chapter 2

Question 1

what is evolutionary psychology?

Answer 1

studies how natural selection and adaption help explain behaviour and mental processes

Question 2

what is neuroscience?

Answer 2

how biological processes relate to behavioural and mental processes

Question 3

what are neurons?

Answer 3

cells that receive and transmit electrochemical information

Question 4

what is the all or none law?

Answer 4

either neurons are either on or off

Question 5

what is the resting state?

Answer 5

when there is negative electrical charge

Question 6

what is an action potential?

Answer 6

where communication happens. a neural impulse that carries information along the axon

Question 7

what is a synapse?

Answer 7

the space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neutron using chemical messages

Question 8

what is a neurotransmitter?

Answer 8

chemicals that carry messages across the synaspe to the dendrite

Question 9

what are excitatory messages?

Answer 9

a message that makes a receiving neuron fire and an action potential travel down the axon

Question 10

what is an inhibitory message?

Answer 10

a chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire

Question 11

what are the three structures of the hindbrain?

Answer 11

medulla, pons and cerebellum

Question 12

what is the hindbrain?

Answer 12

the part of the brain that controls basic functions like eating and sleeping

Question 13

what is the medulla?

Answer 13

life survival functions

Question 14

what is the pons?

Answer 14

breathing, moving, waking, sleeping and dreaming

Question 15

what is the cerebellum?

Answer 15

balance, muscular movements, perception and cognition (some aspects)

Question 16

what is the midbrain?

Answer 16

brain structures in the middle of brain that coordinate sleep, arousal and movement patterns

Question 17

what is the reticular formation?

Answer 17

from the medulla through the pons made up of nerve cells and can produce arousal

Question 18

what does the forebrain include?

Answer 18

thalamus: sends sensory messages to the cerebral cortex about senses
hypothalamus: has emotions, drives

Question 19

what is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 19

known as the new brain and has four major sections called lobes (sensations, higher mental processes and motor control)

Question 20

what is the frontal lobe?

Answer 20

receives and coordinates messages from other lobes and is responsible for motor control, speech production and higher functions

Question 21

what is the parietal lobes?

Answer 21

located at the top of the brain and interprets bodily sensation

Question 22

what is the temporal lobes?

Answer 22

responsible for audition, language , memory and some emotion control

Question 23

what are the occipital lobes?

Answer 23

responsible for vision and visual perception

Question 24

what is the motor area?

Answer 24

responsible for the bodys voluntary movement

Question 25

what is the left hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 25

require verbal competence like speaking reading thinking and reasoning

Question 26

what is the right hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 26

non verbal areas like relationships, music and emotional expression

Question 27

what are stem cells?

Answer 27

cells that give birth to new specialized cells

Question 28

what is neuroplasticity?

Answer 28

brain's lifelong ability to reorganize and change its structure and function

Question 29

can brain cells be created after childhood?

Answer 29

yes

Question 30

what are the 5 ways you can strengthen your mind?

Answer 30

you can build concentration, you can detach yourself, mindfulness, self compassion and self understanding

Question 31

what is the nervous system composed of?

Answer 31

central nervous system, peripheral nervous system

Question 32

what is the central nervous system composed of?

Answer 32

the brain and spinal cord (transmitting messages between the brain and rest of the body)

Question 33

what is the spinal cord?

Answer 33

a bundle of neurons that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back and is the main means for transmitting messages between the brain and the body

Question 34

what is the peripheral system?

Answer 34

made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites. branches out from the spinal cord and brain to reach the extremities of the body

Question 35

what is the somatic nervous system?

Answer 35

connects to sensory receptors and controls skeletal muscles (voluntary muscle activation)

Question 36

what is the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 36

controls involuntary bodily functions and is further divided into the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.

Question 37

what is the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 37

prepares the body for stressful situations (fight or flight response)

Question 38

what is the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 38

calms the body after an emergency has ended (maintaining painting normal functions)