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MCAT Psych/Soc > Ch. 2- Biological Basis of Behavior > Flashcards

Ch. 2- Biological Basis of Behavior Flashcards

1
Q

what is the idea of the biological approach to behavior?

A

the idea that genes, hormones, and neurotransmitters shape a mechanical response to stimuli

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2
Q

what are Ekman’s universal emotions? (7)

A

happy, sad, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, anger

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3
Q

what is the psychological approach to behavior?

A

looking at behavior types and patterns, via observations and controlled experiments

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4
Q

what is the sociological approach to behavior?

A

focusing on behavior, organization, and feelings of groups.

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5
Q

what shapes instinctual (hard-wired) behavior?

A

genetics

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6
Q

adaptive traits contribute to what aspect of an organism?

A

fitness, or mean lifetime reproduction

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7
Q

what does a heritability of 1 mean?

A

that ALL of the variation in that trait is purely explained by genetics

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8
Q

what does a heritability of 0 mean?

A

that ALL the variation of that trait is explained by the environment or chance

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9
Q

what heritability range do psychological traits tend to have

A

between 0.3-0.6 (there can be instances such as schizophrenia that are closer to 0.8)

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10
Q

A study suggests that a mutation in a serotonin transport gene promoter, 5-HTT, makes people more susceptible to depression. what idea of behavior does this align with?

A

gene expression influencing behavior

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11
Q

methylation of DNA can alter gene expression. what’s the more general term for this?

A

epigenetics

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12
Q

what is the palmar grasp reflex?

A

A newborn’s reflex to grab something

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13
Q

what is the rooting reflex?

A

a newborn’s reflex to search for an object that brushes against its mouth or cheek

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14
Q

what is the sucking reflex?

A

a newborn’s reflex to make sucking motions when something grazes the top of its mouth

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15
Q

what is the Moro reflex?

A

the newborn startle reflex: the baby extends its arms and legs, pulls them back in, and cries

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16
Q

what is the Babinski reflex?

A

when you stroke the bottom of a baby’s foot, the big toe bends up and the other toes fan out. this is not the same as adults, where the toes all curl downward.

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17
Q

when do babies start to show stranger anxiety?

A

at age 7-8 months

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18
Q

babies develop complex motor behavior, egocentricism, and identity formation at what age range?

A

1-2 years

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19
Q

what is the critical period?

A

a timeframe where experiences can imprint on children for life

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20
Q

what is adolescence?

A

the transition period between childhood and adulthood

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21
Q

what are the main points of puberty?

A

onset of secondary sex characteristics d/t sex hormones (testosterone and estradiol), etc.

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22
Q

aging happens in what stage of life?

A

Adulthood

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23
Q

aging is associated with what biological process on the level of DNA?

A

the shortening of telomeres (hard cap on how many times a cell can divide before dying)

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24
Q

how does the endocrine system influence or regulate both behavior and physiology?

