Chapter 1 Key Terms

Question 1

Monism

Answer 1

The idea that the mind and the body consist of the same substance

Question 2

Materialistic Monism

Answer 2

The body, mind and everything else are physical

Question 3

Dualism

Answer 3

The idea that the mind and the body are separate

Question 4

Model

Answer 4

Proposed mechanism of how something works

Question 5

Empiricism

Answer 5

Gather information through observation, not logic or intuition

Question 6

Herman Von Helmholtz

Answer 6

Studied nerves and brain, vision and hearing. Gave the first clear view of a “mechanistic mind”

Question 7

Localization

Answer 7

The idea that specific parts of the brain carry out different functions

Question 8

Phrenology

Answer 8

Franz Gall -

The theory in the early 1900s that “faculties” of emotion and intellect were located in precise areas of the brain and could be assessed by feeling bumps on the skull.

Question 9

Equipotentiality

Answer 9

Karl Lashley -The idea that the brain functions as a whole; the opposite of localization.

Question 10

Nature vs Nurture

Answer 10

The issue of the relative importance of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture).

Question 11

Gene

Answer 11

Biological Unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited characteristics. Mostly found on the chromosomes.

Question 12

Chromosomes

Answer 12

46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs. XX female and XY for male. Y is much shorter than X

Question 13

Zygote

Answer 13

Fertilized egg. Undergoes rapid cell division and development

Question 14

Embryo

Answer 14

The first 8 weeks of pregnancy

Question 15

Fetus

Answer 15

After first 8 weeks, up until birth

Question 16

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

Answer 16

James Watson and Francis Crick -

A double-stranded chain of chemical molecules that looks like a ladder that has been twisted around itself; genes are composed of DNA.

Each rung of the “ladder” has 2 of the 4 nucleotides: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine (A.T.G.C.) Four letter alphabet

Question 17

Allels

Answer 17

An alternate version of a gene; can be dominant or recessive.

Question 18

Behavioral Neuroscience

Answer 18

The branch of psychology that studies the relationships between behavior and the body, particularly the brain.

Question 19

Dominant

Answer 19

A term referring to an allele that will produce its effect regardless of which allele it is paired with in the fertilized egg.

Question 20

Gene Expression

Answer 20

The translation of a gene’s encoded information
into the production of proteins, determining the gene’s functioning.

Question 21

Genome

Answer 21

The entire collection of genes in the chromosomes of a species.

Question 22

Genotype

Answer 22

The combination of genes an individual has.

Question 23

Heritability

Answer 23

The percentage of the variation among individuals in a characteristic that can be attributed to heredity.

Question 24

Heterozygous

Answer 24

Having a pair of alleles for a specific characteristic that are different from each other.

Question 25

Homozygous

Answer 25

Having a pair of alleles for a specific characteristic that are identical to each other.

Question 26

Human Genome Project

Answer 26

An international project with the goal of mapping the location of all the genes on the human chromosomes and determining the base sequences of the genes.

Question 27

Mind-Brain Problem

Answer 27

The issue of what the mind is and what its relationship is to the brain.

Question 28

Natural Selection

Answer 28

The principle that those whose genes endow them with greater speed, intelligence, or health are more likely to survive and transmit their genes to more offspring.

Question 29

Phenotype

Answer 29

In heredity, the characteristic of the individual.

Question 30

Polygenic

Answer 30

Determined by several genes rather than a single gene.

Question 31

Recessive

Answer 31

A term referring to an allele that will have an influence only when it is paired with the same recessive allele on the other chromosome.

Question 32

Vulnerability

Answer 32

The idea that genes produce susceptibility to a disorder and that environmental challenges may combine with a person’s biological susceptibility to exceed the threshold required to produce the disorder.

Question 33

X-Linked

Answer 33

In heredity, a condition in which a gene on the X chromosome is not paired with a gene on the shorter Y chromosome, so that a single recessive gene is adequate to produce a characteristic.