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AQA Psychology > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two main components of the nervous system?

A

Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

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2
Q

What does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?

A

Brain and spinal cord

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3
Q

What is the primary function of the central nervous system?

A

Origin of all complex commands and decisions

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4
Q

What is the role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

A

Sends information to the CNS and transmits messages from the CNS to muscles and glands

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5
Q

What does the somatic nervous system do?

A

Transmits information from sense organs to the CNS and directs muscles to act

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6
Q

What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Transmits information to and from internal bodily organs

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7
Q

True or False: The autonomic nervous system operates voluntarily.

A

False

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8
Q

What are the two main divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

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9
Q

Fill in the blank: The _______ nervous system is responsible for involuntary functions.

A

Autonomic

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10
Q
A
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11
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

One of the body’s major information systems that instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream.

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12
Q

What is a gland?

A

An organ in the body that synthesizes substances such as hormones.

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13
Q

What are hormones?

A

Chemical substances that circulate in the bloodstream and only affect target organs. They are produced in large quantities but disappear quickly. Their effects are very powerful.

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14
Q

What is the fight or flight response?

A

The way an animal responds when stressed. The body becomes physiologically aroused in readiness to fight an aggressor or, in some cases, flee.

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15
Q

What is adrenaline?

A

A hormone produced by the adrenal glands which is part of the human body’s immediate stress response system. Adrenaline has a strong effect on the cells of the cardiovascular system – stimulating the heart rate, contracting blood vessels, and dilating air passages.

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16
Q

What is a neuron?

A

The basic building blocks of the nervous system, neurons are nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical signals.

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17
Q

What are sensory neurons?

A

These carry messages from the PNS (peripheral nervous system) to the CNS. They have long dendrites and short axons.

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18
Q

What are relay neurons?

A

These connect the sensory neurons to the motor or other relay neurons. They have short dendrites and short axons.

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19
Q

What are motor neurons?

A

These connect the CNS (central nervous system) to effectors such as muscles and glands. They have short dendrites and long axons.

20
Q

What is synaptic transmission?

A

The process by which neighbouring neurons communicate with each other by sending chemical messages across the gap (the synapses) that separates them.

21
Q

What is a neurotransmitter?

A

Brain chemicals released from the synaptic vesicles that relay signals across the synapse from one neuron to another.

22
Q

How can neurotransmitters be classified?

A

They can be broadly divided into those that perform an excitatory function and those that perform an inhibitory function.

23
Q

What is excitation in the context of neurotransmitters?

A

When a neurotransmitter, such as adrenaline, increases the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron, increasing the likelihood that the neuron will fire and pass on the electrical impulse.

24
Q

What is inhibition in the context of neurotransmitters?

A

When a neurotransmitter, such as serotonin, increases the negative charge of the postsynaptic neuron, decreasing the likelihood that the neuron will fire and pass on the electrical impulse.

25
Q

What is the theory of localisation of function?

A

The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes, or activities.

26
Q

What is the motor area?

A

A region of the frontal lobe involved in regulating movement.

27
Q

What is the somatosensory area?

A

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

28
Q

What is the visual area?

A

A part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information.

29
Q

What is the auditory area?

A

Located in the temporal lobe and concerned with the analysis of speech-based information.

30
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

An area of the frontal lobe of the brain in the left hemisphere (in most people) responsible for speech production.

31
Q

What is Wernicke’s area?

A

An area of the temporal lobe (encircling the auditory cortex) in the left hemisphere (in most people) responsible for language comprehension.

32
Q

What is plasticity in the context of the brain?

A

The brain’s tendency to change and adapt (functionally and physically) because of experience and new learning.

33
Q

What is functional recovery?

A

A form of plasticity where the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by damaged areas to other, undamaged areas.

34
Q

What is hemispheric lateralisation?

A

The idea that the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain are functionally different, controlling certain mental processes and behaviours mainly by one hemisphere.

35
Q

What is split-brain research?

A

A series of studies involving epileptic patients who had experienced a surgical separation of the hemispheres of the brain, allowing investigation of brain function lateralisation.

36
Q

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

A

A method used to measure brain activity while a person is performing a task, detecting which regions of the brain are active.

37
Q

What is an electroencephalogram (EEG)?

A

A record of the tiny electrical impulses produced by the brain’s activity, helping diagnose certain conditions.

38
Q

What are event-related potentials (ERPs)?

A

The brain’s electrophysiological response to a specific sensory, cognitive, or motor event, isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data.

39
Q

What are post-mortem examinations?

A

The analysis of the brain after death to determine if certain observed behaviours can be linked to brain abnormalities.

40
Q

What are biological rhythms?

A

Distinct patterns of change in body activity that conform to cyclical periods, influenced by internal body clocks and environmental changes.

41
Q

What is a circadian rhythm?

A

A type of biological rhythm with a 24-hour cycle, regulating processes like the sleep/wake cycle.

42
Q

What is an infradian rhythm?

A

A type of biological rhythm with a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours, such as menstruation.

43
Q

What is an ultradian rhythm?

A

A type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours, such as the stages of sleep.

44
Q

What are endogenous pacemakers?

A

Internal body clocks that regulate biological rhythms, such as the influence of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) on the sleep/wake cycle.

45
Q

What are exogenous zeitgebers?

A

External cues that may affect biological rhythms, such as the influence of light on the sleep/wake cycle.

46
Q

What is the sleep/wake cycle?

A

A daily cycle of biological activity based on a 24-hour period (circadian rhythm), influenced by environmental variations.

AQA Psychology (3 decks)

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