Unit 2a AP Psychology Flashcards

A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

A neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

<p>The extension of a neuron through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enables muscle action, learning, and memory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>&quot;Morphine within&quot;—natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The brain and spinal cord.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Bundled axons that form neural &quot;cables&quot; connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Any group of neurons that conduct impulses in a coordinated manner.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The body's &quot;slow&quot; chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The endocrine system's most influential gland, regulating growth and controlling other endocrine glands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tissue destruction; a brain lesion can be naturally or experimentally caused.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A nerve network in the brainstem that plays a role in controlling arousal.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The brain's sensory switchboard, directing messages to sensory receiving areas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The &quot;little brain&quot; at the rear of the brainstem; involved in processing sensory input and coordinating movement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A neural structure lying below the thalamus; governs maintenance activities and is linked to emotion and reward.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portion of the cerebral cortex involved in speaking, muscle movements, and making plans and judgments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portion of the cerebral cortex that receives sensory input for touch and body position.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portion of the cerebral cortex that includes areas receiving information from visual fields.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portion of the cerebral cortex that includes the auditory areas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Area at the front of the parietal lobes that processes body touch and movement sensations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Areas of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions such as learning and thinking.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The formation of new neurons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate personal disposition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Feelings, often based on beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The mode of thinking when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>When a person unknowingly causes a prediction to come true, due to expecting it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A generalized belief about a group of people.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An unjustifiable attitude toward a group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>&quot;Us&quot; - people with whom one shares a common identity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>&quot;Them&quot; - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency to favor our own group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency to believe the world is just and that people get what they deserve.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The principle that frustration creates anger which can generate aggression.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A situation in which conflicting parties pursue self-interest, becoming caught in mutually destructive behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, aiming to maximize benefits and minimize costs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The principle that inherited trait variations contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A random error in gene replication that leads to a change.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two.</p> Signup and view all the answers