Exploring Psychology sixth edition by Daved G. Myers
Terms
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- carry outgoing information from the CNS to muscles and glands
- motor neurons
- neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
- sensory neurons
- CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
- interneurons
- How does information travel through the nervous system?
- through three types of neurons; interneurons, sensory neurons and motor neurons
- the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system
- somatic nervous system
- the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. Its sympathetic arouses; its parasympathetic calms
- autonomic nervous system
- the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
- symapthetic nervous system
- division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
- parasympathetic nervous system
- a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
- reflex
- Incoming information to the brain is _________
- sensory
- outgoing information from the brain is __________
- motor
- oldest and innermost region of the brain. Begins where the spinal cord enters the skull and swells slightly, forming the medulla
- brainstem
- controls heartbeat and breathing; at base of the brainstem
- medulla
- inside the brainstem, between ears. Helps control arousal
- reticular formation
- At the top of the brainstem, egg-shaped structures. Directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
- thalamus
- a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as hear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
- limbic system
- Two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion
- amygdala
- a meural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion
- hypothalamus
- means "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance
- cerebellum
- The neurons of the spinal cord are part of the ______________
- central nervous system
- Influence aggression and fear
- amygdala
- The thalamus functions like a _____________
- switchboard
- The ____________ receives information from the sensory neurons and routes it to the higher brain regions that control the sense.
- thalamus
- The part of the brain that coordinates voluntary movement is the ____________.
- cerebellum
- Two parts of the limbic system are the amygdala and the _______________.
- hippocampus
- A ferocious response to electrical brain stimulation would lead you to suppose that the electrode had been touching the _______________.
- amygdala
- The neural structure that most directly regulates eating, drinking, and body temperature is the ______________.
- hypothalamus
- The reward centers discovered by Olds and Milner were located in regions of the ___________.
- hyopthalamus
- Cerebral cortex
- the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center
- How do we divide the hemispheres of the brain?
- divided into four regions - frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes.
- frontal lobes
- portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments
- Parietal lobes
- the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the hop of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex
- Where is the motor cortex located?
- at the rear of the frontal lobes
- Occipital lobes
- the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field.
- temporal lobes
- the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory info. primarily from the opposite ear.
- What lobe includes the sensory cortex?
- parietal lobe
- Involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments
- frontal lobes
- sensory cortex
- the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations
- association areas
- areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involvedin higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking.
- Broca's Area
- controls speech muscles via the motor cortex
- Visual cortex
- receives written words as visual stimulation
- Angular Gyrus
- transforms visual representations into an auditory code
- Wernicke's Area
- interprets auditory code
- Aphasia
- impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's are (impairing understanding).
- Damage to _______________ would make it hard for a person to form words, yet could sing songs with ease.
- broca's area
- Damage to the angular gyrus ________________________.
- leaves the person able to speak and understand but unable to read
- Damage to Wernicke's area does what?
- disrupts understanding
- Damage to Broca's area _______________.
- disrupts speaking
- Judging and planning are enabled by ___________.
- frontal lobes
- corpus callosum
- the wide band of axon fibers connecting the brain's two hemispheres
- plasticity
- the brains' capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development
- the hypothalamus directs what?
- eating, drinking sleeping, etc
- the master endocrine gland
- pituitary gland
- endocrine system
- the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
- Hormones
- chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another.
- Influence sex, food, and aggression
- hormones
- adrenal glands
- a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenal secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which help to arouse the body in times of stress
- split brain
- a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them.
- pituitary gland
- the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
- The endocrine system, the second and slower bodily communication system, produces chemical messengers that travel throught the bloodstream and affect other tissues. These chemical substances are ___________________.
- hormones
- chromosomes
- theadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
- DNA
- a complex molecule containing the genetic info. that makes up the chromosomes
- Genes
- the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein.
- natural selection
- the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
- mutations
- a random error in gene replication that leads to a genetic change
- evolutionary psychology
- study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection
- Every cell in your body contains the genetic master code for your entire body. ___________ are threadlike structures made largely of DNA molecules.
- chromosomes
- Each person's genetic blueprint combines contributions from the mother's egg and the father's sperm. When the egg and sperm unite, each contributes ____________.
- 23 chromosomes
- Evolutionary psychologists study how we came to be who we are. They are most likely to focus on ____________.
- natural selection of the fittest adaptations.
- behavio genetics
- the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
- every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.
- environment.
- identical twins
- single egg that splits into two, making two genetically identical organisms
- fraternal twins
- develop from separate eggs. only share a fetal environment.
- temperament
- a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.
- Examples of temperament
- fidgety, intense, outgoing, quiet, placid, etc.
- interactions
- the effect of one factor (such as environmental) depends on another factor (such as heredity).
- Adoption studies seek to reveal genetic influences on personality. They do this mainly by _______________.
- evaluating whether adopted children more closely resemble their adoptive parents or their biological parents
- culture
- behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
- norm
- an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe "proper" behavior
- personal space
- the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies.
- X chromosome
- in men and women. Females have twol males have one.
- An X chromosome from each parent produces a __________.
- female child
- Y chromosome
- sex chromosome only in males.
- When pairing an X and Y chromosome, it produces a ____________.
- male child
- role
- a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.
- gender role
- a set of expected behaviors for males and for females
- gender identity
- one's sense of being male or female
- gender-typing
- the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role
- social learning theory
- the theory that we learn social behavior be observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.
- gender schema theory
- the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly.