Chapter Two

Question 1

Neurons

Answer 1

Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system

Question 2

Dendrite

Answer 2

A cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons

Question 3

Axon

Answer 3

The part of the neuron that carries messages destined for other neurons

Question 4

Terminal Buttons

Answer 4

Small bulges at the end of axons that send message to other neurons

Question 5

Myelin Sheath

Answer 5

A protective coating of fat and protein that wraps around the axon

Question 6

All-or-none law

Answer 6

The rule that neurons are either on or off

Question 7

Resting state

Answer 7

The state in which there is a negative electrical charge of about -70 millivolts within a neuron

Question 8

Action potential

Answer 8

An electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron’s axon when it is set off by a “trigger”, changing the neuron’s charge from negative to positive

Question 9

mirror neurons

Answer 9

Specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior, but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior

Question 10

Synapse

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Neurotransmitters

Answer 11

Chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron

Question 12

Excitatory message

Answer 12

A Chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon

Question 13

inhibitory message

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Reuptake

Answer 14

The reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button

Question 15

Central Nervous System

Answer 15

The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord

Question 16

Spinal Cord

Answer 16

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 17

Reflex

Answer 17

An automatic, involuntary response to an incoming stimulus

Question 18

Sensory ( afferent) neurons

Answer 18

Neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the nervous system and brain

Question 19

Motor (efferent) neurons

Answer 19

Neurons that communicate information from the brain and nervous system to muscles and glands

Question 20

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 20

The part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body

Question 21

Somatic Division

Answer 21

The part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs.

Question 22

Autonomic Division

Answer 22

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs.

Question 23

Sympathetic Division

Answer 23

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to prepare the body for action in stressful situations, engaging all the organism’s resources to respond to a threat

Question 24

Parasympathetic Division

Answer 24

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to calm the body after an emergency has ended

Question 25

Evolutionary Psychology

Answer 25

The branch of psychology that seeks to identify behavior patterns that are a result of our genetic inheritance from our ancestors

Question 26

Behavioral Genetics

Answer 26

The study of the effects of heredity on behavior

Question 27

Endocrine System

Answer 27

A chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream

Question 28

Hormones

Answer 28

Chemicals that circulate through the blood and regulate the functioning or growth of the body

Question 29

Pituitary Gland

Answer 29

The major component of the endocrine system, or "master gland." which secretes hormones that control growth and other parts of the endocrine system.

Question 30

Central Core

Answer 30

The "old brain," which controls basic functions such as rating and sleeping and is common to all vertebrates

Question 31

Cerebellum

Answer 31

The part of the brain that control bodily balance

Question 32

Reticular Formation

Answer 32

The part of the brain extending from the medulla through the pons; it is related to changes in the level of arousal of the body

Question 33

Thalamus

Answer 33

The part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily to rely information about the senses

Question 34

Hypothalamus

Answer 34

A tiny part of the brain, located below the thalamus, that maintains homeostasis and produces and regulates vital behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior

Question 35

Limbic System

Answer 35

The part of the brain that controls eating, aggression, and reproduction

Question 36

Cerebral cortex

Answer 36

The "new brain," responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains four lobes

Question 37

Lobes

Answer 37

The four major sections of the cerebral cortex: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

Question 38

Motor Area

Answer 38

The part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the body's voluntary movement

Question 39

Sensory Area

Answer 39

The site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each of the senses, with the degree of sensitivity related to the amount of tissue

Question 40

Association Areas

Answer 40

One of the major regions of the cerebral cortex; the site of the higher mental processes, such as thought, language, memory, and speech

Question 41

Neuroplasticity

Answer 41

Changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, new interconnections between neurons, and the reorganization of information-processing areas.

Question 42

Hemispheres

Answer 42

Symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location

Question 43

Lateralization

Answer 43

The dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language

Question 44

Biofeedback

Answer 44

A procedure in which a person learns to control through conscious thought internal physiological processes such as blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating, and the constriction of particular muscles.