Heredity & Environment
The question of whether traits come from our heredity or environment is commonly referred to as the "____ vs. _____" debate. (Fill in both blanks.)
Nature vs. nurture
The central nervous system contains these 2 parts of the body.
Brain & spinal cord
The brain's ability to adapt and form new connections between neurons is called ___.
Plasticity/neuroplasticity
Neurotransmitters that increase brain activity/make neurons more likely to fire are ____
Excitatory
The brain is composed of two "halves," known as ___
Describe the purpose of "twin studies" involving identical twins raised apart.
To evaluate the impact of heredity vs. environment on a certain trait; identical twins have identical DNA, so environment is the independent variable.
The _____ nervous system triggers the "fight, flight, or freeze" response.
Sympathetic
This is the tiny space/connection between neurons through which one neuron communicates with the next.
Synapse
Methamphetamine is a dopamine ___, meaning it activates dopamine receptors.
Agonist
This part of the brain is associated with strong emotional responses, mainly fear and aggression.
Amygdala
This term refers to the probabilistic way in which the features of our DNA increase the likelihood of certain traits.
Genetic predisposition
The ___ nervous system is responsible for voluntary movements.
Somatic
This is the electrical impulse that travels down an axon if a neuron receives enough input telling it to "fire."
Action potential
This neurotransmitter plays an important role in mood regulation and digestion.
Serotonin
The ___ cortex is the division of the brain responsible for processing sensory input from each part of the body.
Somatosensory cortex
This discredited pseudoscience, popularized in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, attempted to arrange reproduction within the human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarded as "desirable."
Eugenics
Name 3 physical changes that occur in the body when the parasympathetic nervous system is activated.
Pupils constrict, salivation, airways constrict (breathing deepens & slows), heart rate slows, stomach digests, intestines digest, bladder constricts, increased blood flow to reproductive tract, blood pressure decreases
Neurotransmitter molecules are sent out from the presynaptic neuron's terminal buttons and then "land" in ______ located on the postsynaptic neuron's ____. (Fill in both blanks)
Tolerance, withdrawal
Wernicke's aphasia (i.e. affecting Wernicke's area) is characterized by these symptoms.
Difficulty understanding language; fluent but nonsensical speech
Evolutionary psychologists are interested in how our traits are inherited through this process.
Natural selection
Describe the steps in the reflex arc that would happen when a person touches a burning-hot stove. State what kinds of neurons and what parts of the nervous system are involved at each point in the process.
1) Sensory neurons feel the hot stove. 2) The signal travels to the spinal cord. 3) Interneurons in the spinal cord relay the signal to motor neurons. 4) Motor neurons signal from the spinal cord to the hand, making the hand move away from the stove.
This is process by which excess neurotransmitter molecules are "vacuumed" back into the presynaptic neuron after it has fired.
Reuptake
Name the 4 main classes of psychoactive drugs and give an example of each one.
Stimulants: methamphetamine, cocaine, caffeine, nicotine
Depressants: alcohol, anti-anxiety drugs/tranquilizers
Hallucinogens: LSD, psilocybin, cannabis
Opioids: morphine, oxycodone, heroin, fentanyl
This part of the brain produces and manages hormones (along with the hypothalamus). Name the part of the brain and two hormones.
Pituitary gland
Adrenaline/epinephrine, oxytocin, leptin, ghrelin, growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, thyroid stimulating hormone, etc.