Psychology/Sociology (Concept 7A, 7B, 7C) Flashcards
(212 cards)
neurons
nerve cells that send messages all over your body to allow you to do everything from breathing to talking, eating, walking, and thinking
reflex arc
the pathway by which a reflex travels—from the stimulus to sensory neuron to motor neuron to reflex muscle movement
neurotransmitters
endogenous chemicals that allow neurons to communicate with each other throughout the body
peripheral nervous system
part of your nervous system that lies outside your brain and spinal cord
central nervous system
part of your nervous system that is your brain and spinal cord
forebrain
controls body temperature, reproductive functions, eating, sleeping, and the display of emotions
midbrain
the smallest portion of the brainstem (about 1.5 cm) and its most cranial structure and is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep/wake, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation, acting as a sort of relay station for auditory and visual information
hindbrain
a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates; includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum; supports vital bodily processes.
cerebrum
the largest part of your brain, and it handles a wide range of responsibilities; instrumental in day-to-day activites
spinal cord
a long, tube-like band of tissue connecting your brain to your lower back
lateralization of cortical functions
the left and right sides of the brain are specialised to attend to different information, to process sensory inputs in different ways and to control different types of motor behaviour
methods of studying the brain
fMRI uses very powerful magnets and can localize brain activity changes to regions as small as one cubic millimeter
EEG measures brain waves
PET shows how the brain and its tissues are working
neurotransmitters and behavior
neurotransmitters play some role in behavior, including the neuropeptides; most commonly implicated in behavior modulation are the small molecular transmitters norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.
components of the endocrine system
multiple glands throughout the body
endocrine system and behavior
endocrine system releases hormones, and hormones impact the systems that cause changes in our behavior, including changes in what we might call biological motivations
behavioral genetics
the study of the manner in which genetic variation affects psychological phenotypes (traits), including cognitive abilities, personality, mental illness, and social attitudes.
genes
the basic physical and functional unit of heredity
temperament
consistent individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes
heredity
the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring
adaptive value of traits and behavior
represents the usefulness of a trait that can help an organism survive in its environment
nature and nurture
describes the question of how much a person’s characteristics are formed by either “nature” or “nurture;” “nature” means innate biological factors (namely genetics), while “nurture” can refer to upbringing or life experience more generally.
experience and behavior
experience has a paradoxical effect on intention-behavior consistency; in some studies, greater experience is associated with weaker intention-behavior relations (due to habit formation), whereas in other studies experience strengthens the relationship between intention and behavior (by stabilizing intentions).
human physiological development
the changes that occur in an organism’s body as it grows and matures
prenatal development
starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal development until birth