exam revision Flashcards
define nature and nurture
nature: genetic info you’re born with
nurture: environment and way you were raised
define sensitive and critical periods
sensitive: flexible time when you can more easily learn a skill, although it can be learned later
critical: set time period where you have to learn a skill or it will never develop
define the 3 types of Ainsworth attachments
secure: good
avoidant: comfortable with anyone
resistant: clingy and difficult to comfort
what was the conclusion of hubel and weisel cat experiment
eyes didn’t develop because they were closed during the critical period.
harry harlows rhesus monkeys conclusion
babies prefer comfort over food
piaget stages, two key concepts
concrete operational: conservation (two glasses hold the same amount even though theyre different sizes)
formal operational: abstract thinking
erik eriksons stages of psychosocial development, names
hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, caring, wisdom
erik erikson key crisies
trust vs mistrust, autonomy vs shame and doubt, initiative vs guilt, industry vs inferiority
typical vs atypical behaviour
normal vs abnormal
e.g speaking at normal times vs saying random things randomly
mental health continuum
mentally healthy: can cope
mental health problem: struggles coping, short term, behaviour makes them struggle sometimes
mental disorder: cant cope, long term, behaviour impairs ability to function.
forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
front, middle, back
cerebellum, pons, medulla (hindbrain)
cerebellum: ball + Cauliflower like
regulates posture and balance.
regulates muscle tone & coordination
damage
problems with muscle coordination & balance
pons: nerve bundle above medulla
sleep, dreaming and arousal from sleep (‘waking’), helps control breathing
relays messages between areas of brain
medulla: Controls automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestions
reticular formation (midbrain)
helps us selectively focus our attention & alertness
regulates arousal and muscle tone (tension)
Thalamus, cerebrum (in forebrain)
thalamus: sits on top of brain stem,
Relay station - filters information from almost all the sense receptor sites (except the nose), then passes it to the cerebral cortex
cerebrum: Outer layer known as cerebral cortex
responsible for almost everything we consciously think, feel and do.
they are the lobes
frontal lobe
Parietal Lobe
Occipital Lobe
Temporal Lobe
frontal lobe: planning and reasoning.
attention, personality and control of emotions.
Prefrontal cortex - association area Primary motor cortex - controlling voluntary bodily movements.
Broca’s area - speech
Parietal Lobe: Behind the frontal lobe and occupies the upper back half of the brain
Receives and processes sensory information from the body
Involved with spatial reasoning
Primary Somatosensory Cortex (PSC) (touch / pain / pressure)
Occipital Lobe: back of the head.
Receives & processes visual information
integrates visual information with other information.
Eg: Interacts with Temporal Lobe association area to recognize faces
Temporal Lobe: above and around the top of each ear.
Receive and process sounds from both ears.
Memory of facts & personal memories - links emotions to memories
Helps us Identify objects and recognise faces
Left Lobe also has Wernicke’s Area - understanding speech
Wernicke’s aphasia
brocas aphasia
Wernicke’s aphasia: wordy speech (says random things and struggles putting rational sentences together)
broca’s aphasia: broken speech (knows what they want to say but struggles to say / think of the words and how to say them)
Sensory Neurons
interneurons
motor neurons
Sensory Neurons: receive and carry sensory information, from the external world via our sense organs and internally within the body from muscles joints and tendons to the CNS
interneurons: (connecting neurons) act as a link between sensory and motor neurons, allowing them to communicate with one another.
motor neurons: carry messaged from the CNS to enable muscles to move, cause glands to secrete chemicals and help function of internal organs like the heart
dendrites: short widely branching nerve fibres detect and receive neural info from other neurons
soma/ cell body: structure that determines whether the neuron will be activated & send a message
axon: Single tubelike fluid filled extension that transmits information from the soma to other cells in the body
myelin sheath: White fatty covering that helps insulate the axon to help deliver messages quicker
nodes of ranvier: small gaps where the myelin sheath is missing.
axon terminals: Branches on the end of the axon containing small sacs of neurochemicals
terminals buttons: hold neurotransmitters which are released to carry messages to the dendrites of other neurons.
synaptic transmission, lock and key process
The neurotransmitter (KEY) will search for the receptor site that has a complementary shape.
Once the neurotransmitter finds the matching receptor on the dendrite (LOCK) and binds to it
This “unlocks” the postsynaptic neuron.
A dendrite can have many different types of receptor sites on it so it can receive different types of neurotransmitters.
electrical message.
chemical message
electrical: The message travels within the neuron as an action potential.
chemical: When a message is sent from one neuron to the next neurotransmitters are released.
Some neurotransmitters have an excitatory effect (Glutamate)
Other neurotransmitters have an inhibitory effect (GABA)
glutamate:They make the post-synaptic neuron more likely to fire.
GABA: They make the post-synaptic neuron less likely to fire.
Neural plasticity and how
is the ability of the brain’s neural structure and function to be changed by experience throughout the lifespan.
new neural pathways can form and link up with existing pathways
existing pathways may interconnect with other pathways
they re-organise and re-assign neural connections and pathways based on which parts of the brain are overused, under used and/or injured.
Developmental plasticity - Myelination
Developmental plasticity - Synaptogenesis
Developmental plasticity - Synaptic Pruning
myelination: The process of creating myelin to protect & insulate neurons - this has the effect of making neural transmission more efficient and effective. high in infancy and adolescence
synaptogenesis: Is the the rapid expansion in the formation of new synapses as part of this neurons also develop new dendrites and more dendrite branches
high before birth and infancy.
synaptic pruning:
adaptive plasticity- Re-routing
adaptive plasticity- sprouting
re-routing: An undamaged neuron that has lost a connection with an active neuron may seek a new active neuron and connect with it instead.
sprouting: Growth of additional branches on axons or dendrites to enable new connections. Sprouting can also involve re-routing when sprouting occurs from a damaged area and the new growth activates previously deactivated neurons.
