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Chapter 2
N/A
60
Psychology
12th Grade
09/16/2010

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
biological psychology
Definition
a branch of psychology concerned with the lnks between biology and behavior.
Term
neuron
Definition
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Term
sensory neurons
Definition
neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Term
motor neurons
Definition
neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Term
interneurons
Definition
neruons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sesory inputs and motor outputs
Term
dendrite
Definition
the busy, branching extensions of a neruon that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
Term
axon
Definition
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
Term
myelin sheath
Definition
a layer of fatty tissue sementally encasing the fivers of many neruons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of nerual implses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Term
action potential
Definition
a neural impusle; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Term
threshold
Definition
the level of stimulation requires to trigger a neural impulse
Term
synapse
Definition
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. the tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
Term
neurotransmitters
Definition
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and being to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Term
reputake
Definition
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
Term
endorphins
Definition
"morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
Term
nervous system
Definition
the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
Term
central nervous system
Definition
the brain and spinal cord
Term
peripheral nervous system
Definition
PNS - the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
Term
nerves
Definition
bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Term
somatic nervous system
Definition
the division of the peripheral nervous systen that controls the body's skeletal muscles
Term
autonomic nervous system
Definition
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart).
Term
sympathetic nervous system
Definition
the divsion of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Term
parasympathetic nervous system
Definition
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
Term
reflex
Definition
a simple, autonomic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the kee-jerk response
Term
acetylcholine (ACh)
Definition
enables muscle action, learning, and memory
Term
dopamine
Definition
influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
Term
serotonin
Definition
affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal
Term
norepinephrine
Definition
a major inhibitory neurotransmitter
Term
glutamate
Definition
a major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory
Term
phrenology
Definition
a popular but ill-fated theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits
Term
parts of a neuron
Definition
cell body, dendrites, terminal branches of axon, axon, myelin sheath, nerual impulse
Term
agonist
Definition
excite by mimicking particular neurotransmitters or by blocking their reuptake
Term
antagonist
Definition
inhibit a particular neurotransmitter's release or block its effect
Term
When ACh is released to our muscle cell receptors, the muscle _____.
Definition
contracts
Term
Increasing the level of stimulation above the threshold, will not ______ the neural impulse's intensity.
Definition
increase
Term
Neurons are like _______ generate electricity from chemical events.
Definition
batteries
Term
When an action potential reaches the knoblike terminals at an axon's end, it triggers the release of chemical messagers called
Definition
neurotransmitters
Term
Made an exciting discovery about neurotransmitters when they attached a radioactive tracer to morphine.
Definition
Candace Pert and Solomon Snyder
Term
Researchers soon confirmed that the brain does indeed produce its own naturally occurring _____.
Definition
opiates
Term
Drugs and other chemicals affect brain chemistry at ________.
Definition
synapses
Term
When your finger touches a flame, ______ activity exited by the heat travels via sensory neurons to interneurons in your spinal cord.
Definition
neural
Term
Information travels to and from the brain by way of the _______.
Definition
Spinal cord
Term
If something alarms, enrages, or challenges you, your _________ system will accelerate your heartbeat.
Definition
Sympathetic
Term
Neurons are the nervous system's ...
Definition
building blocks.
Term
A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerking response.
Definition
Reflex
Term
Myelin sheath
Definition
A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons
Term
Myelin sheath
Definition

Enables castly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Term
Action potential
Definition

A neural impulse
Term
Action potential
Definition

a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Term
Our body's neural information system is complexity built from __________
Definition
Simplicity
Term
Our nervous system has a few _______ sensory neurons.
Definition
millions
Term
Our nervous system has a few _______ motor neurons.
Definition
million
Term
Our nervous system has a few _______ and ______ interneurons.
Definition
billions
billions
Term
Unlike the short dendrites, axons are somethings very .....
Definition
long, projecting several feet through the body.
Term
A jeural impulse travels at speeds ranging from a sluggish ___ miles per hour to a breakneck ____ or more miles per hour.
Definition
2
200
Term
Threshold
Definition
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Term
Enables muscle action, learning, and memory
Definition
Cetylcholine (ACh)
Term
Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.
Definition
Dopamine
Term
Affects, mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.
Definition
Serotonin
Term
A major inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Definition
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
Term
Undersupply can depress mood.
Definition
Norepinephrine
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