Chapter 3: Biological Psychology

Question 1

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 1

• Thought, language, personality
• Occipital lobe: visual processing
• Parietal lobe: sensory processing, bodily awareness
• Temporal lobe: hearing, object recognition, language, emotion
• Frontal lobe: thought, planning, language, movement

Question 2

Forebrain

Answer 2

• Emotion, memory, thinking, reasoning
• Cushions the brain from impact against skill - cerebrospinal fluid
• Basal ganglia: movement, reward processing
• Amygdala: emotion
• Hippocampus: memory
• Hypothalamus: tempeture regulation, motivation (hunger, thirst)
• Thalamus: sensoru relay station
• Limbic system : motion + memoru

Question 3

Midbrain

Answer 3

• Relay station between sensory + motor areas
• Superior colliculus: orientating visual attention
• Inferior colliculus: orienting auditory attention
• Parkinsons disease

Question 4

Hindbrain

Answer 4

• Controls basic, life sustaining processes
• Brainstem: breathing, heart rate, sleep, wakefulness
• Cerebellum: balance, coordination, timing of movements, attention, emotion
• Medulla: swallowing, coughing, breathing, BP
• Prons: relays motor messages between cerebellum + motor cortex
• Reticular formation: attention + alertness, walking + posture

Question 5

Agonists (direct and indirect)

Answer 5

• Drugs that enhance/mimic the effects if neurotransmitter action
• Direct: binds to the neurotransmitters receptors
• Indirect: facilitates the effects of a neurotransmitter but does not bind to the receptor

Question 6

Antagonists

Answer 6

• Inhibits neurotransmitters by blocking receptors or preventing synthesis

Question 7

Reuptake

Answer 7

• Natural recycling system for neurotransmitters

Question 8

Action potential of neurons

Answer 8

1. Resting potential: when neuron is not firing and has slight negative electrical charge
2. Action potential: when neuron is stimulated, positive charged ions flow into the cell
3. After a neuron fires, positive particles are pumped out of the cell
4. Neuron returns to resting potential, ready to fire if stimulated

Question 9

Presynaptic cell

Answer 9

• Releases neurotransmitters into the synapse

Question 10

Postsynaptic cell

Answer 10

• Receives neurotransmitters from the presynaptic cell

Question 11

Synapse

Answer 11

• Consists if a neuron axon terminal + a different neuron dendrites

Question 12

Motor Neurons

Answer 12

• Carry messages away from brain + spinal cord, towards muscles

Question 13

Sensory Neurons

Answer 13

• Receive info from bodily senses + bring it towards the brain, through the spinal cord

Question 14

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 14

• Nerves outside the CNS
• Carry incoming sensory signals + outgoing motor signals

Question 15

CNS

(Neurons)
(Glial Cells)

Answer 15

• Made up of neurons in the brain + spinal cord
• Neurons: send + receive messages in the body
• Glial cells: means “glue”, holds neurons together, immune response, remove waste

Question 16

Dizygotic twins

Answer 16

• Came from 2 eggs
• Fraternal twins
• Share 50% genetics

Question 17

Monozygotic twims

Answer 17

• Come from single egg
• Identical twins
• Same genotype
• Differences between then are due to phenotype

Question 18

Behavioural genetics

Answer 18

• Study of how genes + environment influence behaviours
• Compares people of different levels of relatedness

Question 19

Behavioural genomics

Answer 19

• Study of DNA + the ways specific genes are related to behavior
• Human genome project: determining what makes up human DNA

Question 20

Meiosis

Answer 20

• Cell division that creates gametes
• Half the # of cell chromosomes
• Zygote will then have 46 chromosomes again

Question 21

Mitosis

Answer 21

• Normal cell division
• Duplicates DNA and strand into 2 cells

Question 22

Phenotype

Answer 22

• Physical traits + behavioural characteristics that show genetic variation (eye colour, shape + size of facial features, inteligence, personality)

Question 23

Genotype

Answer 23

• Genetic makeup of an organism
• Potential for characteristics
• Our genes/biological makeup

Question 24

Epigenetics

Answer 24

• Study of how the environment alters gene expression
• Can affect subsequent generations

Question 25

Gene expression

Answer 25

- Occurs when the info in our genes is used to produce proteins - Each gene is a combo of the 4 AAs

Question 26

Dominant alleles

Answer 26

- Allele that will always show in AA or Aa - Dark hair, type A blood, face dimples, farsightedness

Question 27

Recessive alleles

Answer 27

- Allele will only show if 2 aa alleles - Light/red hair, type 0 blood, no dimples, normal vision

Question 28

Alleles

Answer 28

- One pair of genes - Influence many characteristics - One from mother, one from father

Question 29

Hetrozygous

Answer 29

- 2 corresponding genes at given location are different

Question 30

Homozygous

Answer 30

- 2 corresponding genes at given location are same

Question 31

Chromosomes

Answer 31

- Structures in the cellular nucleas, lined with all the genes of individual traits

Question 32

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 32

- Regulates activity of organs + glands - Our ability to make rapid responses

Question 33

Somatic nervous system

Answer 33

- Consists of nerves that control skeletal muscles + receive sensory input from the body - Active when you sit, walk, move your hands, ect

Question 34

The endocrine system

Answer 34

- Hypothalamus (brain) - Pituitary gland: produces hormones (brain) - Pineal gland (brain) - Thyroid gland (brain) - Adrenal glands (abdomen) - Pancreas (abdomen)

Question 35

Neurotransmitters

Answer 35

- Glutamate: excites nervous system, memory - GABA: inhibits brain activity, lowers anxiety + excitement, facilitates sleep - Acetylcholine: movement, attention - Dopamine: control of movement, reward-seeking, behaviour, cognition, attention - Norepinephrine: memory, attention to new stimuli, regulation of sleep + mood - Serotonin: regulation of sleep, appetite, mood