Summary of all terms and definitions from The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience by Jamie Ward, Third Edition
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Cognitive Neuroscience
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Open Universiteit (OU)
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The Student\'s Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience
This document contains all terms and definitions from chapters 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16. You can use it to make flashcards or to study for you exams. It could even be handy for just having on your computer while getting through the book so you can seek out the definitions of terms very ...
Samenvatting The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience van Ward - voor het vak Cognitieve Neurowetenschappen voor Geesteswetenschappers
Aantekeningen colleges 1-10 | 0HV40 Brain Body And Behaviour
Cognition and Neuroscience: Techniques for assessing brain anatomy
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Cognitive neuroscience terms
Introduction to the brain
Gray matter = matter consisting primarily of neuronal cell bodies
White matter = tissue of the nervous system consisting primarily of axons and support cells
Glia = support cells of the nervous system involved in tissue repair and in the formation of
myelin
Corpus callosum = a large white matter tract that connects the two hemispheres
Ventricles = the hollow chambers of the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid
Anterior = towards the front
Posterior = towards the back
Superior = towards the top
Inferior = towards the bottom
Dorsal = towards the top (back)
Ventral = towards the bottom (front)
Lateral = the outer part
Medial = in or toward the middle
Gyri = the raised folds of the cortex
Sulci = the buried grooves of the cortex
Brodmann’s areas = regions of cortex defined by the relative distribution of cell types across
cortical layers
Basal ganglia = regions of subcortical gray matter involved in aspects of motor control and
skill learning; they consist of structures such as the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus
pallidus
Limbic system = a region of subcortex involved in relating the organism to its present and
past environment; limbic structures include the amygdala, hippocampus, cingulate cortex,
and mamillary bodies
Thalamus = a major subcortical relay center; for instance, it is a processing station between
all sensory organs (except smell) and the cortex
Hypothalamus = consists of a variety of nuclei that are specialized for different functions that
are primarily concerned with the body and its regulation
Superior colliculi = a midbrain nucleus that forms part of a subcortical sensory pathway
involved in programming fast eye movements
Inferior colliculi = a midbrain nucleus that forms part of a subcortical auditory pathway
, Cerebellum = structure attached to the hindbrain; important for dexterity and smooth
execution of movement
Pons = part of the hindbrain; a key link between the cerebellum and the cerebrum
Medulla oblongata = part of the hindbrain; it regulates vital functions such as breathing,
swallowing, heart rate, and the wake-sleep cycle
The developing brain
Nature-nurture debate = the extent to which cognition and behavior can be attributed to
genes or environment
Neuroconstructivism = a process of interaction between environment and multiple,, brain-
based constraints that leads to the mature cognitive system emerging out of transformations
of earlier ones
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) = a hemodynamic method that measures blood
oxygenation, normally in one brain region
Neural tube = the embryo’s precursor to the central nervous system, consisting of a set of
cells arranged in a hollow cylinder
Neuroblasts = stem cells for neurons
Radial glial cells = support cells that guide neurons from the neural tube to final destination
Myelination = an increase in the fatty sheath that surrounds axons and increases the speed
of information transmission
Filial imprinting = the process by which a young animal comes to recognize the parent
Critical period = a time window in which appropriate environmental input is essential for
learning to take place
Sensitive period = a time window in which appropriate environmental input is particularly
important (but not necessarily essential) for learning to take place
Empiricism = in philosophy, the view that the newborn mind is a blank slate
Nativism = in philosophy, the view that at least some forms of knowledge are innate
Instinct = a behavior that is a product of natural selection
Prepared learning = the theory that common phobias are biologically determined from
evolutionary pressures
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