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AP Psy. Chapter 3
Flashcards for AP Psychology Chapter 3 Test in Mrs. Scott's class
104
Psychology
11th Grade
09/16/2012

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Term
What is Biopsychology?
Definition
the specialty in psychology that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, nad mental processes
Term
What is neuroscience?
Definition
a realtively new interdisciplinary field that focuses on the brain and its role in psychological processes
Term
What is evolution?
Definition
the gradual process of biological change that occurs in a species as it adapts to its environment
Term
How has evolution shaped psychological processes?
Definition
it favors variations that produce adaptive behaviors
Term
What is natural selection?
Definition
the driving force behind evolution by which the environment selects the fittest organisms
Term
What is a genotype?
Definition
an organim's genetic makeup
Term
What is a phenotype?
Definition
an organim's observable physical characteristics
Term
What is a gene?
Definition
a segment of a chromosome that encodes the directions for the inherited physical and mental characteristics of an organism. Genes are the functional units of a chromosome
Term
What is a chromosome?
Definition
tightly coiled threadlike sturcture along which the genes are organized like beads on a necklace. consist primarily of DNA
Term
How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?
Definition
23
Term
What is a sex chromosome?
Definition
the X and Y chromosomes that determine our physical sex characteristics
Term
What are the 2 communication systems?
Definition
the nervous system and the endocrine system
Term
What coordinates the 2 communication systems?
Definition
the brain
Term
How do the communications systems communicate with targets throughout the body?
Definition
through chemical processes
Term
What is a neuron?
Definition
cell specialized to receive and transmit information to other cells in the body; also called a nerve cell; bundles of many neurons are called nerves
Term
What is a sensory neuron?
Definition
nerve cell that caries messages from sense receptors toward the central nervous system
Term
What is another name for a sensory neuron?
Definition
afferent neuron
Term
what is a motor neuron?
Definition
nerve cell that carries messages away from the central nervous system toward the muscles and glands
Term
What is another name for the motor neuron?
Definition
efferent neuron
Term
What is an interneuron?
Definition
a nerve cell that relays messages between nerve cells, especailly in the brain and spinal cord
Term
What is a dendrite?
Definition
a branched fiber that extends outward from the main cell body and carries information into the neuron
Term
What is the soma?
Definition
the part of a cell containing the nucleus, which includes the chromosomes; also called the cell body
Term
What is an axon?
Definition
in a verve cell, an extended fiber that conducts information from the soma to the terminal buttons.
Term
HOw does information travel through the axon?
Definition
by electric charges called the action potential
Term
What is resting potential?
Definition
the electrical charge of the axon in its inactive state, when the neuron is ready to "fire"
Term
What is the action potential?
Definition
the nerve impulse caused by a change in the electrical charge across the cell membrane of the axon.
Term
what causes neurotransmitters to be released by the terminal buttons when the neuron "fires"?
Definition
action potential
Term
What is the All-or-none principle?
Definition
refers to the fact that the action potential in the axon occurs either full-blown or not at all
Term
What is synapse?
Definition
the microscopic gap that serves as a communications link between neurons and also occurs between neurons and the muscles/glands that they serve
Term
What are terminal buttons?
Definition
tiny bulblike structures at the end of an axon that acontain neurotransmitters that carry the neuron's mesage into the synapse
Term
What is Synaptic transmission?
Definition
the relaying of information across the synapse by means of chemical neurotransmitters
Term
What is the synaptic vesicle?
Definition
a small conatiner holding neurotransmitter molecules that then connects to the presynaptic membrane, releasing the neurotransmitters into the syapse
Term
What are neurotransmitters?
Definition
chemical messengers that relay messages across the synapse. Many are hormones
Term
What is plasticity?
Definition
the nervous system's ability to adapt or change as a result of experience; may also help the nervous system to adapt to physical damage
Term
Waht are glial cells?
Definition
cells that bind the neurons together; provide an insulating covering of the axon for some neurons which facilitates electrical impulse
Term
What is the nervous system?
Definition
the entire network of neurons in the body, including the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and their subdivisionss
Term
What is the central nervous system?
Definition
the brain and the spinal cord
Term
What is a reflex?
Definition
a simple, unlearned response triggered by stimuli
Term
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Definition
all parts of the nervous system lying outside the central nervous system, includes the autonomic and somatic nervous systems
Term
What is the somatic nervous system?
Definition
a division of the peripheral nervous system that acrries sensory information to the central nervous system and also sends voluntary messages to the body's skeletal muscles
Term
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Definition
the portion of the peripheral nervous system that sends communication between the central nervous system and the internal organs and glands
Term
What is the sympathetic division?
Definition
the aprt of the automatic nervous system that sends messages to internal organs and glands that help us respond to stressful and emergency situations
Term
What is the parasympathetic division?
Definition
the part of the nervous system that monitors the routine operations of the internal organs and returns the body to calmer functioning after arousal by the sympathetic division
Term
What is the somatic division of the peripheral nervous system?
Definition
the brain's communication link with the outside world
Term
What is the endocrine system?
Definition
the hormone system; the body's chemical messenger system
Term
What are the main endocrine glands?
Definition
pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes
Term
What is a hormone?
Definition
a chemical messenger used by the endocrine system, many are also neurotransmitters
Term
What is the pituitary gland?
Definition
the master gland that produces the hormones influencing the secretions of all other endocrine glands, as well as a hormine that influences growth
Term
Where is the pituitary gland?
Definition
it is attached to the brain's hypothalamus from which it takes orders
Term
What is an agonist?
