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A Level Psychology > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

1
Q

What do biopsychologists assume that human behaviour is caused by?

A

on the interaction between nature & nurture

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2
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

the internal communication system of the human body

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3
Q

What are the two main functions of the nervous system?

A

to collect, process & respond to information in the environment by coordinating the working of different organ and cells

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4
Q

Which are the two organs which make up the central nervous system?

A
  1. brain
  2. spinal cord
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5
Q

What is the function of the CNS?

A

passage messages to and from the brain & connects nerves to PNS

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6
Q

What are the 2 main nervous systems?

A
  1. central nervous system
  2. peripheral nervous systsem
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7
Q

What is the functions of the peripheral nervous system?

A

transfers messages via neurons (nerve cells), to and from the central nervous system

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8
Q

What are the two components of the peripheral nervous system?

A
  1. somatic nervous system
  2. autonomic nervous system
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9
Q

What is the function of the somatic nervous system?

A

responsible for carrying sensory & motor information to and from the spinal cord

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10
Q

What is the function of autonomic nervous system?

A

controls vital functions in the body which are involuntary
eg. breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual arousal & stress responses

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11
Q

What are the two main division of the ANS?

A
  1. sympathetic nervous system
  2. parasympathetic nervous system
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12
Q

What is the function of the sympathetic nervous system?

A

generally prepares the body to expend energy for fight or flight

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13
Q

What is the function of the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

maintains & conserves body energy & functions

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14
Q

What word would you use to describe the relationship between actions the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system? What does this mean?

A

antagonistic - they usefully work in opposition to each other

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15
Q

What are 3 physiological reactions which happen during fight or flight?

A
  1. increase heart rate
  2. dilates bronchi - increased breathing rate
  3. weak stimulation of saliva - dry mouth
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16
Q

What is a neuron?

A

a cell which is responsible for transmitting electrical and chemical messages across the nervous system

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17
Q

What is a synapse?

A

the gap at the end of the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of the next neurons

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18
Q

What is synaptic transmission?

A

refers to the process by which an electrical impulse passes across the synapse from one neuron to another neuron

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19
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

chemical substances that play a major role in the functioning of the nervous system by transmitting electrical impulses

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20
Q

What are the 3 types of neuron?

A
  1. sensory
  2. relay
  3. motor
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21
Q

In a neuron, what is the structure & function of the cell body?

A

includes the cell nucleus, which contains the genetic material of the cell

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22
Q

In a neuron, what is the structure and function of dendrites?

A

(in relay & motor neurons) they extend from the cell body, carrying nerve impulses from other nuerons towards the cell body

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23
Q

In a neuron, what is the structure and function of an axon?

A

carries impulses away from the cell body towards the axons terminals

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24
Q

In a neuron, what is the structure and function of the myelin sheath?

A

a fatty layer which protects the axons & speeds up electrical impulses

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25
Q

In a neuron, what is the structure and function of the synaptic knob?

A

found at the end of axons, before the synapse & contain vesicles of neurotransmitters

26
Q

Which type of neuron does not have a myelin sheath?

A

relay neurons

27
Q

What are the two types of effect that neurotransmitters can have on the neighbouring neuron?

A
  1. excitatory
  2. inhibitory
28
Q

define hormone.

A

chemical messenger which is transported in the bloodstream, which transfers information around the body

29
Q

What is the function and structure of a sensory neuron?

A
  • carry messages from receptors in the PNS to the CNS
  • longer dendrites, shorter axons & cell body in the middle of axon chain
30
Q

What is the function and structure of relay neurons?

A
  • pass on messages between sensory neurons to motor neurons
  • found only within the CNS
  • short dendrites
  • axon with no myelin sheath
  • cell body is sometime in middle of axon chain
31
Q

What is the function and structure of a motor neuron?

A
  • connect the CNS to effectors (muscles & glands)
  • long axon has large cell body with short dendrites at end (like a star)
32
Q

What is the process of neuron firing? (electrical transmission)

A
  • when in a resting state, the inside of the cell is negatively charged.
  • when a neuron is activated by a stimulus, the inside of the cell becomes positive for a split second causing ACTION POTENTIAL for a moment
  • this creates an electric impulse that travels down the axon towards the end of the cell
33
Q

What is the process of synaptic transmission?

A
  • an electrical impulse is transferred to another neuron via the synaptic gap
  • at the end of presynaptic neuron, there are synaptic vesicles
  • as the electrical impulse reaches the end of the axon, it causes the vesicles to open
  • neurotransmitters are released into the gap and bind to the receptor of the postsynaptic neuron & is activated
  • the neurotransmitters are converted into an electrical charge and causes neuron firing to occur
  • neurotransmitters left in the synapse are taken back to the presynaptic neuron, so that the response doesn’t repeat
34
Q

What are presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons?

A

presynaptic - before the synapse
postsynaptic - after the synapse

35
Q

What does it mean for a neurotransmitter to have an excitatory effect on the neighbouring neuron?

A

increases the positive charge of the neuron and making it more likely to fire

36
Q

What does it mean for a neurotransmitter to have a inhibitory effect on the neighbouring neuron?

A

increases the negative charge of the neuron and making it less likely to fire

37
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

a system which is made up of glands that produce & secrete hormones to regulate the activity of cells or target organs

38
Q

after fight or flight, what is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

return body to normal functioning

39
Q

What hormone does the thyroid gland produce?

A

thyroxine

40
Q

What does is thyroxine responsible for?

A

regulates heart rate & the body’s metabolic rate

41
Q

What is the role of the hypothalamus in the endocrine system?

A

controls the functioning of the pituitary gland

42
Q

What is the pituitary gland also known as?

A

master gland

43
Q

What is the role of the pituitary gland?

A

controls hormone secretion in other glands

44
Q

What is the role of adrenaline during fight or flight?

A
  1. stressful situation causes the body moves from parasympathetic mode
    ->sympathetic mode
  2. pituitary gland release the hormone ACTH
  3. this stimulate the adrenal gland to release adrenaline into the bloodstream
  4. adrenaline put the body on an alert mode to deal with stress
  5. once the stressful situation is dealt with the parasympathetic system bring the body back to rest & digest state
45
Q

define localised function

A

where different areas of the brain are responsible for different or processes

46
Q

Where is the motor area found in the brain?

A

back of front lobe (in both hemispheres)

46
Q

What is the function of motor area?

A

controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of body

47
Q

What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?

A

where sensory information from the skin is detected

48
Q

Where is the somatosensory cortex found in the brain?

A

at the front of both parietal lobes

49
Q

What is the function of the visual cortex?

A

processing visual information
eg. information from right visual field goes to left visual cortex & left visual field -> right visual cortex

50
Q

Where is the visual cortex found in the brain?

A

in the occipital lobe

51
Q

What is the function of the auditory cortex?

A

processes auditory informtation

52
Q

Where is the auditory cortex located in the brain?

A

temporal lobes

53
Q

What is the function of language centres?

A

analyses speech-based information

54
Q

What are the two language centres?

A
  1. Wernicke’s Area
  2. Broca’s Area
55
Q

What is the function of Wernicke’s Area?

A

understanding language

56
Q

What is the function of Broca’s Area?

A

producing speech

57
Q

Where are the two language centres located in the brain?

A

temporal lobe

58
Q

What is a strength of localisation of function? (as a theory)

A

evidence from neurosurgery - 44 people with OCD underwent a cingulotomy (isolates a region called cingulate gyrus, which has been implicated in OCD)
30% said there was a successful outcome from the surgery
- suggests that behaviours associated with serious mental disorders may be localisd

59
Q
A

A Level Psychology (8 decks)

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