A layer of fatty tissue that encases the axon
Myelin sheath
The area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement
Motor cortex
The complete instructions for making an organism
Genome
The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Perception
Processing one aspect of a problem at a time
Sequential processing
A certain level of stimulation needed to trigger a neural impulse
Threshold
This lobe of the brain receives sensory input for touch and body position
Parietal lobe
The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
Epigenetics
What type of processing is this? You see a stick on the ground, as you process, you realize it's a snake!
Bottom-up processing
Your biological clock that occurs on a 24-hour cycle
Circadian Rhythm
The tiny gap crossed between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron
Synapse
This area of the brain is what helps us speak
Broca's area
The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
Heredity
The cocktail party effect illustrates this psychological phenomena
Selective attention
You'll experience hypnagogic sensations during this stage of sleep
NREM-1 (Stage 1, Level 1)
The resting period after action potentials
Refractory period
This part of the brain helps process and store conscious memories of facts and events
Hippocampus
Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
Environment
The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage
Weber's Law
Sudden attacks of overwhelming sleepiness
Narcolepsy
The nervous system that enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles
Somatic nervous system
An x-ray taken from different angles and combined into a composite image that can help reveal brain damage
CAT/CT Scan
Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
Chromosomes
Failing to notice changes in the environment
Change blindness
The recurring stage of sleep where you have vivid dreams
REM Sleep