6. Biopsychology EQs Flashcards
Martha was telling her friend Sanya about her recent frightening experience.
’I was walking home by myself in the dark. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and I realised that someone was getting closer to me. I saw a bus at the bus stop and decided to run. I don’t think I have ever moved with such speed. I leapt on the bus – shaking, sweating and my heart was beating so fast I nearly collapsed.’
Outline the role of the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system in behaviour.
Refer to Martha’s frightening experience in your answer. (4 marks)
CNS =
- Brain in conscious awareness (I realised that…)
- Decision making (…I decided to run.)
- Auditory cortex in processing auditory information (… I heard footsteps behind me…)
- Visual cortex in processing visual information (I saw a bus…)
ANS =
- Sympathetic division with fight / flight response: increased heart rate in emergency action (…my heart was beating so fast…)
- Increased action of adrenal glands (…moved with such speed)
- Blood vessels to limbs dilate (… sweating)
Briefly evaluate the use of EEGs as a way of identifying cortical specialisation in the brain. (3 marks)
- safe way of measuring brain activity as there is no surgery or invasive process
- diagnostic tool e.g. epilepsy
- lacks precision in measuring individual action potential of
neurons
Outline one difference between the EEG and ERPs. (2 marks)
- EEG is a recording of general brain activity
- whilst ERPs are elicited by specific stimuli presented to the participant.
Briefly explain one function of the endocrine system. (2 marks)
- To secrete the hormones
- which are required to regulate many bodily functions
Briefly evaluate research using split brain patients to investigate hemispheric lateralisation of
function. (4 marks)
- small sample size
- some patients had experienced drug therapy for much longer than others
- the comparison groups were not considered to be valid as they were often people
with no history of epileptic seizures - the disconnection between the hemispheres was greater in some patients than others
Outline the role of adrenaline in the fight or flight response. (4 marks)
- Adrenaline is released from the adrenal medulla in response to activation of the
sympathomedullary pathway. - Adrenaline has a range of effects on the body
- Direct effects of adrenaline
– increase heart rate
– constricts blood vessels, increasing rate of blood flow and raising blood pressure
– diverts blood away from the skin, kidneys and digestive system
– increases blood to brain and skeletal muscle
– increases respiration and sweating - The general effects of adrenaline
– prepare the body for action, fight or flight,
– increase blood supply/oxygen, to skeletal muscle for physical action
– increase oxygen to brain for rapid response planning
Sam is a police officer. She has just started working the night shift and after a week, she finds that she has difficulty sleeping during the day and is becoming tense and irritable. Sam is also worried that she is less alert during the night shift itself.
Using your knowledge of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers, explain Sam’s experiences.
(Total 4 marks)
- endogenous pacemakers – internal biological rhythms
- exogenous zeitgebers – external factors, eg light
- moving to night shift means pacemakers try to impose inbuilt rhythm of sleep, but are now
out of synchrony with the zeitgeber of light - disruption of biological rhythms has been shown to lead to disrupted sleep patterns,
increased anxiety and decreased alertness and vigilance.
Information can only travel in one direction at a synapse.
Explain why neurons can only transmit information in one direction at a synapse.
[3 marks]
- Diffusion of the neurotransmitters mean they can only go from high to low concentration, so can only
travel from the presynaptic to the postsynaptic membrane. - the synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter are only released from the
presynaptic membrane - the receptors for the neurotransmitters are only present on the postsynaptic membrane
The fight or flight response enabled our ancestors to survive but can be less helpful in response to more modern stressors.
Explain how the body responds during fight or flight and why this could be unhelpful in a driving test situation.
[4 marks]
- the fight or flight response causes adrenaline to be released
- which can cause an increased
production of sweat and faster heart and breathing rate which could be off putting and unhelpful during a driving test (e.g. sweaty hands may make it harder to grip the steering wheel). - the fight or flight response enable a quick reaction to fight the threat or run away from it
- but neither of these options would be helpful in a driving test as if you ran away or attacked the instructor you would fail the test.
Which method of studying the brain would most accurately identify specific brain areas
activated during a cognitive task? (1 mark)
fMRI
The adrenal gland is part of the endocrine system that produces adrenaline to help the body prepare for the fight or flight response.
Using an example of a gland and hormone, outline the function of the endocrine system. Do not use the adrenal gland/adrenaline as your example. (4 marks)
- the endocrine system helps to regulate the activity of cells and organs in the body
- the endocrine system communicates chemical messages to the organs of the body
- the thyroid gland produces thyroxine, which increases heart rate and metabolic rates
- the pineal gland produces melatonin, which may help regulate the wake-sleep cycle
Describe the structure and function of a neuron (6 marks)
- Neurons enable communication within the nervous system
- the cell body contains the genetic material
- branch-like dendrites extend from the cell body
- dendrites carry functional information towards the cell body
- dendrites can receive information from other neurons
- axons carry messages away from the cell body
- axons can be myelinated to increase speed of nerve transmission
- axon terminals contain neurotransmitters.
Describe two or more functions of the peripheral nervous system. (4 marks)
- the peripheral nervous system is responsible for transmitting messages to and from the central nervous system
- mention a sub-system from it!
Outline the difference between endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers.
Use examples in your answer. (2 marks)
- endogenous pacemakers are internal whereas exogenous zeitgebers are external
- endogenous pacemakers are body clocks which regulate biological rhythm whereas exogenous zeitgebers are cues that entrain our biological rhythms
- the effects of the SCN
(endogenous pacemaker) as opposed to light (exogenous zeitgeber).
Briefly outline the process of synaptic transmission. (2 marks)
- release of neurotransmitter into the synapse.
- neurotransmitter binding with receptors on the dendrite
What does the somatic nervous system do? (1 mark)
connects the central nervous system and the senses.
You are walking home at night. It is dark and you hear someone running behind you. Your breathing quickens, your mouth dries and your heart pounds. Then you hear your friend call out, “Hey, wait for me! We can walk back together.” Your breathing slows down and after a couple of minutes you are walking home calmly with your friend.
Explain the actions of the autonomic nervous system. Refer to the description above in your answer. (4 marks)
- one section of the autonomic nervous system is sympathetic nervous system it produces physiological changes that
prepare the body for fight or flight - and the other section
is the parasympathetic nervous system which restores normal physiological functioning when
the threat has passed - sympathetic activity – breathing quickens, mouth dries, heart pounds
- parasympathetic – breathing slows down / becoming calm
Jeremy is digging in the garden. He feels the spade hit a rock and stops digging
immediately.
Explain how sensory, relay and motor neurons would function in this situation. (6 marks)
- Sensory neurons send information from the senses to the brain
- here receptors in
Jeremy’s hand would sense the jolt of the spade hitting the rock and send that information via the peripheral nervous system to his brain/CNS. - Relay neurons connect with other neurons, mostly found in the brain/CNS
- here they would be involved in analysis of the sensation, what it means, deciding about
how to respond to it, thus acting between the sensory and motor neurons. - Motor neurons send messages via long axons from the brain to the muscles or
effectors - here the message from the brain instructs Jeremy’s arm muscles to stop
working and stop the digging action.