A

by secreting hormones into the bloodstream

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25
what are hormones that cause target cells to make a direct change in a physiological function?
direct hormones
26
what are hormones that cause other hormones to be released?
tropic hormones
27
hormones secreted towards the top of the body tend to be what kind of hormones?
regulatory (tropic) hormones
28
hormones secreted further down in the body tend to be what kind of hormones?
direct hormones
29
what endocrine organ is often called the "bridge between the endocrine and the nervous systems"?
the hypothalamus
30
what main hormones does the hypothalamus release?
gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which all act on the anterior pituitary gland
31
what is another name for the anterior pituitary gland?
adenohypophysis
32
what hormones are released by the anterior pituitary gland?
FLAT PEG: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) Leutinizing hormone (LH) Adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) Prolactin Endorphins Growth hormone (GH)
33
what hormones are released by the posterior pituitary gland?
antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and oxytocin
34
what is another name for the posterior pituitary gland?
neurohypophysis
35
where are the thyroid and parathyroid glands located?
in the neck/throat
36
what hormones does the thyroid release?
thyroid hormone (has to do with metabolism) and calcitonin
37
what does the pancreas mediate in the body?
blood sugar levels (insulin)
38
where are the adrenal glands located?
above the kidneys
39
what segments can the adrenal glands be subdivided into?
the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla
40
what hormones does the adrenal cortex secrete?
steroid hormones, such as glucocorticoids and cortisol
41
what hormones does the adrenal medulla secrete?
epinephrine and norepinephrine
42
what hormones do the ovaries release?
estrogen (and progesterone)
43
what hormones do the testes release?
testosterone
44
how might testosterone and estrogen play a role in behavior?
both influence libido, secondary sex characteristics and puberty testosterone is associated with behavior
45
how might oxytocin play a role in behavior?
oxytocin is a positive feedback loop hormone for uterine contraction, promotes bonding, empathy, trust. antidepressant properties
46
how might prolactin play a role in behavior?
induces lactation for breastfeeding, modulates stress reponse, anxiety, and depression
47
how might melatonin play a role in behavior?
melatonin controls the sleep/wake cycle, aka circadian rhythm.
48
what three hormones regulate feelings of hunger?
leptin, ghrelin, and neuropeptide Y.
49
what hormones mediate the flight-or-fight response?
epinephrine and norepinephrine
50
what hormone controls the chronic stress response?
cortisol
51
what are some common symptoms of hypothyroidism?
slow metabolism, low energy
52
what are some common symptoms of hyperthyroidism?
fast metabolism, people with it tend to be skinny.
53
what are reflexes?
completely automatic responses of the body
54
what is the normal resting membrane potential in a neuron?
-70mV
55
at what threshold does the membrane of a neuron depolarize enough to start a signal cascade?
-55mV
56
what is a signal cascade in a neuron also known as?
an action potential
57
what are reflex arcs?
simple neural pathways that control reflexes
58
are sensory neurons afferent or efferent?
afferent- they carry the signal to the central nervous system.
59
are motor neurons afferent or efferent?
efferent- they carry the body's response to a stimulus to the body part.
60
what is an excitatory neurotransmitter?
a neurotransmitter that makes it easier for another hormone to trigger the action potential (slightly depolarizes it)
61
what is an inhibitory neurotransmitter?
a neurotransmitter that makes it nore difficult for another hormone to trigger the action potential (further polarizes it)
62
what is the role of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter?
activating muscle contraction, involuntary movement, parasympathetic nervous system
63
how are glutamate and GABA related?
glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, while GABA is an inhibitory neutotransmitter.
64
what is the role of dopamine as a neurotransmitter?
dopamine has to do with the reward pathway, is involved in addiction, and is implicated in Parkinson's disease.
65
what is the role of serotonin as a neurotransmitter?
serotonin helps regulate mood, appetite, sleep, GI tract movement, and implicated in depressive disorders.
66
what is the role of endorphins as neurotransmitters?
suppress pain, euphoria, etc.
67
what is the difference between agonists and antagonists?
agonist = binds to a neurotransmitter receptor to cause a response (may not be the actual molecule designed for that receptor) antagonist = binds to a neurotransmitter receptor to block anything from reaching it, but does NOT cause a response
68
what is the central nervous system?
the brain and spinal cord
69
what is the peripheral nervous system?
the nervous system that doesn't include the brain and spinal cord
70
what two subsections can the peripheral nervous system be split into?
the somatic nervous system and the automatic nervous system
71
what does the somatic nervous system do?
voluntary movement and sensory neurons
72
what does the autonomic nervous system do?
involuntary movement
73
what two subsections can the autonomic nervous system be subdivided into?
sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
74
what is the sympathetic nervous system?
the fight-or-flight response
75
what is the parasympathetic nervous system?
the rest-and-digest response
76
what is the enteric nervous system?
the branch of the nervous system that is involved in regulation of the GI tract
77
what three larger sections can the brain be divided into?
hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain
78
what are the sections of the hindbrain?
the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and pons
79
what does the cerebellum do?
coordinated movement, balance, walking
80
what does the medulla oblongata do?
(autonomic functions) breathing, heartrate, blood pressure
81
what does the pons do?
relays signals from the medulla and cerebellum to the rest of the brain, also sleep, respiration, swallowing, taste, bladder control, balance
82
what processes is the midbrain involved in?
motor control, sleep and wake, temperature regulation
83
what substructures are in the midbrain?
inferior and superior colliculi, substantia nigra
84
what do the inferior and superior colliculi do?
processing auditory and visual input
85
what does the substantia nigra do?
dopamine-coordinated voluntary movements (implicated in Parkinson's)
86
what is the brainstem made of?
the hindbrain (cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata) and the midbrain (inferior and superior colliculi and substantia nigra) as well as the reticular activating system
87
what does the reticular activating system do?
modulates alertness and arousal
88
what two subsections is the forebrain divided into?
the diencephalon and the telencephalon
89
what is the diencephalon?
includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, and posterior pituitary gland.
90
what is the telencephalon?
includes the cerebrum
91
what does the thalamus do?
regulates sensory and motor signals and sleep/alertness
92
what does the hypothalamus do?
the "bridge" between nervous and endocrine systems
93
what are the subsections that the cerebrum can be divided into?
the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures
94
cerebral cortex =?
the outer layer of the brain divided into hemispheres
95
subcortical structures =?
hippocampus and basal ganglia
96
hippocampus =?
short-term memory -> long-term memory
97
basal ganglia =?
misc. functions including eye + involuntary movements, procedural + habitual learning
98
what does the limbic system include? (4+)
hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and more
99
amygdala =?
episodic memory, attention, emotion
100
nucleus accumbens =?
reward, motivation, learning (implicated in addiction)
101
frontal lobe function?
voluntary movement, memory processing, planning, motivation, and attention
102
parietal lobe function?
sensory processing (except vision)
103
occipital lobe function?
processing vision
104
temporal lobe function?
visual memories, attaching meaning to information, and language
105
what is the potential 5th lobe of the brain?
the insula
106
Wernicke's area =?
temporal lobe spot involved in language comprehension
107
Broca's area =?
frontal lobe spot involved in language production
108
what is lateralization?
the brain's separate hemispheres specializing in different functions
109
most people are what handedness and this corresponds to what side of the brain?
right handed = left side of the brain dominant
110
spinal cord contains ?
sensory and motor neurons, cerebrospinal fluid (protects)
111
where are the sensory and motor neurons located in the spinal cord?
SAME DAVE- sensory afferent motor efferent dorsal afferent ventral efferent
112
where is your cervical spine?
neck (C1-C7)
113
where is your thoracic spine?
upper back (T1-T12)
114
where is your lumbar spine?
lower back (L1-L5)
115
where is your sacrum?
after lower back (S1-S5) (fused in adults)
116
where is your coccyx?
tailbone- at the end of the spine.
117
what are EEG's for?
looking at brainwaves/electrical activity in the brain
118
CT scan = ?
computed tomography, X-rays in 360 degrees and putting them together into a 3D view
119
MRI = ?
magnetic resonance imaging, spinning water molecules in the body to get an image of the inside of the body
120
PET scan = ?
positron emission tomography, radioactive label on glucose to make it emit positrons, positrons are detected where glucose is being used the most
121
fMRI =?
functional magnetic resonance imaging, tells difference between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood,

MCAT Psych/Soc (12 decks)

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