Unit 3.5 Psychology Flashcards
(17 cards)
Split brain
A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brains two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them
Corpus callosum
A large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
Consciousness
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment
Cognitive neuroscience
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)
Dual processing
The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Behavior genetics
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Environment
Every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
Chromosomes
Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
DNA
A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
Genes
The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins
Genome
The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes
Identical twins
Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms
Fraternal twins
Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment
Molecular genetics
The subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes
Heritability
The proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied
Interaction
The interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (environment) depends on another factor (heredity)
Epigenetics
The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
