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Psychology > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

Outline research on the effect of exogenous zeitgebers on the sleep/wake cycle that aren’t light

A

Folkard et al (1985)

  • Put 12 participants in a cave for 3 weeks with a clock
  • Researchers gradually increased the speed of the clock til a day passed in 22 hours
  • All but one of the participants synchronised with the clock
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2
Q

Outline research support for circadian rhythms

Main study

A

Siffre

  • Lived in a cave for extended periods of time on multiple occasions with no exogenous zeitgebers
  • His natural circadian rhythm settled down to just over 24 hours with some dramatic variations
  • As he got older, his circadian rhythms got much longer, sometimes being 48 hours long
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3
Q

Define the term exogenous zeitgeber

A

An environmental cue such as light that helps to regulate the biological clock

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4
Q

Define the term endogenous pacemaker

A

Mechanisms within the body that govern the internal biological rhythms

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5
Q

Name the different types of rhythms

A
  • Circadian rhythm - 24hrs
  • Infraradian rhythm - >24 hrs
  • Ultraradian rhythm - <24 hrs
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6
Q

Outline and evaluate ERP scans

A
  • Same as EEG but taken while doing an activity
  • EEG taken at rest > EEG taken while doing activity > EEG1 taken away from EEG2 to isolate the the activity

Evaluation is the same as EEG

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7
Q

Outline and evaluate EEG scans

A

Uses electrodes on the scalp to measure the electrical activity of neurons firing. Measures general activity at rest.

Good

  • High temporal resolution
  • Very portable
  • Relatively cheap
  • Not invasive

Bad

  • Low spatial resolution
  • Not detailed enough to measure individual neurons, only general areas of activity
  • Can only measure the outer area of the brain
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8
Q

Outline and evaluate fMRI scans

A

Brain scanning technique that measures blood flow in the brain while performing a cognitive task. Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood have different magnetic qualities. More blood going to an area = more activity

Good

  • Not invasive
  • High spatial resolution
  • Ethical

Bad

  • Very expensive
  • Not portable
  • Low temporal resolution
  • Must stay perfectly still
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9
Q

Outline and evaluate Post Mortem examination

A

Cut up the brain after death

Good

  • Allows for a more detailed examination
  • Can examine deeper parts of the brain
  • High spatial resolution

Bad

  • Ethical issues with getting consent from a mentally ill person
  • Cause and effect not provable
  • Correlation ≠ causation
  • Patient is dead
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10
Q

Name the ways of studying the brain

A
  • Post Mortem
  • fMRI
  • EEG
  • ERP
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11
Q

Outline research support for Brain Plasticity

A

Maguire et al (2000)

  • Compared MRI scans of 16 taxi drivers to 50 controls
  • The taxi drivers had significantly more volume in their posterior hippocampus than the control group
  • There was also a positive correlation between posterior hippocampus volume and time worked as a taxi driver
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12
Q

List and define the Mechanisms of Recovery

A
  • Axon sprouting - Neurons may sprout axons in order to form new neural pathways
  • Neuronal unmasking - Dormant neural pathways which were previously unused may become activated in order to compensate for the damaged brain areas
  • Neural reorganisation - An intact brain area may completely take over the function of the damaged area
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13
Q

Define Functional Recovery

A

A form of plasticity following trauma where the healthy parts of the brain may require to take over the functions of the damaged area

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14
Q

Define Brain Plasticity

A
  • The idea that our brain is able to change throughout our life
  • New connections can be formed and old ones removed
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15
Q

Outline research support for brain plasticity

Case study

A

Thaler et al (2011)

  • Examined two blind people that could echolocate
  • Proved that they could echolocate by asking them to give the angle of a pole in the ground, they gave very accurate answers
  • fMRIs showed that the processing of the click echoes occurred in the visual cortex instead of the auditory cortex
  • Shows that the visual cortex has rewired itself to allow for echolocation
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16
Q

Outline research that disputes hemispheric lateralisation

A

Patient JW (Gazzaniga et al 1996)

  • Patient JW is a split brain patient who seems to have developed right-hemisphere speech capabilities
  • He could verbally name an object presented to the LVF
  • He performed badly on interfield tasks, ruling out the possibility that his hemispheres are communicating
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17
Q

Outline Split-Brain research

A

Sperry (1968)

  • Conducted research on 11 patients who had their corpus callosum severed and compared to 11 healthy controls

Description task

  • Patients asked to verbally name objects presented to either the LVF or RVF
  • Objects in the LVF could not be named but objects in the RVF could
  • Suggests that language production centres are in the left hemisphere

Drawing task

  • Patients asked to draw objects flashed to either visual field with different hands
  • Patients drew better with their left hand even when they were right handed
  • Suggests that the right hemisphere is specialised for drawing

Matching Faces task

  • Patients shown faces to each visual field and asked to identify the faces from a line up
  • Patients consistently identified the face from the LVF
  • If a split face was shown, patients would identify the face in the LVF and verbally describe the face in the RVF
  • Suggests that the right hemisphere is specialised for facial recognition
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18
Q

