Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
126 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What are two examples where the subject's mind had power over the body?
|
Dr P, who mistook his wife's head for a hat, and the phenomenon of phantom limbs
|
|
|
What is the phantom limb phenomenon?
|
Individuals who have lost a limb still experience pain and other sensations in that limb.
|
|
|
What is the mind?
|
the same as our consciousness, or our experience of awareness
|
|
|
What is the "ultimate question of psychology"?
|
the nature of the mind, or consciousness
|
|
|
What two influences lead to the biological perspective?
|
the mind-body relationship and the influence of heredity on behavior
|
|
|
Who founded dualism?
|
Rene Decartes
|
|
|
What is dualism?
|
the statement that the mind and body are separate entities which interact through the pineal gland in the brain
|
|
|
What has replaced dualism?
|
monism
|
|
|
What is monism?
|
the belief that the mind and body are the same thing
|
|
|
What is materialism?
|
the assumption that all behavior has a physical basis
|
|
|
Who founded monism?
|
Julien de La Mettrie, who noticed his fever affected both his body and his mind and claimed they were one
|
|
|
Who discovered the localization of function?
|
Paul Broca found that a man could not speak coherently after a head injury, and he showed after the man's death that a specific part of his brain was injured.
|
|
|
Name the scientists listed as being involved in the discovery of heredity.
|
Linnaeus, Lamarck, Darwin, and Mendel
|
|
|
Where is the brainstem?
|
the middle of the lower part of the brain
|
|
|
What happens if a cat (or chicken) loses the rest of its brain but keeps the brainstem?
|
It will still live, breathe, and act instinctively, but cannot perform higher brain functions.
|
|
|
Where do the nerves connecting the different sides of the brain cross over to the other side of the body?
|
the brainstem
|
|
|
Where is the reticular formation?
|
inside the brainstem
|
|
|
What does the brainstem do?
|
It controls your heartbeat and breathing.
|
|
|
What does the reticular formation do?
|
It filters incoming messages to the brain and relays them to other parts of the brain.
|
|
|
How was the reticular formation discovered to be associated with arousal?
|
Cats zapped there woke up immediately and cats who lost the connections to elsewhere went into a coma.
|
|
|
Where is the thalamus?
|
above the brainstem
|
|
|
What does the thalamus look like?
|
two egg-shaped blobs
|
|
|
What does the thalamus do?
|
It acts as a connecting point for all sensory input; inputs and outputs to the brain go through it.
|
|
|
Where is the cerebellum?
|
behind the brainstem
|
|
|
What does the cerebellum look like?
|
two wrinkled hemispheres
|
|
|
What does the cerebellum do?
|
It influences one type of learning/memory and coordinates voluntary movement, like walking.
|
|
|
Where is the limbic system?
|
between the lower and upper brain
|
|
|
What does the limbic system look like?
|
a donut
|
|
|
Where is the amygdala?
|
in the limbic system
|
|
|
What does the amygdala do?
|
It influences aggression and fear.
|
|
|
What does the amygdala look like?
|
two almonds
|
|
|
Why can't we say that the amygdala is the fear control center?
|
because every process involves multiple parts of the brain
|
|
|
What is psychosurgery and why is it not performed on humans?
|
surgery that messes with brain tissue to affect behavior, but is not allowed due to ethical reasons
|
|
|
Where is the hypothalamus?
|
below the thalamus
|
|
|
What does the hypothalamus do?
|
It influences various desires, like hunger, by monitoring blood chemistry.
|
|
|
How was the hypothalamus discovered?
|
College students made a mistake, stimulating rats' hypothalamus, and found that they liked it.
|
|
|
How do animals' and humans' hypothalami differ?
|
Animals like rats are driven by an obsession to get their hypothalamus stimulated, but humans are not, although some have a reward deficiency syndrome.
|
|
|
What is a reward deficiency syndrome?
|
an inherited deficiency in pleasure in the natural brain systems, leading people to crave pleasure and become addicted
|
|
|
Where is the cerebral cortex?
|
the outside layer of the cerebral hemispheres
|
|
|
What does the cerebral cortex do?
|
controls actions and processes information, allowing adaptability to the circumstances
|
|
|
What enables humans to be so intellectually capable?
|
our large cerebral cortex
|
|
|
What percentage of the brain's weight is in the hemispheres?
|
80%
|
|
|
How thick is the cerebral cortex?
|
1/8 inch
|
|
|
How many nerve cells and glial cells make up the cerebral cortex?
|
30 billion and 270 billion
|
|
|
What do glial cells do?
|
guide neural connections, provide nutrients and myelin, and mop up ions and neurotransmitters, perhaps also playing a role in memory
|
|
|
Why is the cortex wrinkled?
|
to maximize its surface area
|
|
|
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?
