Vocabulary from Psychology Themes and Variations-Wayne Weiten
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| 1707278349 | Neurons | individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information. | 0 | |
| 1707278350 | soma | cell body; contains the cell nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells. | 1 | |
| 1707278351 | dendrites | the parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information | 2 | |
| 1707278352 | axon | a long, thin fiber that transmits signals away from the soma to other neurons or to muscles or glands | 3 | |
| 1707278353 | terminal buttons | small knobs that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters | 4 | |
| 1707278354 | synapse | a junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to another | 5 | |
| 1707278355 | glia | cells found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons | 6 | |
| 1707278356 | resting potential | a neurons' stable, negative charge when the cell is inactive | 7 | |
| 1707278357 | action potential | a very brief shift in a neuron's electrical charge that travels along a axon | 8 | |
| 1707278358 | absolute refractory period | the minimum length of time after an action potential during which another action potential cannot begin | 9 | |
| 1707278359 | neurotransmitters | chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another | 10 | |
| 1707278360 | pot synaptic potential (PSP) | a voltage change at a receptor site on a postsynaptic cell membrane | 11 | |
| 1707278361 | reuptake | a process in which neurotransmitters are sponged up from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane | 12 | |
| 1707278362 | somatic nervous system | made up of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors | 13 | |
| 1707278363 | Afferent nerve fibers | axons that carry information inward to the central nervous system form the periphery of the body | 14 | |
| 1707278364 | Efferent nerve fibers | axons that carry information outward form the central nervous system to the periphery of the body | 15 | |
| 1707278365 | autonomic nervous system | made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands. | 16 | |
| 1707278366 | sympathetic division | the branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body's resources for emergencies | 17 | |
| 1707278367 | parasympathetic division | the branch of the autonomic nervous system that generally conserves bodily resources | 18 | |
| 1707278368 | electroencephalograph | a device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp | 19 | |
| 1707278369 | lesioning | involves destroying a piece of the brain | 20 | |
| 1707278370 | hindbrain | includes the cerebellum and two structures found in the lower part of the brain-stem: the medulla and the pons. | 21 | |
| 1707278371 | midbrain | the segment of the brainstem that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain | 22 | |
| 1707278372 | forebrain | the largest and most complex region of the brain, encompassing a variety of structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum | 23 | |
| 1707278373 | limbic system | a loosely connected network of structures located roughly along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas | 24 | |
| 1707278374 | cerebral hemispheres | the right and left halves of the cerebrum | 25 | |
| 1707278375 | corpus callosum | the structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres | 26 | |
| 1707278376 | mirror neurons | neurons that are activated by performing an action or by seeing another monkey or person perform the same action | 27 | |
| 1707278377 | split-brain surgery | the bundle of fibers that connects the cerebral hemispheres is cut to reduce the security of epileptic seizures | 28 | |
| 1707278378 | perceptual asymmetries | left-right imbalances between the cerebral hemispheres in the speed of visual or auditory processing | 29 | |
| 1707278379 | The endocrine system | consists of glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream that help control bodily functioning | 30 | |
| 1707278380 | oxytocin | a hormone released by the pituitary gland, which regulates reproductive behaviors | 31 | |
| 1707278381 | chromosomes | strands of DNA molecules that cary genetic information | 32 | |
| 1707278382 | zygote | a single cell formed by the union of a sperm and an egg | 33 | |
| 1707278383 | genes | are DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmission | 34 | |
| 1707278384 | homozygous condition | two genes in a specific pair are the same | 35 | |
| 1707278385 | heterozygous condition | two genes in a specific pair are different | 36 | |
| 1707278386 | genotype | refers to a person's genetic makeup | 37 | |
| 1707278387 | phenotype | refers to the ways in which a person's genotype is manifested in observable characteristics | 38 | |
| 1707278388 | polygenic traits | characteristics that are influenced by more than one pair of genes | 39 | |
| 1707278389 | family studies | researchers asses hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they resemble one another on a specific trait | 40 | |
| 1707278390 | twin studies | researchers assess hereditary influence by comparing the resemblance of identical twins and fraternal twins with respect to a trait | 41 | |
| 1707278391 | Identical twins | emerge from one zygote that splits for unknown reasons | 42 | |
| 1707278392 | Fraternal twins | result when two eggs are fertilized simultaneously by different sperm cells, forming tow separate sygotes | 43 | |
| 1707278393 | Adoption studies | assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents | 44 | |
| 1707278394 | fitness | refers to the reproductive success of an individual organism relative to the population | 45 | |
| 1707278395 | natural selection | claims that heritable characteristics that provide a survival or reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be "selected" over time | 46 | |
| 1707278396 | adaptation | an inherited characteristic that increased in a population (through natural selection) because it helped solve a problem of survival or reproduction during the time it emerged | 47 |
