Chapters 4-7 Key Terms
During early brain development, millions of new nerve cells are being produced. These newly formed neurons will eventually develop connections that allow the brain and nervous system to function.
What is the process called in which new neurons are formed?
Neurogenesis
A sperm cell successfully fertilizes an egg. The resulting single cell begins dividing as it travels toward the uterus.
What is this newly formed cell called?
Zygote
During pregnancy, the developing baby needs oxygen and nutrients from the mother. A temporary organ develops in the uterus that helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to the developing baby and carries waste products away.
What is this temporary organ called?
Placenta
About three weeks after fertilization, the developing organism is beginning to develop major structures, including the early nervous system and heart. This stage continues through approximately the eighth week.
What is the developing organism called during this stage?
Embryo
A pregnancy has reached 9 weeks. The developing baby has moved beyond the embryonic stage and will continue to grow and develop until birth.
Jeopardy Question:
What is the developing organism called beginning at approximately 9 weeks of pregnancy?
Fetus
A baby is born with a physical or developmental condition that was present at birth. The condition may have resulted from genetic factors, environmental influences, or a combination of factors during development.
Jeopardy Question:
What are conditions that are present at birth called?
Congenital Disorders
A student has difficulty hearing because sound waves are not being effectively transmitted through the outer or middle ear. The problem is not caused by damage to the auditory nerve.
Jeopardy Question:
What type of hearing loss does this student have?
Conduction Hearing Loss
A person walks into a bakery and immediately notices the smell of freshly baked bread. Their sensory system detects molecules in the air and sends information to the brain.
What sensory system allows the person to detect the smell?
What is Olfaction?
Without looking, a student closes their eyes and raises their hand above their head. They can tell where their arm and hand are positioned.
What sense allows the student to perceive the position and movement of their body?
What is Kinesthesia?
A student gets off a spinning amusement-park ride and feels dizzy and unsteady. Their inner ear helps their brain detect changes in balance and body position.
What sensory system helps maintain balance and detect movement of the head?
Vestibular Sense
A student bumps their elbow against a desk. They immediately rub the painful area, and the rubbing seems to reduce the sensation of pain.
What theory explains how signals from touch can influence the perception of pain?
Gate Control Theory
After having a leg amputated, a person reports feeling as though their missing foot is still present and sometimes even feels sensations coming from that foot.
What is this experience called?
What are Phantom Limb Sensations?
A student watches a series of still images displayed rapidly one after another. Although each image is stationary, the student perceives continuous movement.
What phenomenon creates the perception of movement from rapidly presented still images?
What is Stroboscopic Movement?
Maria can see a person's facial features clearly, but she cannot recognize who the person is—even when it is someone she knows well. She can recognize the person by their voice or clothing.
What condition makes it difficult for Maria to recognize familiar faces?
What is Prosopagnosia?
A student touches a hot cup of coffee. Receptors in the skin detect the temperature and send information through the nervous system to the brain.
What process involves detecting physical stimuli from the environment through sensory receptors?
What is Sensation?
After practicing how to ride a bicycle several times, a child becomes better at balancing and controlling the bike. The improvement lasts over time.
What is the process of acquiring knowledge or changing behavior through experience?
What is Learning?
A student watches a demonstration of how to solve a difficult math problem. Later, the student remembers the steps and successfully solves a similar problem without being shown again.
What type of learning involves mental processes such as thinking, remembering, and understanding?
What is Cognitive Learning?
Every time a student hears the school bell at the end of class, they begin packing their backpack. After several weeks, hearing the bell automatically makes them think about leaving class.
What type of learning occurs when a person makes a connection between two events or stimuli?
What is Associative Learning?
A teacher wants a student to give a complete presentation. First, the teacher praises the student for standing in front of the class. Then, the teacher reinforces speaking a few sentences, and eventually reinforces giving the entire presentation.
What technique involves reinforcing successive steps toward a desired behavior?
What is Shaping?
A person develops a strong dislike of a particular food. To understand why, a psychologist considers the person's biology, previous experiences and thoughts, and social and environmental influences.
What approach considers biological, psychological, and social factors when explaining behavior?
What is the Biopsychosocial approach?
After walking around a new college campus for several days, a student can mentally picture where the library, cafeteria, and classrooms are located and can find a new route between them.
What mental representation of the layout of an environment has the student developed?
What is a Cognitive Map?
A student walks through a school building every day without thinking about the different hallways. One day, the student's usual route is blocked, and the student immediately takes another route to the classroom.
What type of learning occurred without being demonstrated through an immediate reward or obvious change in behavior?
What is Latent Learning?
A child watches an older sibling properly use a recycling bin. Later, without being directly taught, the child begins sorting their own trash the same way.
What type of learning occurs by watching and observing another person's behavior?
What is Observational Learning?
A psychologist conducts research demonstrating that children can learn behaviors by watching other people. His work helped establish the importance of observation and imitation in learning.
Which psychologist is strongly associated with observational learning and the famous Bobo doll experiment?
Who is Albert Bandura?
A psychologist argues that psychology should focus on observable behavior rather than trying to study private thoughts and feelings. He is also known for his work in behaviorism and conditioning.
Which psychologist is associated with the development of behaviorism and emphasized the study of observable behavior?
Who is John B. Watson?