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| the complete set of genes of any organism |
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| the genetic material an individual inherits |
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| the observable expression of the genotype, including both body characteristics and behavior |
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| every aspect of an individual and his or her surroundings other than genes |
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| molecules of DNA that transmit genetic information; chromosomes are made up of DNA |
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| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) |
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Definition
| molecules that carry all the biochemical instructions involved in the formation and functioning of an organism |
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| sections of chromosomes that are the basic unit of heredity in all living things |
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| the chromosomes (X and Y) that determine an individual's gender |
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| a change in a section of DNA |
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| the process by which sections of DNA switch from one chromosome to the other; crossing over promotes variability among individuals |
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| genes that control the activity of other genes |
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| two or more different forms of a gene |
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| the allele that, if present, gets expressed |
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| the allele that is not expressed if a dominant allele is present |
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| having two of the same allele for a trait |
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| having two different alleles for a trait |
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| inheritance in which traits are governed by more than one gene |
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| all the phenotypes that can theoretically result from a given genotype in relation to all the environments in which it can survive and develop |
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| a disorder related to a defective recessive gene on chromosome 12 that prevents metabolism of phenylalanine |
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| the science concerned with how variation in behavior and development results from the combination of genetic and environmental factors |
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| refers to any characteristics or traits that are influenced by heredity |
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| refers to traits that are affected by a host of environmental factors as well as genetic ones |
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| a statistical estimate of the proportion of the measured variance on a trait among individuals in a given population that is attributable to genetic differences among those individuals |
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| cells that are specialized for sending and receiving messages between the brain and all parts of the body, as well as within the brain itself |
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| a component of the neuron that contains the basic biological material that keeps the neuron functioning |
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| neural fibres that receive input from other cells and conduct it toward the cell body in the form of electrical impulses |
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| neural fibres that conduct electrical signals away from the cell body to connections with other neurons |
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| microscopic junctions between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendritic branches or cell body of another |
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| cells in the brain that provide a variety of critical supportive functions (the brain's white matter, making up nearly half the brain) |
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| a fatty sheath that forms around certain axons in the body and increases the speed and efficiency of information transmission |
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| the "gray matter" ofthe brain that plays a primary role in what is thought to be particularly humanlike functioning, from seeing and hearing, to writing to feeling emotion |
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| major areas of the cortex associated with general categories of behavior |
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| the lobe of the cortex that is primarily involved in processing visual information |
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Definition
| the lobe of the cortex that is associated with memory, visual recognition, and the processing of emotion and auditory information |
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| governs spatial processing as well as integrating sensory input with information stored in memory |
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| associated with organizing behavior; the one that is thought responsible for the human ability to plan ahead |
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| parts of the brain that lie between the major sensory and motor areas and that process and integrate input from those areas |
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| the two halves of the cortex; for the most part, sensory input from one side of the body goes to the opposite hemisphere of the brain |
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| a dense tract of nerve fibers that enable the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate |
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| the specialization of the hemispheres of the brain for different modes of processing |
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| the proliferation of neurons through cell division |
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| formations on the dendrites of neurons that increase the dendrites' capacity to form connections with other neurons |
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| the formation of myelin (a fatty sheath) around the axons of neurons that speeds and increases information-processing abilities |
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| the process by which neurons form synapses with other neurons, resulting in trillions of connections |
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| the normal developmental process through which synapses that are rarely activated are eliminated |
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| the capacity of the brain to be affected by experience |
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| experience-expectant plasticity |
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Definition
| the process through which the normal wiring of the brain occurs in part as a result of experiences that every human who inhabits any reasonably normal environment will have |
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| experience-dependent plasticity |
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Definition
| the process through which neural connections are created and reorganized throughout life as a function of an individual's experiences |
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Definition
| marked changes in physical development that have occured over generations |
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| failure-to-thrive (nonorganic) (FTT) |
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Definition
| a condition in which infants become malnourished and fail to grow or gain weight for no obvious medical reason |
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| ERP's (event-related potentials) |
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Definition
| changes in the brain's electrical activity that occur in response to the presentation of a particular stimulus |
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