Test 2

Psychology 2012 with Ocana at Seminole State College

About this deck

By: Sherry Cooper
Created: 2011-02-08
Size: 90 flashcards
Views: 68

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nervous system

the body's electrochemical communication circuitry

autonomic nervous system

the body system that takes messages to and from the body's internal organs, monitoring such processes as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

somatic nervous system

the body system consisting of the sensory nerves, whose function is to convey information from the skin and muscles to the CNS about conditions such as pain and temperature, and the motor nerves whose function is to tell muscles what to do.

sympathetic nervous system

the part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body.

parasympathetic nervous system

the part of the autonomic nerous system that calms the body.

stress

the response of individuals to environmental stressors.

stressors

circumstances and events that threaten individuals and tax their coping abilities and that cause physiological changes to ready the body to handle the assult of stress.

neurons

one of two types of cells in the nervous system; neurons are the nerve cells that handle the information processing function.

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that provide support, nutritional benefits, and other functions and keep neurons running smoothly.

cell body

the part of the neuron that contains the nucleus, which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs for growth and maintenance.

dendrites

dendrites treelike fibers projecting from a neuron, which receive information and orient it toward the neuron's cell body.

axon

the part of the neuron that carries information away from the cell body toward other cells.

myelin sheath

a layer of fat cells that encases and insulates most axons.

resting potential

the stable, negative charge of an inactive neuron.

action potential

the brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon.

all or nothing principle

the principle that once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity (it's threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity.

synapes

tiny spaces between neurons, the gaps between neurons are referred to as synaptic gaps.

neurotransmitters

chemical substances that are stored in very tiny sacs within the terminal buttons and involved in transmitting information across a synaptic gap to the next neuron.

agonist

a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effects.

antagonist

a drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effects.

hindbrain

located at the skull's rear, the lowest portion of the brain, consisting of the medulla, cerebellum, and pons.

brain stem

the stemlike brain area that includes much of the hindbrain (excluding the cerebellum) and the midbrain; connects with the spinal cord at its lower end and then extends upward to encase the reticular formation in the midbrain.

midbrain

located between the hindbrain and forebrain, an area in which many nerve-fiber systems ascend and descend to connect the higher and lower portions of the brain; in particular, the midbrain relays information between the brain and the eyes and ears.

cerebral cortex

extensive, wrinkled outer layer of the forebrain; governs higher brain functions, such as thinking, learning, and consciousness.

amygdala

involved in fear and the discrimination of objects necessary for organism's survival.

hippocampus

involved in memory

pons

governs sleep and arousal

cerebellum

rounded structure involved in motor coordination.

medula (green)

governs breathing and reflexes

reticular formation

diffuse collection of neurons involved in arousal and sterotyped patterns, such as walking

hypothalamus

governs eating, drinking, and sex; plays a role in emotion and stress.

thalamus

relays information between lower and higher brain centers.

limbic system

a loosely connected network of structures under the cerebral cortex, important in both memory and emotion. its two principal structures are the amygdala and the hippocampus.

basal ganglia

large neuron clusters located above the thalamus and under the cerebral cortex to control and coordinate voluntary movements.

neocortex

the outermost part of the cerebral cortex making up 80 percent of the human brain's cortex.

occipital lobes

structures located at the back of the head that respond to visual stimuli.

temporal lobes

structures in the cerebral cortex that are located just above the ears and are involvd in hearing, language processing, and memory.

frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex behind the forehead involved in personality, intelligence, and the control of voluntary muscles.

association cortex

sometimes called association areas, the region of the cerebral cortex that is the site of the highest intellectual functions, such as thinking and problem solving.

parietal lobes

structures at the top and toward the rear of the head that are involved in registering spatial location, attention, and motor control.

somatosensory cortex

a region in the cerebral cortex that processes information about body sensations, located at the front of the parietal lobes.

motor cortex

a region in the cerebral cortex that processes information about voluntary movement, located just behind the frontal lobes.

corpus callosum

the large bundle of axons that connects the brains two hemispheres, responsible for relaying information between the two sides.