Definition
drug or other chemical that enhances or mimics the effects of neurotransmitters
Term
What is an antagonist?
Definition
durg or other chemical that inhibits the effects of neurotransmitters
Term
What is the neural pathway?
Definition
bundle of nerve cells that follow the same route and employ the same neurotransmitter
Term
What is the brain made up of?
Definition
many specialized modules that work together to create mind and behavior
Term
What is an EEG?
Definition
an electroencephalograph; a device for recording the brain waves, typically by electrodes palced on the scalp. the record produced is known as an electroencphalogram
Term
What is CT scanning?
Definition
computerized tomography; a computerized imaging technique that uses X-rays passed through the brain at various angles and then combined into an imagee
Term
What is PET scanning or Positron emission tomography?
Definition
an imaging technique that relies on the detection of radioactive sugar consumed by the active brain cells
Term
What is MRI or magnetic resonance imaging?
Definition
an imaging technique that relies on cells' responses in a high-intensity magnetic field
Term
What is fMRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging?
Definition
a type of MRI that reveals which parts of the brain are most activer during various mental activities
Term
What method gives biopsychologists a total picture?
Definition
none of them
Term
What are the three layes of the brain?
Definition
brain stem
limbic system
cerebral cortex
Term
What is the brain stem?
Definition
the most primitive of the brain's three layes; it includes the medulla, pons, and reticular formation
Term
What is the function of the spinal cord?
Definition
pathway for neural fibers traveling to and from the brain
Term
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Definition
regulates coordinated movement
Term
What is the function of the pons?
Definition
involved in regulation of sleep; and dreaming
Term
What is the function of the reticular formation?
Definition
controls alertness
Term
What is the function of the hippocampus?
Definition
involved in long established memory
Term
What is the function of the limbic system?
Definition
regulates emotions and motivated behavior and memory
Term
What is the function of the cerebral cortx?
Definition
involved in complex mental processes
Term
What is the function of the thalamus?
Definition
relays sensory information
Term
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Definition
manages the body's internal state and is constantly checking the blood to determine the condition of the body
Term
What is the function of the optic tract?
Definition
vision
Term
What is the function of the amygdala?
Definition
involved in emotion and memory, particularly fear and agression
Term
What is the function of the pituitary glands?
Definition
regulates glands all of the body
Term
What is the function of the brain stem?
Definition
sets brain's general alertness level and warning systems
Term
What is the medulla?
Definition
controls breathing and heart rate; the sensory and motor pathways connecting the brain to the body are across the medulla
Term
What Latin word is the name pons derived from?
Definition
the word for bridge
Term
In What part of the brain do nearly all of the messages go through?
Definition
thalamus
Term
What is in the limbic system?
Definition
hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and other structures
Term
What is the brain stem made up of?
Definition
medulla, pons, reticular formation, thalamus, and cerebellum
Term
What is the cerebral cortex?
Definition
the thin gray-matter covering the cerbral hemispheres; carries on the major portion of our "higher" mental rocessing including thinking and perceiving
Term
What are the 4 parts of the cerebral cortex?
Definition
frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
tempporal lobe
Term
What is the frontal lobe?
Definition
cortical region at the front of the brain tha is especailly involved in movement and in thinking
Term
What is the motor cortex?
Definition
a narrow vertical strip of cortex in the frontal lobes, lying just in front of the central fissure
Term
What does the motor cortex do?
Definition
controls voluntary movement
Term
What is the parietal lobe?
Definition
area lying toward the back and top of the brain
Term
What does the parietal lobe do?
Definition
involved in touch sensation and in perceiving spatial relationships(the relationships of objects in space)
Term
What is the somatosensory cortex?
Definition
a strip of the parietal lobe lying just behind the central fissure
Term
What does the somatosensory cortex do?
Definition
invoved with sensations of touch
Term
What is the occipital lobe?
Definition
region at the back of the brain, housing the visual cortex
Term
What is the visual cortex?
Definition
visual processing areas of cortex in the occipital and temporal lobes
Term
What is the temporal lobe?
Definition
lobe that processes sounds, including speech; is probably involved in storing long term memories
Term
What is the association cortex?
Definition
regions throughout the brain tha combine information from various other parts of the brain
Term
What connects the 2 hemisphers of the brain?
Definition
the corpus callosum
Term
What is cerebral dominance?
Definition
the tendency of each brain hemisphere to exert control over different functions such as language or perception of spatial relationships
Term
Who is Roger Sperry?
Definition
he won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of hte cerebral hemispheres
Term
What side of the brain controls the right side of the body?
Definition
the left side
Term
What side of the brain controls the left side of the body?
Definition
the right side
Term
What side of the brain is responsible for negative emotions, memory for shape, and recognition of faces?
Definition
the right side
Term
What side of the brain is responsible for positive emotion, speech, sequence of movements, writing, words and numbers
Definition
the left side
Term
Is it true that Darwin believed that we evolved from monkeys?
Definition
no, he believed that we shared a common ancestor with monkeys and we were just more developed that monkeys
Term
What contains the instructions that control the expression of our phenotypic traits?
Definition
our genes
Term
What does localization of function mean?
Definition
it means that different fucntions are controlled by different regions of the brain
Term
Does DNA affect psychology?
Definition
yes because if your parents were alcoholics, you are predisposed to be an alcoholic if you drink alcohol
Term
Explain the passage of messages.
Definition
messages travel through the dendrites to the axon through the mycelin sheath to the synapses
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