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Psych Exam 1
Chapters 3 and 4
133
Psychology
Undergraduate 3
12/03/2007

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Term
Biological Psychology
Definition
The psychological specialty that researches that physical and chemical changes that cause, and occur in respons to, behavior and mental processes.
Term
Nervous system
Definition
A complex combination of cells whose primary function is to allow an organism to gain information about what is going on inside and outside the body and to respond appropriately
Term
Neurons
Definition
fundamental units of the nervous system; nerve cells
Term
Glial Cells
Definition
Cells in the nervous system that hold neurons together a d help them commmunicate with on anothers
Term
Axons
Definition
Fibers that carry signals from the body of a neuron out to where communication occurs with other neurons
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Neuron fibers that receive signals from the axons of other neurons and carry those signals to the cell body
Term
Synapse
Definition
The tiny gap b/t neurons across which they communicate
Term
Action Potential
Definition
an abrupt wave of electrochemical changes traveling down an axon when a neuron becomes depolarized
Term
Myelin
Definition
a fatty substance that wraps around some axons and increases the speed of action potentials
Term
Refractory period
Definition
A short rest period b/t action potentials
Term
Neurotransmitters
Definition
Chemicals that assist in the transfer of signals from one neuron to another
Term
Receptors
Definition
Sites on the surface of cells that allow only one tye of neurotransmitter to fit into them, triggering a chemical response that may lead to an action potential
Term
Excitatory postsynaptic Potential
Definition
A postsynaptic potential that depolarizes tha neuronal membrane, bringing the cell closer to the threshold for firing an action potential
Term
Inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Definition
a postysynaptic potential that hyperpolarizes the neuronal membrane, making a cell less likely to fire an action potential
Term
Neural Networks
Definition
Neurons that operate together to perform complex functions
Term
sensory systems
Definition
the parts of the nervous system tha provide information about the environment
Term
motor systems
Definition
the parts of the nervous system that influence muscles and other oragans to respond to the environment in someway
Term
Peripheral Nervous system
Definition
The parts of the nervous system not housed in bone
Term
Central nervous system
Definition
the parts of hte nervous system encased in bone, including the braind and the spinal cord
Term
Somatic nervous system
Definition
the subsystem of hte PNS that transmits information from the senses to the central nervous system and carries signals from the central nervous system and carries signals form the centra nervous system to the muscles
Term
Autonomic nervous system
Definition
A subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages b/t the central nervous system and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands
Term
Nuclei
Definition
Collections of nerve cell bodies in the central nervous system
Term
Fiber Tracts
Definition
Axons in the central nervous system that travel together in bundles
Term
Spinal Cord
Definition
The part of the central nervous system with/in the spinal column that relays signals from peripheral senses to the braine and conveys messages from the brain to the rest of thebody
Term
Reflexes
Definition
Involuntary, unlearned reactions in the form of swift, automatic, and finaly coordinated movements in the response to external stimuli
Term
Hindbrain
Definition
Anextenstion of the spinal cord contained inside the skull where nuclei control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vital functions
Term
Medulla
Definition
An area in the hindbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, breathng, and other vital functions
Term
Reticular Formation
Definition
A network of cells and fibers threaded throughout the hindbrain and midbrain tha alters the activity of hte rest of hte brain
Term
Locus Coeruleus
Definition
A small nucleus in the reticular formation that contains about half of the cell bodies of neurons in the brain that use norephinephrine
Term
Cerebellum
Definition
the part of hte hindbrian whose function is to control finely coordinated movements and to store learned associatons that involve movement
Term
Midbrain
Definition
A small structure, b/t the hindbrain and forebrain, that relays information from the eyes, ears, and skin and that controls certain types of automatic bhaviors
Term
Substantia Nigra
Definition
An area of the midbrain involved in the smooth initiation of movement
Term
Striatum
Definition
A structure w/in the forebrain that is involved in the smooth intiation of movement
Term
Forebrain
Definition
the most highly developed part of the brain; it is responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life
Term
Thalamus
Definition
a forebrain structure that relays signals from most sense organs to higher levels in the brain and plays an important role in processing and making sense out of this info
Term
Hypothalamus
Definition
a structure in the forebrain that regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drives
Term
suprachiasmatic nuclei
Definition
nuclei in the hypothalamus that generate biological rhythems
Term
amygdala
Definition
a structure in the forebrain that, among other things, associates features of stimuli from two sensory modalities
Term
hippocampus
Definition
a structure in the forebrain associated with the formation of new memories
Term
limbic system
Definition
a set of brain structures that play important roles in regulating emotion and memory
Term
Cerebral Hemispheres
Definition
the left and right halves of hte rounded, outermost part of the brain
Term
cerebral cortex
Definition
the other surface of the brain
Term
sensory cortex
Definition
the parts of the cerebral cortex that receive stimulus information from the senses
Term
motor cortex
Definition
the part of the cerebral cortex whose neurons control voluntary movements in specific parts of the body
Term
Association cortex
Definition
thsoe parts of the cerebral cortex that receive info from more that one sens or that combine sensory and motor info to perform complex cognitive tasks
Term
Corpus callosum
Definition
a massive bundle of fibers that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres and allows them to communicate with each other
Term
lateralized
Definition
referring to the tendency for one cerebral hemisphere to excell at a particular function or skill compared with the other hemissphere
Term
synaptic plasticity
Definition
the ability to create new synapses and to chane the strength of synapses
Term
neurotransmitter system
Definition
a group of neurons that communicates by using the same neurotransmitter
Term
acetylcholine
Definition
a neurotransmitter used by neurons in the peripheral and central nervous systems in the control of functions ranging from muscle contraction and heart rate to digestion and memory
Term
norepinephrine
Definition
a neurotransmitter involved in arousal, as well as in learning and mood regulation
Term
serotonin
Definition
a nerotransmitter used by cells in parts of the brain involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, and eating
Term
dopamine
Definition
a neuro transmitter used in the parts of hte brain involved in regulation movement and experiencing pleasure
Term
GABA
Definition
a neurotransmitter that inhibits the firing of neurons
Term
Glutamate
Definition
an excitatory neurotransmitter tha helps strengthen synaptic connections b/t neurons
Term
Endorphin
Definition
one of a class of neurotransmitters that bind to opiate receptors and moderate pain
Term
Endocrine system
Definition
cells that form organs called glands and that communicate with one another by secreting chemicals called hormones
Term
Glands
Definition
Organs tha secrete hormones into the blood stream
Term
Hormones
Definition
Chemicals secreted by a gland into the bloodstream, which carries them through out the body
Term
Fight-or-Flight syndronme
Definition
physical reactions initiated by the sympathetic nervous system that prepare the body to fight or to run from a threatening situation
Term
Immune system
Definition
the body's system of defense against invading substances and microorganisms.
Term
autoimmune disorders
Definition
physical problems caused when cells of hte body's immune system attack normal body cells as if they were foreign invaders
Term
Chapter Four: Sensory Systems
Definition
YAYYYY
Term
Sense
Definition
a system that translates information from outside the nervous system into neural activity
Term
sensations
Definition
mesages from the senses that make up the raw information that affects many kinds of behavior and mental processes
Term
accessory structures
Definition
structures, such as the lens of hte eye that modify a stimulus
Term
transductions
Definition
the process of converting incoming energy into neural activity through receptors
Term
Sensory Receptors
Definition
specialized cells that detect certain forms of energy
Term
adaptation
Definition
the process through which responsiveness to an unchanging stimulus decreases over time
Term
coding
Definition
translating the physical properties of a stimulus into a pattern of neural activity that specifically identifies those properties
Term
doctrine of specific nerve energies
Definition
the discoverty that stimulation of a particular sensory nerve provides codes for that sense, no matter how the stimulation takes place
Term
Temporal Codes
Definition
coding attributes of a stimulus in terms of changes in teh timing of neural firing.
Term
Spatial codes
Definition
coding attributes of a stimulus in terms of the location of firing neurons relative ot their neighbors
Term
sound
Definition
a repetitive fluctuation in the pressure of a medium like air
Term
amplitutde
Definition
the difference b/t the peak and the baseline of a waveform
Term
wavelength
Definition
the distance from one peak to the next in a wave form
Term
frequency
Definition
the number of complete waveforms, or cycles, that pass by a given point in space every second.
Term
Loudness
Definition
a psychological dimension of sound determined by the amplitude of a sound wave
Term
Pitch
Definition
How high or low a tone sounds
Term
Timbre
Definition
the mixture of frequencies and amplitudes that make up the quality of sound
Term
Tympanic Membrane
Definition
a membrane in the middle ear that generates vibrations that match the sound waves striking it
Term
Cochlea
Definition
a fluid-filled spiral structure in the ear in which auditory transduction occurs
Term
basilar membrane
Definition
the floor of the fluid filled duct that runs through the cochlea
Term
Auditory nerve
Definition
the bundle of axons that carries stimuli from the hair cells of hte choclea to the brain
Term
Place theory
Definition
A theory that hair cells at a particular place on the bailar membrane respond mot to a particular frequency of sound
Term
Frequency-Matching theory
Definition
the view that some sounds are coded in terms of the frequency of neural firing
Term
Primary Auditory cortex
Definition
the area in the brain's temporal lobe that is first to receive informaton about sounds from the thalamus
Term
Visible Light
Definition
Electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength of about 400 nanometers to about 750 nanometers
Term
Light intensity
Definition
a physical dimension of light waves that refers to how much energy the light contains; it determines the brightness of light
Term
light wavelength
Definition
the distance b/t peaks in light waves
Term
Cornea
Definition
The curved, transparent, protective layer through which light rays enter the eye
Term
Pupil
Definition
An opening in the eye, just behind the cornea, through which light passes
Term
Iris
Definition
The colorful part of the eye, which constricts or relaxes to adjust the amount of light entering the eye
Term
Lens
Definition
the part of the eye behind the pupil that bends light rays, focusing them on the retina
Term
Retina
Definition
the surface at the back of hte eye onto which the lens focuses light rays.
Term
Accommodation
Definition
the ability of the lens to change its shape and bend light rays so that objects are in focus
Term
Photoreceptors
Definition
Nerve cells in the retina that code light energy into neural activity
Term
photo pigments
Definition
chemicals in photoreceptors that respond to light and assist in converting light into neural activity
Term
dark adaptation
Definition
the increasing ability to see in the dark as time in the dark increases
Term
rods
Definition
highly light-sensitive, but color-insensitive, photoreceptors n the retina that allow vision even in dim lght
Term
Cones
Definition
Color sensitive photoreceptors in retina
Term
fovea
Definition
a region in the center of the retina where cones are highly concentrated
Term
acuity
Definition
visual clarity, which is greates in the fovea b/c of its large concentration of cones
Term
lateral inhibition
Definition
a process in which lateral connections allow one photoreceptor to inhibit the responsiveness of its neighbor, thus enhancing the sensation of visual contrast
Term
ganglion cells
Definition
cells in the retina that generate action potentials
Term
receptive field
Definition
the portion of the retina, and the world, that affects a given ganglion cell
Term
optic nerve
Definition
a bundle of fibers composed of axons of ganglion cells that carries visual information to the brain
Term
blind spot
Definition
the light-insensitive point at which axons from all of hte ganglion cells converge and exit the eyeball
Term
optic chiasm
Definition
part of hte bottom surface of hte brain where half of each optic nerve's fibers cross over to the opposite side of hte brain
Term
lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)
Definition
a region of hte thalamus in which axons from most of the ganglion cells in the retina end and form synapses
Term
primary visual cortex
Definition
an area at the back of hte brain, to which neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus relay visual input
Term
feature detectors
Definition
cells in teh cortex that respond to a specific featurs of an object
Term
Hue
Definition
the essential "clor," determined by the dominant wavelength of light
Term
Saturation
Definition
the purity of color
Term
Brightness
Definition
the overall intentsity of all of the wavelengths that make up light
Term
Trichromatic Theory
Definition
A theory of color vision iding three types of visual elements, each of which is most sensitive to diferent wavelengths of light
Term
Oppponent-process theory
Definition
a theory of color vision stating that color--senstive visual elemetns are grouped into red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white elements
Term
synesthesia
Definition
a blending of sensory experience that causes some people to "see" sounds or "taste" colors, for example
Term
Olfactions
Definition
sense of smell
Term
gustations
Definition
sense of taste
Term
Olfactory bulb
Definition
a brain structure that receives messages regarding olfction
Term
Pheromones
Definition
chemicals released by one animal and detected by another that shape the seconds animals behavior or physiology
Term
vomeronasal organ
Definition
a portion of hte mammalian olfactory system that is sensitive to pheromones
Term
Papillae
Definition
structures on the tongue containing groups of taste receptors, or taste buds
Term
somatic senses
Definition
senses of touch, temperature, pain, and kinesthesia
Term
Gate control theory
Definition
a theory suggesting that a functional "gate" in the spinal cord can either let pain impulses travel upward to the brain or block their progress
Term
Analgesia
Definition
the absence of pain sensations in teh presence of a normally painful stimulus
Term
proprioceptive senses
Definition
the seonsory systems tha allow us to know about where wea are and what each part of our body is doing
Term
vestivular sense
Definition
the proprioceptive sense that provides information about the position of the head (and hence the body) in space and about its movements
Term
Vestivular sacs
Definition
organs in the inner ear that connect the semicircular canals and the cochlea, and contribute to the body's sense of balance
Term
otoliths
Definition
small crystals in teh fluid-filled vestivular sacs of hte inner ear that , when shifted by gravity, stimulate nerve cells that inform the brain of hte position of hte head
Term
semicircular canals
Definition
tubes in teh inner ear whose fluid, when shifted by head movements, stimulates nerve cells that tell the brain about those movements.es
Term
Kinesthesia
Definition
the sense that tells you where the parts of your body are with respect to one another
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