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Psychology Paper 2 > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What function does the frontal lobe perform?

A

Controls important cognitive abilities (e.g. problem solving)

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2
Q

What function does the occipital lobe perform?

A

Processes visual information

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3
Q

What function does the parietal lobe perform?

A

Processes sensory information

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4
Q

What function does the temporal lobe perform?

A

Processes auditory information

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5
Q

What areas are in both hemispheres of the brain?

A

Motor area,
Visual area,
Somatosensory area,
Auditory area

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6
Q

What areas are only in the left hemisphere of the brain?

A

Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area

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7
Q

What is the difference between Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?

A

Broca’s is located in the frontal lobe, Wernicke’s is located in the temporal lobe
Broca’s is responsible for speech production, Wernicke’s is responsible for understanding speech

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8
Q

What is the function of the motor area?

A

Control the movement of the opposite side of the body

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9
Q

What is the function of the somatosensory area?

A

Process sensory information and produce sensations for the opposite side of the body

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10
Q

What is the function of the visual area?

A

Process information from the left and right visual area and the opposite side processes for shape and colour

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11
Q

What is the function of the auditory area?

A

Processes sound in opposite hemisphere to input and deals with pitch and volume

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12
Q

What is the role of sensory neurons?

A

To take information from the five senses towards the brain

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13
Q

What is the role of motor neurons?

A

Take signals away from the brain towards muscles and organs

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14
Q

What is the role of relay neurons?

A

To link motor and sensory neurons in the brain and spinal cord

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15
Q

What is contained within vesicles?

A

Neurotransmitters

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16
Q

What are the effects of adrenaline on the body?

A

Increased sweating
Digestion is inhibited
Increased breathing rate
Increased heart rate
Pupils dilate
Glucose and fats are released
(Fight or flight response)

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17
Q

Where does the fight or flight response begin?

A

The amygdala

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18
Q

What does the amygdala do in the fight or flight response?

A

Associates the sensory signal with fear

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19
Q

What receives the distress signal from the amygdala in the fight or flight response?

A

The hypothalamus

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20
Q

What does the hypothalamus do in the fight or flight response?

A

Activates the sympathetic nervous system

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21
Q

What does the sympathetic nervous system do in the fight or flight response?

A

Sends a signal to the adrenal gland

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22
Q

What does the adrenal gland do in the fight or flight response?

A

Release adrenaline

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23
Q

What returns the body to a resting state following the fight or flight response?

A

The parasympathetic nervous system

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24
Q

What do the testes release and how does it impact behaviour?

A

Testosterone
Linked to increased aggression

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25
Q

What does the pineal gland release and how does it impact behaviour?

A

Melatonin
Induces drowsiness in low lighting to regulate the body’s sleep/wake cycle

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26
Q

What neurotransmitter makes a neuron more likely to fire?

A

Excitatory

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27
Q

What neurotransmitter makes a neuron less likely to fire?

A

Inhibitory

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28
Q

What is summation?

A

The total net input at any one time, which will determine whether or not a neuron will fire

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29
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

A series of glands that release hormones throughout the body via the bloodstream

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30
Q

What is the function of the endocrine system?

A

To regulate the body’s processes in order to operate in optimal conditions

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31
Q

What is the role of the brain in the central nervous system?

A

The center of conscious awareness, in control of higher cognitive functions

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32
Q

What is the role of the spinal cord in the central nervous system?

A

Control reflex reactions outside of conscious awareness
To carry messages between the brain and Peripheral nervous system

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33
Q

What is the difference between the autonomic and somatic nervous system?

A

Autonomic is involuntary, Somatic is voluntary
Autonomic is muscles and organs, somatic is skeletal muscles
Autonomic is motor neurons only, Somatic is motor and sensory neurons

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34
Q

What are the differences between the endocrine and nervous system?

A

Endocrine system transports messages via the blood, Nervous transports messages via neurons
Endocrine system has slow communication, Nervous system has fast communication

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35
Q

What are the two branches of the peripheral nervous system?

A

Autonomic
Somatic

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36
Q

What are the two branches of the Autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic
Parasympathetic

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37
Q

What does an fMRI scan measure?

A

Blood flow in the brain whilst an individual performs a cognitive task

38
Q

Why is an fMRI being an objective measure a strength?

A

It allows for investigation into psychological processes that cant be/ are hard to express verbally

39
Q

Why is an fMRI being non-invasive a strength?

A

It allows it to be reliable as consistency can be checked for due to no harm allowing it to be done again

40
Q

What is the main limitation of a fMRI?

A

It only measures blood flow in the brain and not direct activity in the neurons so is not as accurate as other methods

41
Q

What is an ERP?

A

An EEG that detects very small changes in brain activity that are triggered in response to a specific cognitive event in response to a target stimulus

42
Q

What is the assumption in ERPs?

A

That activity occurs each time the stimulus is presented and non consistent activity is likely to be extraneous

43
Q

What is the strength of the ERP?

A

It can show how brain activity changes in response to a specific stimulus

44
Q

What does an EEG/ERP measure?

A

Electrical activity from neurons in the brain by attaching electrodes to the scalp

45
Q

What are the strengths of the EEG?

A

It gives recordings of brain activity in real time, allowing for particular activity to be accurately measured to correlate with brain activity
Clinical diagnosis benefits (epilepsy)

46
Q

What is the limitation of the EEG?

A

It only measures general activity and so cannot gather information about deeper structures, meaning that conclusions may be incomplete

47
Q

What is Broca’s aphasia?

A

Patients experience difficulties communicating and expressing their words fluently

48
Q

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

A

Patients are fluent and easily find words, however make no sense to others

49
Q

What idea does Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia support?

