Biological Psychology

Question 1

Peripheral (autonomic and somatic) Nervous System (PNS)

Answer 1

The portion of the nervous system that is outside the brain and spinal cord. The primary function of the peripheral nervous system is to connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body and the external environment.
The peripheral nervous system transmits information to and from the CNS.
This is accomplished through nerves that carry information from sensory receptors in the eyes, ears, skin, nose and tongue, as well as stretch receptors and nociceptors in muscles, glands and other internal organs.

Question 2

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 2

The somatic nervous system controls voluntary movements, transmits and receives messages from the senses and is involved in reflex actions without the involvement of the CNS so the reflex can occur very quickly.

Question 3

Somatic Nervous System (SNS) connects

Answer 3

To the central nervous system with the senses and is composed of:
. Sensory nerve pathways bring information to the CNS from sensory receptors, dealing with touch, pain, pressure, temperature etc.
. Motor nerve pathways which control bodily movement by carrying instructions towards muscles

Question 4

Autonomic Nervous System

Answer 4

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) regulates involuntary actions such as bodily arousal (how ‘excited’ or relaxed we are), body temperature, homeostasis, heart rate, digestion and blood pressure.

Question 5

Autonomic Nervous System composed of 2 parts:

Answer 5

The sympathetic nervous system and The parasympathetic nervous system

Question 6

The sympathetic nervous system

Answer 6

The sympathetic nervous system that is involved in responses which help us deal with emergencies. It slows bodily processes that are less important in emergencies such as digestion. The sympathetic ANS leads to increased arousal: e.g. increase in heart rate and blood pressure, pupil dilation, reduction in digestion and salivation.

Question 7

The parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 7

The parasympathetic nervous system that relaxes the individual once the emergency has passed (eg. slows the heart rate down and reduces blood pressure) and conserves the body’s natural activity by decreasing activity/maintaining it. The parasympathetic ANS leads to decreased arousal.

Question 8

Sensory neurones

Answer 8

Convey information about sensory stimuli: vision, touch, taste, etc. towards the brain.

Question 9

Motor Neurons

Answer 9

Convey instructions for physical operations: e.g. release of hormones from glands, muscle movement, digestion, etc.

Question 10

Relay neurons

Answer 10

Connect different parts of the central nervous system (CNS).

Question 11

Structure of a neuron

Answer 11

Draw it out

Question 12

Synapse

Answer 12

Draw a synapse

Question 13

Excitatory

Answer 13

Make a nerve impulse more likely to be triggered: for example, dopamine or serotonin which produce states of excitement/activity in the nervous system and in our mental state/behavior.

Question 14

Inhibitory

Answer 14

Make a nerve impulse less likely to be triggered: for example, GABA calms activity in the nervous system and produces states of relaxation (as with anti-anxiety medication such as Valium).

Question 15

Thyroid

Answer 15

Thyroxine, Regulates metabolic rate and protein synthesis

Question 16

Adrenal medulla

Answer 16

Adrenaline and noradrenaline, Fight or flight response: increased heart rate, blood pressure, release of glucose and fats (for energy)

Question 17

Adrenal cortex

Answer 17

Corticosteroids, Release of glucose and fats for energy; suppression of the immune system

Question 18

Testes

Answer 18

Testosterone, Male sexual characteristics, muscle mass

Question 19

Ovaries

Answer 19

Oestrogen, Female sexual characteristics, menstruation, pregnancy

Question 20

Pineal

Answer 20

Melatonin, Sleep-wake cycle

Question 21

Endocrine System

Answer 21

Hormones are chemical messengers secreted from structures (glands) in the body which pass through the bloodstream to cause changes in our body or behavior. The network of glands is called the endocrine system.

Question 22

The pituitary gland

Answer 22

The pituitary gland is the master gland and controls release of hormones from many of the glands described above. The pituitary is divided into the anterior and posterior.

Question 23

ANTERIOUR PITUITARY (Hormones released)

Answer 23

ACTH: Stimulates release of corticosteroids during flight-flight response.
Prolactin: Stimulates production of milk from mammary glands (breasts).
Growth Hormone: Cell growth and multiplication.

Question 24

POSTERIOUR PITUITARY (Hormones released)

Answer 24

Vasopressin: Regulates water balance. Oxytocin: Uterine contractions during childbirth .

Question 25

The fight or flight response

Answer 25

The fight or flight response is a sequence of activity within the body that is triggered when the body prepares itself for defending or attacking (fight) or running away to safety (flight).
Stress is experienced when a person’s perceived environmental, social and/or physical demands exceed their perceived ability to cope.

The stress response (otherwise known as the ‘fight or flight’ response) is hard-wired into our brains and represents an evolutionary adaptation designed to increase an organism’s chances of survival in life-threatening situations.

Question 26

The fight or flight response involves two major systems

Answer 26

The Sympathomedullary Pathway – deals with acute (short-term, immediate) stressors such as personal attack.
The Pituitary-Adrenal System – deals with chronic (long-term, on-going) stressors such as a stressful job.

Question 27

Localisation of function

Answer 27

Functions such as movement, speech, and memory are performed in different regions of the brain.

Question 28

Specialised Brian areas

Answer 28

Motor, somatosensory, visual and auditory cortices are on both sides of the brain. Broca and Wernicke’s area is only one the left hemisphere.

Question 29

Hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 29

Each hemisphere of the brain is specialised to perform different functions. (Language centres are in the left hemisphere, visuospatial tasks are best performed by the right.

Question 30

Contralateral

Answer 30

Each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body. Including both motor and sensory pathways and vision of the contralateral visual field.

Question 31

Visual cortex

Answer 31

Each hemisphere occipital lobe receives information from the contralateral visual field. Ie processes information from our eyes.

Question 32

Motor Cortex

Answer 32

Controls voluntary movement and is at the back of the frontal lobe.

Question 33

Somatosensory Cortex

Answer 33

Processes information about touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception (the position of your body.).

Question 34

Auditory Cortex

Answer 34

Receives and processes sound information from ears. Located in both hemispheres, at the top of the temporal lobe.

Question 35

Broca’s Area

Answer 35

Located in the left frontal lobe only, Broca’s area is responsible for speech production. Discovered after the case study and post morgen of Tan whon.

Question 36

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 36

In the left hemisphere only, located in the top temporal lobe. Wernicke’s area is responsible for speech comprehension. Discovered after case studies of individuals who could produce fluent sounding speech that made little sense.

Question 37

Corpus Callosum

Answer 37

Thick bundle of 200 - 300 million nerve fibres connecting the left and right hemispheres.

Question 38

FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Answer 38

FMRI detects blood flow in the brain. As more active areas of the brain need more blood (containing oxygenated homoglobin with distinct properties), these active areas can be compared to low activation areas with a lower blood supply and displayed on the FMRI.

Question 39

EEG

Answer 39

The EEG device is a collection of between 22-34 electrodes that are attached to a cap, and fitted carefully to the scalp with conductive gel.
The read out from each electrode is the sum total of activation of the brain Caught it under the electrode. This is displayed as a series of lines showing distinct patterns called brain waves. This shows the amplitude and frequency of the waves on activation.

Question 40

ERP (event related potential)

Answer 40

ERP uses the same technique and equipment as EEG, but presents a stimulus many times, creating a smooth curve of activation by combining the data in a process called statistical averaging. This removes background electrical noise unrelated to the stimulus. The wave form’s peak and dip show exactly when cognitive processes in the brain happen after the stimulus is presented.