II. Biological Basis for Behavior

Question 1

Neuron

Answer 1

basic building block of the nervous system

Question 2

Dendrites

Answer 2

Receives messages from other neurons.

Question 3

Axon terminal

Answer 3

Sends electrical signals(messages) to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 3

Myelin Sheath

Answer 3

A fatty tissue layer that surrounds the axon, speeding up the process of neural impulses.

Question 4

Action Potential

Answer 4

Basic way that neurons communicate.

Question 5

Refractory period

Answer 5

A brief resting period, in which the action potential can not fire until the axon has returned to its resting state.

Question 6

Threshold

Answer 6

The level of stimuli required for a neuron to charge

Question 7

All or none response

Answer 7

The principle that a neuron will either charge with full force, or none.

Question 8

Synapse

Answer 8

the place where two neurons meet to transmit information
Also known as the “Synaptic Cleft.”

Question 9

Reuptake

Answer 9

Reabsorption of incoming neurons

Question 10

Neurotransmitters

Answer 10

Chemical messengers that travel down the bloodstream

Question 11

Endorphins

Answer 11

Reduce pain, relieve stress, and improves mood

Question 12

Dopamine

Answer 12

Creates pleasure and motivation. However, too much dopamine can cause schizophrenia.

Question 13

Serotonin

Answer 13

Regulates mood

Question 14

Norepinephrine

Answer 14

Increases alertness, arousal, and attention.

Question 15

Agonist

Answer 15

Chemicals that strengthen neurotransmitter activity

Question 15

Antagonist

Answer 15

Chemicals that block neurotransmitter activity

Question 16

Nervous system

Answer 16

The body’s speedy communication center

Question 17

Central nervous system

Answer 17

The brain and spinal cord.

Question 18

Interneurons

Answer 18

• Neurons in between the central nervous system.
• connect sensory neurons to motor neurons

Question 19

Sensory neurons(afferent)

Answer 19

Sensations(information) from different parts of the body travel to the brain and spinal cord.

Question 20

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 20

Regulates body functions including heart rate and blood pressure.

Question 20

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 20

Increases arousal during times of stress.

Question 21

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 21

Decreases arousal after times of stress.

Question 22

Motor neurons(efferent)

Answer 22

Messages from the brain and spinal cord travel to different parts of the body.

Question 23

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 23

Everything besides the brain and spinal cord

Question 23

Somatic nervous system

Answer 23

Voluntary movement through skeletal muscles

Question 24

Electroencephalogram (EGG)

Answer 24

measures the amount of electrical activity in the brain while doing something

Question 25

CT scan

Answer 25

X-ray of the brain

Question 26

PET scan

Answer 26

Measures the radioactivity of glucose in the brain when a subject is given a performing task

Question 27

MRI

Answer 27

Gives a map of the brain shows soft tissues

Question 28

Endocrine system

Answer 28

The body’s “slow” chemical communication center.

Question 28

Adrenal glands

Answer 28

Regulate metabolism and blood pressure.

Question 29

Pituitary gland

Answer 29

Master gland of the endocrine system. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the gland controls sexual motivation and metabolism.

Question 30

fMRI

Answer 30

Utilizes MRI scans to measure blood flow in various brain regions

Question 30

Lesion

Answer 30

Tissue damage, being naturally or experimentally done through damage to the brain.

Question 30

Wernickes’s Areas

Answer 30

Impairment of ability to understand speech

Question 31

Brainstem

Answer 31

Connects the brain to the spinal cord.

Question 32

Medulla

Answer 32

Controls breathing and heartbeat.

Question 32

Thalamus

Answer 32

Processes every sense besides smell

Question 33

Reticular formation

Answer 33

Nerve network in the brainstem and controls arousal

Question 34

Cerebellum

Answer 34

Coordinates movement and balance

Question 34

Limbic system

Answer 34

Consists of the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus

Question 35

Amygdala

Answer 35

Controls emotions, includes fear and aggression

Question 36

Hippocampus

Answer 36

Creates long-term memories

Question 37

Hypothalamus

Answer 37

Controls metabolism and sex drives.

Question 38

glial cells

Answer 38

Provides support and protection for neurons in the central nervous system.

Question 39

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 39

Four parts of the brain that process information and thinking skills.

Question 39

frontal lobes

Answer 39

Makes judgment and decisions

Question 39

motor cortex

Answer 39

Generates signals that direct body movement.

Question 40

parietal lobes

Answer 40

Processes sensory information

Question 41

somatosensory cortex

Answer 41

Processes information from different parts of the body. When the cortex is devoted to a certain area, it becomes more sensitive.

Question 42

association areas

Answer 42

Takes information from other lobes, jointing it, thus making an individual understand complex things

Question 43

occipital lobes

Answer 43

Processes visual information.

Question 44

temporal lobes

Answer 44

Processes auditory information.

Question 45

Plasticity

Answer 45

The ability for the brain to recover after damage, often through building new experiences

Question 46

Neurogenesis

Answer 46

The ability to form new neurons

Question 47

corpus callosum

Answer 47

Neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres.

Question 48

split brain

Answer 48

Surgery done to the brain, cutting the neural fibers. The two hemispheres have their own function.

Question 49

dual processing

Answer 49

The idea that information is processed consciously and unconsciously simultaneously.

Question 50

Heritability

Answer 50

The measurement of how much genetics influence traits

Question 51

Mutation

Answer 51

A change in DNA

Question 52

Roger Sperry

Answer 52

Discovered that the brain’s hemispheres have two functions, with the right controlling creativity and the left controlling intelligence.

Question 53

Charles Darwin

Answer 53

Contributor to evolutionary psychology with “survival of the fittest.”