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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Action potential
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A brief change in a neuron's electrical charge.
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Adaptation
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An inherited characteristic that increased in a population (through natural selection) because it helped solve a problem of survival or reproduction during the time it emerged.
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Adoption studies
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Research studies that assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents.
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Afferent nerve fibers
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Axons that carry information inward to the central nervous system from the periphery of the body.
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Agonist
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A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.
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Antagonist
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A chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter.
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Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
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The system of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands.
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Axon
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A long, thin fiber that transmits signals away from the neuron cell body to other neurons, or to muscles or glands.
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Behavior
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Any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism.
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Behavioral genetics
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An interdisciplinary field that studies the influence of genetic factors on behavioral traits.
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Central nervous system (CNS)
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The brain and the spinal cord.
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Cerebral cortex
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The convoluted outer layer of the cerebrum.
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Cerebral hemispheres
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The right and left halves of the cerebrum.
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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
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A solution that fills the hollow cavities (ventricles) of the brain and circulates around the brain and spinal cord.
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Chromosomes
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Threadlike strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules that carry genetic information.
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Corpus callosum
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The structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres.
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Critical period
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A limited time span in the development of an organism when it is optimal for certain capacities to emerge because the organism is especially responsive to certain experiences.
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Dendrites
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Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information.
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Dominant gene
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A gene that is expressed when paired genes are heterozygous (different).
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Efferent nerve fibers
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Axons that carry information outward from the central nervous system to the periphery of the body.
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Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)
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Sending a weak electric current into a brain structure to stimulate (activate) it.
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Electroencephalograph (EEG)
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A device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp.
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Endocrine system
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A group of glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream that help control bodily functioning.
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Endorphins
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The entire family of internally produced chemicals that resemble opiates in structure and effects.
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Evolutionary psychology
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Theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations.
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Excitatory PSP
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An electric potential that increases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials.
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Extraverts
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People who tend to be interested in the external world of people and things.
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Family studies
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Scientific studies in which researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they resemble each other on a specific trait.
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Fight-or-flight response
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A physiological reaction to threat in which the autonomic nervous system mobilizes the organism for attacking (fight) or fleeing (flight) an enemy.
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Fitness
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The reproductive success (number of descendants) of an individual organism relative to the average reproductive success of the population.
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Forebrain
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The largest and most complicated region of the brain, encompassing a variety of structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum.
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Fraternal twins
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Twins that result when two eggs are fertilized simultaneously by different sperm cells, forming two separate zygotes. Also called Dizygotic twins.
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Genes
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DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmission.
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Genetic mapping
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The process of determining the location and chemical sequence of specific genes on specific chromosomes.
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Genotype
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A person's genetic makeup.
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Heterozygous condition
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The situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are different.
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Hindbrain
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The part of the brain that includes the cerebellum and two structures found in the lower part of the brainstem: the medulla and the pons.
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Homozygous condition
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The situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are the same.
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Hormones
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The chemical substances released by the endocrine glands.
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Hypothalamus
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A structure found near the base of the forebrain that is involved in the regulation of basic biological needs.
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Identical twins
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Twins that emerge from one zygote that splits for unknown reasons. Also called Monozygotic twins.
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Inclusive fitness
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The sum of an individual's own reproductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others.
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Inhibitory PSP
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An electric potential that decreases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials.
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Learning
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A relatively durable change in behavior or knowledge that is due to experience.
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Lesioning
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Destroying a piece of the brain.
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Limbic system
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A densely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas.
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Midbrain
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The segment of the brain stem that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain.
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Monogamy
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A mating system in which one male and one female mate exclusively, or almost exclusively, with each other.
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Mutation
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A spontaneous, heritable change in a piece of DNA that occurs in the individual organism.
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Myelin sheath
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Insulating material, derived from glial cells, that encases some axons of neurons.
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Natural selection
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Principle stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be “selected“ over time.
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Nerves
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Bundles of neuron fibers (axons) that are routed together in the peripheral nervous system.
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Neurons
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Individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information.
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Neurotransmitters
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Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another.
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Parasympathetic division
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The branch of the autonomic nervous system that generally conserves bodily resources.
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Parental investment
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What each sex invests-in terms of time, energy, survival risk, and forgone opportunities-to produce and nurture offspring.
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Perceptual asymmetries
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Left-right imbalances between the cerebral hemispheres in the speed of visual or auditory processing.
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Peripheral nervous system
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All those nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord.
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Phenotype
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The ways in which a person's genotype is manifested in observable characteristics.
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Pituitary gland
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The “master gland“ of the endocrine system; it releases a great variety of hormones that fan out through the body, stimulating actions in the other endocrine glands.
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Polyandry
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A mating system in which each female seeks to mate with multiple males, while each male mates with only one female.
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Polygenic traits
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Characteristics that are influenced by more than one pair of genes.
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Polygyny
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A mating system in which each male seeks to mate with multiple females, while each female mates with only one male.
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Population
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The larger collection of animals or people from which a sample is drawn and that researchers want to generalize about.
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Postsynaptic potential (PSP)
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A voltage change at the receptor site on a postsynaptic cell membrane.
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Primary sex characteristics
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The sexual structures necessary for reproduction.
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Puberty
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The period of early adolescence marked by rapid physical growth and the development of sexual (reproductive) maturity.
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Recessive gene
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A gene whose influence is masked when paired genes are different (heterozygous).
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Refractory period
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A time following orgasm during which males are largely unresponsive to further stimulation.
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Resting potential
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The stable, negative charge of a neuron when it is inactive.
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Reuptake
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A process in which neurotransmitters are sponged up from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane.
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Secondary sex characteristics
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Physical features that are associated with gender but that are not directly involved in reproduction.
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Soma
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The cell body of a neuron; it contains the nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells.
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Somatic nervous system
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The system of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors.
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Split-brain surgery
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A procedure in which the bundle of fibers that connects the cerebral hemispheres (the corpus callosum) is cut to reduce the severity of epileptic seizures.
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Sympathetic division
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The branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body's resources for emergencies.
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Synapse
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A junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next.
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Synaptic cleft
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A microscopic gap between the terminal button of a neuron and the cell membrane of another neuron.
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Terminal buttons
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Small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters.
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Thalamus
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A structure in the forebrain through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex.
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Twin studies
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A research design in which hereditary influence is assessed by comparing the resemblance of identical twins and fraternal twins with respect to a trait.
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Zygote
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A one-celled organism formed by the union of a sperm and an egg.
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