Everything Flashcards
(74 cards)
1
Q
What is biopsychology?
A
The study of psychological phenomena in terms of their underlying biological mechanisms
(Aka. Asks psychological questions and gives biological answers)
2
Q
Psychological questions include:
A
Questions about behaviour and mind
3
Q
Biological answers include:
A
Have to do with evolution, genetics, anatomy, and physiology
4
Q
Define neuroscience
A
The study of the nervous system
5
Q
Branches of neuroscience
A
Neuroscience
-neuroanatomy
-neurophysiology
Biopsychology
-behavioural neuroscience (physiological psy)
-cognitive neuroscience
Psychopharmacology
Neuropsychology (clinical or experimental)
6
Q
Part of the Neurosciences but not historically
A
- behaviour genetics
- evolutionary psychology
- comparative psychology
7
Q
What is the mind-body problem?
A
How can apparently conscious, free, mindful, rational beings like ourselves exist in a world of mindless, meaningless particles?
8
Q
Answers to the Mind-body problem
A
Dualism
- interactionism
- parallelism
Monism
- mentalism
- materialism
- eliminative
- reductive
- emergent property
9
Q
Types of biopsychological research
A
Human vs animal
Most biopsychologists are interested in human behaviour, yet both humans and nonhuman animals are used as subjects
10
Q
Human research advantages
A
- good validity and generalizability
- cheaper
- can follow instructions
- can provide verbal self reports
11
Q
Human research disadvantages
A
-limitations in experimental control
(Subject history & techniques for manipulating/measuring brain)
-complexity
12
Q
Animal research advantages
A
- experimental control
- simplicity
- value of comparative assessments
13
Q
Animal research disadvantages
A
- questions about validity and generalizability
- higher cost
- animals don’t follow verbal instructions
- lack of verbal self reporting capacity
14
Q
When should animal research be done?
A
When the benefits exceed the cost
15
Q
Who enforces guidelines for animal research?
A
The CCAC and animal care committees
16
Q
What are some alternatives to animal research?
A
- tissue/cell culture
- computer simulations
(Downfall, tissues and cells don’t display behaviour and we cannot simulate the things we don’t understand)
17
Q
Different types of research
A
Pure vs applied
18
Q
What is Pure research?
A
Pure = motivated strictly by curiosity
(Investigation of any problem/topic imaginable
19
Q
What is Applied research?
A
Applied = motivated to solve a human problem
Investigation of a subset of problems/topics where knowledge would produce an anticipation direct human benefit
20
Q
Why doesn’t applied research get all the funding?
A
Because it can only be undertaken after pure research has provided adequate background to tackle applied problems
- knowledge
- techniques
21
Q
Neuroscience
A
The study of the nervous system
22
Q
Neuroanatomy
A
Define
23
Q
Neurophysiology
A
Define
24
Q
Dualism
A
Define
25
Monism
Define
26
Mentalism
Define
27
Materialism
Define
28
CCAC
Define
29
Pure/basic research
Define
30
Applied research
Define
31
Evolution diagram
1. Evolution
2. Genes + experience = Current organism
3. Current organism + current situation = current behaviour
(Can loop back to experience or evolution
32
What is evolution?
Change in species over time
| Emerged to explain several observations - there are a wide variety of species on earth
33
Important points about evolution
- despite variety, there are fundamental similarities between species
- fossil record shows gradual changes in organisms
- selective breeding has produced changes in organisms
34
Evolution - Darwin
Darwin's theory didn't "propose" evolution, rather it attempted to explain "how" and "why" evolution occurred
35
Darwin's theory of evolution (3)
1. Variation
2. Selection
3. Inheritance
(Evolution occurs through differential reproductive success (1) resulting from variations (2) in heritable traits (3) between individuals)
36
3 "types" of selection
1. Natural selection - survival
2. Sexual selection - reproduction
3. Artificial selection - intentional human actions
37
Does evolution apply to psychological traits as well as physical traits?
Psychological traits are the product of physical traits
| Psychological traits can be successfully "artificially" selected using lab rats, dogs, and their animals
38
Significant time points in human evolution
-first life ~ 4 bya
-first vertebrate ~ 400 mya
-first mammals ~ 250 mya
(First placental mammals ~ 125 mya)
-first primates ~ 85 mya
-first apes ~ 35 mya
-hominid line splits from rest of apes ~ 6 mya
-bipedal locomotion ~ 4 mya
-hominid brain undergoes rapid expansion ~ 1.2-0.1 mya
- Homo sapiens are sole surviving hominid species ~ 25-50 kya
39
General points about evolution
-it's not linear
-humans are not the pinnacle
-today we have mostly "the tips of the branches" of evolution
-evolution doesn't produce optimal designs
-it's rate is generally slow, but can occur rapidly at times
-cross-species comparisons are important
(Homology vs analogy)
-evolution produces adaptations
-but not all traits are adaptations (noise, spandrels, exaptations)
40
What is evolutionary psychology?
