Heredity & Environment
What is the term used to describe the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring?
Heredity
Explain the difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters.
excitatory neurotransmitters increase the likelihood that a neuron will fire, while inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease that likelihood
What role does the hippocampus play in memory?
Converting short-term memories into long-term memories
What type of drug decreases neural activity and produces relaxation?
Depressants
What is the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimuli from the environment?
Sensation
Name the evolutionary psychologist who developed the concept of natural selection.
Charles Darwin
What type of neuron carries information from the sensory receptors to the brain?
afferent neurons (or sensory neurons)
What does the corpus callosum do?
connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, allowing communication between them
Name one example of a stimulant.
caffeine (or cocaine, amphetamines)
What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing?
bottom-up processing starts with sensory input and works its way to the brain, while top-down processing uses prior knowledge and experience to interpret sensory input
Which type of studies help researchers differentiate the effects of nature and nurture on human behavior by comparing twins raised together and apart?
Twin studies
Explain how the fight-or-flight response is activated in the body.
The activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which increases heart rate, dilates pupils, and slows digestion in response to perceived danger
What is the function of the amygdala?
regulating emotions, particularly fear and aggression
What is tolerance in the context of drug use?
The need for larger doses of a drug to achieve the same effect over time
What is the part of the ear where transduction of sound waves into neural signals occurs?
cochlea
What is epigenetics, and how does it challenge the traditional nature vs. nurture debate?
Study of how environmental influences can affect gene expression without changing the DNA sequence
What is reuptake in the context of neurotransmission?
The process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending neuron after transmitting a signal
What part of the brain is responsible for coordinating voluntary movement, balance, and motor learning
cerebellum
Define an agonist in terms of its effect on neurotransmitters
a substance that mimics or increases the action of a neurotransmitter
What is the structure in the eye responsible for controlling the amount of light that enters?
pupil
Define the term “genetic predisposition” and explain how it interacts with environmental factors in shaping behavior.
A genetic predisposition, where certain traits or behaviors are more likely to occur due to inherited genes, but environmental factors can either activate or suppress these tendencies
What is the resting potential of a neuron?
The state when a neuron is not firing and has a slightly negative charge inside
In split-brain research, what happens when a person is shown a word in their left visual field?
The right hemisphere sees the word, but the person cannot verbally identify it due to the split in communication with the left hemisphere
How do reuptake inhibitors work?
blocking the reabsorption of neurotransmitters, leaving them in the synaptic gap longer to enhance their effects
Which part of the brain processes smell, and why is smell closely linked to memory?
the olfactory bulb, and smell is closely linked to memory because it bypasses the thalamus