Back to AI Flashcard MakerPsychology /AP Psychology ALL Terms Part 2
AP Psychology ALL Terms Part 2
This deck covers essential terms and concepts from AP Psychology, focusing on biological psychology, the nervous system, and brain structures.
median
the middle score in a distribution; the scores are above it and half are below it
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
median
the middle score in a distribution; the scores are above it and half are below it
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
statistical significance
a statistical criterion for rejecting the assumption of no differences in a particular study
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Biological psychology
concerned with links between biology and behavior
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
median | the middle score in a distribution; the scores are above it and half are below it |
range | the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution |
standard deviation | a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score |
statistical significance | a statistical criterion for rejecting the assumption of no differences in a particular study |
culture | the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |
Biological psychology | concerned with links between biology and behavior |
Neuron | building blocks of the nervous system |
Dendrite | Branches designed to receive/send/and transport information |
Axon | transports messages to different muscles/glands in the body |
Action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane. |
Myelin sheath | a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next |
Threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
Synapse | the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft |
Neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether it will generate a neural impulse |
Acetylcholine | a neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction |
Endorphins | "morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. |
Nervous system | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems. |
Central nervous system (CNS) | the brain and spinal cord |
Peripheral nervous system (PNS) | The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body |
Nerves | Neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
Sensory neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system |
Interneurons | central nervous system neurons that intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
Motor neurons | The neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
Somatic nervous system | the division of the peripheral nervous sytem that controls the body's skeletal muscles. |
Autonomic nervous system | the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms. |
Sympathetic nervous system | The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
Parasympathetic nervous system | The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
Reflex | a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response |
Neural networks | interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer stimulations of neural networks show analogous learning. |
Phrenology | an ill-fated theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits. |
lesion | tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue |
EEG (electroencephalogram) | an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp |
CT (computed tomography) | a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body |
PET (positron emission tomography) | a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) | a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain |
brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions |
medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
cerebellum | the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |