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Psychology AS Level > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

A complex network of nerve cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal chord to different parts of the body, allowing different parts of the body to communicate with each other

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2
Q

What does the nervous system provide?

A

Provides the biological basis of psychological experience

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3
Q

What 2 systems do the nervous system divide into? Explain them

A

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Transmits information to and from the central nervous system

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Concerned with all life functions and psychological processes

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4
Q

What does the central nervous system divide into? Explain them

A

SPINAL CHORD -
Relieves and transmits information to and from the brain

BRAIN -
Maintains life, involved in higher functions and psychological processes

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5
Q

What does the peripheral nervous system divide into?

A

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Transmits information to and from internal organs to sustain life processes

SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Transmits information to and from senses and to and from the nervous system

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6
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system divide into? What are they?

A

SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Generally increases bodily activities

PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-
Generally maintains or decreases bodily functions

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7
Q

What are the 2 main functions of the central nervous system?

A
  1. Control of behaviour
  2. The regulations of the body’s physiology processes

Comprised of the spinal chord and the brain

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8
Q

What are the functions of the spinal chord?

A
  • main function is to relay information between the brain and the rest of the body
  • allows the brain to monitor and regulate bodily processes such as digestion and breathing, as well as coordinate voluntary movements
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9
Q

What happens if the spinal chord becomes damaged?

A

Areas of the body that are supplied by spinal nerves below the damaged point will be cut off from the brain and stop functioning

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10
Q

Identify the 4 main areas of the brain

A

Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Hypothalamus
Brain stem

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11
Q

What is the function of the cerebrum?

A
  • biggest part of human brain

- associated with higher brain functions such as thought and action

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12
Q

What is the function of the cerebellum?

A

receives information from the sensory systems, the spinal chord and other parts of the brain and then regulates motor movements

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13
Q

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

A

Links to nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland

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14
Q

What is the function of the brain stem?

A

Controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body
-basic bodily functions such as breathing, swallowing, heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness, and whether one is awake or sleeping

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15
Q

Outline the peripheral nervous system

A
  • all the nerves outside of the CNS make up the peripheral nervous system
  • the peripheral nervous systems function is to relay nerve impulses from the CNS to the rest of the body and back again
  • it has 2 main divisions, the somatic nervous system (SNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
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16
Q

Outline the somatic nervous system

A
  • voluntary nervous system
  • voluntary actions and controls
  • made up of pains of cranial nerves (that emerge from the brain) and spinal nerves (that emerge directly from the spine)
  • INVOLVED IN THE TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION TO AND FROM THE CNS
  • also involved in reflex actions
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17
Q

Outline the autonomic nervous system

A
  • regulates involuntary actions
  • has 2 branches: sympathetic and parasympathetic, which regulates the same organs, but have the opposite effects on them
  • the sympathetic branch increases bodily activities
  • the parasympathetic branch decreases bodily activities
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18
Q

What are neurons?

A

Neurons are cells that receive information and transmit it to other cells, it is thought that there are around 100 billion of them in the brain and 1 billion In the spinal chord.
They are essential parts of the communication systems around the body

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19
Q

What are the 3 main types of neurons in the body?

A

Sensory neuron
Motor neuron
Relay neuron

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20
Q

What is the process of neurons sending and receiving messages?

A

Stimulus -> receptor-> sensory neuron-> relay neuron (in CNS)-> motor neuron-> effector -> response

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21
Q

Define nucleus

A

Contains the genes, consisting of DNA which contains the cell history, the basic information to manipulate all the proteins characteristics of that cell

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22
Q

Define dendrites

A

These structures branch out in the tree like fashion and serve as the main apparatus for recieving signals from other neuron cells

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23
Q

Define axon

A

Usually a long process which often projects to distant regions of the nervous system. The axon is the main conducting unit of the neuron, capable of conveying electrical signals along distances that range as short as 0.1mm -2m

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24
Q

Define cell body/soma

A

The cell body, also called the soma, is the spherical part of the neuron that contains the nucleus

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25
Q

Define terminal button

A

Located at the end of the neuron and are responsible for sending the signal on the other neurons

