Nature vs. Nurture
The “nature” side of the nature vs. nurture debate emphasizes the influence of this factor on human traits
heredity
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system and this system.
peripheral
The bushy fibers that receive messages from other neurons are called these.
dendrites
This “little brain” helps coordinate balance and voluntary movement.
cerebellum
This hormone, produced by the pineal gland, helps regulate sleep.
melatonin
This evolutionary principle explains how advantageous traits get passed on.
natural selection
This subsystem of the PNS controls voluntary skeletal muscles
somatic nervous system
This fatty tissue speeds up neural transmission along axons.
myelin sheeth
DOUBLE POINTS!!!
This brain structure relays sensory signals to higher brain regions (except smell).
thalamus
The body experiences temporary paralysis during this stage of sleep.
REM sleep
This discredited pseudoscience, promoted by Francis Galton, argued for engineering a “super race.”
eugenics
This branch of the autonomic system speeds up heartbeat and breathing in emergencies.
sympathetic nervous system
DOUBLE POINTS!!!
Once threshold is reached, a neuron fires completely. This principle is called the ______
all-or-nothing principle
Damage to this area impairs the ability to produce speech, though comprehension remains.
Broca's area
This sleep disorder involves uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep, often triggered by emotions.
narcolepsy
Name one research method used in behavioral genetics to separate the effects of heredity from environment.
Twin, family, or adoption studies
This branch of the autonomic system restores the body to calm after stress.
parasympathetic nervous system
After firing, a neuron resets and cannot fire again immediately. This period is called the ______
refractory period
Split-brain surgery cuts fibers in this structure to control epilepsy.
corpus callosum
The process of converting stimulus energy (like light or sound) into neural signals is called ______
transduction
Evolutionary psychologists argue human behaviors evolved to maximize these three advantages (name two)
survival, mate attraction, and parental strength for offspring
Identify one body function the autonomic nervous system regulates that the somatic does not.
glandular activity, digestion, or heartbeat
Multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis are disorders that disrupt neural communication in these two specific ways
MS --> degraded myelin sheeth
MG --> blocked acetylcholine receptors
In which lobe of the cerebral cortex would damage most directly impair judgment and planning?
frontal lobe
According to Weber’s Law, two stimuli must differ by a constant ______, not a constant amount, to be perceived
percentage or proportion