Psychology Exam 2 Review Guide Biological Foundations Neuron Axon carries the cells impulse to the terminal Axon Hillock joins the soma and axon to collect the impulses before sending one down the cell Dendrites receives impulses from other cells Schwann Cells the Myelin Sheath surrounds some neurons to increase how efficiently it can carry an impulse Soma contains the genetic instructions for the function of the cell Terminal spreads the cell s impulse out to reach other neurons Terminal buttons links up the dendrites of the next neuron in the chain Synapse area where neurotransmitters are released from the terminal buttons to travel to the dendrite of the next neuron Impulses Pre synaptic neuron neuron sending the signal Post synaptic neuron neuron receiving the signal Threshold the level of stimulation needed to trigger an impulse Absolute refractory period a time period during which it is impossible to trigger an impulse Relative refractory period a time period during which it is more difficult to trigger an impulse Excitatory neuron its impulse increases the likelihood that the next neuron will send an impulse Inhibitory neuron decreases the likelihood that the next neuron will send an impulse Nervous System Autonomic NS controls the smooth muscles of the internal organs and glands Peripheral NS comprised of the autonomic and somatic systems Central NS comprised of the brain and spinal cord Somatic NS comprised of sensory and motor neurons from the spinal cord to the rest of the body Parasympathetic NS relaxes the body during times of rest and relaxation Sympathetic NS triggers the body s fight or flight systems increased heart rate for muscle activity dilated pupils for better vision Spinal Cord controls the reflex arc to remove your hand from fire activates spinal motor neurons without the delay of routing signals through the brain Parts of the Brain location Amygdala Cerebellum important in motor control balance ball in the back of the head Cerebral Cortex outer layer of the brain outside layer Cerebrum general area of the brain that contains all the structures responsible for more complex thought intelligence and behavior entire brain Corpus Callosum connects the two hemispheres so they can communicate with each other Frontal Lobe controls voluntary body movements front of head Hindbrain controls basic life functions like beating of heart and breathing cerebellum pons and medulla oblongata Hippocampus responsible for basic learning and memory Hypothalamus regulates body temperature Left Hemisphere more involved in logical thought left side Limbic system group of structures that controls emotions and memory Medulla oblongata regulates heart rate breathing and blood flow lower half of brain stem Midbrain reticular formation Occipital Lobe processes visual information back of head Parietal Lobe processes taste information above temporal middle top of head Pons connects the cerebral cortex with the medulla oblongata and serves as a communications center between the two hemispheres of the brain A relay station for visual auditory and other sensory information above medulla oblongata Reticular Formation controls sleep central core of brainstem Right Hemisphere more involved in creativity and artistic thought right side Temporal Lobe processes auditory information hearing and speech side of head Thalamus receives sensory information and relays it to the cortex Brain continued Homunculus certain parts of our body need to feel senses more than others Mr Gage spike through the skull frontal lobe loss of executive control Frontal Lobe damage trouble making decisions and regulating behavior Broca s Aphasia trouble producing fluid speech Wernicke s Aphasia trouble producing meaningful speech Sensation and Perception Sensation what our body senses detects light sound touch Perception when our brain receives the sensory information organizes it and interprets it Bottom up processing our brain sees individual pieces Top down processing our brain takes the individual pieces and puts them together using what we know puts them into context Dalmatian diagram B vs 13 Phonemic restoration our brain fills in missing sensory information if it knows what should be there Gestalt idea that what we perceive from top down processing has more meaning that what would be perceived from simply bottom up processing Figure Ground Proximity things that are closer together will be seen as belonging together Similarity tendency to see groups that have the same characteristics shape size color Good continuation seeing things as whole 2 lines crossing instead of 4 meeting at intersection Closure closing of figures filling in information two overlapping rectangles or three touching Area smaller of two overlapping figures is perceived as figure and larger is regarded as ground Symmetry seen as a closed figure contours define a figure and isolate it from its ground The Eye Aqueous humor thin watery fluid that fills the space between the cornea and the iris anterior chamber Blind spot area on the retina where there are no visual receptors Cillary muscle relaxes and contracts to control the eye s focal distance Cones sensitive to color Cornea outer layer that protects the eye Fovea the area with the densest concentration of photoreceptor cells that allows us to see in great detail Iris the structure that controls how much light enters Lens pulled into shape that focus incoming light onto receptor cells in the back of the eye Optical nerve transmits visual information from the retina to the brain Pupil the whole through which light enters the eye Retina the layer comprised of photoreceptor cells Rods sensitive to low dim light Vitreous body jellylike substance filling the interior of the eyeball behind the lens Focusing Objects near objects cillary muscles contract and lens become round far objects cillary muscles relax and lens becomes flat Images are inverted on their way to the retina Monocular Depth Cues Interposition an object in front of another overlap is closer Relative Height based on the horizon close objects will be lower and far objects will be near it Familiar Size close objects are large far objects are small Texture Gradient close objects are detailed far objects look smooth Shadow direction of shadow will show an object s location Linear Perspective parallel lines that recede into the distance appear to converge Motion Parallax as we move close objects seem to be moving faster passed us and far
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