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Biological Psychology: Exam 1 Test Questions (Chapters 1 & 2)

ter 1

) Biological psychologists are interested in the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system and the behavior and cognition.

)

Empirical knowledge is knowledge obtained through our senses.

) When scientists discuss the relative contributions of inheritance versus experience to our development, they are engaging in a discussio

nature versus nurture. (When scientists are in a discussion involving gene and environment, they are engaged in a conversation of natu

versus nurture.)

) Reduction: taking complex systems apart to better understand them.

) Rene Descartes is important in originating the steps to conduct scientific research:

I. Careful observation from Aristotle

II.

Hypothesis formulation & Research questions

III.

Theories (just an explanation)

) Natural selection

)

Microscope suggested that humans are made of the same cells as rats.

) Charles Darwin published a book in 1859 called The Origin of Species.

Organized the animal kingdom and put humans in the midst of that.

The sum total of all of genes is called genotype and codes for a person. How a person look is his/her phenotype. In other word

genotype codes for phenotype. Factors that define Evolution:

I.No two living things are the same. (Variation (V) is always greater than 0.)

II.

Overproduction.

III.

Big population leads to competition (for limited resources)

IV. Some individuals outcompete others, measured by differential reproductive successsome individuals produce more offsprin

V.

Some genes become more common than other genes.

Evolution: a change in gene frequencies over generational time. Some genes become common, and others become less comm

)

Sources or factors of genetic variation:

I.

MutationII. Sexual Reproduction

III.

Crossing-over

0) Evolutionary Adaptation: anything that confers a reproductive advantage on an individual. Adaptation is when an organism adjusts to i

environment or surroundings.

1)

Simple vs. Complex; Primitive vs. Advanced (Evolutionary adaptations)

Homology vs. Analogy (Homologous structures have the same evolutionary or embryonic beginnings) (Analogous structures do the sa

thing but are not the same structures)

2) People are selectively destroying parts of animals brains to find out what that part of the brain does.

Researchers study cat and rat brain because their brain is similar to the human brain.

3) Paul Brocahas patients who show a loss of speechcalled it Brocas area damage there causes speech problems

4)

Carl Wernickehis patients lose ability to comprehend languagecant understand language called Wernickes area.

5) Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke are two of the very first neurologists.

6) Evidence that the brain is very important in behavior:

I.

Selective destruction of brain parts of animals produces behavioral changes

II.

Autopsies of cadavers who had had behavioral problems always reveal brain damage.

7) Psychology: the science of the nervous system, behavior, and cognition.

8)

Humans: Kingdom=Animalia; Class= Mammalia; Phylum=Chordata; Order=Primates

9)

Next subdivision of animalia: Phyla; subset of this is Phylum;

Humans belong to the Phylum called Chordata or (plural) Chordates; Order=Primates

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The spine or the back of something, called the dorsal, explains this.

All Chordates have thisa hollow dorsal nerve chordthat runs along the back

0) Taxonomy: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

1)

Adaptation of the brain of mammals called the cortex all mammals have itan advanced feature of the brain of mammals.

2) Rat, cat, and monkey share common ancestors with humans.

3) Taxonomy of a Cat: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora; Family: Felidae; Genus: Felis;

Species: Felis catus

4) Rats are in the same Class as humans: Mammalia

5)

In order of frequency of use in research, the common mammals used by far are rodents and mice.

In order of being mostly used to least used: rodents, cats, monkeys, chimpanzees

6) There are ways of controlling how animals are used in research: university is controlled by an IRB(Institutional Review Board).

7)

When the committee has to deal only with animals and looks at animal-based research, it is called an Institutional Animal Care and Us

Committee (IACUC).

Person conducting research cannot be on the committee, but other researchers can be

Researchers that are not doing the research; student representatives; ethicist; and veterinarian propose guidelines that minim

suffering of the subjects.

8)

3 Rs:

I. Reduction: reduce the number of animals used in research

II.

Refinement: refine the way the animal is being used so that it does not hurt too much

III. Replacement: replace animals with plastic/artificial models.

ter 2

9)

Glucose is the fundamental fuel for the bodys neurons.

Active transport needs energy via ATP.

0)

Whenever you break a chemical bond, energy is produced. ATP ADP

1) Sodium Potassium pump: pumps Na+(3 of them) out of the neuron & K+(2 of them) into the neuron.

2)

The reason why the Sodium Potassium pump is important is because it maintains the electrical polarity of the cell membrane. It makes

outside of the cell more positive than the inside of the cell.3) When a neuron is not doing anything, it is said to be at rest the outside of the cell is positive with respect to the inside we call that

Resting Membrane Potentialor Resting Membrane Voltage. (Potential = Voltage)

4) When a neuron is at rest, there is 10 times more sodium outside the resting neuron than the inside; it is relatively negative (but not nega

not as positive.

