Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

AP Psych > Unit 2 Part 1 > Flashcards

Unit 2 Part 1 Flashcards

Biological Bases (91 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Neuron

A

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

cell body

A

part of neuron containing nucleus; the cell’s life support center

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

axon

A

neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

myelin sheath

A

fatty tissue layer segmental encasing axons of some neurons; enables faster transmission speed as neural impulses travel along axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

glial cells

A

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, protect neurons; play role in learning memory and thinking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

action potential

A

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge traveling along the axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

threshold

A

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

refractory period

A

brief resting period after neuron has fired, further action potentials cannot occur until axon returns to resting state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

all or none response

A

neuron will either fire with full strength or not at all (toilet analogy)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

synapse

A

junction between sending neuron and dendrite or cell body of receiving neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that cross synaptic gap, released from sending neuron, travel to receiving neuron where they bind to receptor sites; influences if neuron generates neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

reuptake

A

neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by sending neuron from synaptic gap

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Acetylcholine [ACh]

A

excitatory
enables muscle movement, learning and memory
surplus: muscle spasms
deficit: alzheimers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

dopamine

A

inhibitory; influences mood, movement, learning, attention, emotion, arousal, reward; surplus: schizophrenia; deficit: Parkinson’s, ADHD

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

serotonin

A

inhibitory; sleep, mood, arousal, hunger; surplus: hallucinations; deficit: depression, insomnia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

norepinephrine

A

excitatory; arousal, alertness, mood, flight or flight; surplus: anxiety; deficit: depression

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

glutamate

A

excitatory; basisi of learning and longterm memory; surplus: brain overstimulation, migraines, seizures; deficit: N/A

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

GABA

A

inhibitory; regulates sleep-wake cycle; surplus: sleep & eating disorders; deficit: anxiety, epilepsy, insomnia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

endorphins

A

inhibitory; pain control, stress reduction, positive emotions; surplus: artificial high, false pain perception; deficit: addicition (opiates)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

agonist

A

molecule that INCREASES neurotransmitters action (whether inhibitory or excitatory)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

antagonist

A

molecule that BLOCKS or INHIBITS neurotransmitters action (whether inhibitory or excitatory)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

nervous system

A

body’s electrochemical communication network

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A

sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to rest of body -> Autonomic and Somatic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Central nervous system