A

Localization of function

50
Q

What issue does gender differences in the size of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas raise for localisation of fucntion?

A

Difficulty in proving localisation due to it being hard to precisely identify which cells are actually linked to the function concerned

51
Q

What evidence suggested that language may not only be confined to Broca’s area?

A

Dronkers - re-examined two brains of Broca’s patients using MRI and found that their speech difficulties were due to damage to multiple areas - hard to determine if just due to Broca’s

52
Q

Whose study supports hemispheric lateralisation?

A

Sperry’s split brain patients

53
Q

What was severed in split-brain patients (Sperry)?

A

Corpus collosum

54
Q

What did Sperry find in his split brain patients?

A

That when information was presented to the left visual field, they were unable to describe it as it went to right hemisphere
But when information was presented to the right visual field, they were able to describe it as it went to the left hemisphere, where language is stored

55
Q

By what age does hemispheric lateralization decrease with every decade of life?

A

25

56
Q

Why is it difficult to draw conclusions about hemispheric lateralisation?

A

Patients are hard to come by - split brain procedure rarely carried out
The findings are only case studies of unique behaviour of individuals so cannot be generalised

57
Q

What are post mortem examinations?

A

Detailed examinations of brains after a patient has died, which are then compared to a neurotypical brain

58
Q

How are post mortem examinations useful in understanding the neuro-correlates of disorders (Schizophrenia)?

A

Discovery of structural abnormalities (Enlarged ventricles), proving useful in the diagnosis of patients using scanning techniques

59
Q

What is the main limitation of post mortem examinations?

A

Difficult to establish a cause-effect relationship as by the time it is carried out, other variables may have effected findings (drug treatments can impact brain structures), making it difficult to conclude the neural deficient was the cause of the disorder

60
Q

What is brain plasticity?

A

The brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience, which is important for brain development and behaviour

61
Q

What happens to frequently used pathways in brain plasticity?

A

They become stronger

62
Q

What happens to infrequently used pathways in brain plasticity?

A

They weaken and eventually die

63
Q

What evidence supports pathways in brain plasticity?

A

When 60yrs old are taught new skills (e.g. juggling) they see an increase in grey matter in the visual cortex but this reduces again if practice stops

64
Q

What is functional recovery?

A

The brain’s ability to move functions from a damaged area of the brain (following trauma) to an undamaged area of the brain

65
Q

Case studies of what victims show us that is it possible to regain a lost function?

A

Stroke victims (Broca’s/Wernicke’s)

66
Q

What is neural unmasking in functional recovery?

A

Using synaptic connections in the brain that have not been receiving enough input to activate - done through therapy that forces the brain to find new connections to develop new structures

67
Q

What is the definition of a biological rhythm?

A

A distinct pattern of changes in bodily activity that conforms to a cyclical time period

68
Q

What is an infradian rhythm?

A

A cycle that conforms to more than 24hrs

69
Q

What is an ultradian rhythm?

A

A cycle that conforms to less that 24hrs

70
Q

What is a circadian rhythm?

A

A cycle that conforms to 24hrs

71
Q

What are two examples of an infradian rhythm and how long do they last?

A

Menstrual cycle - 28 days
Seasonal affective disorder - annually

72
Q

What is an example of an ultradian rhythm?

A

The Basic Rest Activity Cycle during sleep (BRAC) - 90 mins

73
Q

What is the first stage of the BRAC sleep cycle?

A

Light sleep

74
Q

What is the second stage of the BRAC sleep cycle?

A

Sleep onset

75
Q

What is the third stage of the BRAC sleep cycle?

A

Deep sleep

76
Q

What is the fourth stage of the BRAC sleep cycle?

A

Very deep sleep

77
Q

What is the fifth stage of the BRAC sleep cycle?

A

REM

78
Q

What are the two examples of circadian rhythms?

A

Body temperature
Sleep-wake cycle

79
Q

What time is our body temperature the lowest?

A

4:30am

80
Q

What time is out body temperature the highest?

A

6:00pm

81
Q

When are our strongest sleep drives in the sleep-wake cycle?

A

2-4am and 1-3pm

82
Q

Who’s study provides evidence that our body clock is 24-25hrs?

A

Siffre - underground without any extrenal cues

83
Q

What are endogenous pacemakers?

A

Internal body clocks

84
Q

Where is the main pacemaker?

A

In the SCN

85
Q

What is the role of the SCN?

A

To detect levels of light to trigger the rate at which melatonin is released from the pineal gland

86
Q

What are exogenous zeitgebers?

A

External time keepers

87
Q

What is the role of exogenous zeitgebers?

A

To entrain our natural sleep-wake cycle

88
Q

What is an example of an exogenous zeitgebers?

A

Light

89
Q

What study demonstrated the importance of endogenous pacemakers? (Hamsters)

A

Morgan - Removed the SCN cells from hamsters with a 20hr cycle and inserted into hamsters with a 24hr cycle
-20hr hamsters became 24hr cycle
-24hr hamsters became 20hr cycle

90
Q

What study demonstrated the importance of endogenous pacemakers? (Chipmunks)

A

DeCoursey - Destroyed the SCN cells in 30 Chipmunks before releasing them into wild, they were compared to control
-Vast number died in 80 days due to no sleep-wake cycle

91
Q

What is the limitation of the research into the importance if endogenous pacemakers?

A

Both animal studies - humans are more complex so findings cannot be generalised

92
Q

What research suggested that exogenous zeitgebers were important up until a point?

A

Czeitster et al - artificial lights impact allowed for the sleep-wake cycle to be increased to 28hrs or decreased to 22hrs

Psychology Paper 2 (3 decks)

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