,-is implicated in Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia; in Parkinson's disease a causes tremors, muscle spasms, increasing muscular rigidity; recently implicated in ADHD |
| occipital lobe | part of cerebral cortex that receives visual information |
| axon | Greek for axle; a single long, fluid-filled tube that carries outgoing messages to other neurons, muscles, or glands; can be 1 or 2 mm to 3 feet in length; often referred to as a nerve or tract; bundled together |
| endocrine system | the body slow chemical communication system which is made up of a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream; made of the glands-pineal, pituitary, parathyroid, thyroid, pancreas, and adrenal, ovaries and testes |
| parathyroid | for glands embedded in the thyroid; secretes parathormone; controls announces level of calcium and phosphate (which influence levels of excitability) |
| reticular formation (RF) (RES) | netlike system of neurons that weaves through limbic system and plays an important role in attention, arousal, and alert functions; arouses and alerts higher parts of the brain; anesthetics work by temporary shutting off RF system |
| pituitary gland | endocrine gland that produces a large amount of hormones; it regulates growth and helps control other endocrine glands; located on underside of brain |
| frontal lobe | part of the cerebral cortex; coordinates messages from other cerebral lobes; involved in complex problem-solving tasks, thinking, self-control, judgment, emotion regulation, personality affects, concentration, goal directed behavior; restructures in teen years |
| hypothalamus | small area of the brain that is part of the limbic system and regulates behaviors related to survival such as, eating, drinking, sexual behaviors, motivation |
| neural plasticity | Ability of the brain to change their experience, both structurally and chemically |
| forebrain | top of the brain which includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex; responsible for emotional regulation, complex thought, memory aspect of personality |
| brainstem | top of the spinal column |
| graded potential | shift in electrical charge in a tiny area of the neuron (temporary); transmits a long cell membranes leaving neuron and polarized state; needs higher than normal threshold of excitation to fire |
| strain studies | studies of hereditability it be a behavioral traits using animals that have been inbred to produce strains that are genetically similar to one another |
| family studies | studies of hereditability on the assumption that if a gene influences a certain trait, close relatives should be more similar on that trait in distant relative |
| identical twins | twins from a single fertilized oval with the same genetic makeup |
| epinephrine | adrenaline; activates a sympathetic nervous system by making the heart beat faster, stopping digestion, enlarging pupils, sending sugar into the bloodstream, preparing a blood clot faster |
| hippocampus | a curved portion of the forebrain structure that is part of the limbic system and is involved in learning and processing new memories |
| neurogenesis | production of new brain cells; November 1988: cancer patients proved that new neurons grew until the end of life |
| cerebellum | "little brain"; part of the brain that coordinates balance, movement, reflexes |
| limbic system | a donut ring-shaped of loosely connected structures located in the forebrain between the central core and cerebral hemispheres; consists of: septum, cingulate gyrus, endowments, hypothalamus, and to campus, and amygdala; associated with emotions and memories |
| autonomic nervous system | a division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary functions; it takes a message from the central nervous system to the internal organs |
| relative refractory period | a period after firing when a neuron is returning to its normal polarize state and will only fire again if the incoming message open parentheses impulse) is stronger than usual; returning to arresting state |
| insulin | hormone backpacks in the regulation of blood sugar by acting in the utilization of carbohydrates; released by pancreas; too much-hypoglycemia, too little-diabetes |
| synaptic vesicles | tiny oval-shaped sacs in a terminal of one neuron; assist in transferring mineral impulse from one neuron to another neuron by releasing specific neurotransmitters |
| absolute refractory period | a. After firing when a neuron will not fire again no matter how strong the incoming message may be; length-1000th of a second |
| norepinephrine | noradrenaline; chemical which is excitatory, similar to adrenaline, and affects arousal and memory; raises blood pressure by causing blood vessels to become constricted, but also carried by bloodstream to the anterior pituitary which relaxes ACTH thus prolonging stress response |
| dendrites | the bushy, branching extensions of the cell body that receives messages and conducts impulses; Greek for tree |
| human genomes | 30,000 genes needed to build a human |
| twin studies | studies as identical and rhetorical twins to determine relative influence of heredity and environment on human behavior |
| endorphins | chemical inhibiting the transmission of pain, often experienced during exercise, i.e. "runner's high"; discovered in 1970s when trying to find out how opiates were (morphine, heroin); "endorphins" is a pharmacological (drug/med) term |
| myelin sheath | a white, lipoid (fatty) material in casing many neuron fibers and enables faster transmission of an impulse; white matter; it's pinched at intervals; not on all neurons but found throughout the body; insulin to prevent interference from other neurons |
| sympathetic division | a branch of the autonomic nervous system and prepares the body for quick action in emergencies; fight or flight; busiest when frightened, angry, or aroused; increases heart rate, increases breathing rate, enlarges pupils, stops digestion; connects to all internal organs; sudden reaction |
| ions | electrically charged particles found both inside and outside a neuron; negative ions are found inside the cell membrane in a polarized neuron |
| Association areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions, rather, they are involved in higher mental processes such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
| Genetics | study of how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next |
| recessive gene | member of the gene terror that controls the appearance of a certain trait only if it is paired with the same gene |
| thyroid gland | located in the net; it regulates metabolism by secreting two hormones: thyroxine and parathormone |
