Biological basis of behavior

    Cards (62)

    • What are the four main portions of the central nervous system?
      Spinal cord, hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain
    • What does the peripheral nervous system (PNS) consist of?
      All nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
    • What are afferent nerves responsible for?
      Sensory input to the CNS
    • What do efferent nerves do?
      Transmit motor signals from the CNS
    • What is transduction in the context of the nervous system?
      Conversion of a physical stimulus into an electrical signal
    • What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing?
      Bottom-up: stimulus detection; Top-down: using prior knowledge
    • What is the role of the spinal cord?
      Receives afferent input and projects efferent output
    • Who is the author of "Biological bases of psychological processes"?
      Professor Yulia Kovas
    • What philosophical concept did Descartes distinguish?
      Cartesian dualism
    • What is the distinction made by Descartes?
      Between mind and body
    • How did Descartes view the mind in relation to the body?
      The mind is separate and governed by different laws
    • Where does Descartes suggest the interaction between mind and brain occurs?
      In the pituitary gland
    • What significant work did Descartes publish in 1664?
      Traité de l’Homme
    • What did Darwin propose in "Origin of Species"?
      Species evolved through natural selection
    • How does Darwin's theory relate to psychology?
      Humans and their psychology evolved from animals
    • What did Hobbes argue about thoughts and ideas?
      They are physical processes governed by laws
    • What does Hobbes's materialism suggest about psychology?
      Psychology is biological and observable in physiology
    • What does the phrase "the mind is what the brain does" imply?
      Mental activity is equivalent to brain activity
    • How can fear be explained from both mind and brain perspectives?
      Mind: fear from seeing a gun; Brain: from amygdala activity
    • What are the two main components of the nervous system?
      Central and peripheral nervous system
    • What does the central nervous system (CNS) comprise?
      Brain and spinal cord
    • What structures are included in the hindbrain?
      Pons, medulla, reticular formation, cerebellum
    • What is the function of the midbrain's substantia nigra?
      Important in movement
    • What does the thalamus do?
      Acts as a sensory relay
    • What is the role of the hypothalamus?
      Regulates hunger and sex
    • What is the function of the hippocampus?
      Involved in memory
    • What does the amygdala regulate?
      Emotion
    • What connects the two cerebral hemispheres?
      The corpus callosum
    • What is the significance of contralateral sensory projections?
      Right side sensory input goes to left hemisphere
    • What are the two types of matter in the cerebral cortex?
      White matter and grey matter
    • What are the four major divisions of the cerebral cortex?
      Occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal
    • What are primary sensory and motor areas of the cortex?
      Areas directly connected to afferent and efferent nerves
    • What are association cortical areas?
      Areas that send/receive information from primary areas
    • How does the size of the human brain compare to that of a chimpanzee?
      Three times larger relative to body size
    • What is the significance of cross-species comparisons in psychology?
      To explore mind-brain relationships and localization
    • What are neurons responsible for?
      Bringing sensory information, storing memories, transmitting commands
    • What do glial cells do?
      Bind neurons together and provide nutrients
    • What is an action potential?
      Pulses of electricity transmitted along neurons
    • What is a synapse?
      The junction where neurons communicate
    • How many neurons are estimated to be in the nervous system?
      Around 10-100 billion neurons