AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Psychology Brain and Behavior Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
5736136057amygdalaPart of Limbic System - responsible for fear responses and the memory of fear - if damaged - inability to create fear responses, risky behavior, deficits in recognizing emotion0
5736136059somatosensory cortex- Between motor cortex and parietal lobe - receives tactile information from the body,each area of cortex corresponds to an area of the body. - if damaged - difficulties in perceiving touch in certain areas of body.1
5736136060temporal lobe-contains auditory cortex which makes us capable of hearing -also contains Wernicke's Area -if damaged, difficulty processing hearing2
5736136061thalamus- part of limbic system - receives sensory cortex and sends them to appropriate areas of forebrain -Smell is NOT processes here3
5736136062occipital lobe- receives and interprets visual input from retinas - if damaged - loss of vision, partial/ complete blindness4
5736136063Wernicke's area- in temporal lobe - language comprehension - if damaged - inability to comprehend written or spoken language5
5736136066cerebral cortex- gray wrinkled surface of a thin layer packed of neurons - all thinking activities (determining personality, planning, intelligence, organization); divided into 4 lobes - if damaged - sensory and motor problems6
5736136067medulla- above spinal cord, part of brain stem, below pons - basic bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, circulation ,etc. - if damaged - death, drooling, breathing assistance, drooling7
5736136068neurotransmitter- chemicals in terminal buttons that travel in the synaptic gap between neurons - brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our body and brain8
5736136070motor cortex- frontal lobe, edge of back frontal lobe touching parietal lobe - generate neural impulses that control the execution of movement - if damaged - loss of muscle function, paralysis9
5736136071pituitary gland- next to optic nerve and hypothalamus - releases growth hormones - if damaged - production of hormones is irregular or stops10
5736136072reticular formation- part of brain stem - regulate sleeping, alertness, focus controls, sleep- wake cycle - if damaged - lack of sleep, over sleeping, loss of focus, never wake up11
5736136075pineal gland- part of endocrine system - produces melatonin; affects sleep patterns - if damaged - hypertension, epilepsy, sexual dysfunction12
5736136077glial cells- specialized cells that take care of neurons by providing nutrients, clearing dead neurons, and producing myelin sheath13
5736136079spinal cord- connects peripheral nervous system to brain; sends information from body to brain and from brain to body. -can also initiate life saving reflexes (act as a primitive brain) - if damaged, paralysis14
5736136080serotonin-Neurotransmitter involved in mood, motivation, and temperature - low in depressed people, anti-depressants boost serotonin levels -ecstasy and other hallucinogens release serotonin15
5736136081dopamine- Neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure - Also regulates movement - deficiency results in Parkinson Disease, muscle rigidity - too much: feelings of pleasure/high; linked with schizophrenia -cocaine releases large amounts of dopamine16
5736136082norepinephrine- neurotransmitter secreted in response to stress - too much: emotional, anxiety, depression - too little: loss of alertness, memory problems, lack of arousal and interest17
5736136083acetylcholine (ACh)-neurotransmitter involved in muscle contraction and memory - too much: intense muscle contractions - too little: immobility, related to Alzheimer's18
5736136084GABA- main inhibitory neurotransmitter, calms the body - too much: anxiety, shortness of breath, numbness - too little: anxiety disorders19
5736136085glutamate- main excitatory neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory - too much: over excitation ,restlessness, nervousness, insomnia20
5736136086brain stem- above spinal cord, includes pons; medulla; midbrain - in charge of basic vital life functions - if damaged - organ failure, difficulties balancing and moving21
5736136087Broca's area- left frontal lobe, directly above temporal cortex - produces fluent speech - if damaged - Broca's aphasia, repetitive speech22
5736136088cerebellum- behind brainstem, below occipital lobe - monotors and regulates motor control, automatic muscle movements, balance, timing - if damaged - inability to walk, dizziness, slurred speech23
5736136089corpus callosum- connects right and left hemisphere and allows information to pass through - split brain patients24
5736136090frontal lobe-area of cerebral cortex involved in planning, solving, decision making, motor control - if damaged- inability to express language, atypical social skills -Phineas Gage25
5736136091hippocampus-critical in the formation of new memories - if damaged - severe memory impairment, inability to form new memories26