5)

How many neurons are in the brain of a normal, 20 year-old, human adult? 100 billion neurons. Glia cells are 10 times more than this

amount of neurons [1 trillion] and are 1/10 the size of a neuron.

6)

Neurons are the most energy-demanding cell in the human body. Even at rest, neurons use 20 times as much glucose as muscle cells d

7) Glia cells:

I.

Astrocytes (or astroglia) help provide nourishment (glucose) to neurons, and they clean the metabolic waste of neurons. They als

to be involved in the coordinating (or the firing) of neurons, naturally allowing neurons to communicate with each other in group

II. The smallest of all the glia cells is called microglia. They function similarly to astrocytes. However, they also function as the

extension of the immune systemand prevent neurons from being infected by bacteria and viruses.

A bone cell or a muscle cell can divide. Of all cells in your body, the neurons in the brain of an adult vertebra are th

least likely cells to divide. Therefore, microgliais there to protect the neurons from invasions from bacteria and viruses

III.

Schwann cells secrete myelinsheaths in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and everywhere else.

IV.

Oligodendrocytes secrete myelin sheathsonly in the Central Nervous System (CNS) via brain and spinal cord.

8) Blood-Brain Barrier: a mechanism that excludes most chemicals from the vertebrate brain; more protection for neurons; stops the migr

of bacteria and viruses into the brain. Lipophilic (fat-loving) molecules such as opiates can get through the Blood-Brain Barrier.

9) The cell membrane will allow gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide through while the Blood-Brain Barrier allows lipophilic molec

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0)

Neurons: the primary information producing, information processing, and information transmitting cells of the nervous system.

1)

Neurons typically consist of 3 parts: a cell body (soma), dendrites (multiply branched, tapered structures that receive information) lead

dendritic spines, and an axon. Note:

Some neurons but not all neurons have one, but never more than one long fiber filament called an axon.

2) Information comes into the neuron through its dendrites and leaves through its axon.

3) There are 3 kinds of neurons:

I. Sensory neurons: take information from outside world to nervous system. Eyes, ears, and skin

II.

Motor Neurons: take information from the nervous system to the muscles.

III. Interneurons:neurons in brain in-between sensory and motor neurons

4) There are some neurons in the brain that do not have long axons and are called localor intrinsic neuronsto one part of the brain.

5)

Mitochondria strips off hydrogen from other molecules to make energy available.

6) Sodium channels (voltage-controlled sodium gates): when outside of cell is very positive with respect to the inside, sodium channels ar

closed. Only open when the inside of a cell becomes less negative or less polarized. Opens and closes (is refractory)

7)

Sodium-Potassium Pump: helps redistribute sodium and potassium ions; maintains the Resting Membrane Potential and restore the

distribution of ions; maintains cells polarity; inside of cell is electronegative with respect to the outside because of 3 sodiums out and

potassiums in sodium is 10 times more concentrated in a resting neuron than outside, making the outside very positive than the insid

(polarizedoutside is positive and inside is negative or less positive)

8)

Dendrites cells are the receptor sites, which receive neurotransmitters.

9) Microelectrode (used to measure the negativity inside a cell) can be made from: gold wire; thin glass tube with gold/silver wire in it; or

glass tube with saline solution - used to measure electrical outputs (difference of potentials one neuron measurement)

0)

Diffusion pressure: moving from high concentration to lower concentration

1) Introducing positive ions into the neuron cell will cause like charges to repel each other downwards, out of the cell, and accumulates on

axon membrane

2)

More positive on outside than inside, but if a lot positive ions get inside the cell becomes depolarized(slightly less negative than outs

and sodium channel opens, trickling small amounts of sodium into it.

3)

When the sum of all negative and positive values (on both sides of the membrane) reaches a certain value, the cell reaches a firing thre4) When a cell reaches its firing threshold, it produces an Action Potential (only produced on axon and only move forward). Forward me

anterograde.

5)

Nerve impulse: A wave-like series or sequence of depolarizations, starting near the cell body and moving toward the terminal of the a

6) Repulsion and refractory forcing ions inside neuron cell.

7)Nerve: a bundle of axons out in the Peripheral Nervous System, covered with myelin (synthesized out on the PNS by Schwann cel ls)

8)

Saltatory conduction: a nerve impulse propagation (almost 100mph) made possible by myelin for a big action potential.

9) When you myelin-ate a bundle of axons out on the Peripheral Nervous System, it is sometimes called a nerve.

0)

Neurons produce voltages such as Resting Membrane Potentials and Action Potentials. In addition to this, they synthesize chemicals su

neurotransmitters on organelles, specifically the ribosomes.