MCAT-behavioral sciences

Rest and digest: The branch of the autonomic nervous system that promotes relaxation, conserves energy, and enhances digestion

slows heart rate, constricts pupils, stimulates salivation, increases digestion, and promotes bladder contraction.

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that activates the body's fight-or-flight response

increases heart rate, dilates airways, and releases stress hormones like adrenaline.

Part of the brain located at the back, responsible for basic functions like breathing, heart rate, and coordination of movement.

cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation

Part of the brainstem between the forebrain and hindbrain. It plays a crucial role in sensory and motor functions, as well as sleep and wakefulness.

inferior and superior colliculi

The largest and most complex region of the brain, responsible for higher cognitive functions such as thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. It consists of the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus, and plays a crucial role in sensory perception, motor control, and emotional regulation.

thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, cerebral cortex

Relay station of the brain. Processes and filters sensory information before sending it to the cerebral cortex. Plays a key role in regulating consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and hormone release. Controls sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms. Plays a role in emotions and stress response.

smoothens movements and helps maintain postural stability

controls emotion and memory

Region of the brain located in the limbic system. Involved in regulating emotions and motivation. Plays a role in reward and reinforcement processes.

Part of the limbic system in the brain. Involved in processing emotions, especially fear and aggression. Plays a role in memory formation and decision-making.

Part of the brain responsible for memory formation and retrieval. Located in the medial temporal lobe. Plays a crucial role in learning and spatial navigation.

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executive function, impulse control, long-term planning, motor function, speech production

sensation of touch, pressure, temp, and pain; spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation

visual processing

sound processing, speech perception, memory, emotion

voluntary muscle control, PNS, attention, alertness

fight or flight, wakefulness, alertness

Neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward, and motivation. It plays a role in mood regulation, motor control, and cognitive function.

Neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite, and sleep. Involved in feelings of happiness and well-being. Imbalances linked to depression and anxiety.

Neurotransmitter that inhibits brain activity, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. It helps regulate sleep, mood, and muscle tone.

Neurotransmitter responsible for excitatory signals in the brain. Involved in learning, memory, and neural communication. Overactivation can lead to neurotoxicity.

Chemical compounds produced by the body that act as natural painkillers and mood enhancers. They are released during exercise, laughter, and other pleasurable activities, promoting feelings of happiness and reducing pain perception.

the influence of genetics and environment on human development and behavior.

conversion of physical stimuli into neurological signals

processing of sensory information to make sense of its significance

minimum stimulus that causes a change in signal transduction

minimum amount of change required for a difference to be perceived

just-noticeable difference is proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus and this proportion is constant over the range of possible stimuli

effects of nonsensory factors (experiences, motives, expectations) on perception of stimuli

part of the inner ear that detects sound

part of the inner ear that detects linear acceleration and head tilts in horizontal plane

part of the inner ear that detects linear acceleration and head tilts in the vertical plane

data-driven, recognition of objects by parallel processing and feature detection

slow

less prone to mistakes

conceptually-driven, recognition of an object by memories and expectations with little attention to details

more prone to mistakes

fast

ways that the brain can infer missing parts of an image when it is incomplete

process of becoming used to a stimulus

occurs when a second stimulus intervenes, causing a resensitization to the original stimulus

acquisition of behavior by watching others

pairing together stimuli and responses, or behaviors and consequences

form of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with and unconditioned stimulus such that the neutral stimulus alone produces the same response as the unconditioned stimulus

form of associative learning in which the frequency of a behavior is modified using reinforcement or punishment

alpha and beta

able to perceive, process, access, and express information

theta

light sleep

theta

sleep spindles and K complexes

bursts of neural oscillatory activity

large spike in electrical activity

delta

slow-wave sleep, dreams, declarative memory consolidation, some sleep disorders

beta

appears awake physiologically, dreams, paralyzed, procedural memory consolidation

sleep disorders that affect amount of timing of sleep

insomnia, narcolepsy

sleep disorders that involve odd behaviors during sleep

sleepwalking

mesolimbic

dopamine

sensorimotor stage

focuses on manipulation the environment to meet physical needs through circular reactions, stage ends at object permanence

repetitive acts that allows infants to learn about their bodies

preoperational stage

focuses on symbolic thinking, egocentrism, centration

inability to imagine what another person thinks or feels

focusing on only one aspect of a phenomenon

concrete operational stage

focuses on understanding the feelings of others and manipulating physical objects

formal operational stage

focuses on abstract thought and problem soliving

deriving conclusions from general rules

deriving generalizations from evidence

simplified principles used to make decisions

allows one to pay attention to a particular stimulus while determining if additional stimuli require attention in the background

uses automatic processing to pay attention to multiple activities at once

area of the brain responsible for language comprehension

ability to speak fluently but have difficulties understanging language

area of the brain responsible for motor function of speach

only able to speak comprehensibly in short sentences with great effort

connects wernickes area and brocas area

conduction aphasia

inability to repeat words despite intact speech generation and comprehension

based on external circumstances

based on internal drive or perception

innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to stimuli

the state of being awake and reactive to stimuli

aim for optimal level of arousal for a given task

individual act to relieve internal states of tension

prioritizes needs into categories; physiological needs are higher priority than emotional needs