5736136092hypothalamus- Part of limbic system - hunger thirst, body temperature, sleep, rage, aggression - if damaged - hypothermia, excessive sleep, weight gain/ loss, aggression27
5736136093limbic system- includes amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus - emotional control center of the brain - if damaged - uncontrolled emotions28
5736136095parietal lobe- area of cerebral cortex that receives and processes sensory information ( pain, touch, pressure), spatial attention29
5736136096pons- part of brain stem - facial expressions, bridge to cerebrum, sleep - if damaged- sleep disruption, inability to form facial expressions30
5736136097prefrontal cortex- front of frontal lobe - planning, reasoning judgement, social skills - if damaged - inability to inhibit social behaviors31
5736136099dendritesa branched fiber that extends outward from the main cell body. It receives incoming messages and carries information to the soma/cell body32
5736136100cell bodycontains nucleus, connected to dendrites and axon, functions as the "brain" of the neuron33
5736136102axonextended fiber that conducts information from the cell body to the terminal buttons; travels in the form of an electric charge (action potential)34
5736136103neural impulseelectrical signal traveling along an axon35
5736136105myelin sheathfatty substance that surrounds an axon, lubricating it and allowing for faster neural transmission.36
5736136106axon terminalsbulb like structures at the end of an axon, store and release the neurotransmitters37
5736136107synapsegap between neurons that neurotransmitters must travel across.38
5736136108all or none principleneuron either fires completely or doesn't fire at all39
5736136109EEG- electroencephalogram - detects brain waives - widely used in sleep and dreaming research40
5736136110CAT scan- computerized axial tomography - 3D picture - X-Ray - look for tumor - would not get any information about how active parts of the brain are41
5736136111MRI- magnetic resonance imaging - similar to CAT scan - more detailed picture - uses magnetic field to measure the density and location of brain material - gives information about the structure of the brain42
5736136112PET- position emission tomography - see what areas of the brain are most active during certain task - how much of a certain chemical parts of the brain are using43
5736136113Functional MRI- combines MRI and PET scan - shows details of brain structure with information about book flow in brain44
5736136114Central Nervous System- brain and spinal cord45
5736136115Peripheral Nervous System-neurons, glands, organs, muscles etc outside of the brain and body - further divided into somatic and autonomic46
5736136116efferent neurons- motor neurons - sends information from brain to body parts for movement47
5736136117afferent neurons- sensory neurons - send information to CNS from body parts48
5736136118agonistblocks re-uptake, excites, mimics the neurotransmitter, increases the response of the neurotransmitter by making excitatory more excited and inhibitory more inhibitory49
5736136119antagonistprevents release, blocks, inhibits, decreases the response of the neurotransmitter by making excitatory less excitatory and inhibitory less inhibited.50
5736136120resting potentialneuron is at rest, but ready to fire. it is negatively charged on the inside. Potassium ions are on the inside; Sodium ions are on the outside51
5736136121excitatory neurotransmitterneurotransmitters that make the receiving neuron MORE likely to generate an action potential; they increase activity52
5736136122inhibitory neurotransmitterneurotransmitters that make the receiving neuron LESS likely to generate an action potential; they decrease activity53
5736136123lesionnatural or man made destruction of brain tissue; one of the techniques used to study the brain54
5736136124plasticitythe ability for a brain to change; for instance in a child who has had a hemispherectomy, the right hemisphere may adapt and do functions that the right did.55
5736136126endocrine systemsystem of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream ( controlled by hypothalamus)56
5737086710Left hemisphereleft portion of the cerebral cortex, responsible for motor movement and sensation of the right side of the body, and the right visual field. Also the main language center57
5737089188Right hemisphereright portion of the cerebral cortex, responsible for motor movement and sensation of the left side of the body, and the left visual field. Also the area responsible for facial recognition.58
5737089189split brain patientsPatients who have had their corpus callosum severed to stop severe seizures. Experimentation with these patients allowed researchers to understand hemisphere specialization.59
5737118555Roger Sperry and Michael GazzanigaResearchers who worked with split brain patients to examine hemisphere specialization.60

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!