Flashcards
Biopsychology - Chapter 1 - Origins of Behavioral Neuroscience
Cards in this deck (16)
- 1corpus callosumA large bundle of nerve fibers that connects corresponding parts of one side of the brain with those of the other
- 2split-brain operationBrain surgery where the surgeon cuts the corpus callosum. It's occasionally performed to treat a form of epilepsy
- 3cerebral hemispheresThe two symmetrical halves of the brain that constitute the major part of the brain
- 4generalizationa scientific explanation where a general conclusion is based on many observations of similar phenomena
- 5reductiona scientific explanation where a phenomenon is described in terms of the more elementary processes that underlie it
- 6reflexAn automatic, stereotyped movement produced as the direct result of a stimulus
- 7modelA mathematical or physical analogy for a physiological process (i.e. computers-->multiple brain functions)
- 8doctrine of specific nerve energiesMuller's conclusion that because all nerve fibers carry the same type of message, sensory information must be specified by the particular nerve fibers that are active
- 9experimental ablationresearch method in which the function of a part of the brain is inferred by observing the behaviors an animal can no longer perform after that part is damaged
- 10functionalismprinciple that the best way to understand a biological phenomenon (behavior or physiological structure) is to try to understand its useful functions for the organism
- 11natural selectionthe process by which inherited traits that confer a selective advantage (increase likelihood to live+reproduce) become more prevalent in the population
- 12evolutiongradual change in the structure and physiology of plant and animal species - generally producing more complex organisms - as a result of natural selection
- 13mutationa change in the genetic information contained in the chromosomes of sperm or eggs, which can be passed on to an organism's offspring; providing genetic variability
- 14selective advantagea characteristic of an organism that permits it to produce more than the average number of offspring of its species
- 15neotenya slowing of the process of maturation, allowing more time for growth; an important factor in the development of large brains
- 16behavioral neuroscientist/physiological psychologista scientist who studies the physiology of behavior, primarily by performing physiological and behavioral experiments with laboratory animals
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- Flashcards for Chapter 1 in Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience by Neil Carlson
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- Lorann Kearney
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