AP Psych. Vocab. 21-40

Concerned with the links between biology and behavior. Included psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology. These researchers may call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.

• biological perspective

• cognitive perspective

• developmental perspective

• social perspective

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

• motor

• sensory

• neuron

• none of the above

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

• neuron

• sensory

• motor

• none of the above

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

• neurons

• motor

• sensory

• none of the above

Neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body. Short in length.

• axon

• mylein sheath

• dendrite

• synapse

A fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.

• axon

• neuron

• mylein sheath

• synapse

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.

• axon

• neuron

• mylein sheath

• synapse

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse to bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

• reuptake

• endorphins

• neurotransmitter

• central nervous system

A neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by sending the neuron.

• neurotransmitter

• endorphin

• central nervous system

• reuptake

“Morphine within” natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

• endorphin

• neurotransmitter

• central nervous system

• peripheral nervous system