|
frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
|
|
|
What separates the lobes?
|
prominent folds in the outside
|
|
|
Why are the lobes differentiated as they are?
|
by convenience
|
|
|
Who discovered the motor cortex when?
|
German physicians Gustav Fritsch and Eduard Hitzig in 1870
|
|
|
Where is the motor cortex?
|
on the back of the frontal lobe, ear to ear
|
|
|
What does the motor cortex do?
|
It controls voluntary movements, with each part localized on a section of the cortex.
|
|
|
What complicates the motor cortex?
|
Complicated gestures, especially in the fingers and wrist, require multiple, possibly overlapping, areas of the motor cortex.
|
|
|
Where is the sensory cortex?
|
on the front of the parietal lobe, ear to ear
|
|
|
What does the sensory cortex do?
|
It receives information from sensitive regions of our skin, with a larger area for the more sensitive areas.
|
|
|
What happens to the sensory cortex when a portion of the body is lost?
|
The neighboring regions of the cortex steadily take over the region.
|
|
|
Where is the visual cortex?
|
in the occipital lobes
|
|
|
Where is the auditory cortex?
|
in the temporal lobes
|
|
|
Where does the myth come from that says, "We only use 10% of our brain."?
|
10% of our brain is sensory and motor cortex, and the rest is association areas, which are not dormant.
|
|
|
What is Phineas Gage an example of?
|
how the association areas of the frontal lobe affect one's personality and morality
|
|
|
Where are complex mental functions like solving a maze localized?
|
all over, they aren't localized
|
|
|
What is aphasia?
|
difficulty with language
|
|
|
What did Paul Broca discover when?
|
Damage to an area now known as Broca's area in the frontal lobe made people struggle to say words, discovered in 1865.
|
|
|
What did Carl Wernicke discover?
|
Damage to an area known today as Wernicke's area in the temporal lobe made people's words muddled, making no sense.
|
|
|
Who developed the current theory of language in the brain?
|
Norman Geschwind
|
|
|
What is the current theory of language in the brain?
|
A written word reaches the visual cortex, passes through the angular gyrus where it is heard, then passes through Wernicke's area, where it is interpreted, then Broca's area, where it is planned to be physically spoken, and finally to the motor cortex where it is said.
|
|
|
What two areas can be damaged to cause aphasia?
|
Broca's and Wernicke's
|
|
|
What is sight split into in the brain?
|
color, depth, movement, and form
|
|
|
Which hemisphere was for a long time considered "dominant"?
|
the left
|
|
|
What does the corpus callosum do?
|
It handles communication between the hemispheres.
|
|
|
Who became the object of split-brain studies?
|
epileptics whose epilepsy bounced back and forth between the hemispheres and thus, whose corpus callosum was removed
|
|
|
How many nerve fibers are in the corpus callosum?
|
200 million
|
|
|
What have split-brain studies shown about sight and the brain?
|
The left visual field, not the left eye, is connected to the right hemisphere, and vice versa.
|
|
|
What are the last names of three split-brain studying psychologists?
|
Sperry, Myers, and Gazzaniga
|
|
|
Based on split-brain patients, what does the left hemisphere do?
|
rationalization, constructing theories and explanation, and speech in most
|
|
|
Based on split-brain patients, what does the right hemisphere do?
|
simple tasks, good at perception, copying drawings, recognizing faces, and emotion
|
|
|
What is a non-split-brain example of hemispheric specialization?
|
When given a drug that sedates just one side of the brain, the functions of that hemisphere cease and the opposite side of the body lies limp.
|
|
|
What is phrenology?
|
the wrong idea invented by Franz Gall that said that skull bumps indicated mental capacities and character traits (or lack thereof)
|
|
|
What feature of animal brains makes them useful?
|
They are very similar to our brains.
|
|
|
What are the three components of a neuron?
|
the cell body, dendrites, and the axon
|
|
|
What do the dendrites do?
|
receive impulses from other cells
|
|
|
What does the axon do?
|
sends new information to other cells
|
|
|
What can stimulate a neuron to fire an impulse?
|
pressure, heat, light, or chemicals
|
|
|
What is the technical name of the neural impulse?
|
action potential
|
|
|
What do the myelin sheaths do?
|
insulate the axons of some neurons from external stimuli
|
|
|
What are the stages of an action potential?
|
It starts at resting potential, then gets depolarized, then goes through a refractory period before it is ready to fire again.
|
|
|
How does a neuron increase the strength or importance of its message?
|
It fires more rapidly, rather than "stronger", since it is all-or-nothing.
|
|
|
What is a synapse?
|
the gap between two nerve cells, also known as a synaptic gap or cleft
|
|
|
How does a message cross a synapse?
