Origins of Brain and Behavior (Ch. 1) Flashcards
(51 cards)
About half of our brains are made of ___ cells that ___. The other half are ___ cells that ___.
- Neurons
- Specialized nerve cells that are interconnected with each other and other muscles and organs. These cells help in information processing
- Glial cells
- support the functioning of neurons
The brain and spinal cord make up the ___, the part of our nervous system that is encased in ___. It is given its name because it is both the nervous system’s physical __ and core structure mediating ___.
- central nervous system
- encased in bone
- physical core
- mediating behavior
All processes that occur outside of the ___ and brain constitute the ___.
- spinal cord
- peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The ___ (forebrain) has two symmetrical hemispheres. It is responsible for most of our ___. It also enfolds the ___, the set of structures responsible for most of our unconscious behaviors.
- cerebrum
- conscious behaviors
- brainstem
A major structure of our brainstem that coordinates movements and learning is the ___.
cerebellum
What is the embodied behavior argument? What does it say about our understanding of ourselves and others?
- movements that we make and movements we perceive in others are central to our behavior
- we understand not only through listening to words but also through overt gestures and body language
In locked-in syndrome, the brain is __ and ___ and sensitive to the external world but its nerve fiber pathways that produce movement are ___.
- intact and functioning
- inactive
Being in a minimally conscious state means that the individual is able to ___ and occasionally ___. Those in this state sometimes undergo ___ which sometimes results in much improvement of the patient’s behavior and ability to ___.
- communicate with single words
- follow very simple commands
- deep brain stimulation
- follow commands
In a persistent vegetative state, individuals show signs of ___ but they are unable to ___.
- wakefulness
- communicate
Irenaus Eible-Eibesfeldt bagin his class textbook “The Biology of Brain and Behavior” by stating that, “Behavior ___”
- “Behavior consists of patterns in time”
Most behavior consists of a mix of ___ and __ actions and involve a brain that is __ and __ through experience.
- inherited and learned actions
- preorganized and modifiable through experience
Animals with smaller, simpler nervous systems exhibit a narrow range of behaviors that mainly are the result of being ___, whereas animals with more complex nervous systems have more behavioral options that depend on ___.
- inherited
- learning
Aristotle argued that the __ is responsible for life and its departure from __ results in death. To Aristotle, the __ is independent of ___, but is responsible for human __, ___, ___, and a range of other processes.
- psyche
- the body
- the psyche
- independent of the body
- responsible for human consciousness, perceptions, emotions, etc.
Someone like Aristotle who believes in mentalism would believe that __.
a person’s mind (psyche) is nonmaterial and responsible for behavior
Descartes believed in ___ and held the belief that the __ instructed the __ which lies beside fluid-filled cavities called ___ to direct fluid through the nerves and muscles. In this way, when ___, the body would __. Dualism believed that behavior is controlled by __ entities, a __ and a __, where the __ received information from __ through the brain, and the mind directed the brain through __.
- dualism
- the mind instructed
- the body
- ventricles
- when the fluid expanded
- the body would move
- controlled by both entities
- a mind
- a body
- the mind received information from the body through the brain
- the mind directed the brain through the body
The mind-body problem is an issue about the __ view and questions how ___.
- dualism view
- a nonmaterial mind can interact or influence a material brain
Descartes theory of mind also has a problem in its view of the mind as found in the examples of __ or __ who often fail to reason properly so they must ___.
- children or mentally ill individuals
- lack a mind
Materialism was pioneered by ___ who advanced the idea that the __ and the ___ fully explain behavior.
- Darwin
- the brain and the rest of the nervous system alone
Natural selection explains the process of how species __ and __ over time. A species is a group of organisms that can ___. Individuals within species can vary in their ___, which are __.
- evolve and change over time
- can breed with each other
- phenotype
- characteristics we can observe or measure
Gregor Mendel found that heritable factors which we now call __, govern __. A particular genetic make-up is a ___. Therefore, Mendel developed principles of ___.
- genes
- govern various physical traits
- genotype
- principles of inheritance
The field of epigenetics studies how ___, and how the environment and experience can influence __ through their effects on __.
- gene expression is turned on or off at different times
- can influence behavior
- effects on genes
To summarize materialism…
1. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
2. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
3. Brains and behaviors in complex animals (like humans) evolved from __.
- related, their brains must be related
- related, their behavior must be related
- evolved from simpler animals’ brains and behaviors
Hebb’s believed that learning is enabled by small groups of neurons forming new connections with one another to form ___, which is the substrate for __. These interact and become connected and __ to one another which links __. Hebb’s believed that this is what explains our ___.
- a cell assembly
- a memory
- linked
- memories
- complex behavior
Hebb’s explanation of eliminative materialism states that if __ can be described __, then the __ explanation should be eliminated.
- behavior
- without recourse to the mind
- mental explanation
