End of Year Exam Year 11 Flashcards
Central Nervous System
Brain and Spinal Cord
It processes and responds to incoming information from the PNS
CNS brain
the master organ that is responsible for everything
includes the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain
Peripheral Nervous System
A communication system that receives, processes and coordinates responses
Consists of the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System
Voluntary Actions
Sensory and Motor
Sensory: Sensations from skin/body, afferent tracts, to the brain
Motor: Movement, efferent tracts, from the brain
Autonomic Nervous System
Involuntary actions of internal organs and glands e.g. respiratory system etc.
Consists of Sympathetic and Parasympathetic systems
Sympathetic NS
activated in times of stress
fff response
Parasympathetic NS
homeostasis
calm down from fff
Dendrites function
receives signals from other cells
Axon terminals
Forms junctions with other cells
Axon
Transfers signals to other cells and organs
Electrical and Chemical messages
Chemical - outside neuron
Electrical - inside the neuron
Neurotransmitter
Inside vesicles which are chemical messages which cross the synapse
Frontal Lobe
Abstract thought, social skills, planning
Broca’s area
Speech, grammar production
Temporal Lobe
Hearing, language, visual recognition
Wernicke’s area
Comprehension of language
Occipital Lobe
Vision
Parietal Lobe
touch, non-verbal thought, spatial orientation
Hemispheric Specialisation
Left and Right
Left: Maths, language, science, writing, logic
Right: music appreciation, art appreciation, dance, sculpture, fantasy, perception
Language takes part in what side of the brain
Left
Primary motor cortices are responsible for
movement of the opposite sides of the body e.g. left hemisphere, right hand
Adaptive plasticity
2 parts and what they do
Sprouting - occurs from damage or new experience and growth of new neural connections occurs
Re-routing - An undamaged neuron that has lost a connection with an action neuron may seek a new active neuron to connect with
Brain development during adolescence
Amygdala
Cerebellum
Corpus Callosum
Amygdala - more active here, impacts on the emotional state
Cerebellum - Increase in the number of neurons and synapses. results in unco-ordinated balance and movement
Corpus Callosum - Thickens and allows for more communication between hemispheres
Hindbrain structures
Cerebellum
Medulla
Pons
Midbrain structure
Reticular formation
Forebrain structure
Hypothalamus
Thalamus
Cerebrum
Difference between developmental and adaptive plasticity
Developmental plasticity changes in neural connections as a result of interactions with the environment as a consequence of developmental processes whereas adaptive plasticity is the brains ability to compensate for lost functionality due to brain damage as well as in response to interaction with the environment by reorganising its structure.
Synaptogenesis
the process of moulding or forming new synapses
Broca’s Aphasia
Speech is non-fluent, many pauses
Consists of very short and simple sentences, mainly verbs and nouns, lacks grammar
Difficult writing
Left frontal lobe
Wernicke’s Aphasia
Speech is fluent but nonsense words are used or are mispronounced
Difficulty understanding both written and spoken language
Left temporal lobe
Spatial Neglect
a disorder in which the person affected systematically ignores stimuli on one side of their body. Spatial neglect occurs after brain damage, usually in the posterior region of their right parietal lobe and results in the person ignoring stimuli on their left side.
Hereditary factors
genetic material inherited from their parents
environmental factors
physical, social and emotional surroundings
Development is a combination of
environmental and hereditary factors
Interactionalist Approach
The idea that hereditary and environmental factors continually interact to influence developmental change
what impact does raising identical twins together have on the development of their characteristics as well as how they are treated
- if raised in the same households with similar experiences, then the same environmental factors would impact
- they look the same and are more likely to be treated alike. Friends, teachers and extended family may have difficulties telling them apart or want to treat them fairly and equally - the environmental influences are the same
limitation of identical twin studies
in generalising from these findings is due to the selection of adoptive parents. In most cases, the infants were matched with families of similar education and social background (Hay 1985). Therefore, although reared apart, the twins were raised in similar environments
Nature/Nurture Intelligence
Hereditary strong influence
Families who live together often share the same genes and environment
If a family has children whose parents and grandparents all have high intelligence, then it is possible that either their genes or their family environment or the interaction between the two is responsible for their high intellectual activity
Nature/Nurture Personality
Common for personality traits to continue into adulthood
e.g. Sensitive and emotional children tend to become nervous and withdrawn adults
Stages of lifespan and milestones
Infancy - talking, walking, motor skills, social interactions with family, self-recognition, self-identity
Childhood - forming friendships, starting school
Adolescence - high school, puberty, independence
Early Adulthood - getting a job, children, marrigae, peak of physical functioning, sophisticated cognitive functioning, intimacy and independence
Middle Adulthood - stable self-identity, stable career, physical declines become noticeable
Late Adulthood - health declines, retirement, close ties to family
Physical development
Impacts on physical functioning. It is how you physically change over years like learning how to hold a pen, or tie your shoelace
Cognitive development
The development of our mental abilities through the course of the lifespan. Our memories, language and problem-solving abilities change throughout our lives
Social-emotional development
As you grow older your understanding of social rules and situations changes, you change socially and emotionally. You develop the ability to regulate your emotions. Your emotions are influenced by the environment and society
Difference between learning and maturation
The main difference between learning and maturation is that learning is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and behaviours, whereas maturation is the process of becoming mature or developed. Thus, maturation is a mental and physical growth, whereas learning is mainly a mental process
Inborn reflexes
Automatic responses to specific stimuli, inborn reflexes are initially due to nature (heredity)
Eg: being able to sit or stand up on their own as an infant
Developmental norms
- They indicate the average age that a certain behaviour or skill will be achieved. They’re based on the mean average of a large sample.
- Provide feedback on whether the infant is progressing normally in relation to the rest of the population
Critical vs Sensitive periods
Critical periods are development times of special sensitivity to certain environmental factors that can shape an individual’s capacity for future development whereas sensitive periods are the best or optimal times for psychological development in certain areas, such as learning to speak which allows for the possibility that, given the right circumstances, individuals can still experience psychological development, even if the individual began with deprived conditions
Teratogens
Are toxic substances that are capable of harming an unborn child
Experience expectant and experience dependent learning
EE - These are situations in which a species-typical experience plays a necessary role in the development organisation of the nervous system
ED - Is a form of learning that can occur at any time during an individual’s life. It refers to adaptive plasticity, encoding new experiences that occur throughout life, fostering new brain growth and refining existing brain structures
