Back to AI Flashcard MakerPsychology /AP Psychology ALL Terms Part 3
AP Psychology ALL Terms Part 3
This deck covers key concepts and terms related to brain structures and learning processes in psychology, including the limbic system, cerebral cortex, and classical conditioning.
limbic system
a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
limbic system
a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggre...
amygdala
two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion
hypothalamus
a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrin...
cerebral cortex
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing cente...
glial cells
cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons
frontal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgement
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
limbic system | a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus |
amygdala | two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion |
hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |
cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
glial cells | cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons |
frontal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgement |
parietal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex |
occipital lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field |
temporal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears, includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear |
motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
sensory cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations |
association areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage to either Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
Broca's Area | an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
Wernicke's area | a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe |
plasticity | the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in the brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development |
corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
split brain | a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them |
endocrine system | the body's 'slow' chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
hormones | chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
adrenal glands | a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (nonadrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress |
pituitary gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. |
learning | a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience |
associative learning | learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning) |
behaviorism | the view that psychology 1) should be an objective science that 2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with 1) but not with 2). |
classical conditioning | a type of learning in which an organism comes to associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus that signals an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) begins to produce a response that anticipates and prepares for the unconditioned stimulus. |
unconditioned response (UCR) | in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), such as salivation when food is in the mouth. |
unconditioned stimulus (UCS) | in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally--naturally and automatically--triggers a response. |
conditioned response (CR) | in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) |
conditioned stimulus (CS) | in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR) |