AP Psychology Chapter 3 Flashcards

8282735438	biological psychology	a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior	0
8282735439	neuron	a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system	1
8282735440	sensory neurons	neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord	2
8282735441	motor neurons	neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and the glands	3
8282735442	interneurons	neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicated internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs	4
8282735443	dendrite	the bush, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body	5
8282735444	axon	the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands	6
8282735445	myelin sheath	a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly grater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next	7
8282735446	action potential	a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon	8
8282735447	cell body	the cell's life-support center	9
8282735448	terminal branches of axon	form junctions with other cells	10
8282735449	threshold	the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse	11
8282735450	synapse	the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and he dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron	12
8282735451	reuptake	a neurotransmitter's re-absorption by the sending neuron	13
8282735452	endorphins	"morphine within"--natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure	14
8282735453	ACh	neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, and memory	15
8282735454	ACh producing neurons	Alzheimer's disease - associated with a deterioration of . . . ?	16
8282735455	Dopamine	neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion	17
8282735456	dopamine receptor	schizophrenia is associated with an excess of this neurotransmitter's receptors	18
8282735457	dopamine	under-supply associated brain produced tremors and decreased mobility associated with Parkinson's disease	19
8282735458	serotonin	neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal	20
8282735459	serotonin	under-supply associated with depression, Prozac raises level	21
8282735460	Norepinephrine	neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal	22
8282735461	GABA	a major inhibitory neurotransmitter	23
8282735462	glutamate	a major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory	24
8282735463	GABA	under-supply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia	25
8282735464	glutamate	excess can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures	26
8282735465	agonist	molecule similar enough to a neurotransmitter to bind to its receptor and mimic its effects	27
8282735466	antagonist	molecule similar enough to a neurotransmitter to bind to its receptor and block the neurotransmitter's functioning	28
8282735467	nervous system	the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems	29
8282735468	central nervous system	the brain and spinal cord	30
8282735469	peripheral nervous system	the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body	31
8282735470	nerves	bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs	32
8282735471	somatic nervous system	the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the voluntary movements of skeletal muscles	33
8282735472	autonomic nervous system	part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.	34
8282735473	sympathetic nervous system	the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations	35
8282735474	parasympathetic nervous system	the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy	36
8282735475	reflex	a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response	37
8282735476	endocrine system	the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream	38
8282735477	hormones	chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues	39
8282735478	adrenal glands	a part of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress	40
8282735479	pituitary glands	the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands	41
8282735480	lesion	tissue destruction; in the brain, a naturally or experimental caused destruction of brain tissue	42
8282735481	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	43
8282735482	CT scan	a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body	44
8282735483	PET scan	a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task	45
8282735484	MRI	a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissues. Scans show brain anatomy	46
8282735485	fMRI	a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. Scans show brain function.	47
8282735486	brainstem	the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull. Responsible for automatic survival functions	48
8282735487	medulla	the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing	49
8282735488	pons	part of the brainstem, above the medulla, that helps coordinate movements	50
8282735489	reticular formation	a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal	51
8282735490	thalamus	the brain's sensory switchboard; located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla	52
8282735491	cerebellum	the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance	53
8282735492	limbic system	the overall system of the brain that regulates emotions and controls behavior. Includes the Hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and other structures. Donut-shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemisphere; associated with emotions and drives	54
8282735493	amygdala	two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion	55
8282735494	hypothalamus	a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several body maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward	56
8282735495	cerebral cortex	the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center	57
8282735496	glial cells	cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons`	58
8282735497	frontal lobes	portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments	59
8282735498	parietal lobes	portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position	60
8282735499	occipital lobes	portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information primarily from the opposite ear	61
8282735500	temporal lobes	portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields	62
8282735501	motor cortex	an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements	63
8282735502	sensory cortex	an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations	64
8282735503	association area	areas 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 speaking	65
8282735504	aphasia	impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding)	66
8282735505	Wernicke's area	controls language reception--a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe	67
8282735506	Broca's area	controls language reception--a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe	68
8282735507	angular gyrus	brain area involved in reading outloud by transforming visual representations into an auditory code	69
8282735508	visual cortex	receives written words as visual cortex	70
8282735509	plasticity	the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience	71
8282735510	neurogenesis	the formation of new neurons	72
8282735511	corpus callosum	the large bind of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them	73
8282735512	split brain	a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them	74
8282735513	consciousness	our awareness of ourselves and our environment	75
8282735514	cognitive neuroscience	the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)	76
8282735515	dual processing	the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks	77
8282735516	behavior genetics	the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior	78
8282735517	environment	every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us	79
8282735518	chromosomes	threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes	80
8282735519	DNA	a complex molecular containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes	81
8282735520	genes	the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein	82
8282735521	genome	the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes	83
8282735522	identical twins	twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms	84
8282735523	fraternal twins	twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment	85
8282735524	heritability	the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The irritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied	86
8282735525	interaction	the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity)	87
8282735526	molecular genetics	the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes	88
8282735527	evolutionary psychology	the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection	89
8282735528	natural selection	the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations	90
8282735529	mutation	a random error in gene replication that leads to a change	91