Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psychology 101 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is biological psychology?

A

The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a neuron?

A

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are dendrites?

A

They are the bushy, branching extensions that receive messages & conduct impulses toward the cell body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the axon of a neuron?

A

It is the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the myelin sheath of a neuron?

A

It is a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables (helps) vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the glial cells (glia)?

A

They are the cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, & protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning & thinking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a action potential?

A

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a threshold

A

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Neurons differ, but all are variations on the same theme, explain.

A
  • All have a cell body & its branching fibers
  • The bushy dendrite fibers receive info. & conduct it towards cell body, from there the lengthy axon fiber passes the message through its terminal branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
  • Dendrites listen, axons speak
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

The cells life support center

A

Cell body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Receive messages from cells

A

Dendrites

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands

A

Axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Form junctions with other cells

A

Terminal branches of axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Covers the axon of some neurons & helps speed neural impulses

A

Myelin sheath

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Action potential, electrical signal traveling down the axon

A

Neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

As myeline is laid down up to about age 25 what else grows?

A

Neural efficiency, judgment, and self control grows

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What happens if the myeline sheath degenerates?

A

Multiple sclerosis results: communication to muscles slows down, with eventual loss of muscle control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What did they find in Albert Einsteins brain?

A

Greater concentration of glial cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Depending on the type of fiber, a neural impulse travel at speeds ranging from

A

2 mph to 180 mph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

We measure brain activity in?

A

Milliseconds (thousandths of a second)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are synapses?

A

They are the gaps/space between one sending neuron and one receiving neuron. The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

They are chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is acetylcholine (ACh)

A

It plays a role in learning and memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Function of acetylcholine

A

Enables muscle action, learning & memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Malfunction with Alzheimer's disease and acetylcholine
ACh producing neurons deteriorates
26
What is the function of the neurotransmitter dopamine?
Influences movement, learning, attention, & motion
27
What is the function of the neurotransmitter serotonin?
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, & arousal
28
What is the function of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine?
Helps control alertness and arousal
29
What is the function of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)?
A major inhibitory neurotransmitter
30
What is the function of the neurotransmitter Glutamate?
A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory
31
Oversupply and undersupply of dopamine is linked to?
Oversupply linked to schizophrenia | Undersupply is linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson's disease
32
Undersupply of serotonin is linked to?
Depression. Some antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels
33
Undersupply of norepinephrine can?
Depress mood
34
Under supply of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is linked to?
Seizures, tremors, and insomnia
35
Oversupply of glutamate can?
Overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures
36
What are endorphins?
It's short for endogenous (produced within) morphine
37
What is the nervous system?
The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system
38
What is the CNS?
Central Nervous System consisting of the brain & spinal cord
39
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
The sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
40
What are nerves?
They are bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, & sense organs
41
What are the sensory (afferent) neurons?
They are the neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord
42
What are the motor (efferent) neurons?
They are the neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain & spinal cord to the muscles & glands
43
What are interneurons?
They are neurons w/in the brian & spinal cord that communicate internally & intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
44
The body's decision maker
CNS
45
Responsible for gathering information & for transmitting CNS decisions to other body parts
PNS
46
Our complexity resides mostly in our?
Interneuron systems
47
What does autonomic control?
Self-regulated action of internal organs and glands
48
What does somatic control?
Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles
49
Arousing
Sympathetic
50
Calming
Parasympathetic
51
The somatic nervous system is the division of the?
PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system
52
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the PNS that controls the?
Glands & the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms
53
The sympathetic nervous system is the division
Of the ANS that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
54
The parasympathetic nervous system is the division
Of the ANS that calms the body, conserving its energy
55
What is a reflex?
A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
56
What is the endocrine system?
The body's "slow" chemical communication system
57
What are hormones?
They are chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the blood stream, & affect other tissues
58
What are the adrenal glands?
They are a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys & secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress
59
What are the pituitary glands?
The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth & controls the other endocrine glands
60
What is a lesion?
Tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
61
What is the brainstem?
The oldest part & central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions
62
What is the medulla?
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
63
Just above the medulla sits the?
Pons which helps coordinate movements
64
What is the thalamus?
The brains sensory router, 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
65
Receives information from all the senses except smell, & it routes that information to higher brain regions that deal with seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching.
Thalamus
66
Inside the brainstem, between your ears, lies the?
Reticular formation, a finger-shaped network of neurons extending from the spinal cord right up through the thalamus. As the spinal cords sensory input flows up to the thalamus, some of it travels through the reticular formation, which filters incoming stimuli, relays important info. to other brain areas, and controls arousal
67
A nerve network that travels through the brainstem & plays an important role in controlling arousal
Reticular formation
68
The brains organ of agility
Hanging at the back of the brain, the cerebellum (little brain) coordinates our voluntary movements
69
What is the cerebellum?
"the little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output & balance, & enabling nonverbal learning and memory. Also helps us judge time, modulate our emotions, & discriminate sounds & textures
70
In what brain region would damage be most likely to 1) Disrupt your ability to skip rope? 2) Disrupt your ability to hear & taste? 3) Leave you in a coma? 4) Cut off the very breath & heartbeat of life?
1) Cerebellum 2) Thalamus 3) Reticular formation 4) Medulla
71
This neural system sits between the brain's older parts & its cerebral hemispheres.
The limbic system
72
Neural system including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus, located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
Limbic system
73
What is the amygdala?
Two lima-bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion
74
What is the hypothalamus
A neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp.) helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Psychology 101 (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions