Chapter Two Flashcards
The Brain and Consciousness
Peripheral Nervous System
Contains all nerves outside the central nervous system.
Contains the somatic nervous system which controls the body’s skeletal muscles
Contains the automatic nervous system which controls the glands and muscles of interal organs
Contains the sympathetic nervous system which arouses
Contains the parasympathetic nervous system which calms
Central Nervous System
Contains the brain which has eighty-six billion neurons that cluster into work groups to form neural networks that govern reflexes
Contains the spinal cord which governs reflexes and connects the peripheral nervous system to the brain
Brainstem
Central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions
Main Divisions of The Brain
Forebrain (cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus), midbrain, and hindbrain (pons, medulla, and cerebellum)
Forebrain
Manages complex cognitive activities, sensory/associative functions, and voluntary motor activities
Thalamus
The brain’s sensory control center (relay station)
Midbrain
Controls some motor movement and transmits auditory/visual
Hindbrain
Directs essential survival functions (breathing, sleeping, wakefullness, coordination, and balance)
Pons
Helps coordinate movement and control sleep
Medulla
Hindbrain structure that is the brainstems base; controls heartbeat and breathing
Cerebellum
“Little brain” situated at the rear of the brainstem
Frontol Lobe
Responsible for speaking, muscle movement, judgment, and decision making
Frontal Lobes
Behind forehead
Parietal Lobes
Rear of top of head
Temporal Lobes
Located above the ears and responsible for auditory processes
Occipital Lobes
Back of head
What is biological psychology
Scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes
Consciousness
Subjective awareness of the self and the enviornment
Circadian Rhythm
Internal biological clock
Sleep
Periodic, natural loss of consciousness
Alpha Waves
Relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
Delta Waves
Large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep
The brain’s motor cortex is active but the brainstem blocks its messages
Selective Attention
Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Inattentional Blindness
Failing to see visibal objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change blindness
Failing to notice changes in the enviornment
