“Neuronal Know-How”
Parts of the neuron
Parts of the neuron
The tiny gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transmit signals.
What is a synapse or synaptic gap
This part of the brain is referred to as the "relay station: for incoming sensory information.
What is the thalamus
A scan that provides a detailed image of the brain’s structure using magnetic fields.
What is an MRI
The two main parts of the nervous system.
What are the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
The variable that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effects.
What is an independent variable?
A method that involves manipulating one variable to determine its effect on another, often conducted in controlled settings.
What is an experiment?
The lobe of the brain responsible for vision.
What is the occipital lobe?
a brief electrical impulse that travels down a neuron's axon, essentially acting as the signal that a neuron is "firing"
What is an action potential?
The brain structure that controls heartbeat and breathing.
What is the medulla
A scan that measures brain wave activity or electrical activity in the brain.
What is an EEG?
The type of neuron that carries information from the sensory organs to the central nervous system.
What are sensory neurons?
A procedure where neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the treatment or placebo.
What is a double-blind procedure?
We would use this method when doing an in-depth analysis of a patient who has a rare neurological disorder, documenting their symptoms and treatment response over several months.
What is a case study?
In a game of ping pong which 2 specific areas of the brain, responsible for coordinating your movements and processing sensory feedback, would be highly active?
The sensory and motor cortex's
The tiny gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transmit signals.
What is the synapse?
The brain structure responsible for regulating emotions like fear.
What is the amygdala?
A scan that tracks the movement of a radioactive substance in the brain to show areas of activity.
What is a PET scan?
The part of the nervous system responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements and relaying sensory information.
What is the somatic nervous system?
The process of assigning participants to experimental/control groups in order to reduce bias.
What is random assignment?
An example of this method would be a review that combines data from 20 studies on the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance to identify overall trends and conclusions.
What is a meta analysis?
This lobe contains our auditory cortex
What is the temporal lobe?
The part of the neuron that insulates the axon and speeds up the transmission of neural impulses.
What is the myelin sheath?
The part of the brain that forms and stores long-term memories.
What is the hippocampus?
A brain scan that measures brain structure and activity by detecting changes in blood flow
What is an fMRI?
The system that calms the body after a stressful event and conserves energy.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
A specific and measurable definition of a variable used in a study, like "class participation" defined as "number of hand raises.
What is an operational definition?
An example of this research method would be a study that surveys a diverse group of teenagers from different schools at the same time to explore their social media usage and mental health.
What is a cross-sectional study?
As Patrick struggles to choose between two potential job offers, he uses this lobe of his brain as he weighs the pros and cons of each opportunity.
What is the Frontal Lobe?
The location where neurotransmitters are released into the synapse to send signals to the next neuron. Stores neurotransmitters in its vesicles.
What is the Axon Terminal?
Kyle slipped on a banana peel and hit the back of his head on the pavement. Ever since he has had immense difficulty keeping his balance, he probably damaged his...
Cerebellum
The brain scan that is best for measuring brain activity in real-time. records using electrodes on the Scalp.
What is an EEG?
Neurons that communicate between sensory and motor neurons, primarily found in the CNS.
An outside variable that affects both the independent and dependent variables, potentially skewing results.
(Taiwanese Toaster example!)
What is a confounding variable?
An example of this method would be a research project that looks at how hours spent studying relate to exam scores among high school students to see if more study time is linked to better grades.
What is a correlational study?
This part on the top and back of the cerebral cortex is responsible for processing touch, temperature, and body position.
What is the parietal lobe?