AP Psychology: Biopsychology flashcards

Question 1

Which term names the electrical impulse that travels along a neuron's axon?

Accepted Answer

Action potential

Question 2

Which endocrine gland sits on top of the kidneys and releases hormones tied to the stress response?

Accepted Answer

Adrenal gland

Question 3

What is a particular variant of a gene called?

Accepted Answer

Allele

Question 4

Which limbic system structure helps produce emotional experience and attaches emotional significance to memories?

Accepted Answer

Amygdala

Question 5

Which area of the left hemisphere is essential for producing language?

Accepted Answer

Broca's area

Question 6

Which division of the nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord?

Accepted Answer

Central nervous system (CNS)

Question 7

Which hindbrain structure governs balance, coordination and movement?

Accepted Answer

Cerebellum

Question 8

What is the brain's outer surface, linked to its highest mental abilities, called?

Accepted Answer

Cerebral cortex

Question 9

What is a long strand of genetic information called?

Accepted Answer

Chromosome

Question 10

Which thick band of nerve fibers joins the two hemispheres of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Corpus callosum

Question 11

Which branch-like extension of the soma picks up signals arriving from other neurons?

Accepted Answer

Dendrite

Question 12

What is an allele called when its phenotype shows up in any individual who carries it?

Accepted Answer

Dominant allele

Question 13

Which body system is made up of glands that produce hormones?

Accepted Answer

Endocrine system

Question 14

What is a sequence of DNA that controls, fully or partly, physical characteristics called?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Question 15

What term describes an individual's genetic makeup?

Accepted Answer

Genotype

Question 16

Which type of nervous system cell gives neurons physical and metabolic support?

Accepted Answer

Glial cell

Question 17

What is a bump or ridge on the cerebral cortex called?

Accepted Answer

Gyrus (plural: gyri)

Question 18

What is a groove or depression in the cerebral cortex called?

Accepted Answer

Sulcus (plural: sulci)

Question 19

What name is given to the left or right half of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Hemisphere

Question 20

What term describes having two different alleles of a gene?

Accepted Answer

Heterozygous

Question 21

What term describes having two identical alleles of a gene?

Accepted Answer

Homozygous

Question 22

Which division of the brain includes the medulla, the pons and the cerebellum?

Accepted Answer

Hindbrain

Question 23

Which temporal lobe structure is associated with learning and memory?

Accepted Answer

Hippocampus

Question 24

What is the term for a state of equilibrium in which conditions such as body temperature are kept at optimal levels?

Accepted Answer

Homeostasis

Question 25

What do endocrine glands release as chemical messengers?

Accepted Answer

Hormones

Question 26

Which forebrain structure links the nervous system with the endocrine system?

Accepted Answer

Hypothalamus

Question 27

What are twins who develop from a single sperm and egg called?

Accepted Answer

Identical twins

Question 28

What term names the idea that each brain hemisphere is specialized for particular functions?

Accepted Answer

Lateralization

Question 29

Which group of brain structures takes part in processing memory and emotion?

Accepted Answer

Limbic system

Question 30

Which hindbrain structure controls automatic processes such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate?

Accepted Answer

Medulla

Question 31

What is the difference in electrical charge across a neuron's membrane called?

Accepted Answer

Membrane potential

Question 32

Which brain division lies between the forebrain and the hindbrain?

Accepted Answer

Midbrain

Question 33

Which strip of cortex helps plan and coordinate movement?

Accepted Answer

Motor cortex

Question 34

What is a sudden, lasting change in a gene called?

Accepted Answer

Mutation

Question 35

Which fatty substance insulates axons?

Accepted Answer

Myelin sheath

Question 36

What term names the nervous system's capacity to change?

Accepted Answer

Neuroplasticity

Question 37

What is the nervous system's chemical messenger called?

Accepted Answer

Neurotransmitter

Question 38

What are the gaps in the myelin sheath around an axon called?

Accepted Answer

Nodes of Ranvier

Question 39

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex is associated with visual processing?

Accepted Answer

Occipital lobe

Question 40

Which gland releases hormones that regulate blood sugar?

Accepted Answer

Pancreas

Question 41

Which division of the nervous system connects the brain and spinal cord with the sense organs, muscles and organs?

Accepted Answer

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 42

What term describes an individual's inheritable physical characteristics?

Accepted Answer

Phenotype

Question 43

Which area of the frontal lobe handles higher-level cognitive functioning?

Accepted Answer

Prefrontal cortex

Question 44

What is the protein on a cell's surface to which neurotransmitters attach?

Accepted Answer

Receptor

Question 45

What is an allele called when its phenotype is expressed only in individuals who are homozygous for it?

Accepted Answer

Recessive allele

Question 46

What is it called when a neurotransmitter is taken back up into the neuron that released it?

Accepted Answer

Reuptake

Question 47

What is the cell body of a neuron called?

Accepted Answer

Soma

Question 48

Which cortical area processes sensory information such as touch, temperature and pain from across the body?

Accepted Answer

Somatosensory cortex

Question 49

Which division of the autonomic nervous system is involved in stress-related activities?

Accepted Answer

Sympathetic nervous system

Question 50

What is the tiny gap between two neurons, where they communicate, called?

Accepted Answer

Synaptic cleft

Question 51

Where in a neuron are neurotransmitters stored?

Accepted Answer

Synaptic vesicle

Question 52

Which brain structure acts as a sensory relay?

Accepted Answer

Thalamus

Question 53

What is the level of membrane charge that makes a neuron become active called?

Accepted Answer

Threshold of excitation

Question 54

Which gland releases hormones that regulate growth, metabolism and appetite?

Accepted Answer

Thyroid

Question 55

Which brain area is important for understanding speech?

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area

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