Extra revision items

Question 1

Describe Excitatory neurotransmitters in the nervous system:

Answer 1

Neurotransmitters used in the nervous system fall into three main categories, based on their chemical structure: small molecules, peptides and gases.

Question 2

Describe Glutamate

Answer 2

The major excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, used by more neurons than any other neurotransmitter, its synapses are plentiful in the cerebral cortex. Helps strengthen synaptic connections between neurons.

Question 3

Describe Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Answer 3

Widespread regions of the brain use GABA. Reduces the likelihood that postsynaptic neurons will fire an action potential. Major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. Malfunctioning of GABA can cause anxiety, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy.

Question 4

Describe Acetylcholine

Answer 4

Used by neurons in the parasympathetic nervous system. Slows down heartbeat and activates the digestive system. used by neurons that make muscles contract. Mostly used by neurons in the midbrain and striatum.

Question 5

Describe Serotonin

Answer 5

Similar to norepinephrine, also occurs in an area along the midline of the hindbrain. Affects sleep and mood. What you eat can effect levels. Carbohydrates produce increased levels of serotonin. Involved in the regulation of sleep, mood and eating.

Question 6

Describe Norepinephrine

Answer 6

Occurs in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, contributes to arousal. Used by the sympathetic nervous system to activate and prepare for action. Close relative to epinephrine or adrenaline.

Question 7

Describe Dopamine

Answer 7

Used in regulating movement and experiencing pleasure. Used in substabtia nigra and striatum which are important for movement. Malfunction in the dopamine system causes movement disorders like Parkinson’s.

Question 8

Describe Postsynaptic potential

Answer 8

is the change in the membrane potential of a neuron that has received stimulation from another neuron

Question 9

Describe Excitatory postsynaptic potential

Answer 9

depolarises the neuronal membrane, making the cell more likely to fire an action potential.

Question 10

Describe Inhibitory postsynaptic potential

Answer 10

hyperpolarises the neuronal membrane, making a cell less likely to fire an action potential.

Question 11

Describe Alzheimer’s disease neurotransmitters

Answer 11

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by markedly reduced concentration of acetylcholine in the hippocampus and neocortex, caused by degeneration of cholinergic neurons. Acetylcholine is essential in learning and memory.

Question 12

Describe Somatosensory cortex

Answer 12

Somatosensory cotex is a functional area of the cerebral cortex, parts of the cerebral cortex that receive stimulus information from the senses. Lies in the parietal, occipital and temporal lobes.

Question 13

Describe Forebrain - thalamus

Answer 13

The most highly developed part of the brain. Responsible for the most complex aspects of behaviour and mental life.
Thalamus relays signals from most sense organs to higher levels in the brain and plays a role in processing and making sense out of this information.

Question 14

Describe Cerebral hemispheres

Answer 14

Left and right halves of the rounded, outermost part of the brain. Outer part of the hemispheres is the cerebral cortex

Question 15

Describe Midbrain

Answer 15

Small structure between the hindbrain and forebrain that relays information from the eyes, ears and skin that controls certain types of automatic behaviours. Smooth movements.

Question 16

Describe Psychological characteristics of sound

Answer 16

Sound waves are changes in pressure generated by vibrating molecules. The physical characteristics of sound waves influence the three psychological features of sound: loudness, pitch, and timbre. Loudness depends on the amplitude, or height, of sound waves. The greater the amplitude, the louder the sound perceived.

Question 17

Describe Olfaction

Answer 17

Olfaction, smell. Olfactory system shapes sensations. includes the nose, mouth and upper part of throat.

Question 18

Describe Hubel and Wiesel’s work

Answer 18

Hubel and Wiesel demonstrated that some neurons were only responsive to information that came from a single eye, a phenomenon they referred to as “ocular dominance”. Intriguingly, neurons that are tuned to a particular eye cluster together in anatomical columns in the visual cortex of the brain.

Question 19

Describe Trichromatic process theory of colour vision

Answer 19

Trichromatic process theory of colour vision, any colour could be matched by mixing pure lights of only three wavelengths. Identifying three types of visual elements, each is sensitive to different wavelengths of light.

Question 20

Describe Opponent process theory of colour vision

Answer 20

Opponent process, theory of colour vision stating that colour sensitive visual elements are grouped into red-green, blue-yellow and black-white elements.

Question 21

Define sensation

Answer 21

messages from the senses that make up the raw information that affects many kinds of behaviour and mental process.

Question 22

Define perception

Answer 22

the process through which people take raw sensations from the environment and interpret them, using knowledge, experience ad understanding of the world, so that the sensations become meaningful experiences.

Question 23

Define transduction

Answer 23

the process of converting incoming energy into neural activity (the second step in sensation). takes place in neural receptors; specialised cells that respond to certain forms of energy.

Question 24

Define top-down processing

Answer 24

aspects of recognition that are guided by higher-level cognitive processes and psychological factors such as expectations, knowledge.

Question 25

Define bottom-up processing

Answer 25

aspects of recognition that depend first on the information about the stimulus that comes to the brain from the sensory receptors.

Question 26

Describe Perceptual constancy

Answer 26

The perception of objects as constant in size, shape, colour and other properties despite changes in their retinal image.

Question 27

Describe Gestalt principles of perceptual grouping

Answer 27

Gestalt meaning whole figure

Question 28

Describe Proximity

Answer 28

the closer objects or events are to one another, the more likely we are to perceive them as belonging together.

Question 29

Describe Similarity

Answer 29

We tend to perceive similar elements as part of a group.

Question 30

Describe Continuity

Answer 30

when sensations appear to create a continuous form, we tend to perceive them as belonging together.

Question 31

Describe Closure

Answer 31

We tend to fill in missing contours to form a complete object.

Question 32

Describe Texture

Answer 32

When basic features of stimuli have the same texture, we tend to group those stimuli together.

Question 33

Describe Simplicity

Answer 33

We tend to group features of a stimulus in a way that provides the simplest interpretation of the world.

Question 34

Describe Common fate

Answer 34

When objects are moving in the same direction at the same speed, we tend to perceive them as being together.

Question 35

Describe Synchrony:

Answer 35

When different stimuli occur at the same time, we are likely to perceive them as belonging together.

Question 36

Describe Common region

Answer 36

When stimulus elements are located within some boundary, we tend to perceive them as being together.

Question 37

Describe Connectedness

Answer 37

When stimulus elements are connected by other elements, we tend to group them together.

Question 38

Explain attention

Answer 38

the process of directing and sourcing psychological resources to enhance perception, performance and mental experience.
We use attention to direct our sensory and perceptual systems towards certain stimuli to select specific information.

Question 39

What are the three important characteristics of attention?

Answer 39

1. Improves mental processing
2. Attention takes effort
3. Attention resources are limited.

Question 40

Explain frequency

Answer 40

the number of complete waveforms or cycles that pass a given point in space every second.

Question 41

Explain opponent process theory

Answer 41

New stimuli that arouse strong emotions disrupt the physiological state of equilibrium. The disruption triggers an opponent process that counteracts the disruption.