Biological Aspects of Psychology Part 2 Flashcards
The Central Nervous System
Brain/Spinal Cord
Spinal Cord
The role of the spinal cord is to transmit information between the peripheral nervous system and the brain
The human brain
directs all psychological activity, maintains life functions and responds to stimuli
The hindbrain
located directly above the spinal cord - links to the brain
Medulla Oblongata
Hindbrain - controls basic physiological functions such as heartbeat, circulation and respiration
cerebellum
Hindbrain - coordinates movement and balance. Also has a role in learning and sensory discrimination
reticular formation
Hindbrain - involved in consciousness and arousal
The midbrain
Located above the hindbrain - surrounded by the forebrain
involved in orienting to visual and auditory stimuli
Tectum
tegmentum
involved in movement and arousal
largest and most sophisticated part of the brain. It is involved in complex sensory, emotional, cognitive and behavioural processes
The Forebrain
Hypothalamus
regulates behaviours such as eating,sleeping, sexual activity and emotional experience
processes sensory information as it arrives and transmits it to higher brain centres
Thalamus
Basal ganglia
Cerebrum - involved in a wide range of functions, particularly movements and judgements requiring minimal conscious thought
limbic system
set of structures with diverse functions involving emotions, motivation, learning and memories
The cerebral cortex is
The cerebral cortex is 3mm thick layer of densely packed neurons that encloses the rest of the brain:
- flexible control of complex patterns of movement
- subtle discrimination of complex sensory patterns
- The possibility of symbolic thinking
The cerebral cortex - consists of four lobes
- Occipital
- Parietal
- Temporal
- Frontal
Blesdo keeps falling asleep at odd times. He is having trouble with arousal and attention. His doctors have ruled out sleep disorders and are now concentrating on certain brain structures. The one that is most likely malfunctioning is the:
thalamus
After an accident, Stella was left with brain damage. Now Stella has trouble judging the emotions of others, even when she can see their facial expressions. Stella has most likely damaged her:
amygdala
To understand how to better treat depression, Dr Kloss and his team plan to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). By using this technology, the research team will be able to:
disrupt the activity of neurons in a particular brain region.
You have been up all night studying for an important examination and are a little tired. As you reach for your hot chocolate, you accidentally touch the hotplate on the stove. You quickly pull your hand away from the hotplate. Which of the following statements about your action is true?
The reflexive command came from the spinal cord.
After consuming a few alcoholic beverages, Sejal finds it hard to tie her shoes. This is most likely because the alcohol has affected her:
corpus callosum