The study of psychological phenomena in terms of their underlying evolutionary mechanisms
(Asks psychological questions - gives evolutionary answers)
41
Evolution
Define
42
Natural selection
Define
43
Sexual selection
Define
44
Artificial selection
Define
45
Convergent evolution
Define
46
Adaptation
Define
47
Spandrel
Define
48
Exaptation
Define
49
What is psychology?
The scientific study of mind and behaviour
50
Mendel (genetics)
Proposed particulate inheritance
-genes
(-the unit of heredity)
-each person is made from a complete set of human genes
(-"human genome"
-each person has two copies of this set)
51
Mendel (dominant vs recessive)
Dominant -
Recessive -
52
Mendel (genotype vs phenotype)
Genotype -
Phenotype -
53
Biochemistry of genetics
Genes are written in the language of a molecule:
-DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
-DNA is constructed from sugar backbone and paired nucleotides
-two strings of sugar backbones interlinked by cross matched nucleotide base pairs twisting in the form of a double helix (C-G & A-T)
-each molecule of DNA forms a complex with some proteins called chromosomes
-each species has a characteristic number of chromosomes (haploid - one set, diploid - two set)
(Humans have 23 pairs (46 in total) )
-offspring receive 1 copy of each chromosome pair from each parent (gametes - sperm, eggs, are both haploid and produced by meiosis)
-many genes per chromosome (genes on the same chromosome are usually inherited together......linkage, but not always......crossing over)
54
What is the genetic code?
The sequence of nucleotide bases in DNA codes "information" used for:
1. Producing proteins (structural genes; aka coding DNA)
- coding RNA (mRNA)
- transcription and translation
2. Producing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)
- not directly used to code proteins
3. The regulation of these processes
4. Stuff we don't know
55
Importance of producing proteins (structural genes)
-the "code" consists of a sequence of 3 base pairs (a codon) - (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine)
-sequence of codons serves as a template for making mRNA (mRNA is used to string amino acids together to form proteins at ribosomes)
Ex. Enzymes and structural proteins
56
The two step process of producing proteins
1. Transcription
| 2. Translation
57
Importance of producing non-coding RNA
(Also known as small RNA)
- tRNA and rRNA play role in protein translation
- other ncRNAs play a role in gene regulation
- 1000s have been identified....function await discovery
58
Importance of gene regulation
-all of your cells contain all of your genes, but only a fraction of you're new are expressed in any cell, therefore cells must have mechanisms that control which genes are used and which aren't
(Operators, repressors, and activators)
59
What are operators
-a region of DNA that is used to regulate gene expression (can be regulated by transcription factors)
60
Variation (in DNA and traits)
-~99.9% of DNA sequence is similar between people
-most genes can exist in various "forms" called alleles
(Different alleles = different phenotypes)
(Evolution selects for alleles - enhance reproductive success in individuals carrying those alleles)
61
What does polymorphic mean?
A gene with several possible alleles in particular species
62
Importance of gene interactions
- polygenic traits
| - sexual recombination produces unique combinations of genes and potential new phenotypes
63
Variation - genes and gender
XX - female XY - male (sex chromosomes)
- sex-linked genes
- sex-limited genes
64
The genome (what is epigenetics)
The study of changes in phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence of structural genes
-environmental effects
65
What is the gene expression
-DNA between genes used to be called "junk DNA" but can function in a variety of ways
(E.g. Operators)
66
Gene splicing
-alternative splicing
-exon and introns
(Exons can be combined differently to produce a variety of proteins)
67
ncRNA
- can influence genes directly and influence gene translation
- can influence other physiological processes
68
Types of cells in the nervous system
Neutrons
Glia
Other cell types - blood-brain barrier
69
What are Neurons
- the main signalling unit in the nervous system
- humans have 100,000,000,000
- interconnections enable everything from basic reflexes to our highest cognitive functions
70
What are glial cells
- historically have been thought to play primarily a supporting role
- humans have 100,000,000,000,000
- several different kinds
71
Importance of other cells in the nervous system
- play a variety of important supporting roles
| - endothelial cells, ependymal cells, cells of the immune system (microglia)
72
Function of Neurons
-communication (sends/receives signals) + (process signals - stores information)
- communication involves a combination of electrical and chemical processes
1. Action potential
2. Synaptic transmission
3. Post-synaptic signalling (summation)
73
Structure of Neurons
- basic structure is similar to other mammalian cells
- several specializations that relate to neuronal function
- have typical eukaryotic cellular characteristics (plasmalemma-cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm-cytoskeleton and cytosol
74
Neuron shape
-shape
(Cell body-axon-dendrites-synapses)
Synapses-axon-cell body-dendrites
