Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Chapters 4-6
chapters 4-6
80
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
02/21/2010

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?
Definition
Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System
Term
The central nervous system consists of
Definition
the brain and spinal cord
Term
The peripheral nervous system consists of ___, which carry messages from special receptors in the skin, muscles, and internal organs to the brain, and ____, which carry messages from the brain to the muscles, glands, and internal organs.
Definition
sensory nerves; motor nerves
Term
The ___ consists of nerves that are connected to the sensory receptors and to the skeletal muscles that permit voluntary action.
Definition
somatic nervous system
Term
The ___ is divided into the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system
Definition
autonomic nervous system
Term
when your parasympathetic nervous system is activated,
Definition
your body conserves energy
Term
what is the basic unit of the nervous system
Definition
the neuron
Term
how do neurons communicate
Definition
in an electrical and chemical language
Term
three types of cemical messengers are
Definition
neurotransmitters, endorphins, and hormones
Term
chemical substances in the nervous system that are similar in structure and in action to opiates are ___
Definition
endorphins
Term
the function of hormones is to
Definition
affect the functioning of organs
Term
what part of the brain is responsible for screening incoming information and arousing higher brain centers when something happens that demands attention
Definition
reticular activating system
Term
which brain area is involved in regulating movement and balance, as well as solving problems
Definition
cerebellum
Term
which brain area is primarily involved in emotional arousal
Definition
amygdala
Term
what is the main function of the corpus callosum
Definition
to connect the two cerebral hemispheres
Term
damage to the occipital lobes may result in difficulty with
Definition
sight
Term
___ area is responsible for language comprehension and is located in the left ___ lobe.
Definition
Wernicke's; temporal
Term
Damage to Broca's area may result in difficulty with ___.
Definition
speech production
Term
Which of the following regions are invoved in the ability to make plans, think creatively, and take initiative?
Definition
frontal lobes
Term
according to neuroscientists, what we call "mind," "consciousness," or "self-awareness" ___.
Definition
can be explained as a product of the cerebral cortex
Term
what substances play a role in suppressing pain and promoting pleasure
Definition
endorphins
Term
immature brain cells that renew themselves and have the potential to develop into mature cells are called ___
Definition
stem cells
Term
what structure is referred to as the body's "master gland" because it controls many other endocrine glands?
Definition
pituitary gland
Term
which hemisphere is largely responsible for language in most people
Definition
left
Term
a periodic fluctuation in a biological system is referred to by psychologists as a
Definition
biological rhythm
Term
a circadian rhythm is defined as
Definition
biological rhythm with a period of about 24 hours
Term
what hormone secreted by the pineal gland is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms
Definition
melatonin
Term
during which part of sleep are you most likely to dream
Definition
REM sleep
Term
what can sleep scientists say about people who do not get enough sleep
Definition
the functioning of their immune system declines
Term
which dream theorist referred to dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious"
Definition
Sigmund Freud
Term
a central idea in the description of hypnosis is the word
Definition
suggestion
Term
according to the sociocognitive explanation of hypnosis, the hypnotized person is
Definition
playing a role
Term
your cousin Brenda says she is suffering from the following symptoms and claims it is due to PMS. Which is most questionable? -irritability and depression, breast tenderness, water retention, cramps
Definition
irritability and depression
Term
research has found __ between phase of menstrual cycle and work efficiency, problem solving, college exam scores, and creativity.
Definition
no relationship
Term
stimulants exert their influence on the brain by ___.
Definition
speeding up activity in the central nervous system
Term
amphetamines belong to which drug category
Definition
stimulants
Term
opiates exert their influence on the brain by
Definition
mimicking the action of endorphins, producing a feeling of euphoria
Term
what effect do psychedelics have on the body
Definition
they disrupt normal thought processes such as perception of time and space
Term
research has shown that one's response to drugs depends on ___
Definition
a combination of mental set, experience with the drug, physical condition, and environment
Term
what is the difference between sensation and perception
Definition
sensation is the detection of sensory stimuli, whereas perception is the interpretation of sensory information
Term
__ is a rare condition in which the stimulation of one sense also evokes a sensation in another
Definition
synesthesia
Term
difference threshold is defined as the
Definition
smallest difference in stimulation that can be reliably detected by an observer when two stimuli are compared
Term
signal detection theory assumes that ____.
Definition
a person's response depends on the stimulus and on a decision about it
Term
during a break from his job as a waiter, Bernardo begins to read Hamlet and is so engrossed in the play that he fails to notice the clattering of dishes all around him. This is an example of ___.
Definition
Selective attention
Term
Failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because you are not attending to it is called ___.
Definition
inattentional blindness
Term
The amount, or intensity, of the light an object emits or reflects is called ___.
Definition
brightness
Term
Brightness is related to the ___ of light.
Definition
intensity
Term
Saturation is related to the ___ of light.
Definition
Complexity
Term
The dimension of auditory experience related to the intensity of a wave's pressure that is measured in decibels is called ___.
Definition
loudness
Term
The stimulus for ___ is a wave of pressure created when an object vibrates.
Definition
sound
Term
When all the frequencies of the sound spectrum occur, they produce a hissing sound called ___.
Definition
white noise
Term
Exposure to extremely loud noise for a brief period, or more moderate levels for a sustained period, can damage the ear's receptor cells so that they ___.
Definition
flop over like broken blades of grass
Term
The dimension of auditory experience related to the frequency of a pressure wave is called ___.
Definition
pitch
Term
If you look at your tongue in a mirror, you will notice many bumps that are called ___.
Definition
papillae
Term
Nests of taste-receptor cells that up close look like little segmented oranges are called ___.