Outline research that disputes localisation of function

A

Lashley (1950)

  • Removed parts of rats’ brains randomly while they were learning a maze (10% - 50% of the brain removed)
  • The more brain he removed the worse they did at the maze but it didn’t matter which parts were removed
  • Equipotentiality Theory
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19
Q

What is Equipotentiality Theory

A

Higher brain functions are not localised, the brain works together to carry out tasks

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20
Q

Outline research support for Broca’s Area

A

Patient ‘Tan’ (Broca’s aphasia)

  • Patient could only said the word ‘Tan’ but could comprehend speech
  • Large lesion in Broca’s area found in post mortem
21
Q

Outline research support for localisation of function

Case study

A

Phineas Gage (1848)

  • Steel rod went through his skull in a work accident causing damage to his frontal lobe
  • He became aggressive and showed a lack of inhibition
  • Shows that frontal lobe is responsible for behavioural control and personality
22
Q

Outline research support for localisation of function
Neuroimaging Research

A

Desposito et al (2014)

  • Meta analysis of neuroimaging research associated:
  • Central executive - Frontal lobe
  • Phonological loop - Temporal lobe
  • Visuospatial sketchpad - Occipital lobe
23
Q

Outline the function of Wernike’s Area

A
  • Speech comprehension
  • In the left hemisphere
24
Q

Outline the function of Broca’s Area

A
  • Speech production
  • Only in the left hemisphere
25
Q

Outline the function of the Auditory Cortex

A

Processing auditory information

26
Q

Outline the function of the Visual Cortex

A

Processing visual information

27
Q

Outline the function of the Somatosensory Cortex

A

Sense of touch

28
Q

Outline the function of the Motor Cortex

A

Deliberate movement

29
Q

List the areas of the brain

A
  • Motor cortex
  • Somatosensory cortex
  • Visual cortex
  • Auditory cortex
  • Broca’s area
  • Wernike’s area
30
Q

Outline the function of Motor Neurons

A
  • Carry information from CNS to effectors
  • Found in the CNS but their axons reach outside the CNS and carry information to the muscles and glands
31
Q

Outline the function of Relay Neurons

A
  • Also called interneurons
  • Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate with each other
  • Relay neurons are only found in the CNS and visual system
32
Q

Outline the function of Sensory Neurons

A
  • Carry information from sensory receptors to the CNS
  • Not all go to the brain, some terminate at the spinal cord
33
Q

State the function of the Occipital Lobe

A

Processing visual information

34
Q

State the functions of the Parietal Lobe

A
  • Sense of touch
  • Propioception
35
Q

State the functions of the Temporal Lobe

A
  • Processing auditory information
  • Long Term Memory
  • Object recognition
36
Q

State the functions of the Frontal Lobe

A
  • Voluntary movement
  • Rational thinking
  • Behavioural control
  • Language production
37
Q

List the lobes of the brain

A
  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
  • Temporal lobe
38
Q

Name 3 glands, the hormones they produce, and their function

A
  • Adrenal, Adrenaline, Induces fight or flight
  • Pineal, Melatonin, Regulates the sleep/wake cycle
  • Ovaries, Oestrogen, Regulates menstrual cycle
39
Q

Outline the function of the Hypothalamus

A

Part of the brain that is responsible for the endocrine system

40
Q

Outline the function of the Pituitary Gland

A
  • Releases hormones which stimulate the other glands
  • Stimulated by the hypothalamus
41
Q

Outline the function of the Endocrine System

A
  • Regulates the activity of cells and organs using slow acting chemical messengers (hormones) that travel through the bloodstream
  • Works alongside the sympathetic NS and parasympathetic NS
42
Q

Outline the process of Synaptic Transmission

A
  1. An action potential arrives at the pre-synaptic neuron
  2. This causes vesicles countaining neurotransmitters to release the neurotransmitters into the synaptic gap
  3. The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic gap towards the post-synaptic neuron
  4. The neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the post-synaptic neuron
  5. This leads to an action potential being either more or less likely to fire in the post-synaptic neuron
  6. Excess neurotransmitters are either reabsorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron through transporter proteins or simply broken down
43
Q

Outline the function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System

A

Rest and Digest

44
Q

Outline the function of the Sympathetic Nervous System

A

Fight or Flight

45
Q

Outline the function of the Autonomic Nervous System

A
  • Governs bodily functions - heart rate, breathing etc
  • Controls the endocrine system
46
Q

Outline the function of the Somatic Nervous System

A
  • Receives incoming sensory information
  • Allows for movement of skeletal muscles
47
Q

Outline the function of the Spinal Cord

A
  • Responsible for reflexes
  • Communicates with the PNS
48
Q

Outline the function of the Brain

A

Responsible for higher brain functions like thought and consciousness

Psychology (10 decks)

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