Term
main part of a neuron
Function of the axon |
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Definition
| conducts electrical impulses away form the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands |
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Term
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Definition
building block of the nervous system
receive, process, and send messages
generate electricity that makes nerve impules
release chemicals which let them communicate with other neurons and muscles with glands |
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Term
main part of a neuron
cell body (soma) |
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Definition
biochemical structures needed to keep the neuron alive
nucleus carries genetic info that shows how the cell develops and functions |
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Term
main part of a neuron
dendrites |
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Definition
receive units that collect messages from neighbor seurons and send them on the cell body
incoming info is combined and processed |
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Term
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Definition
white fatty insulationderived from glidal cells
lacking-action potential travels down the axon length- likeburning a fuse
with it-node of ranvier close to depolarize the next node- higher speeds
muscular coordination and cognitive funtioning |
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Term
Peripheral nervous system
somatic division |
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Definition
voluntary muscle activation
transmit messages from eyes, ears, and motor neurons send messgaes from brain and spinal to the muscles that control voluntary movement |
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Term
Peripheral nervous system
Autonomic nervous system |
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Definition
regulates bodys internal environment
involuntary functions-respiration, circulation, digestion
sense bodys internal functions and controls glands and smooth muscles (involuntary) |
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Term
Peripheral nervous system
Autonomic nervous system |
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Definition
Homeostatsis- together maintain equilibrium and make this
Parasympathetic division:
•Maintaining normal functions
•Acts to calm the body after an emergency or stressful situation has ended. -speeds up heart
Sympathetic division:
•Fight or flight response
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Term
Hindbrain: lowest and most primitive level of the brain
medulla |
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Definition
Regulates vital functions such as breathing and
circulation, respiration
damage- death or life support |
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Term
Hindbrain: lowest and most primitive level of the brain
Pons |
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Definition
sleep and arousal
coordinates muscles and movement between right and left halves of body
repiration
damage- death |
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Term
Hindbrain: lowest and most primitive level of the brain
Cerebellum |
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Definition
Coordinates fine muscle movement, balance, timing
cognitive functions-learning and memory
damage- jerky uncoordinated movements- alcohol walking test
dancers |
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Term
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Definition
Relay center for incoming sensory information - visual, auditory
switchboard organizes inputs from sensory organs routes them to areas of the brain
DAmage-confusion- schizophrenia
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Term
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Definition
Regulates basic biological needs: hunger,
thirst, temperature control, sex
motivation and emotion
steady internal environment- controls sexual development, hormonal secretions
damage- disrupt all behavior- lose sex drive- extreme obesity
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Term
Limbic Structure
Hippocampus |
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Definition
Learning and Memory
forming and retrieving memory
damage- severe memory impairment for recent events
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Term
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Definition
Emotions and Aggression, fear
unconscious emotional responses
without- cant recall emotion scenes- only nonemotional scenes
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Term
Midbrain: clusters of sensory and motor neurons
Reticular Formation |
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Definition
§alerts higher centers of the brain that messages are coming
§Either blocks or allows messages
consciousness, sleep, attention
damage- permanent coma, sensory messages wont register in conscious awareness |
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Term
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Definition
§29% of human brain; less in all other mammals
§Least understood part of the brain
§Damage can result in loss of intellectual abilities- cant carry out sequence of actions
Involved in emotional experience
self awareness, planning, initiative, responsibilty |
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Term
frontal lobe
prefrontal cortex |
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Definition
§Executive functions: mental abilities that allow people to direct their behavior in an adaptive fashion
§Goal setting, judgment, strategic planning, impulse control
damage- oblivious to future consequences- only immediate ones- phineas gage
want to kill people |
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Term
4 lobes
Parietal lobe
top of brain |
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Definition
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Term
4 lobes
Occipital Lobe
back of brain |
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Definition
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Term
Temporal Lobe
Lower half of brain |
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Definition
| hearing and advanced visual processing |
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Term
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Definition
involved in speech comprehension
temporal lobe
damage- unable to understand written or spoken speech |
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Term
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Definition
§production of speech through its connections with the motor cortex region
damage- ability to comprehend speech but not to express it themselves in words or sentences |
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Term
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Definition
nstimulus-detection process
nOur sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain
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Term
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Definition
- brains processing and interpretation of info
nmaking “sense” of what our senses tell us
nThe active process of organizing the stimulus output and giving it meaning
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Term
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Definition
the lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time
lower- greater the sensitivity
vision- candle flame seen at 30 miles clear dark night
taste- 1 tsp sugar in 2 gallon of water |
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Term
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Definition
nsmallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time
nJust Noticeable Difference
nWeber’s Law: difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the comparison stimulus with which the comparison is being made
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Term
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Definition
noccurs when our sensory receptors decrease in responsiveness to stimuli that continue without change.
nOccurs in all senses
nAllows our senses to pick up changes in the environment that could be important to our survival
occurs |
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Term
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Definition
ncombines trichromatic and opponent-process theories
nTrichromatic: cones are most sensitive to blue, green, and red
nOpponent processes begin in ganglion cells and beyond (not the cones) |
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Term
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Definition
individual elements of the stimulus are combined into a unified perception
visual system reading- analyze each letter of every word then recombine them into letter and words
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Term
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Definition
nsensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge, concepts, ideas, and expectations |
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Term
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Definition
feedback of muscles joints and positions and movements
coordinates body movements
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Term
Kinesthesis
vestibular sense |
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Definition
sense of body orientation or equilibrium
left-right, backward-forward, up-down plane canals lie
fluid and hairlike cells
body upright or at an angle
plane taking off, constant flying and landing- dont notice middle |
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Term
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Definition
argues that the whole is more than the sum of its parts
top-down processing
nFigure-ground relations: the organization of stimuli into a foreground figure and a background- pic of vase/ 2 faces
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Term
Similarity
gestalt perception |
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Definition
| Group together stimuli that are similar |
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Term
Proximity
gestalt perception |
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Definition
Group together stimuli that are together |
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Term
Closure
Gestalt perception |
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Definition
nTendency to close figures gaps in a figure and perceive it as whole.
pie with a piece missing |
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Term
continuity
gestalt perception |
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Definition
nPerception of contours or straight lines as continuous |
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