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Unit 3 AP Psychology Flashcards

Advanced Placement Psychology
Enterprise High School, Redding, CA
All terms from Myers Psychology for AP (BFW Worth, 2011)

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8685949937biological psychologiststhe scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.0
8685949938neurona nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.1
8685949939dendritesthe bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.2
8685949940axonthe neuron extension that passes and electrical messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.3
8685949941myelin sheatha layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.4
8685949942action potentiala neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.5
8685949943refractory perioda period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.6
8685949944thresholdthe level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.7
8685949945all-or-nothing responsea neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing.8
8685949946synapsethe junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.9
8685949947neurotransmitterschemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.10
8685949948reuptakea neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.11
8685949949endorphins"morphine within"—natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.12
8685949950AgonistA chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.13
8685949951AntagonistsChemical substances that block or reduce a cell's response to the action of other chemicals or neurotransmitters.14
8685949952nervous systemthe body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.15
8685949953Central nervous system (CNS)the brain and the spinal cord16
8685949954Peripheral nervous system (PNS)the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body17
8685949955nervesbundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.18
8685949956sensory (afferent) neuronsneurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.19
8685949957motor (efferant) neuronsneurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.20
8685949958interneuronsneurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.21
8685949959Somatic nervous systemthe division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles (skeletal nervous system)22
8685949960Autonomic nervous systemthe part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. It's sympathetic system arouses and parasympathetic calms.23
8685949961Sympathetic nervous systemthe division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. (If you get scared)24
8685949962Parasympathetic nervous systemthe division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy (Your PARents come home and calm you down)25
8685949963Reflexessimple, automatic responses to sensory stimuli, such as the knee-jerk response26
8685949964Endocrine systemthe body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream27
8685949965Hormoneschemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues28
8685949966Adrenal glandsa pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress29
8685949967Pituitary gland"THE MASTER GLAND" the endocrine system's most influential gland under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands30
8685949968Lesiontissue destruction. It can occur naturally or experimentally by the caused distruction/remove of brain tissues31
8685949969Electroencephalogram (EEG)An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.32
8685949970CT (computed tomography) scana series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representaion of a slice through the body. Aslo called a CAT scan33
8685949971(PET) Positron emission tomography scanA visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.34
8685949972MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)a TECHNIQUE THAT USES MAGNETIC FIELDS AND RADIO WAVES TO PRODUCE COMPUTER generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissues.35
8685949973fMRI (functional MRI)A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.36
8685949974Brainstemthe oldest part and central core of brain. AKA reticular formation, or reticular activating system. In charge of automatic survival functions37
8685949975MeduallaThe base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing.38
8685949976Ponssleep and arousal39
8685949977Thalamusthe brains 'sensory switch board' Located at top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory areas and transmits them to cerebellum and medulla.40
8685949978Reticular FormationPlays an important role in controlling arousal.41
8685949979Cerebellum"little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions including processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.42
8685949980Limbic systemA system of neural structures at the border of brainstem. Associated with emotions like fear, agression, and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the Hippocampus, Amygdala and hypothalamus.43
8685949981Amygdala2Lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion. Includes rage and fear.44
8685949982HippocampusLimbic system. Learning and memory matcher.45
8685949983hypothalamousA neural structure lying below the thalamus, it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature) helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.46
8685949984Cerebral cortexFabric of interconnected neuron cells. Higher order thinking. Takes meaning and puts it to focus. The body's ultimate control and information-processing center.47
8685949985Glial CellsCells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.48
8685949986Frontal Lobesthe portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements.49
8685949987Parietal lobesThe portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex. Receives sensory input for touch and body position.50
8685949988Occipital lobesthe portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual info from the opposite visual feild.51
8685949989Temporal lobesThe portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughyl above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which revieves aditory info primarily from the opposite end.52
8685949990motor cortexan area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.53
8685949991somatosensory cortexthe area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.54
8685949992association areasareas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking55
8685949993PlasticityThe brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.56
8685949994NeurogenesisFormation of new neurons57
8685949995Corpus CallosumLarge band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.58
8685949996Split BrainA conditioning resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them.59
8685949997Consciousnessour awareness of ourselves and our environment.60
8685949998Cognitive NeuroscienceThe interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition. (including perception, thinking, memory and language.)61
8685949999Dual Processinga phenomenon can occur in two different ways, or as a result of two different processes, The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks62
8685950000behavior geneticsthe study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior63
8685950001environmentevery nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us, Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.64
8685950002chromosomesthreadlike structure made of DNA molecules that contain the genes65
8685950003DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) .(deoxyribonucleic acid) a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes66
8685950004genesthe biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein67
8685950005genomethe complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes68
8685950006identical twins (monozygotic)twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms69
8685950007fraternal twins (dizygotic)twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs; no genetically closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment70
8685950008molecular geneticistssubfield of biology that study the molecular structure and function of genes71
8685950009heritabilitythe proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes; this may vary depending on population range and the environment being studied72
8685950010interactionthe interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity)73
8685950011epigeneticsThe study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.74
8685950012evolutionary psychologistsThe study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.75
8685950013natural selectionthe principle that, among range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations76
8685950014mutationsA random error in gene replication that leads to a change77

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