Broca's area

Broca's area is located in the brain's left hemisphere, and is involved in the control of speech, individuals with damage to Broca's area have problems saying words correctly.

Wernicke's area

Wernicke's area, the portion of the left hemisphere that is involved in understanding language. Individuals with damage to this area cannot comphrend words; they hear the words but do not know what they mean.

left hemisphere

the most extensive research on the brain's two hemispheres has focused on language. speech and grammar are localized to the left hemisphere.

right hemisphere

the right hemesphere dominates in processing nonverbal information such as spatial perceptions, visual recognition, and emotion.

endocrine system

the body system consisting of a set of glands that regulate the activities of certain organs by releasing their chemical products into the blood stream.

the nervous system and endocrine system are intricately interconnected. they know that the endocrine system and brain's hypothalmus connects the nervous system and the endocrine system and that the two work together to control the body's activities.

glands

organs or tissues in the body that create chemicals that control many of our bodily functions

hormones

chemical messengers that are produced by the endocrine glands and carried by the bloodstream to all parts of the body.

pituitary gland

pea sized gland just beneath the hypothalamus that controls growth and regulates other glands.

adrenal glands

glands at the top of each kidney that are responsible for regulating moods, energy level, and the ability to cope with stress. each adrenal gland secretes epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (nonadrenline) which act quickly unlike most hormones.

pancreas

a dual purpose gland under the stomach that performs both digestive and endocrine functions. insulin is an essential hormone that contols glucose (blood sugar) levels in the body and is related to metabolism, body weight and obesity.

ovaries

sex-related endocrine glands in the uterus that produce hormones related to the women's sexual development and reproduction.

testes

sex-related endocrine glands in the scrotum that produce hormones related to men's sexual developement and reproduction.

collateral sprouting

in which the axons of some healthy neurons adjacent to damaged cells grow new branches.

neurogenesis

the process by which new neurons are generated. neurogenesis does occur in mammals (rats). recent research revealed that exerise increased neurogenesis while social isolation decreased neurogenesis. It is accepted that neurogenesis can occur in humans but to date the presence of new neurons has only been doumented in the hippocampus which is involved in memory and the olfactory bulb, which is involved in the sense of smell.

chromosomes

in the human cell, threadlike structures that come in 23 pairs, one member of each pair, originating from each parent, and that contain DNA.

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

a complex molecule in the cell's chromosomes that carries genetic information.

genes

the units of hereditary information consisting of short segments of chromosomes composed of DNA.

dominant-recessive genes principle

the principle that if one gene of a pair is dominant and one is recessive, the dominant gene overides the recessive gene. a recessive gene exerts its influence only if both genes of a pair are recessive.

Gregor Mendel

Australian monk who studied heredity in generations of pea plants. Mendel discovered predictable patterns of heredity and laid the foundation for modern genetics.

polygenic inheritance

scientist use the term to describe the influences of multiple genes on behavior.(complex human characteristics such as personality and intelligence are likely influence by many genes.)

molecular genetics

involves the manipulation of genes using technology to determine their effect on behavior.

selective breeding

is a genetic method in which organisms are chosen for reproduction based on how much of a particular trait they display.

behavior genetics

is the study of the degree and nature of heredity's influence on behavior. behavior genetics is less invasive than molecular genetics and selective breeding.

genotype

a persons genetic heritage; his or her actual genetic material

phenotype

an individual's observable characteristics

consciousness

an individual's awareness of external events and internal sensations under a condition of arousal, including awareness of the self and thoughts about one's experiances.

controlled processes - Higher level of consciousness

the most alert states of human consciousness; individuals actively focus their efforts toward a goal.

