Biological psychology Flashcards
What is plasticity/neuroplasticity?
The brain’s capacity to change both physically and functionally as a result of usage, practice and experience.
Explain the amusement park for rats experiment
- Enriched group: lived in groups, had toys and an overall enriched environment. Developed bigger, thicker brains and better neural connections (more dendrites and synapses)
- Rats who were bombarded with visual stimuli showed 20% more synaptic connections in the visual cortex
- Rats who performed acrobatics showed new synaptic connections in the cerebellum
Which cortex gets activated by sound and touch in blind individuals?
The visual cortex, these senses sharpen because there are more brain regions in charge of processing them
What area becomes activated by touch in deaf individual?
The auditory cortex
What is the traditional view on the brain hemispheres?
That they’re mirror images of each other, meaning they have the same functions and structures
What si the current view on the brain hemispheres?
That hemispheres are specialized for different functions (brain lateralization)
What is hemisphere crossover
The right hemisphere recives sensory input and sends motor commands to the left side of the body.
The left hemisphere receives sensory input from and sends motor commands to the right side of the body.
What is the corpus callosum?
A structure composed of white matter that connects the two hemispheres.
It allows the back and forth of information providing a unified experience.
Explain the case/experiments of N.G.
- She was asked to look at a dot at the center of the screen
- The image of a spoon is briefly flashed to the right visual field
- When she was asked what she saw she responded correctly
- The image of the spoon is briefly flashed to her left visual field
- When asked what she saw she was unable to provide a verbal response
- When asked to reach the object with her left hand, she chose correctly, evidencing that she did process the image
What are the factors that affect psychological experience?
- Biology: we’re determined by our biology
- Plasticity: We change as a function of our experiences
- Cognition: Allows us to have abstract and concrete thought to project to the future
- Development: We’re in constant biological, cognitive and social change
- Motivation: The forces around and within us energize and direct our behavior
- Society: The groups we form part of influence how we bahave
What are the biopsychological explanations?
Basic level of explanation
- Genetics: Ingerited biological predeispositions that establish the possibilities and limits on our behavior
- Nervous system: Changes in the brain result in changes in the mind
- Endocrine system: Hormines affect psychological experience
- Immune system: Our physical health affect our psychological experience and vice versa
Name the biological psychology case studies
- Phineas Gage
- Julia
- Henry M
- Genie
What is the nervous system and its components
Connects the brain and spinal cord to sensory organs
1. Central nervous system: Brain and spinal cord
2. Peripheral nerovous system: Nerves that radiate from central nervous system
- Somatic nervous system: Transmits sensory stimuli and relays motor controls to voluntary muscles and organs
- Autonimic nervous system: Connects central nervous system to involuntary muscles and organs
1. Sympathetic nervous system: In charge of fight or flight
2. Parasympathetic nervous system: Restores the body to pre energized state
What is the endocrine system?
Collection of glands that secrete hormones that regulate growth, sexual development, metabolism, etc.
The pituitary gland is the one that secretes hormones to stimulate the production of other hormones
What do neurons do and what are the types?
Send and receive info in the form of electrochemical signals
- Sensory neurons: Send signals from body to central nervous system
- Motor neurons: Send signals from central nervous system to body
- Interneurons: Connectors between sensory and motor neurons
- Glial cells: Provide structural support, insulation and nutrition to neurons