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26
Q

Define action potential

A

An action potential is the neurons way of transporting electrical signals from one cell to the next. Can have dendrites at one end and the axon terminal at the other

27
Q

Describe the function of the sensory neuron

A

These neuron tells the rest of the brain about the external and internal environment by processing information taken from the senses

  • can be found in various parts of the body (ears, tongue and skin)
  • they convert information from these sensory receptors into neutral impulses which are then translated into sensations when they reach the brain
  • sensory neurons only transmits messages from the body to the brain, not the other way round, therefore they are unipolar
28
Q

Describe the function of the relay/interneuron

A
  • relay neurons carry messages from one part of the CNS to another
  • they connect motor and sensory neurons
  • known as multipolar because they both send and receive messages from many sources
  • they only exist in the brain and spinal cord
29
Q

Describe the function of the motor neuron

A
  • motor neurons carry signals from the CNS which helps organs, gland and muscles to function
  • multipolar as they have the capability of sending and receiving messages
  • motor neurons form synapses with muscles, and control their contractions. When stimulates, the MN released neurotransmitters that bind to receptors in the muscle and trigger a response (muscle movement)
  • muscle relaxation is caused by the inhibition of the motor neuron
30
Q

Define synapse

A

A junction between 2 nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter

31
Q

Describe the function synaptic transmission process

A

Synaptic transmission is the process for transmitting messages from neuron to neuron, as an electrical impulse(‘action potential’) cannot pass through the gap between a neuron/muscle it is communicating with

32
Q

What is a neurotransmitter?

A

When an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron, it cannot pass the gap to the next one, so the electrical signal is turned into a chemical signal

33
Q

Give 2 examples of a neurotransmitter

A
  • seratonin

- doplemine

34
Q

Give evidence for the effect of neurotransmitters on behaviour

A

Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters have been implicated in mental illnesses, for example, a lack of serotonin is thought to be a contributing factor to depression. As such, the drug based treatment for serotonin focus on increasing the availability of the neurotransmitter in the brain as this can have a positive effect in the reduction of depressive symptoms we can conclude that neurotransmitters do have an effect on behaviour

35
Q

Explain the nature of synaptic transmission

A

Synaptic transmission is the process for transmitting messages from neuron to neuron. The synapses is a specialised gap between neuron through which the electrical impulse from the neuron is transmitted chemically. Initially, the electrical nerve impulse travels down the neuorn and prompts release of neurotransmitters at the pre-synaptic terminal. These chemicals are then released into the synaptic fluid in the synapses. The adjacent neuron must then quickly take up the neurotransmitters from the fluid and converts them to an electrical impulse to travel down the neuron to the next pre-synaptic terminal and so the impulse continues to be transmitted on. These occur at high speeds

36
Q

What are the 2 terms that neurotransmitters can be classified as?

A
  • excitatory

- inhibitory

37
Q

What is an excitatory neurotransmitter?

A

They are the nervous systems ‘on switches’ and increases the likelihood than an excitatory signal is sent to the postsynaptic cell, which is then more likely to fire

Such as noradrenaline

38
Q

What is a inhibitory neurotransmitter?

A

They are the nervous systems ‘off-switches’ and decrease the likelihood that a neuron will fire, they are generally responsible for calming the mind and body, by inducing sleep for example and as such filter out unnecessary excitatory signals

Such as serotonin and GABA

39
Q

For an example of using a car, using neurotransmitters, which was would the brake and acceleration?

A

Inhibitory - brake

Accelerator - excitatory

40
Q

What is in the endocrine system?

A

The endocrine system is comprised of a series of glands which release chemicals (known as hormones) into the bloodstream and other bodily fluids
This is one of the ways that the body send messages to the organs of the body

41
Q

The hormone oxytocin comes from which gland and what is its function?

