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56 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
evolutionary psychology |
area of psychology looking for adaptive benefits in selected human behaviours |
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behavioural neuroscience |
focuses on the role of the nervous system, especially the brain, in understanding behaviour |
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stimulus |
environmental feature that provokes a response from an organism |
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receptors |
specialized cells that are sensitive to specific types of stimulus energy |
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central nervous system |
consists of the brain and spinal chord |
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peripheral nervous sytem |
consists of neural fibres outside of the brain and spinal chord |
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neurons |
basic cells of the nervous system |
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somatic nervous system |
receptors to brain and spinal chord, as well as from the brain to the spinal chord and muscles |
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afferent (sensory) nerves |
nerves that carry info from the receptors to the spinal chord and brain |
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efferent (motor) nerves |
nerves that carry information from the brain and spinal chord to the muscles |
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autonomic nervous system |
division of the peripheral nervous system involved in the control of bodily functions through organs and glands |
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sympathetic nervous syste |
subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for mobilizing the body in times of stress, preparing organisms for fight or flight |
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parasympathetic nervous system |
subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for returning the body to a resting or balanced state |
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endocrine systems |
system of glands that produce hormones
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hormones |
created by the endocrine system and are carried by the bloodstream |
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pancreas |
releases insulin, which regulates levels of glucose in the body |
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hypothalamus |
gland and brain structure that sends signls to the pituitary gland that contains key centres for fighting, fleeing, sexual activity and hunger |
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pituitary |
the master gland: its secretions control many other glands |
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thyroid gland |
releases hormones that affect metabolic rate |
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gonads |
sex glands |
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adrenal glands |
release a range of hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine |
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dendrite |
branch-like structure of a neuron that receives info from receptors and other neurons |
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soma |
cell body of a neuron which contains the nucleus |
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axon |
elongated part of a neuron that transmits information to other neurons, muscles and glands |
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terminal buttons |
located at the end of an axon where neurotransmitters are stored before being released into the synapse |
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myelin sheath |
a substance that that covers some axons and increases the speed of neural transmission |
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glial cell |
forms the myelin sheath, provides insulation to the actions |
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synapse |
site where 2 or more neurons interact but dont touch, so neurotransmiters go between them |
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agonists |
drugs that enhance the effects of a particular neurotransmitter |
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antagonists |
drugs that oppose or inhibit the effects of a particular neurotransmitter |
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endorphins |
substances that block pain |
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action potential |
reversal in electric charge of a neuron that occurs when the neuron fires |
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positron emission tomography (PET) |
imaging technique that involves monitoring the metabolic activity of the brain |
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computerized axial tomography (CT or CAT) |
imaging technique that involves the productio of a large number of x-rays interpreted by a computer |
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
imaging technique that involves the use of radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce a signal that can be interpreted by a computer |
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fucntional magnetic resonance imaging |
modification of the standard MRI that allows both structural and temporal images of the brain to be gathered |
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hindbrain |
oldest of the 3 main divisions, contains the medulla, pons and cerebellum |
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medulla |
part of the hindbrain which regulates automatic responses like breathing, swallowing and blood circulation |
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pons |
part of the hindbrain, connects the 2 halves of the brain, important for sleep and arousal |
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cerebellum |
structure of the hindbrain that coordinates muscular movements |
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midbrain |
major division of the brain that contains fibres known as the reticular formation |
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brain stem |
the oldest part of the brain, responsible for basic survival activities |
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reticular formation |
nerve fibres passing through the midbrain that control arousal |
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forebrain |
consist of subcortical structures and the cerebral cortex |
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corpus callosum |
wide band of neural fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain |
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cerebral cortex |
the convulated outer layer of the brain |
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limbic system |
regulates hunger, thirst, agression and sexual behaviour |
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thalamus |
relays incoming sensory information to the cerebral cortex and other parts of the brain |
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hypothalamus |
plays a key role in fight or flight, appetite and sexual behaviour |
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hippocampus |
plays a role in creating memories |
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frontal lobes |
contains a motor strip, speech and is responsible for decision making |
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parietal lobes |
contains the censory cortex |
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temporal lobes |
responsible for hearing and understanding speec |
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occipital lobe |
responsible for processings visual stimuli |
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aphasia |
term for problems in understanding or producing spoken or written language |
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apraxia |
deficits in nonverbal skills |