Unit 2 Vocabulary for Psychology AP
Terms : Hide Images
| 594016913 | Amygdala | two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion | |
| 594016938 | hindbrain | division of brain including cerebellum, medulla and pons | |
| 594016940 | Excitatory PSP | PSP , An electric potential that increases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials. | |
| 594016943 | Hypothalamus | part of limbic system that controls body temperature and basic biological drivers | |
| 594016946 | Endorphine | neurotransmitter that is the body's natural opium or pain killer; "Runner's High" | |
| 594016948 | Cerebellum | responsible for balance and coordination; First affected by alcohol | |
| 594016950 | dendrites | contain receptor sites for catching neurotransmitters in the post-synaptic neuron | |
| 594016952 | broca's area | area in left hemisphere for making speech | |
| 594016954 | occipital lobe | contains visual cortex | |
| 594016956 | Serotonin | low amounts of this neurotransmitter may result in depression; controls sleep, mood and hunger; Tryptophan, Prozac, Ritalin | |
| 594016958 | SSRI | acronym for anti-depressant drugs | |
| 594016960 | Medulla | keeps your heart beating and you breathing | |
| 594016962 | Agonist | drugs that mimic a neurotransmitter | |
| 594016964 | Limbic system | more primitive than the cerebrum and is responsible for emotions, drives and memories | |
| 594016966 | Temporal Lobe | contains auditory cortex | |
| 594016968 | Dopamine | Learning, and attention and sense of reward; Schizophrenic's (Too Much), Parkinson's (Too little); cocaine (Reuptake inhibitor) | |
| 594016970 | hippocampus | part of limbic system that helps form memories | |
| 594016972 | Sympathetic | division of autonomic nervous system that is activated by limbic system in "fight or flight" situations | |
| 594016974 | myelin sheathe | insulates the axon and speeds up neural firings | |
| 594016975 | cerebrum | largest part of brain, where our complex cognition takes place | |
| 594016977 | resting potential | measures at about -70 millivolts, when cell is inactive | |
| 594016979 | forebrain | region of brain that includes cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system | |
| 594016981 | GABA | Neurotransmitter that slows the nervous system; controls anxiety and stress; cocain (antagonist) | |
| 594016983 | Action-Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon | |
| 594016985 | fMRI | form of brain imaging that shows function as well as structure of brain parts | |
| 594016987 | thalamus | relays sensory info to various parts of cerebrum | |
| 594016989 | Vesicle | sack that holds neurotransmitters until they are ready for release | |
| 594016991 | Endocrine System | system of glands communicating via hormones | |
| 594016993 | Refractory Period | period in which a neuron is incapable of firing | |
| 594016994 | Cerebral Cortex | folded outer layer that contains 2/3 of our neurons | |
| 594016995 | axon | long fiber that carries signal away from soma | |
| 594016997 | Soma | cell body of neurons | |
| 594016998 | Acetylcholine | neurotransmitter stimulated by nicotine, lack of this is correlated with Alzheimer's; Enables muscle movement; Botox (Antagonist), Nicotine (Agonist) | |
| 594017000 | Frontal Lobe | contains motor strip | |
| 594017001 | Reuptake | Re-absorption of neurotransmitters by the pre-synaptic neuron | |
| 594017002 | parietal lobe | contains sensory strip | |
| 594017003 | Norepinephrine | neurotransmitter for mood and alertness, affected by caffeine | |
| 594017004 | Evoked Potentials | electrical signals generated by the nervous system in response to sensory stimulation of the body | |
| 594017005 | Ablation/Lesion | destruction of brain tissue | |
| 594017006 | EEG | measurement of brain waves by attaching electrodes to scalp | |
| 594017007 | MRI | High-Res images made by placing head in in spinning magnetic field | |
| 594017008 | PET scan | use of an injected radioactive chemical for scanning to generate a 3-D image | |
| 594017009 | CAT Scan | A 3-D image of the brain generated by a bunch of x-ray shots | |
| 594017010 | Opponent-Process Theory | asserts that color perception depends on bipolar receptors for red v. green, blue v. yellow, and black v. white | |
| 594017011 | Cone | receptor cell in retina for light and color detenction | |
| 594017012 | Amplitude | height of a wave that determines brightness of light or loudness of sound | |
| 594017013 | rods | receptor cells for peripheral and night vision | |
| 594017014 | bottom-up processing | processing from individual elements to the whole | |
| 594017015 | retina | transduction of light into neural signals occurs here | |
| 594017016 | Proximity | Gestalt principle in which we tend to see items grouped close together as one | |
| 594017017 | feature analysis | detecting specific visual elements and assembling them into a more complex form | |
| 594017018 | Convergence | binocular depth cue that senses the eyes turning toward each other as an object approaches | |
| 594017019 | ossicles | 3 little bones of inner ear (Hammer, Anvil, and Stirrup) | |
| 594017020 | Wavelength | determines hue for vision and pitch for hearing | |
| 594017021 | perceptual set | tendency to get stuck seeing something in a particular way | |
| 594017022 | Melatonin | pineal gland secretes this hormone that plays a key role in your biological clock | |
| 594017023 | Beta | Brainwave pattern when 1 is awake and alert | |
| 594017024 | Sleep apnea | sleep disorder where an individual stops breathing | |
| 594017025 | Theta | brainwaves during light sleep | |
| 594017026 | problem solving theory | theory of dreaming that states that we are attempting to solve problems from our daily lives | |
| 594017027 | Activation-Synthesis Theory | states that dreams are the cortex trying to make sense of neural activity | |
| 594017028 | Narcotics | type of drugs that affect endorphins | |
| 594017029 | Dissociation | splitting our consciousness into 2 or more streams of awareness | |
| 594017030 | REM | Acronym for sleep stages 3 & 4, when brainwaves are higher in amplitude and lower in frequency | |
| 594017031 | Hillucinogens | drugs that distort sensation and perception | |
| 594017032 | Alpha | EEG brainwaves when in deep relaxation and meditation | |
| 594017033 | hypnosis | heightened state of suggestibility, relaxation and imagination | |
| 594017034 | delta | brainwaves when 1 is in deep sleep | |
| 594017035 | Anesthesia | effect of hypnosis where subjects may resist pain | |
| 594017036 | Night Terrors | abrupt awakenings with panic attacks during NREM | |
| 594017037 | Insomnia | chronic inability to get adequate sleep |
