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Psychology A Level (AQA) > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

what is localisation

A

specific parts of the brain do specific functions

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2
Q

What is laterlisation

A

Left & right sides of the brain

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3
Q

What do Paul Broca and Karl Wernicke believe in - Holistic v Localisation theory

A

Localisation - changed views of the brain during the 19th century
Cortical specialisation - different parts of the brain perform different tasks and involved with different parts of the body

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4
Q

Phineas Gage : Case study - What happened to him and what did this suggest to psychologists?

A
  • American Railroad foreman
  • During an accident a metal rod went through his skull - destroying most of his frontal lobe
  • After accident people noted that his personality had changed - led psychologists to believe that certain areas of the brain impacted certain functions/ personalities
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5
Q

If your right hand is moving what hemisphere is this being controlled by

A

The Left hemisphere

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6
Q

What is the outer layer of both hemispheres called and how thick is it

A

Cerebral cortex - 3mm

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7
Q

what lobe is responsible for language and touch

A

parietal lobe

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8
Q

what is the occipital lobe responsible for

A

visual processing

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9
Q

what does the brain stem do

A

Controls breathing , heart rate and temperature

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10
Q

What is your temporal lobe responsible for

A

hearing, learning and emotions

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11
Q

what lobe is responsible for thought , memory and behaviour

A

frontal lobe

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12
Q

what is the cerebellum responsible for

A

balance and co-ordination

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13
Q

Where is the main motor area located

A

Frontal lobe - movement

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14
Q

What is the somatosensory area and where is it located

A

An area of the parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as touch - Parietal lobe

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15
Q

What lobe is the visual area linked to

A

Occipital lobe

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16
Q

What lobe is the auditory area linked to

A

Temporal lobes

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17
Q

What are two pieces of evidence that proves localisation of function

A
  • Brain scans - Cognitive neuroscience (fMRI , EEG , ERP and PET scans)
  • Tulving et al - study of LTM found that semantic and episodic memories reside in different parts of the prefrontal cortex
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18
Q

What does Brocas area relate to

A

speech and language production

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19
Q

what does Wernickes area relate to

A

Language comprehension & processing

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20
Q

What does it mean to suffer from Brocas aphasia and how can it be treated

A
  • Can understand what is being said but will struggle to form words and string together sentences
  • Can become better over time with speech therapy
  • People should be treat with patience and a lot of body language during conversation should be used
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21
Q

What does it mean to suffer from Wernickes aphasia

A
  • Do not understand what is being said but can form sentences and words without struggle but what they are saying may not make sense (e.g my dog plant mother)
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22
Q

What is the left hempisphere responsible (specialised) for

A
  • Language
  • Logic
  • Critical thinking
  • Numbers
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23
Q

What is the right hemisphere of the brain responsible (specialised) for

A
  • Creativity
  • Expressing emotions
  • Images
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24
Q

Who are split brain patients (what do they not have and why is this)

A

Patients have had a commissurotomy - Had the corpus collosum removed / severed to stop the two hemispheres from communicating
- Most often done for patients with severe epilepsy

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25
Q

What is Sperrys split brain research - procedure (what are the 4 variants of procedure)

A

Image or word projected to patients right or left visual field - word or image is processed by opposite hemisphere (left visual field information is processed in the right hemisphere)

  • Recognition by touch
  • Matching faces
  • Describing what you see
  • Drawing
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26
Q

Findings - What did you see? (Sperry - Split Brain research)

A
  • When a picture or object was shown to right visual field the patient could easily describe what they had seen
    *information went to left hemisphere
  • If shown to the left visual field the patient would not be able to describe what they had seen
    *lack of language centres in the right hemispheres
  • Normal patients would be able to relay information to the left hemisphere from the right (share information)
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27
Q

Findings - Recognition by touch (Sperry - Split brain research)

A
  • Object placed in left hand (processed by right hemisphere) - could not describe what they felt but could identify a test object by selecting a similar appropriate object
  • Object placed in right hand (processed by left hemisphere) - could describe verbally what they felt and could also identify the test object by selecting a similar object
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28
Q

Findings : Drawing (Sperry - Split brain research)

A

A picture is shown to just one visual field :
- Left hand would consistently draw clearer and better than the right hand (regardless of dominant hand)
- Shows superiority of right hemisphere during visual motor tasks

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29
Q

Findings : Face recognition / chimeric figures (Sperry - Split brain research)

A
  • Right hemisphere dominant in matching and recognising faces
  • Left hemisphere dominant in verbal description
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30
Q

what is the nervous system made up of

A

the central nervous system (CNS)
the peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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31
Q

what is the central nervous system made up of

A
  • brain
  • spinal cord
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32
Q

what is the peripheral nervous system made up of

A
  • Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
  • Somatic nervous system (SNS)
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33
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system have and what do they mean

A

Parasympathetic - Slows things down - decreased breathing rate , stimulates saliva production

Sympathetic - Speeds things up (‘fight or flight’) - e.g increased heart rate , inhibits digestion etc

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34
Q

what is the somatic nervous system responsible for doing

A

transmits information from receptor cells in the sense organs to the CNS - also receives information from the CNS that directs the muscles to act

Simplified :
- governs muscle movement
- receives information from sensory receptors

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35
Q

there are 9 possible glands - what are they?

A
  • hypothalamus
  • pituitary
  • thyroid
  • parathyroid
  • adrenals
  • pancreas
  • ovaries
  • testes
  • adrenal
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36
Q

which glands produce hormones and what hormones do they produce (if possible give their function)

A
  • testes : testoterone
  • Ovaries : eostregen
  • thyroid : thyroxine : affects cells in the heart and increases metabolic rates
  • adrenal : adrenaline - ‘stress hormone’ triggers physiological changes
  • Pineal : melatonin - sleep inducing
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37
Q

what is often referred to as the ‘master gland’ and why is it

A

Pituitary - controls the release of hormones from all other endocrine glands in the body

38
Q

the endocrine system and ANS working together - ‘fight or flight’

A
  • When a stressor is perceived the first thing that happens is that your hypothalamus activates your pituitary gland and this triggers activity in your sympathetic branch of the ANS.
  • The ANS changes from its normal resting state (parasympathetic) to they phsyiologically aroused state (sympathetic).
  • Adrenaline is released from your adrenal medulla into the bloodstream. Adrenaline triggers physiological changes in the body which creates the physiological arousal for fight or flight response.
  • All of this happens as soon as the threat is detected.
    Once the threat has passed the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to its resting state.
39
Q

what are the 3 types of neurons and what are their functions

A
  • sensory : carry messages from the PNS to the CNS - long dendrites and short axons
  • relay : connects the sensory neurons to the motor neurons - short dendrites and short axons
  • motor : connects the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands - short dendrites and long axons
40
Q

what components is a neuron made of

A
  • dendrites
  • nucleus - contains genetic material
  • axon
  • myelin sheath
  • nodes of Ranvier
41
Q

when a neuron is activated by a stimulus the cell becomes positively charged for a split second causing ….. to occur

A

… action potential …

42
Q

how are signals within neurons transmitted

A

electrically

43
Q

how are signals between neurons transmitted

A

chemically

44
Q

(finish the setence) when the electrical impulse reaches the end of the neuron it triggers the release of ….

A

…. neurotransmitters from tiny sacs called synaptic vesicles

45
Q

what is each neuron seperated by

A

synapse

46
Q

what are neurotransmitters

A

chemicals that diffuse across the synapse to the next neuron in the chain

47
Q

what happens when a neurotransmitter crosses the gap

A

it binds with a postsynaptic receptor site

48
Q

what happens once the neurotransmitter binds with a postsynaptic receptor site

A

the chemical message is converted back into an electrical impulse and the process of transmission begins again in another neuron

49
Q

what does it mean if a neuron causes inhibition

A

neuron becomes more negatively charged and are less likely to fire

50
Q

what does it mean if a neuron causes excitation

A

a neuron increases in positive charge and is more likely to fire

51
Q

what is summation and how does it work

A

Summation - whether a postsynaptic neuron is fired is dependent on the process of summation
The excitatory and inhibitory influences are summed : if the net effect on the postsynaptic neuron is inhibitory than the postsynaptic neuron is less likely to fire (and other way round if the net effect is excitatory)

52
Q

At what age do you have the most synaptic connections

A

2-3 years old

53
Q

What is the process called where synaptic connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened

A

Synaptic pruning

54
Q

Eleanor Maguir et al - procedure and findings

A

Procedure : studied the brains of London taxi drivers who had studied and taken a test called ‘The knowledge’
Findings:
More volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus - part of the brain associated with spatial and navigational skills - the longer they had been in the job the more profound the difference in structural differences (positive correlation)

55
Q

What does Mechelli et al suggest that bilingual people have a larger of ..

A

…. Parietal cortex

56
Q

What is another example of neural plasticity (following physical injury or other forms of trauma)

A

Functional recovery

57
Q

What might a patient need after spontenous recovery (weeks or months after injury or trauma)

A

Rehabilation therapy

58
Q

What 3 ways of recovery occurs during brain recovery (with brief definition of each)

A
  • Axonal sprouting : The growth of new nerve endings connecting with undamaged nerve cells
  • Reformation of blood vessels
  • Recruitment of homologous (similar) areas : Areas on the opposite side of the brain perform specific tasks
59
Q

Two strengths of brain plasticity

A

-Understanding the processes involved in plasticity have contributed to the field of neurorehabilitation

-Brain plasticity may have maladaptive behaviour consequences - prolonged drug use - poorer cognitive functioning (whilst negative it does support the idea that plasticity is occuring)

60
Q

One negative of brain plasticity

A

Functional plasticity tends to reduce with age

61
Q

Name the 4 scanning techniques

A
  • fMRI
  • EEG
  • ERPs
  • Post mortem
62
Q

what does an fMRI scan and what does this show

A

Detects changes in blood flow - when a brain area is more active it consumes more oxygen and then to meet the increased demand there is more blood flow to the active area

63
Q

what are a few positives of fMRIs

A
  • non - invasive : does not rely on the use of radiation
  • accurate & good spatial resolution (1-2mm)
64
Q

what are a few negatives of fMRIs

A
  • expensives compared to other neuroimaging techniques
  • poor temporal resolution - slow to report what the brain is doing
  • can only capture clear image if person is perfecty still
65
Q

what does an EEG measure and how does it do this

A

Measures electrical activity through electrodes attached to the scalp

66
Q

what are a few positives of an EEG

A
  • high temporal resolution
  • used in clinical diagnosis
  • non - invasive
67
Q

what are a few negatives of an EEG

A
  • poor spatial resolution - only detects activity in superficial areas of the brain and cannot reveal what is going on in the deeper regions
  • electrical activity can be picked up by several neighbouring electrodes
68
Q

what is the difference between an ERP and an EEG (what does ERP stand for)

A

Event - Related Potentials
ERPs takes averages from EEGs - all extraneous brain activity is filtered out leaving only responses from specific stimuli

69
Q

what are is a positive for the ERP over an EEG

A

Brings more specifity to measurement of neural process

70
Q

What is a post - mortem

A

Analysis of a persons brain after death

71
Q

What might a person do in a post mortem study to establish differences and/ or similarities when evaluation for a rare disorder

A

Compare with neurotypical brain

72
Q

What are two positives of post mortem examinations

A
  • Broca & Wernicke relied on post mortem studies - early understanding
  • Allows for more detailed examination
73
Q

What are two negatives of post mortem examinations

A
  • Observed damage may not be linked to defecits (e.g decay or other injuries - struggle to establish cause and effect relationship)
  • Ethical issues of consent from patients before death - E.g case of HM - ability to form memories
74
Q

What biological rhythm is 24 hours - give example of this rhythm

A

Circadian rhythms - sleep / wake cycle

75
Q

What biological rhythm is less than 24 hours - give example of this rhythm

A

Ultradian rhythms - sleep cycle

76
Q

What biological rhythm is more than 24 hours - give example of this rhythm

A

Infradian rthyms - The menstrual cycle / SAD (season affective disorder)

77
Q

What is an endogeneous pacemaker - give example

A

The bodys internal biological clocks - SCN (suprachiasmatic nuclei)

78
Q

What is an exogeneous zeitgeber - give example

A

An external cue - light , social cues

79
Q

How does the sleep / wake cycle work

A
  • Light is first detected by the eye which then sends a message (down the optic nerve) to the SCN (tiny bundle of nerves in hypothalamus)
  • SCN uses information to co-orinate the activity of the entire circadian system
  • SCN sends message to pineal gland which releases melatonin in the bloodstream to make us sleepier
80
Q

What is Siffres Cave study - Procedure and findings

A

Procedure :
Investigated the effects of removal of exogenous zeitgebers on the circadian rhythm
- Deprived of exposure to natural light and sounds
- Spent 6 months in Texan cave
Findings:
- physiology and behaviour remained the same
- circadian rhythm increased from 24 hours to 25 hours
- circadian rhythm persists despite removal of exogeneous zeitgebers (the rhythm is ‘free running’)

81
Q

Aschoff & Wever - procedure and findings

A

Procedure:
- convinced a group of participants to spend 4 weeks in WWII bunker
Findings:
- all but 1 (with an extended circadian rhythm of 29 hours) displayed a circadian rhythm between to 24 and 25 hours

82
Q

Morgan et al - Hamster study - Procedure and findings

A

Procedure:
- Bred hamsters so that they had circadian rhythms of 20 hours rather than 22
- SCN from these abnormal hamsters were transplanted into the brains of normal hamsters
Findings:
- Normal hamsters started displaying some abnormal circadian rhythms
- This demonstrates the importance of the SCN and how endogeneous pacemakers are important for biological circadian rhythms

83
Q

Two positives of circadian rhythms

A
  • knowledge of circadian rhythms has given researchers a better understanding of the adverse consequences that occur as a result of their disruption (desynchronisation) : may have economic implications - managing work productivity
  • Helped understand drug effectiveness and when best to take them - pharmocokinetics
84
Q

Two (+) negatives of circadian rhythms

A
  • Studies of sleep/ wake cycle involve (usually) a small group of participants - participants may not be representative of wider population - difficult to generalise findings
  • Animal studies are unethical & difficult to extrapolate from (Morgan et al)
  • More things at work than just the SCN - cells and organs have their own circadian rhythms - not soley determined on SCN
85
Q

The Menstrual cycle - Cycle

A

Ovulation occurs (roughly) halfway through cycle when oestregen levels are highest - lasts for 16 - 32 hours
After ovulation, progesterone levels increase, ready for possible embryo implantation
Typical cycle = 28 days - variation from 23 - 36 days

86
Q

Martha McClintock & Kathleen Stern (1998) - Procedure & Findings

A

Procedure :
- 29 females with a history of irregular periods
- samples of pheremones gathered from 9 women at different stages of their menstrual cycle - gathered via cotton pad placed in their arm pit for atleast 8 hours
- Rubbed on upper lip of other participants
Findings :
- 68% of women experienced changes to their cycles - brought them closer to the cycle of their ‘organ donor’

87
Q

What does Martha McClintock and Kathleens stern research show

A

Menstrual cycles may not be 100% determined on endogeneous pacemakers and can also be influenced by exogeneous zeitgebers

88
Q

SAD - seasonal affective disorder - what is it affected by and how does this work

A
  • Melatonin - secreted by pineal gland (due to longer, darker days)
  • Circannual rhythm - yearly cycle
  • Circadian rhythm ? - may occur due to the disruption of the sleep/wake cycle
89
Q

Explain the 5 stages of the sleep cycle

A

Stage 1 and 2 :
- light sleep - person can easily be woken
- brainwaves - become slower and more rhythmic (alpha) and becoming slower as sleep becomes deeper (theta)

Stages 3 and 4 :
- Deep sleep / slow wave sleep - difficult to rouse someone
- Delta waves - slower and have greater amplitude than earlier wave patterns

Stage 5 (REM sleep) :
- Rapid Eye Movement
- Body is paralysed yet brain activitiy speeds up significantly in a way that resembles the awake brain
- REM is correlated with the experience of dreaming

90
Q

A positive of infradian rhythms and a counterpoint to this positive (McClintock)

A

McClintock - Evolutionary value - for our ancestors it may have been advantageous for females to menstruate together and therefore fall pregnant around the same time
- Validitiy of this questioned - women cycling together would produce competition for highest quality males : lowering fitness of potential offspring
- avoidance of synchronisation = best most adaptive evolutionary strategy

  • early synchronisation studies - do not measure or get rid of confounding variables that may alter the menstrual cycle - e.g diet , stress
91
Q

2 (+) positives of Ultradian rhythms

A
  • William Dement & Nathanial Kleitman (1957) : monitored sleep patterns of 9 adult participants - brainwaves recorded on EEG (link knowledge of scan technique) - REM activity was highly correlated with dreaming
  • Randy Gardener stayed awake fo 264 hours - after this experience Randy slept for only 15 hours and over several nights only recovered 25% of lost sleep , 70% of stage 4 and 50% of REM - highlights large degree of flexibility in different stages
  • Tucker et al - found significant differences between participants in terms of duration of each stage
92
Q

What may be a negative of ultradian rhythms

A

Participants in studies have innate individual differences in Ultradian rhythms

Psychology A Level (AQA) (12 decks)

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