chapter 2 psychology Flashcards
2 main sections
cns
pns
pns sections
somatic
autonomic
autonomic sections
sympathetic
parasympathetic
somatic sections
motor
sensory
forebrain involves
cerebrum
thalamus
hypothalamus
limbic system
midbrain involves
reticular formation
role of cns
enables brain to communicate with the rest of the body by conveying messages to the pns
forebrain role
- higher order thinking processes (i.e. planning, solving, emotions and language)
- receiving and processing sensory information
midbrain role
movement
sleep
arousal
hindbrain
link between spinal cord and rest of the brain
- important for movement and balance
role of pns
works with cns to enable interaction with environment
motor neurons
responsible for initiating movement of pns
- communicates from cns to particular muscle for specific movement
sensory neurons
convey sensation from sensory receptors (pns) to the brain via cns
role of somatic nervous system
- controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles (striped or striated)
- conscious responses without the arousal of autonomic nervous system
e. g. putting a jumper when cold
role of autonomic nervous system
- responsible for communication of information between cns and non-skeletal muscles (smooth or visceral) and together with glands and internal organs that carry out bodily functions(such as digestion)
- responsible for homeostasis
- responding to threats in environment
- directs unconscious functioning
fight-flight-freeze response
- activated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
sympathetic
- activated when organism is threatened
- responsible for the organism’s action (referring to fight or flight response)
parasympathetic
- activated when aware tht you are unable to fight or outrun the threatening stimulus
- freeze response
- responsible for homeostasis (maintaining balance in bodily functions)
effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic
parasympathetic: contracts bladder stimulates tear glands constricts pupils slows heart rate sympathetic: relaxes bladder no effect on tear glands accelerates heart rate dilates pupil
cerebral cortex
detects the difference between pieces of information, understands meaning of information, abstract and symbolic thinking
cerebral hemispheres
almost symmetrical connected by neural fibres called corpus callosum
4 lobes
parietal
frontal
temporal
occipital
thalamus
- when receives signals from sensory receptors, this relays information to the primary cortex relevant to that lobe (processes and interprets it)
- responsible for giving specific sensory information more attention than others at a given moment
- controlling motor systems of the brain which are responsible for voluntary bodily movement and coordination
frontal lobe
- largest
- speech, abstract thought, planning, social skills
primary motor cortex: - movement of skeletal muscles and helps coordinate sensory stimuli to plan for movement
- functions contraleterally (left primary cortex controls movement of the right side of body)
parietal lobe
perception of 3D shapes and spatial awareness
primary somatosensory cortex:
- processes sensation (touch, pain, temperature, pressure)
- functions contralaterally
temporal lobe
processing auditory information
primary auditory cortex:
- perform complex auditory analysis to interpret human speech or listen to music
occipital lobe
vision
primary visual cortex:
- different parts of PVC process different types of visual stimulus
association areas
parts of cerebral cortex (grey matter) not taken up by lobes
neurons
near association areas: less specific function; could be involved in integration of several senses or memories
near primary cortices: specialise in analysing and interpreting that particular sensory information
association area: frontal lobe
higher order thinking; reasoning, language, aspects of personality
association area: parietal
- integrate sensory information to form a single perception
- construct a spatial coordinate system to represent the world
association area - temporal
processing and encoding memories
association area - occipital
integration of visual stimuli
reflexes
innate response to a stimuli involving a process called a reflex arc
- to contribute to safety/survival
- many are controlled within spinal cord and no involvemen of brain (for faster response as no nerve impulse is sent)
reflex arc
process of receiving a sensation and responding to a stimuli reflexively
monosynaptic
- involving one synapse
- affector (sensory) neuron brings a sensation from receptors and an effector (motor) neuron carries motor messages to muscles of the body
polysynaptic
involves atleast two synapses
involves interneurons connecting the affector and effector neurons