A

PITUITARY

-some of the hormones released are important for regulating the endocrine system, hence the nickname ‘master gland’

42
Q

The hormone thyroxine is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

THYROID

-it releases hormones that control metabolism- the way your body uses energy

43
Q

The hormone PTH is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

PARATHYROID
-regulate calcium levels - regulates how much calcium is excreted from your kidneys and how much calcium is stored in bones

44
Q

The hormone Adrenaline and Noradrenaline is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

ADRENAL

-an important part of the fight or flight response as it facilitates the release of adrenaline

45
Q

The hormone Insulin is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

PANCREAS

-maintains blood glucose (sugar)

46
Q

The hormone oestrogen is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

OVARIES

They facilitate the release of oestrogen and progesterone (female hormones)

47
Q

The hormone Testosterone is released from which gland and what is its function?

A

TESTES

-they facilitate the release of testosterone (male hormone)

48
Q

Explain the process when your fight or flight responses kick in

A

The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic branch of the ANS, which stimulates the adrenal medulla. This releases the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones prepare the body for fight or flight by increasing heart rate and blood pressure and stopping the digestive system

49
Q

What happens to the body when adrenaline is released?

A

Release of adrenaline results in blood pressure and heart rate increasing, the mouth goes dry (as the digestive system shuts down). It slows digestion down in order to conserve resources for fight or flight

50
Q

How is the sympathetic branch in the autonomic nervous system activated?

A

Immediate (acute) stressors arouse the sympathetic branch of the ANS

51
Q

Why is the ANS called the autonomic nervous system?

A

It’s called autonomic because it governs itself I.e. Heart beat
The ANS governs the release of hormones

52
Q

What is the job of the parasympathetic branch of the ANS?

A

The parasympathetic branch of the ANS returns heart rate and blood pressure to normal, as well as speeding up digestion, causing the body to relax

53
Q

Is it the case that females respond the same way to fight or flight that males do? Why?

A

No, females do not respond to treats in the same way, some researchers believe that instead of the fight or flight response, women display a response known as tend and befriend

54
Q

Explain what the tend and befriend response involves and its advantages in terms of survival

A

This involves protecting themselves and the young through nurturing (tending) and forming protective alliances with other women (befriending). Women may have a completely different system for coping with stress because their responses evolved in the context of being the primary care giver of their children. Fleeing too readily at any sign of danger would put a females offspring at risk

55
Q

How can the fight or flight response be criticised?

A

Reductionist
-F or F behaviour is linked to the functioning of specific biological mechanisms and specific hormones. The focus is on biology only
And when you only look at biology you essentially ignore the mind and how we all respond differently to the same stressors

56
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the GUT

A

Sympathetic- slows digestion

Parasympathetic- increases digestion

57
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the SALIVARY GLAND

A

Sympathetic- Inhibits saliva production

Parasympathetic- increases saliva production

58
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the HEART

A

Sympathetic- increases heart rate

Parasympathetic- decreases heart rate

59
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the LIVER

A

Sympathetic- stimulates glucose production

Parasympathetic- stimulates bike production

60
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the BLADDER

A

Sympathetic- inhibits bladder contraction (relaxes bladder)

Parasympathetic- decreases urination (contracts bladder)

61
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the EYE

A

Sympathetic- dilutes pupils

Parasympathetic- constricts dilation

62
Q

How does the sympathetic nervous system respond during fight and flight as well as how does the parasympathetic nervous system? Looking at the LUNGS

A

Sympathetic- dilates bronchi

Parasympathetic- constricts bronchi

63
Q

Give 2 weaknesses of the fight or flight response

A
  • over-activation of the SNS can lead to physical damage in blood vessels and eventually to heart disease, this is due to the increase in blood pressure. The problem for modern humans arises when the stress response is repeatedly activated
  • ignores the mind and how they may respond differently to the same stressors. Focuses on biology only
64
Q

Give 2 strengths of the fight or flight response

A
  • scientific. It uses objective measures e.g. Hormone levels in the blood measure stress. This is seen by looking at the body in terms of how it responds to stress
  • women have a ‘tend and befriend’ response. Taylor et al(2000) - females behavioural responses to stress are to tend and befriend. This therefore looks at other ways of dealing with stress and how people cope with stress

Psychology AS Level (5 decks)

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