| midbrain | the middle division of brain responsible for hearing and sight; location where pain is registered; includes temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and most of the parietal lobe |
| polarization | when the neuron is at rest; condition of neuron when the inside of the neuron is negatively charged relative to the outside of Enron; is necessary to generate the neuron signal in release of this polarization |
| resting potential | when a neuron is in polarization; more negative ions are inside the neuron cell membrane with a positive ions on the outside, causing a small electrical charge; release of this charge generates a neuron's impulse (signal/message) |
| glial cells | Greek for glue; forms myelin sheath; holds neuron in place; provides nourishment and removes waste; prevents harmful substances from entering bloodstream; may play important role in memory and learning; affects brain's response to new experiences |
| dominant genes | member of a gene terror that controls the appearance of a certain trait |
| pons | part of the brain involved in sleep regulation also connects a cerebellum to the cerebral cortex; sleep and wake cycles |
| thyroxine | released by thyroid; hormone that regulates the body's metabolism; OVERACTIVE-over-excitability, insomnia, reduced attention span, fatigue, snap decisions, reduced concentration (hyperthyroidism); UNDERACTIVE-desire to sleep, constantly tired, weight gain (hypothyroidism) |
| nerve | bundles of axons |
| chromosomes | pair of threadlike bodies within the cell ridiculous; contains genes |
| somatic nervous system | division of peripheral nervous system; carries messages from afferent neurons central nervous system and between central nervous system to skeletal muscles; controls voluntary actions |
| gonads | reproductive glands-male, testes; female, ovaries |
| receptor site | a location on a receptor neurons which is like a key to a lock (with a specific nerve transmitter); allows for orderly pathways |
| psychobiology | study that focuses on biological foundations of behavior and mental processes; overlaps with neuroscience |
| Central nervous system (CNS) | the brain and spinal cord; 90% of the bodies neurons |
| medulla | part of the brain which controls living functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature |
| neuron | 100 billion in brain; individual cells that are the smallest unit of the nervous system; it has three classes: efferent, afferent, and interneurons; made of Colin dendrites, axons, synaptic gap, terminal buttons, synaptic vesicles, and sometimes myelin |
| selection studies | studies that estimate the hereditability of a trait by breeding animals with another animal that has the same trait |
| (beta) endorphins | a natural painkiller released by the body, often experienced during exercise; discovered in 1970s when investigating how opiates were; beta endorphins are natural |
| spinal cord | a bundle of neuron axons which act like cables carrying messages to the PNS; connects brain to the rest of the body; wrapped in myelin and, surrounded and protected by vertebral bones; spinal injuries-paralysis, bowel/bladder control, low blood pressure |
| hindbrain | division which includes the cerebellum, Pons, and medulla; responsible for involuntary processes: blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, breathing, sleep cycles |
| adrenal glands | located above the kidney and secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine; stimulated by autonomic nervous system |
| motor neurons | efferent neurons; neurons that carry messages from spinal cord/brain to muscles and glands |
| neurotransmitters | chemical messengers released by synaptic vesicles and travel through the synaptic gap assisting neural impulses (messages) as they leave one neuron to the next; affects adjacent neurons; examples: ACh, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and norepinephrine, glutamate, GABA, and glycine |
| parathormone | hormone that controls imbalances levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood and tissue fluid; influences levels of excitability; secreted by parathyroids |
| genes | elements that control transmission of traits; on the chromosomes |
| hormones | serves a function similar to neurotransmitters in that they carry messages; chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream; manufactured by glands (mostly); help regulate bodily functions |
| synapse | the point of communication between two neurons-includes axon terminal of the sending neuron, the synaptic space (gap), and dendrites/cell body of the receiving neuron |
| pancreas | organ lying between the stomach and small intestine; regulates blood sugar by secreting to regulating hormones: insulin and glucagon |
| thalamus | motor sensory relay center for four of the five senses; and with a brain stem and composed of two egg-shaped structures; integrates in shades incoming sensory signals; Mnemonic-"don't smell the llamas because the llamas smell bad" |
| temporal lobe | involved in complex visual tasks and processing; balance; emotional regulation and maturity; Strong oral and language comprehension; smell; hearing; still developing after age 16 |
| ACTH (arenocorticotropic hormone) | released by adrenal glands; triggered by norepinephrine to prolong the response to stress (used in the sympathetic nervous system) |
| polygenic inheritance | process by which several genes interact to produce a certain trait; responsible for most important traits |
| parietal lobe | part of the cerebral cortex never see sensory information from skin, muscles, joints, organs, taste buds; involved in spatial/visual abilities and integrates all sensory signals; immature until age 16 |
| amniocentesis | collection of fetal cells and testing them for genetic abnormalities; using a long needle to withdraw cells from third trimester pregnant woman; uses amniotic fluid which surrounds fetus in the womb |
| axon terminal | terminal button, synaptic knob; the structure at the end of an excellent terminal branch; houses the synaptic vesicles and neurotransmitters |
| corpus callosum | large band of white neural fibers that connects to to brain hemispheres and carries messages between them; myelinated; involved in intelligence, consciousness, and self-awareness; does it reach full maturity until 20s |
| neuroscience | study of the brain and nervous system; overlaps with psychobiology |
| sensory neurons | afferent neurons; neurons that carry messages from sensory organs to the brain and spinal cords |
| fraternal twins | two children developed on two separate eggs that share a room; no more genetically similar than other brother and sisters (i.e. different genetic makeup) |
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