Definition
taste buds
Term
The highest concentration of taste receptors is found in the center of the tongue. (true or false)
Definition
False
Term
___ is the sense of body position and movement of body parts.
Definition
kinesthesis
Term
The tendency to perceive what you expect is called ___.
Definition
perceptual set
Term
Name 3 main parts of the neuron and their functions.
Definition
1. dendrites- receive messages from other nerve cells and transmit them to the cell body, prelimary processing of of messages
2. cell body- contains biochemical machinery for keeping neurons alive, determines whether neuron should transmit message to other neurons
3. axon- transmit messages away from cell body to other neurons, muscle cells, or gland cells
Term
Name three main structures within the brain stem and describe what they do.
Definition
1.medulla- responsible for bodily functions that do not have to be consciously willed
2. pons- sleeping, walking, and dreaming
3. reticular activating system- screens incoming info and arouses higher centers whens omething needs their attention
Term
Physically, how do male and female brains differ?
Definition
frontal lobes and limbic systems are larger in women, parietal cortex and amygdala are larger in men, women have more cortical folds in frontal and parietal lobes
Term
What is the purpose of sleep and how does it benefit us
Definition
Purpose- alow new brain cells to develop, allows body to eliminate waste products from muscles, repair cells, conserve energy stores, strengthen immune system
Benefits- enhances memory and problem solving
Term
what are common consequences of sleeplessness
Definition
weakened immune system, grogginess the next day
Term
what is sleep apnea and what causes it
Definition
a disorder in which breathing periodically stops causing the person to choke and gasp caused by blockage of air passages or failure of the brain
Term
what is a waking dream
Definition
when your eyes are open, but you are seeing dreamlike hallucinations or a scary image
Term
what is narcolepsy and what causes it
Definition
sleep disorder in which a person is subject to irresistable sleeping attacks from 5 to 30 minutes caused by degeneration of neurons in hypothalamus
Term
outline the three dream theories
Definition
1. Psychoanalytic interpretation- tradional theory, considered to be farfetched, no reliable rules for interpreting content of dreams or way to know if interpretation is correct, no support for claims
2. Activation synthesis- thought dreams were disjointed or bizarre, doesn't account for dreaming outside of REM sleep
3. Cognitive approach- fairly new, some claims aren't tested against evidence, leading contender because it thinks about many elements
Term
outline the two preminent explanations of hypnosis
Definition
1. dissociation theory- while the mind is subject to hypnotic suggestion, one part is a hidden observer that is watching, but not participating so it is unaware of the observer
2. sociocognitive approach- result from interaction between social influence of hypnotists and abilities, beliefs, and expectations of the subject, person who is hypnotized is playing a role but not faking
Term
What is the difference in anatomical and functional encoding of sensory info
Definition
Anatomical ecoding- different sensory modalities exist because signals recieved by the sense organs stimulate different nerve pathways leading to different areas of the brain.

Functional encoding- rely on sensory receptors and neurons to fire only in the presence of specific forms of stimuli
Term
What is the difference in sensory adaptation and sensory overload?
Definition
Sensory adaptation is the reduction of sesnory responsiveness that occurs when stimulation is repetitious, but sensory overload is when there is too much stimulation which triggers sensory responsiveness too much and causes fatigue and confusion
Term
what is the difference in rods and cones
Definition
rods are long and narrow, but cones are coneshaped and not as sensitive to light, allowing us to see in the dark
Term
describe the three types of cones proposed by the trichromatic theory of color vision
Definition
each one responds to blue, green, or red to form all the colors we see
Term
describe the evolutionary significance of bitter and sweet tastes
Definition
bitter- allows us to identify rancid or poisonous foods
sweet- helps us identify foods rich in calories or healthy foods
Term
what is different about supertasters
Definition
supertasters find sweet and salty tastes even sweeter and saltier, saccharin, caffeine, and broccoli extra bitter, more burn from pepper, ginger, and hot chilies, MORE TASTES BUDS than other people and CERTAIN PAPILLAE ARE SMALLER AND MORE DENSILY PACKED than others
Term
4 basic skin senses
Definition
warmth, cold, pain, touch
Term
why is it important to distinguish between subliminal perception and subliminal persuasion
Definition
so we can study each effectively and determine whether they exist or not
Term
1. explain basic concepts of gate control theory
2.what is melzack's neuromatrix explanation of phantom pain
Definition
1. experience of pain depends on whether pain impulses get past a neurological gate in the spinal cord to reach the brain
2. the brain responds to incoming singals from sesnory nerves and can generate pain on its own. a matrix of neurons int he brain gives us a sense of our own bodies and its parts so when the matrix produces abnormal patterns of activity, the result is pain
Term
what are the roles of needs, beliefs, emotions, and expectations in our perception of the world around us
Definition
Need-if we need something, we are more likely to perceive it (hungry people can see words related to hunger quicker when flashed on a screen)
Belief- our beliefs affect our interpretation of sensory signals (devil's face in 9/11 towers' smoke)
Emotion- influences sesnory info (child seeing ghost instead of robe in dark)
Expectation- previous experiences affect it (expecting words to be spelled right therefore reading them right
Term
What happened when Randi offered 1,000,000 dollars to anyone who can prove they have ESP
Definition
everyone tried, nobody won
Term
3 crit thinking guidelines applied to ESP
Definition
examine the evidence- there is no proof that ESP exists-in fact, its the opposite
avoid emotional reasoning- make sure to go with what the evidence says instead of saying "well medium is my fave show so i believe in ESP"
ask questions- keep asking questions about how they could have ESP
Supporting users have an ad free experience!