Unit 3: Biological Bases of Behavior and Unit 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

nervous system

Answer 1

contols and coordinates rapid body activities

Question 2

neurons

Answer 2

nerve cells

Question 3

parts of neuron

Answer 3

Dendrites: recieve signals
Soma: houses major organelles
Axon: long fiber carrying signal to other parts of the body
Myelin sheath: protective layer around axon
Axon terminals: branches at end of axon relaying signals to other neurons

Question 4

How do neurons transfer information?

Answer 4

neurotransmitters released from axon terminals, travel across synapse, bind to neural receptors on other neurons

Question 5

reuptake

Answer 5

excess neurotransmitters absorbed back into presynaptic cell to balance neurotransmitter usage

Question 6

types of neurotransmitters

Answer 6

excitory: amplify signals
inhibitory: limit or slow signals

Question 7

What are the main two branches of the nervous system?

Answer 7

peripheral: connects CNS to body
central: brain and spinal cord

Question 8

nerves

Answer 8

neuron fibers conecting CNS to rest of body

Question 9

types of nerves

Answer 9

cranial (brain to spinal cord) and spinal (rest of body to spinal cord)

Question 10

sensory impulses

Answer 10

carry messages from env to CNS

Question 11

motor impulses

Answer 11

carry messages from CNS to rest of body

Question 12

2 parts of the peripheral nervous system

Answer 12

somatic nervous system: control voluntary movements of skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system: control involuntary movements

Question 13

2 parts of autonomic nervous system

Answer 13

sympathetic: arouses body
parasympathetic: calms body

Question 14

endocrine system

Answer 14

long-term communication via chemicals

Question 15

hypothalamus

Answer 15

region of brain controlling autonomic nervous system and endocrone system

Question 16

homeostasis

Answer 16

internal state of balance in the body

Question 17

hormone

Answer 17

chemical messenger of endocrine system

Question 18

brain

Answer 18

control center of body

Question 19

3 regions of the brain

Answer 19

forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain

Question 20

forebrain

Answer 20

largest and moxt complex region of brain;

includes cerebrum, thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 21

cerebrum

Answer 21

Largest part of forebrain that integrates sensory and neural functions;
Includes cerebral cortex: outer layer of brain for information processing

Question 22

thalamus

Answer 22

input center for most sensory information

Question 23

hypothalamus

Answer 23

controls autonomic nervous system and endocrine system

Question 24

midbrain

Answer 24

recieves info from visual and auditory senses

Question 25

hindbrain

Answer 25

part of brain underneath fore and midbrain

Question 26

parts of hindbrain

Answer 26

medulla: unconscious biological functions pons: connects brainstem to cerebellum cerebellum: emotion and differentiation between different sounds

Question 27

lobes of cerebral cortex

Answer 27

Occipital lobe: visual processing; back of the head Parietal lobe: receives sensations and monitors body position; front of the occipital lobe Temporal lobe: auditory processing; under the parietal lobe Frontal lobe: speaking, muscle movements, and decision making; in the front of the head

Question 28

corpus callosum

Answer 28

band of axon fibers connecting cerebral hemispheres

Question 29

sensation

Answer 29

process by which sensory receptors transduce sensory information to the nervous system to transmit to the brain

Question 30

perception

Answer 30

process by which we interpret sensed information and understand it as meaningful objects and events

Question 31

types of processing

Answer 31

bottom-up: sensory receptors to the brain | top-down: interpret stimuli with previous experiences

Question 32

transduction

Answer 32

convert one form of energy to a form the brain can interpret

Question 33

types of thresholds

Answer 33

absolute threshold: minimum # stimulation needed to detect stimulus difference threshold: minimum # stimulation needed to detect the difference between stimuli

Question 34

parts of the eye

Answer 34

cornea: bends light to focus it; protects eye pupil: adjustable opening in eye iris: colored muscle controlling pupil lens: focus light to retina retina: transducing center of eye; has rods and cones optic nerve: transmits sensory info to brain fovea: central focus of retina where cones cluster

Question 35

parallel processing

Answer 35

brain processes many aspects of stimuli separately at the same time, then combine in the end to form complete picture

Question 36

theories of color vision

Answer 36

trichromatic theory: 3 types of color receptors in retina (R, G, B) opponent process theory: retina counters light with its "opposite color" Note: in fact, both theories are used; first trichromatic happens, then opponent processing cells in brain

Question 37

sections of ear

Answer 37

outer, middle, inner ear

Question 38

outer ear

Answer 38

pinna: detect soundwaves auditory canal: sound waves travel through here to eardrum eardrum: membrane vibrating in response to sound waves

Question 39

middle ear

Answer 39

ossicles, or the malleus, incus, and stapes bones all transmit eardrum vibrations to inner ear

Question 40

inner ear

Answer 40

cochlea: fluid-filled spiral tube with cilia to transduce vibrations basilar membrane: floor of cochlea where cilia are auditory nerve: transmits sensory information to brain (auditory cortex in temporal lobe)

Question 41

theories of hearing

Answer 41

place theory: perception of pitch depends on the location where basilar membrane stimulated frequency theory: perception of pitch depends on frequency of sound detected by the cilia; basilar membrane vibrates at same frequency as incoming sound

Question 42

tactile system

Answer 42

system to detect touch (heat level, pain, and pressure)

Question 43

how does the tactile system work?

Answer 43

has sensory receptors in skin to detect # pressure experienced, then send to brain (somatosensory cortex in parietal lobe)

Question 44

gustatory system

Answer 44

system to detect taste

Question 45

how does gustatory system work?

Answer 45

taste receptors grouped into papillae (bumps on tongue) transduce and transmit sensory information (type of taste depends on location on tongue) to gustatory cortex in frontal lobe

Question 46

olfactory system

Answer 46

system to detect smell

Question 47

how does the olfactory system work?

Answer 47

chemicals for smell bind to receptors in nose, tell brain what type os smell it is; only system that does not use thalamus (instead uses olfactory bulb to send info elsewhere)

Question 48

pain

Answer 48

natural defense mechanism of body

Question 49

how does pain work?

Answer 49

nociceptors all over body detect pain and send to spinal cord, then brain. Gate control theory says that pain can be blocked by spinal cord

Question 50

kinesthesis

Answer 50

ability to sense position and movement of body parts

Question 51

how does kinesthesis work?

Answer 51

kinesthetic receptors send body position info to the spinal cord then to the somatosensory complex in brain

Question 52

vestibular sense

Answer 52

sense of balance and detect position of head

Question 53

parts of vestibular system

Answer 53

vestibular sacs: fluid-filled sacs in inner ear, detect info about head position semicircular canals: fluid-filled canals to detect head rotations and movements

Question 54

how does vestibular system work?

Answer 54

vestibular sacs and semicircular canals give info about head to vestibular nerve, send to cerebellum (body position and balance)