5 levels of consciousness

Higher-level -controlled processing, focused efforts a goal; the most alert state. Lower-level -auto processing that requires little attention, as well as daydreaming. Altered states -can be produced by drugs, trauma, fatigue, possibly hypnosis, and sensory deprivation. Subconscious awareness -can occur when people are awake, or sleeping and dreaming. No awareness -Freud's some unconscious thghts are too laden with anxiety & other neg emotions for consciousness to admit them.

automatic processes - Lower level awareness

states of consciousness that require little attention and do not interfere with other ongoing activities.

daydreaming - Lower level awareness

another state of consciousness that involves a low level of conscious effort is daydreaming, which lies between active consciousness and dreaming while asleep.

need for sleep

deep sleep coincides with the release of growth hormone in children. lack of sleep is stressful, stress hormones may interfere with the creation of neurons in the hippocampus (assoc with memory). memory about specific info, skills,, or emotional experiances.

sleep deprivation

decreases brain activity in the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex and reduced the complexity of the brain activity. sleep deprivation can also influence moral judgement.

wakeful stages

EEG patterns exhibit two types of waves: Beta-reflect concentration and alertness. these waves are the hightest in frequency and lowest in amplitude. desynchronous than other waves - no consistant pattern. Alpha- associated with relaxation or drowsiness, when relaxed but awake brain waves slow down and become more sychronous.

sleep stages 1-4

1. sleep is characterized by drowsy sleep, person may experiance sudden muscle movements called myoclonic jerks.

2. muscles activity decreases, and the person is no longer consciously aware of the environment

3. and 4. characterized by delta waves, the slowest and highest amplitude brain waves during sleep. these two stages are often referred to as delta sleep. stage 3 is delta waves occuring less than 50%, 4 is greater than 50%. Deepest sleep.

REM (sleep stage 5)

after 1-4 sleepers drift up towards wakefulenss but go to REM instead of reentering stage 1. REM an active stage of sleep during which dreaming occurs.

Sigmund Freud

put great stock in dreams as a key to our unconscious minds. He believed that dreams (even nightmares) symbolize unconscious wishes and that analysis of dream symbols could uncover our hidden desires.

manifest content

accourding to Freud, the surface content of a dream, containg dream symbols that disguise the dream's true meaning.

latent content

according to Freud, a dream 's true content; its unconscious and true meaning.

psychoactive drugs

drugs that act on the nervous system to alter consciousness, modify perceptions, and change moods.

tolerance

the need to take increasing amounts of a drug. stage one - use, stage 2 abuse.

physical dependence

the physiological need for a drug that causes unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as physical pain and a craving for the drug when it is discontinued.

psychological dependence

the strong desire to repeat the use of a drug for emotional reasons, such as a feeling of well being and reduction of stress. occurs 1st & harder to treat (over physical dependence).

addiction

either a physical or psychological dependence, or both, on a drug. *its a process.

psychoactive drugs increase dopamine levels in the brain's reward pathways. dopamine helps control voluntary movements, affects sleep, mood, attention, learning, and ability to recognize rewards in the environment.

types of psychoactive drugs

depressants - slow down mental and physical activity.

stimulants - increase the central nervous system's activity (caffine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy).

hallucinogens - modify the person's perceptual experiences and produce visual images that aren't real (marijuana, LSD)

withdrawl symptoms

uncomfortable physical or mental changes that happen wht the body is deprived of the drug that it is deprived of the drug that it's accustomed to getting. symptoms will vary, depedning on the type of drug and the length of abuse time. symptoms - mild or intense/can last days or weeks/only occur if person has regular-heavy use of a drug/physical symptoms may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, anxiety, pain. Delirium Tremens -w/d from alcohol.

alcoholism

disorder that involves long-term reeated, uncontrolled, compulsive, and excessive use of alcoholic beverages and that impairs the drinkers health and social relationships.

facts about alcohol

alcohol is a powerful depressant. slows brain activity. decreases inhibitions and judgement. intellectual functioning and motor skills are imparied. inhibits neurons from firing in the brain. after caffeine, alcohol is the most widely used drug in the US. approx. 18 million alcoholics in US. 3rd leading killer in US. 3 of 10 americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash. a link between alcohol and violence/agression. about 1/3 will recover. genetic predisposition.

About this deck

By: Sherry Cooper
Created: 2011-02-08
Size: 90 flashcards
Views: 68

About StudyBlue

“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj