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Intro to Psych > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is biological psychology?

A

“The scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.”

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2
Q

What is neuroplasticity?

A

The ability of the brain to change in response to experience and repair itself after damage.

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3
Q

What is the cell body?

A

The life support center of a cell.

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4
Q

What is a dendrite?

A

The part of a neuron that “listens” - branchlike fibers that receive impulses from other cells and direct them down the cell body.

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5
Q

What is an axon?

A

The part of a neuron that “speaks” - a long, segmented fiber that conveys messages to other neurons, glands, or muscles.

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6
Q

What is the myelin sheath?

A

A layer of protective, fatty tissue surrounding the axon, insulating it and speeding its impulses.

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7
Q

What are glial cells?

A

Nervous system cells that support neurons by providing myelin and nutrients and aid in information transmission and memory.

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8
Q

What is the action potential?

A

An electrical charge fired by a neuron that travels down the axon. A temporary flood of positive ions into the axon.

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9
Q

How do neurons generate electricity?

A

From chemical events.

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10
Q

What is an ion?

A

An electrically charged atom.

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11
Q

What does the fluid immediately outside of the axon mostly consist of?

A

Positively charged sodium ions.

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12
Q

What kind of charge does the fluid inside an axon have?

A

Mostly negative.

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13
Q

What is the resting potential?

A

The state of a neuron at rest, when it is not sending a signal, and the inside of a neuron has a negative charge relative to the outside.

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14
Q

What is the threshold?

A

“The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.” (action potential).

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15
Q

What is the refractory period?

A

The short rest a neuron takes after firing an impulse.

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16
Q

How does our nervous system allow us to experience the difference between a slap and a tap on the back?

A

A stronger stimulus like a slap causes more neurons to fire and with more frequency,

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17
Q

When a neuron fires an action potential, the information travels through the axon, the dendrites, and the cell body, but not in that order. Place these three structures in the correct order.

A

Dendrites, cell body, axon.

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18
Q

What is the synapse?

A

The junction where the axon tip of one neuron meets the dendrites or cell body of a receiving neuron.

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19
Q

What happens in the synaptic gap?

A

Neurotransmitters are sent from the axon terminal of one neuron to the dendrites or cell body of another.

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20
Q

What is reuptake? What two other things can happen to excess neurotransmitters after a neuron reacts?

A

Reuptake is the reabsorption of excess neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap by the sending neuron. These excess neurotransmitters may also be broken down by enzymes or simply drift away.

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21
Q

How do antagonists block the affect of a neurotransmitter?

A

By occupying the receptor site, thereby blocking the affect of the neurotransmitters, without stimulating the receptor themselves.

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22
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

The body’s communication network, taking in information and communicating orders to bodily tissues.

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23
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?

A

“The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.”

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24
Q

What are nerves?

A

Bundles of axons that connect the CNS with muscles, glands, and sensory organs.