A

brain and spinal cord; in charge of interpretation and decision making

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
nerves
bundles of neural cables connecting CNS with muscles, glands, organs
26
Autonomic nervous system
[peripheral nervous system] controls self regulated action of internal organs and glands; -> sympathetic and parasympathetic
27
Somatic nervous system
[peripheral nervous system] controls skeletal muscles -> motor output, and sensory output
28
afferent neurons
sensory neurons carry messages from sensory receptors to brain/spinal cord
29
efferent neurons
ef- like EXIT; motor neurons carry information from brain/spinal cord to muscles and glands
30
interneurons
neurons within brain and spinal cord; communicate internally and process information between sensory input and motor output
31
sympathetic nervous system
[Peripheral NS -> Autonomic NS] arouses body, mobilizing energy
32
parasympathetic nervous system
[peripheral NS -> Autonomic NS] Para- like Parachute to slow fall; calms body, conserving energy
33
endocrine system
body's "slow" chemical communication of hormones through bloodstream
34
hormone
chemical messengers secreted by endocrine glands into bloodstream to affect other tissues
35
adrenal glands
endocrine glands above kidneys that secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) to arouse body in times of stress
36
pituitary gland
most influential gland; influenced by hypothalamus to regulate growth and controls other endocrine glands
37
brainstem
oldest part of brain, central core; responsible for automatic survival functions
38
medulla
[brainstem] controls heartrate and breathing
39
pons
[brainstem] coordinates movement and sleep
40
thalamus
brain's sensory control center; above brainstem; directs messages to sensory receiving areas in cortex, transmits replies to cerebellum and medulla
41
reticular formation
nerves network traveling through brainstem into thalamus; plays role in arousal
42
cerebellum
little brain at rear of brainstem; processes sensory input, coordinates movement output & balance, allows nonverbal memory & learning
43
limbic system
neural system located below cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives: -> amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, pituitary gland
44
amygdala
[limbic system] neural clusters linked to emotion (anger & fear)
45
hypothalamus
[limbic system] neural structure lying below thalamus; directs maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp); linked to emotion & reward, controls endocrine system with pituitary gland
46
hippocampus
[limbic system] neural center for storing memories of favts & events longterm
47
spinal cord
pathway of neural fibers to and from brain; controls simple reflexes
48
cerebral cortex
intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells coveting cerebral hemispheres; body's control & info processing center
49
frontal lobes
speaking, muscle movements, planning & judgement
50
parietal lobes
receives sensory input for touch and body position
51
occipital lobes
receive information from visual fields
52
temporal lobes
auditory areas
53
motor cortex
rear of frontal cortex; controls voluntary movements
54
somatosensory cortex
front of parietal lobes; registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
55
association areas
areas in cerebral cortex not directly involved in motor or sensory functions; higher mental processing, thinking, remembering and speaking
56
plasticity
brains ability to change
57
neurogenesis
formation of new neurons
58
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
electrodes placed on scalp measure electrical ACTIVITY in neurons; for sleep research
59
CT/CAT (Computerized (Axial) Tomography)
sophisticated x-ray; x-ray cameras rotate around head to create 3D picture of brain structure; detects tumors or brain demage ; patients lie in scanning ring
60
MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging; uses magnetic fields of radio waves to make computer genterated images of brain; measures structure, location, density
61
PET
Positron Emission Tomography; produces visual display of brain ACTIVITY by tracking temporarily radioactive glucose as its consumed in brain for energy
62
fMRI
functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; patient lies in chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to provide map of brain structure and track blood flow in brain
63
MEG
Magnetoencephalography; head coil records magnetic fields from brains natural electric currents from brain ACTIVITY
64
corpus callosum
large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
65
split brain
a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the two hemispheres by cutting fibers connecting them
66
consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
67
cognitive neuroscience
interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (perception
68
dual processing
principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
69
blindsight
condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
70
parallel processing
unconscious; processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; ised to process well-learned information or to sdolve easy problems, usually for rutine business
71
sequential processing
conscious; processing one aspect of a problem at a time; used to process new info or to solve difficult problems; for focused attention on one thing at a time
72
behavior genetics
study of relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
73
heredity
genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
74
heritability
proportion of variation among individuals in a group that can be attributed to genes; in same environment = heritability is 100%, if environmental differences DECREASE, heritability INCEASES
75
environment
every nongenetic influence (prenatal nutrition, people, events)
76
genome
complete instructions for making an organism, all genetic material
77
chromosomes
threadless structures made of DNA molecules that contain genes
78
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid; a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up chromosomes
79
genes
biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; SEGMENTS of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins
80
epigenetics
the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change; life experiences leave epigenetic marks of methyl molecules that affect expression of DNA
81
interaction
interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (like environement) depends on another factor (like heredity)
82
molecular behavior genetics
study of how structure and function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior
83
evolutionary psychology
study of evolution of behavior and the mind
84
natural selection
principle that inherited traits that better enable organisms' survival and reproduction in a particular environment are more likely to be passed on to future generations
85
mutation
a random error in gene replication that leads to a change
86
social script
a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
87
biological influences on development
shared human genome, individual genetic variations, sex related genes, hormones, physiology
88
psychological influences on development
gene-environment interaction, neurological effect of early experiences, responses evoked by our own temperament, gender, etc, beliefs, feelings, expectations
89
social-cultural influences on development
parental influences, peer influences, cultural individualism or collectivism, cultural gender norms
90
critique of evolutionary psychology (on human sexuality)
1. starts with effect and works backward 2. overlooks socialization and cultural influences 3. men use it to rationalize inappropriate behavior
91
dendrites
neurons' bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body

AP Psych (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions