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Psychology P2 > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

1
Q

role of the nervous system

A

respond to changes in the environment

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2
Q

branches of the nervous system

A

central (brain and spinal cord)

peripheral (connects CNS to rest of the body)
–> somatic (conscious activities, receives from senses)
–> autonomic (unconscious actives, eg digestion, receives from organs)
–> sympathetic (fight or flight)
–> parasympathetic (calms, rest and digest)

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3
Q

types of neurones

A

sensory - receptors to CNS (cell body to side)
relay - within CNS (short axons, long dendrites)
motor - CNS to effectors ( short dendrites, long axon)

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4
Q

role of neurones

A

transmit electrical impulses

  • dendrites receive information
  • passes along axon as an electrical impulse
  • reaches synaptic knob
  • causes neurotransmitters to be released into synapse
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5
Q

role of reflexes

A
  • fast, automatic responses to stimuli
  • unconscious and rapid
  • help to avoid damage
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6
Q

transmission in the synapse

A
  • electrical impulse reaches the end of a neurone
  • causes neurotransmitters to be released
  • diffuse across synapse to post synaptic membrane
  • bind to specific receptors

unidirectional - receptors only on one side
neurotransmitters removed so response stops

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7
Q

Responses by the NS

A

Sense organ picks up on stimulus eg hot
Signal sent from senses via the PNS to the CNS
PNS send impulse to muscles in hand (effector)
Muscles stimulated

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8
Q

excitatory neurotransmitters

A

increase the likelihood that an electrical impulse is triggered in postsynaptic neurone

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9
Q

inhibitory neurotransmitters

A

decrease likelihood that an electrical impulse will be triggered in the post synaptic neurone

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10
Q

role of dopamine

A

helps with movement and attention
to much - schizophrenia
to little - depression

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11
Q

role of noradrenaline

A

fight or flight response
to much - schizophrenia
to little - depression

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12
Q

role of serotonin

A

emotion and mood
to little - depression

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13
Q

role of the endocrine system

A

sends information as chemical signals (hormones)
made of glands which secrete hormones into blood when stimulated (by electrical impulse or concentration change)

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14
Q

role of hormones

A

diffuse out of blood
bind to receptors on target cells
trigger a response in effectors (target cell)

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15
Q

role of hypothalamus

A

produces hormones that control the pituitary gland

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16
Q

role of pituitary gland

A

‘master gland’
releases hormone to control other glands

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17
Q

role of pineal gland

A

produces melatonin
controls sleep patterns

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18
Q

role of thyroid gland

A

produces thyroxine
controls metabolic rate and growth

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19
Q

role of thymus gland

A

regulates immune system

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20
Q

role of adrenal gland

A

produces adrenaline
controls fight or flight response

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21
Q

role of the pancreas

A

relates insulin and glucagon
regulates blood sugar levels

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22
Q

differences between hormone and electrical communication

A

hormones travel in blood - slower
hormones aren’t broken down as fast - longer lasting effects
hormone travel all over body - large scale

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23
Q

purpose of fight or flight

A

prepares body for action

in response to stress, fear or excitement

releases adrenaline to deal with it

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24
Q

activation of the fight or flight response

A
  • hypothalamus triggers activity in sympathetic nervous system (in ANS)
  • sympathetic nerves send impulse to the medulla in the brain
  • stimulates adrenal medulla within adrenal glands
  • to release adrenaline into bloodstream
  • hormones have effects, eg increased heart and breathing rate, digestion decreases

parasympathetic ns used to calm the body from fight or flight

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25
effects of adrenaline in fight or flight response
- blood pressure and heart rate increase, gets blood quickly to areas for activity - digestion decreases, blood can be directed to brain and muscles - muscles become tense, physically responsive - breathing rate increases, more oxygen to muscles - pupil size increases, light enters for clearer vision - salvation decreases, not needed
26
what is localisation of function?
certain areas the brain have specific functions
27
motor cortex
controls voluntary movements
28
somatosensory cortex
processes information about touch, such as pain and temperature
29
visual cortex
processes visual information from eye
30
wernicke's area
responsible to understanding language
31
auditory cortex
processes information from ears
32
broca's area
responsable for producing speech
33
lobes of the brain
frontal (Brocas) temporal (wernickes) parietal (somatosensory) occipital (visual cortex)
34
evidence for localisation of function
support from aphasia cases - those unable to produce speech = damage to Broca's - those unable to understand speech = damage to Wernicke's brain scans - show different areas responsible for different actions = cause and effect - but Price said verbal tasks had poor spatial precision case studies - Phineas Gage - brain injury, recovered fine physically but had psychological changes - personality change - specific area damaged controls personality
35
evidence against localisation of function
Price - verb tasks had poor spatial precision in brain scans reductionist - not one area that control each function - interaction between them more important case studies cant be generalised - especially as mostly from brain damaged patients individual differences - levels of brain activity gender differences - women have bigger Wernickes
36
hemispheric lateralisation of function
- two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum - different functions dominant in different hemispheres
37
role of left hemisphere
Broca's and Wernicke's often only in left -language functions - logic, analysis and problem solving
38
role of right hemisphere
- spatial comprehension - emotions - facial recognition
39
how do the hemisphere communicate?
- information passes across the corpus callosum to the side that needs to deal with it - right visual field info -> left hemipshere - left visual field info -> right hemisphere
40
what is split brain research?
severe cases of epilepsy treated by cutting corpus callosum stops seizures spreading across brain but stops hemisphere communicating
41
Sperry procedure
- case studies and experiments - split brain patients - control group used, no surgery participants covered one eye and looked at cross in centre screen picture projected into left or right visual field quickly
42
Sperry results
shown in right visual field - say or write it shown in left visual field - couldn't say or write but could select corresponding image with left hand (didn't know why they had selected the image) shows different hemispheres have different functions left (receives from right) converts into speech and writing right (receives from left) can usually cross to be processed in left, but can't so ant be converted but can still produce a non-verbal response
43
Sperry evaluation
+ use of case studies and experiments - qualitative and quantitative data also increased reliability and validity - only used 11 participants, small sample size, can't generalise but hard to find a large sample of split brain patients - epilepsy caused by brain damage and medication could have affected brains, hard to conclude their brain processing information normally - lacks ecological validity, hard to generalise to real life scenarios
44
Gazzaniga
split brain patents presented with a face right hemisphere more capable of recognising them so right = facial recognition
45
what is plasticity?
the brains ability to alter structure and function in response to environmental changes due to damage, learning new skills or cognitive processes rewiring and reorganisations allows us to learn and adapt
46
how plasticity works
- information takes a pathway trough the brain, across neurones - new information causes new neural pathways to form - using a neural pathway strengthens it, more its used the stronger the connections between neurones become - neural pathways not used become weaker (loss = synaptic pruning creation = bridging)
47
Evidence for plasticity
Maguire et al Posterior hippocampus of taxi drivers larger than control Larger the longer they had been doing it - shows brain adapts to their needs but correlation doesn't mean causation
48
what is functional recovery?
loss of function can result from brain damage brain has ability to recover from damage due to plasticity, brain rewires itself More likely when brain still maturing - young Neural reorganisation - healthy areas near the damaged area take over Neural regeneration - growth of new neurones and connections
49
Evidence for functional recovery
Patient JW - split brain patient, learnt to produce speech with Broca’s area in right hemisphere (previously only left) Patient EB - hemispherectomy - left hemisphere removed, containing Broca’s and Wernicke’s - regained speech and functions - but recovery depends on age (quicker and more likely when younger) - case studies
50
what is CIMT?
- constraint-induced movement therapy - using affected area can encourage functional recovery - prevented from using undamaged area, forces them to re-learn how to use affected part
51
evaluation of CIMT
+ effective, many studies show regained or improved function + can be used for aphasia, try to speak - frustrating - needs to be intensive to be effective
52
what is an fMRI?
- 3D scans that show structure and function in brain using magnet - shows activity changes - more oxygenated blood flows to active areas, to supply oxygen - magnet helps to detect oxygenated blood so more active areas can be indetified uses: - identify active areas, carry out task while being scanned - schizophrenia, active areas during hallucinations - show damaged or diseased areas
53
evaluation of fMRIs
+ provide non-invasive way of studying brain - expensive to buy and run - uncomfortable, claustrophobic and have to lie still - poor temporal resolution, don't shown changes overtime accurately
54
what is an EEG?
- shows overall electrical activity - multiple electrodes placed on scalp - electrical activity recorded for a period of time - produces patterns of waves, represent different levels of consciousness and stimulation uses: - sleep studies - depressions and schizophrenia
55
evaluation of EEGs
+ diagnostic tool + non-invasive +cheaper than fMRIs + good temporal resolution - poor spatial resolution, hard to work out which area waves originate from
56
what is an ERP?
- show electrical activity in response to a stimulus - shown as EEG waves uses: - memory research - shows differences in ERPs in mentally ill patients, greater amplitude for phobic stimuli
57
evaluation of an ERP
+ useful for showing cause and effect - poor spatial resolution (can't accurately tell where from)
58
what is a post mortem?
- an examination where the brain is dissected after death - allows researchers to look at internal structures uses: - shows structural abnormalities that could explain medical conditions when alive (schizophrenics had enlarged ventricles) - provided evidence for localisation of function
59
evaluation of post mortums
- person has to be dead, doesn't benefit from findings - doesn't allow for cause and effect to be found
60
circadian rhythms
biological rhythm that occur once every 24 hours eg sleep wake cycle body temperature body temperature - lower whilst preparing to and sleeping higher whilst awake, peaks at 6pm
61
infradian rhythms
biological rhythms that occur less than once a day eg menstrual cycle occurs on average every 28 days triggered by hormones McLintock - menstrual cycles become synchronised when exposed to pheromone (acted as a exogenous zeitgeber) shows exogenous influences
62
ultradian rhythms
biological rhythms that occur more than once in 24 hours eg sleep cycle Stage 1 and 2 - sleep escalator Stage 3 and 4 - deep sleep Stage 5 - REM, dreaming about 90 minutes cycles
63
what determines the timing of biological rhythms?
endogenous pacemakers exogenous zeitgebers
64
endogenous pacemakers
controlled by mechanisms within the body - suprachiamatic nucleus (hypothalamus) acts as an internal clock, maintains 24 hour sleep wake cycle - sensitive to light, regulates pineal gland to secrete melatonin - in less light, more melatonin is produced - Morgan's hamsters
65
exogenous zeitgebers
influences outside the body that act as a prompt to trigger biological rhythms - Siffre
66
Morgan's hamsters
shows role of endogenous pacemakers - bred hamsters to have abnormal 20 hour sleep wake cycle - SCN of the hamsters transplanted into others - these hamsters also had a 20 hour cycle - shows cycle length is determined by the SCN - animals - can’t be generalised - unethical to do humans
67
Siffre
shows role of exogenous zeitgebers - spent 6 months in a cave - cycle length changed from 24 hours to 25-30 hour - suggests exogenous needed to keep to 24 hour (eg light) - case study - can’t be generalised

Psychology P2 (4 decks)

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