|
Neurotransmitters are released from the axon of the presynaptic neuron and bind to the postsynaptic neuron, either exciting or inhibiting the postsynaptic neuron.
|
|
|
What is the CNS?
|
the central nervous system: the brain and spinal cord
|
|
|
What is the PNS?
|
the peripheral nervous system: all the neurons not in the brain or spinal cord
|
|
|
What is a nerve?
|
a bundle of neurons that work together, like the optic nerve for vision
|
|
|
What are the three types of neurons?
|
sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons
|
|
|
What do sensory neurons do?
|
send info towards the CNS
|
|
|
What do interneurons do?
|
communicate with each other
|
|
|
What do motor neurons do?
|
send instructions from the CNS to the effectors
|
|
|
What are the two components of the nervous system?
|
central and peripheral
|
|
|
What are the two components of the peripheral nervous system?
|
skeletal and autonomic
|
|
|
What does the skeletal nervous system do?
|
control voluntary movements of the skeletal muscles
|
|
|
What does the autonomic nervous system do?
|
control glands and internal organ muscles, only rarely overridden consciously
|
|
|
What are the two components of the autonomic nervous system?
|
sympathetic and parasympathetic
|
|
|
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
|
excitation
|
|
|
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
|
calms one down
|
|
|
What are reflexes?
|
automatic responses to stimuli
|
|
|
What are the parts of the simplest reflex?
|
a sensory neuron, an interneuron, and a motor neuron
|
|
|
How do reflexes avoid the brain?
|
They interact directly with the spinal cord, so the reflex takes place before the brain gets the message.
|
|
|
How is pain and pleasure achieved?
|
The information must get to the brain.
|
|
|
What does the brain really do?
|
It processes sensory inputs, interprets them, mixing sources, and provides output messages.
|
|
|
What does the endocrine system do?
|
secrete hormones
|
|
|
How do the endocrine and nervous systems interact?
|
Some hormones are chemically identical to neurotransmitters, so the endocrine system influences the nervous system connections while under the direction of the nervous system itself.
|
|
|
What do the adrenal glands do?
|
release epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
|
|
|
What does the pituitary gland do?
|
releases growth hormones and tells other glands to release hormones, under the direction of the hypothalamus
|
|
|
What are the three major contributions of the biological perspective to psychology?
|
rejection of extreme environmentalism, an appreciation for the role of physical health in psychological functioning, and a more accurate understanding of some mental and emotional disorders
|
|
|
Why did extreme environmentalism arise?
|
due to the Western tradition of perfectability and equality of humans, the popularity of behaviorism, and the negative connotation of biological psychology as eugenics and racism
|
|
|
What are 4 examples of physical conditions affecting the psychology of an individual?
|
Exercise reduces stress; people don't get enough sleep; a balanced diet is best, and toxins can affect individuals psychologically.
|
|
|
What are 6 examples of behaviors and diseases better explained through the biological perspective?
|
senility, Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, and partially depression, antisocial personality disorder, and schizophrenia
|
|
|
What is biological reductionism?
|
explaining complex problems with only a few resources, making the problem overly simplified
|
|
|
What is "PMS"?
|
stands for premenstrual syndrome, a popular, but unsubstantiated by evidence, theory that says that emotional stress is introduced just before a woman's menstrual period
|
|
|
How was "PMS" tested?
|
Women (and men) were told to keep a diary for 70 days without being told the purpose, and their emotional state was analyzed from the diaries, showing little variation over a menstrual cycle.
|
|
|
What are the four common misapplications of the biological perspective?
|
biological reductionism, premature conclusions, unwarranted cause-and-effect inferences, and biological politics
|
|
|
How do premature conclusions get made?
|
A result is verified once; it makes headlines, but is not later repeated.
|
|
|
What are examples of disorders for which genes have been "discovered" but not replicated later?
|
manic depression, a type of alcoholism, sexual orientation, and chronic worrying
|
|
|
What are two premature conclusions reached regarding differences in the genders?
|
One study suggested women have a larger splenium (section of the corpus callosum), but contradicted prior and later studies, and one study found some women but no men using both halves of their brain in a rhyming task, but was more or less meaningless in itself; they did equally well.
|
|
|
What is the underlying cause and effect error in the biological perspective?
|
Experience and the brain both shape each other.
|
|
|
What are four examples of experience shaping the brain?
|
Bilinguality at a young age occurs in the same Broca's area, while other languages learned later develop another area; musical training at young ages changes musical portions of the brain; longer-tenured London cabdrivers had a larger posterior hippocampus for storing environmental images, and rats who grew up with more complicated tasks developed a larger cortex.
|
|
|
What are examples of political issues that the biological perspective influences and is influenced by?
|
differences between the races and genders, homosexuality, and extremely violent activity
|