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25
What are the three types of neurons?
Sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons.
26
What does afferent refer to?
Nerves that carry messages away from the body's tissues and sensory receptors towards the CNS,
27
What does efferent refer to?
Nerves that carry messages from the CNS outward.
28
What are the two components of the peripheral nervous system?
Somatic and autonomic.
29
What is a reflex?
An automatic response to a stimulus.
30
What is the endocrine system?
A chemical communication system consisting of glands and fat tissue that produce hormones and secrete them into the bloodstream.
31
What are hormones?
Chemical messengers secreted into the bloodstream by the glands and fat tissues of the endocrine system. Hormones influence our interest in food and sex and our levels of aggression when they act on the brain.
32
What are the adrenal glands?
A pair of endocrine glands located near the kidneys that release norepinephrine and adrenaline during stressful experiences.
33
What are the adrenal glands?
A pair of endocrine glands located near the kidneys that release norepinephrine and adrenaline during stressful experiences, increasing blood sugar, heart rate, and blood pressure.
34
What is the pituitary gland?
The master endocrine gland located in the hypothalamus that controls other endocrine glands. It releases oxytocin and hormones that regulate growth.
35
What is an electroencephalogram?
A readout that shows an amplified recording of brain waves measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
36
What is a magnetoencephalogram?
A recording of magnetic fields from the brain's electrical currents read by a metal coil.
37
What is a positron emission tomography (PET) scan?
An image of the brain that shows what brain areas are most active by giving the person being scanned temporarily radioactive glucose.
38
How does magnetic resonance imaging (an MRI) work?
A map of the brain is created through the use of magnetic fields and radio waves.
39
What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?
A series of continuous MRI scans that are compared to measure the flow of blood to different brain regions.
40
What kind of brain scanning technique reveals brain anatomy?
MRI.
41
What kind of brain scanning technique reveals brain activity?
PET.
42
What kind of brain scanning technique reveals brain function?
fMRI.
43
What is the brainstem?
The oldest and innermost region of the brain, beginning at the medulla, where the spinal cord enters the skull, and responsible for basic, automatic survival functions like heartbeat and breathing.
44
What is the medulla?
The base of the brainstem, where the spinal cord swells upon entering the skull. It is responsible for the heartbeat and breathing.
45
What is the thalamus?
A brain structure at the top of the brainstem that controls and directs sensory information between the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and the medulla and cerebellum.
46
What sensory information does the thalamus not receive?
Smell.
47
What is the reticular formation?
A nerve network in the brainstem that filters some of the sensory input from the spinal cord to other brain areas and plays a role in controlling arousal.
48
What is the cerebellum?
The "little brain," located at the rear of the brainstem. It has many functions, including nonverbal learning, memory, coordinating voluntary movement, balance, and sensory processing.
49
In what brain region would damage be most likely to disrupt your ability to jump rope?
The cerebellum.
50
In what brain region would damage be most likely to disrupt your ability to hear?
The thalamus.
51
In what brain region would damage be most likely to leave you in a coma?
The reticular formation.
52
In what brain region would damage be most likely to cut off your breath and heartbeat?
The medulla.
53
What is the limbic system?
A neural system located between the oldest and newest brain structures (below the cerebral hemispheres) that plays a role in emotions and drives.
54
What are the structures of the limbic system?
The hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the amygdala.
55
Electrical stimulation of a cat’s amygdala provokes angry reactions. Which autonomic nervous system division is activated by such stimulation?
The sympathetic nervous system.
56
What is the amygdala?
Two small neural clusters located in the limbic system, implicated in aggression and fear.
57
What is the hippocampus?
A neural structure located in the limbic system implicated in forming conscious memories.
58
What are the three key structures of the limbic system, and what functions do they serve?
"(a) The amygdala is involved in aggression and fear responses. (b) The hypothalamus is involved in bodily maintenance, pleasurable rewards, and control of the hormonal systems. (c) The hippocampus processes memories of facts and events."
59
The initial reward center discovered by Olds and Milner was located in the:
Hypothalamus.
60
What is the cerebrum?
The two cerebral hemispheres that make up the bulk of the human brain and are implicated in speaking, thinking, and perceiving.
61
What is the cerebral cortex?
A thin layer of interconnected neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres, implicated in learning, thinking, and information processing. The cerebral cortex allows humans to be more adaptable than other creatures.
62
Which area of the human brain is most similar to that of less complex animals?
The brainstem.
63
Which part of the human brain distinguishes us most from less complex animals?
The cerebral cortex.
64
What are the frontal lobes?
Lobes of the cerebral cortex located at the front of the brain, implicated in planning, making judgments, speaking, and muscle movements.
65
What are the parietal lobes?
Lobes of the cerebral cortex located at the top and back of the brain which receive sensory input related to touch and body position.
66
What are the occipital lobes?
Lobes of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the brain. Areas in the occipital lobes receive visual information.
67
What are the temporal lobes?
Lobes of the cerebral cortex located at the sides of the brain (close to the temples, behind the ears), areas of which receive auditory information from the ear opposite.
68
What is the motor cortex?
An area of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements.
69
What is the somatosensory cortex?
An area of the cerebral cortex located behind the motor cortex and in front of the parietal lobes, responsible for processing and registering sensory information related to movement and touch.
70
What are association areas?
Areas of the cerebral cortex implicated in higher mental functions like thinking, memory, learning, and speech. They are not implicated in sensory or motor functions, so artificially stimulating them does not usually produce an observable response.
71
Why are association areas important?
Because of their involvement in higher mental functions that allow us to plan ahead, form memories, respond appropriately to social situations, reason, and make judgments.
72
Can severed brain or spinal cord neurons regenerate?
Usually not.
73
What is neurogenesis?
The creation of new neurons by the brain.
74
What is the corpus callosum?
A band of axon fibers that connects both hemispheres of the brain and transmits messages between them.
75
If we flash a red light to the right hemisphere of a person with a split brain, and flash a green light to the left hemisphere, will each observe its own color?
Yes.
76
If we flash a red light to the right hemisphere of a person with a split brain, and flash a green light to the left hemisphere, will the person be aware that the colours differ?
No.
77
If we flash a red light to the right hemisphere of a person with a split brain, and flash a green light to the left hemisphere, what will the person verbally report seeing?
Green.
78
What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?
"Split-brain research has confirmed that in most people, the left hemisphere is the more verbal. The right hemisphere excels in visual perception and making inferences, and helps us modulate our speech and orchestrate our self-awareness."
79
To what extent can a damaged brain reorganize itself?
"The damaged brain may demonstrate neuroplasticity, especially in young children, as new pathways are built and functions migrate to other brain regions. Reassignment of functions to different areas of the brain may also occur in blindness and deafness, or as a result of damage and disease."
80
How do neuroscientists study the brain’s connections to behavior and mind?
"Clinical observations and lesioning reveal the general effects of brain damage. Electrical, chemical, or magnetic stimulation can also reveal aspects of information processing in the brain. MRI scans show anatomy. EEG, MEG, PET, and fMRI (functional MRI) recordings reveal brain function. Other revealing techniques include optogenetics and fNIRS."
81
How does the endocrine system transmit information and interact with the nervous system?
"The endocrine system secretes hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel through the body and affect other tissues, including the brain. The endocrine system’s master gland, the pituitary, influences hormone release by other glands, including the adrenal glands. In an intricate feedback system, the brain’s hypothalamus influences the pituitary gland, which influences other glands, which release hormones, which in turn influence the brain."
82
What is the function of the central nervous system?
It is the central command center making decisions for the nervous system.
83
What is the function of the peripheral nervous system?
It connects the CNS to the rest of the body, transmitting CNS decisions to other body parts via nerves.
84
What is the function of the somatic nervous system?
Voluntary control of skeletal muscles.
85
What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?
Controlling involuntary muscles and glands.
86
What effect do agonists have on neurotransmitters?
They increase the action of the neurotransmitter.
87
What effect to antagonists have on neurotransmitters?
They "decrease a neurotransmitter’s action by blocking production or release."
88
How do different neural networks communicate with one another to let you respond when a friend greets you at a party?
"The visual cortex is a neural network of sensory neurons connected via interneurons to other neural networks, including auditory networks. If you can see and hear, this allows you to integrate visual and auditory information to respond when a friend you recognize greets you at a party."
89
What two systems can the autonomic nervous system be divided into?
Sympathetic (arousing) and parasympathetic (calming).
90
What is the function of the sympathetic nervous system?
Arousal.
91
What is the function of the parasympathetic nervous system?
Calming.
92
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the movements of your mouth and jaws as you eat is called the
Somatic nervous system
93
The inability to recognize familiar faces even though one can clearly see and describe features of the faces is associated with damage to the:
Right temporal lobe.
94
The ________ relays messages between lower brain centers and the cerebral cortex.
Thalamus

Intro to Psych (9 decks)

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