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MCAT Behavioral Sciences Chapter 1-Biology and Behavior

Terms in this set (82)

Franz Gall
developed doctrine of phrenology, the idea that the brain expands in well-developed areas
Pierre Flourens
first person to study functions of the brain via extirpation (ablation)
William James
father of American psychology, helped in the formation of functionalism
functionalism
a system of though in psych that studied how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments
John Dewey
believed psych should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to the environment
Paul Broca
examined the behavioral deficits of people with brain damage; Broca's area is named after him
Hermann von Helmholtz
first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse
Sir Charles Sherrington
inferred the existence of synapses
Sensory neurons
(afferent neurons) transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain
Motor neurons
(efferent neurons) transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands
Interneurons
found between other neurons, predominantly in the brain and spinal cord; most numerous of the three types
Reflex arcs
control reflexive behaviors
Central nervous system (CNS)
composed of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
made up of nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain and spinal cord; subdivided into somatic and autonomic nervous systems
Somatic nervous system
sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin, joints, and muscles
Autonomic nervous system
regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions; in other words, involuntary muscles; subdivisions are sympathetic and parasympathetic
Parasympathetic nervous system
-main role is to conserve energy
Functions:
-Constricts pupils
-Stimulates flow of saliva
-Slows heartbeat
-Stimulates peristalsis and secretion
-Stimulates bile release
-Contracts bladder
Sympathetic nervous system
-activated by stress
Functions:
-Increases heart rate
-Redistributes blood to muscles of locomotion
-Increases blood glucose
-Dilates pupils
-Decrease digestion and peristalsis
-Release epinephrine into bloodstream
Meninges
help protect the brain, keep it anchored within the skull, and resorb CSF: composed of three layers: dura, arachnoid, and pia mater
Cerebrospinal fluid
(CSF) aqueous solution in which the brain and spinal cord rest
Hindbrain
(rhombencephalon) controls balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, and general arousal processes (sleeping and walking); rhombencephalon becomes myelencephalon and metencephalon
Myelencephalon
becomes the medulla oblongata
Metencephalon
becomes the pons and cerebellum
Medulla oblongata
responsible for regulating vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
Pons
contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and medulla
Cerebellum
structure that helps maintain posture and balance and coordinates body movements; impaired by alcohol
Midbrain
(mesencephalon) receives sensory and motor information from the rest of the body and is associated with involuntary reflex responses via visual or auditory stimuli
Colliculi
prominent nuclei in the midbrain; know superior (visual) and inferior (auditory)
Forebrain
(prosencephalon) complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes; prosencephalon divides into telencephalon and diencephalon
Telencephalon
forms the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic system
Diencephalon
forms the thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, and pineal gland
Neuropsychology
study of functions and behaviors associated with specific regions of the brain
Electroencephalography
(EEG) a test used to study the electrical patterns of the brain under varying conditions; consists of multiple electrodes placed on the scalp
Thalamus
structure in forebrain that serves as an important relay station for incoming sensory info, except for smell
Hypothalamus
serves homeostatic functions and is key player in emotional experiences during high arousal and aggressive states
Lateral hypothalamus
hunger center; detects when the body needs more food or fluids
Ventromedial hypothalamus
"satiety center"; provides signals to stop eating
Anterior hypothalamus
controls sexual behavior
Posterior pituitary gland
axonal projections from the hypothalamus; releases ADH (vasopressin) ad oxytocin
Pineal gland
secretes melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythm
Basal ganglia
coordinate muscle movements as they receive info from the cortex and relay this info to the brain and spinal cord; damage associated with Parkinson's
Limbic system
group of interconnected structures primarily associated with emotion and memory; primary components are septal nuclei, amygdala, and hippocampus
Septal nuclei
one of the primary pleasure centers in the brain
Amygdala
role in defensive and aggressive behaviors, including fear and rage
Hippocampus
vital role in learning and memory processes; helps consolidate information to form long-term memoreis
Anterograde vs. Retrograde amnesia
Antero- no new long term memories after injury
Retro- memory loss of events before injury
Cerebral cortex
(neocortex) outer surface of the brain, responsible for complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes
Four lobes of the brain
(F-POT) Frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
Frontal lobe
comprised of the prefrontal lobes and motor cortex
Prefrontal cortex
manages executive function by supervising and directing the operation of other brain regions (memory, emotion, perception, long-term planning); good example of an association area (integrates input from diverse brain regions)
Primary motor cortex
intiates voluntary motor movements by sending neural impuleses down the spinal cord toward the muscles; considered a projection area (rudimentary or simple perceptual and motor tasks)
Broca's area
important for speech production
Parietal lobe
contains somatosensory cortex (involved in somatosensor information processing) and is also associated with spatial processing
Occipital lobe
responsible for visual processing (visual cortex)
Temporal lobe
responsible for sound processing (auditory cortex), speech perception (Wernicke's area) memory, and emotion (limbic system)
Dominant hemisphere
(usually the left) primarily analytic in functions, so involved in language, logic, and math skills
Nondominant hemisphere
(usually the right) associated with intuition, creativity, music cognition, and spatial processing
Acetylcholine
voluntary muscle control, parasympathetic nervous system, attention, alertness
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
fight-or-flight response, wakefulness, alertness
Dopamine
smooth movements, postural stability
Catecholamines
type of neurotransmitter (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine); play important roles in experience of emotions
Serotonin
mood, sleep, eating, dreaming
GABA
brain "stabilization"
Endorphins
peptide neurotransmitters which are natural painkillers produced in the brain
Pituitary gland
"master" gland
-Anterior pituitary is the "master" because it releases hormones that regulate activities of endocrine glands
Innate behavior
genetically programmed as a result of evolution and is seen in all individuals regardless of environment or experience
Learned behaviors
based on experience and environment, not heredity
Nature vs. Nurture
Nature- heredity
Nurture- influence of environment and physical surroundings on behavior
Family studies
-rely on the assumption that genetically related individuals are more similar genotypically than unrelated individuals
-Sample population: family of genetically related individuals
-Control population: unrelated individuals (general population)
Twin study
-compare concordance rates for a trait between monozygotic and dizygotic twins
-Sample population: monozygotic twins
-Control population: dizygotic twins
Adoption studies
-compare similarities between biological relatives and the adopted child to similarities between adoptive relatives and the adopted child
-Sample population: adoptive family
-Control population: Biological family
Neurulation
(3-4 weeks gestational age)
-ectoderm overlying the notochord begins to furrow, forming a neural groove surrounded by two neural folds
Neural crest
cells at the leading edge of the neural fold; migrate throughout the body to form tissues such as dorsal root ganglia, melanocytes, and calcitonin-producing cells of the thyroid
Neural tube
ultimately forms the CNS
Reflex
behavior that occurs automatically in response to a given stimulus
Rooting reflex
primitive reflex that is the automatic turning of the head in the direction of a stimulus that touches the cheek
Moro reflex
primitive refelx that is flinging out arms and then slowly retracting their arms and crying, in response to abrupt movements of the head
Babinski reflex
toes to spread apart automatically when the sole of the foot is stimulated
Grasping reflex
infant closes his or her fingers around an object placed in his or her hands
Motor skill development
-progress in a head-to-toe order, as well as with skill development in core body regions before extremtieis
Social skill development
goes from being parent-oriented to self-oriented to other-oriented
Language skill development
becomes more complex and structured
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