Lecture 1 - Intro

Question 1

What is the fundamental assumption of the biological basis of behaviour?

Answer 1

• Behaviour is governed by activity of the brain and therefore…
• To understand behaviour you must first understand the brain.

Question 2

What does the implicit assumption of the biological bases of behaviour involve?

Answer 2

Dualism and Monism

Question 3

What does dualism suggest?

Answer 3

The body is physical and the mind/soul is not.

Question 4

What does monism suggest?

Answer 4

The mind is a phenomenon produced by the workings of the nervous system.

Question 5

Is modern experimental psychology dualist or monist?

Answer 5

Monist.

Question 6

How many degrees of reductionism are there?

Answer 6

3

Question 7

What are the different degrees of reductionism?

Answer 7

Macro anatomical level

Micro anatomical level

Macromolecule level

Question 8

What is the macro anatomical level of reductionism?

Answer 8

The functional interaction of different brain areas.

Question 9

What is the micro anatomical level of reductionism?

Answer 9

The functional interaction of different brain cells

Question 10

What is the macro molecule level of reductionism?

Answer 10

The functional interaction of individual protein molecules.

Question 11

What are the outer coverings of the cerebral hemispheres called?

Answer 11

The cerebral cortex.

Question 12

Where is consciousness thought to be ‘located’?

Answer 12

Cerebral cortex

Question 13

What is the term that describes an individual’s ability to guess or detect a stimulus without being aware of it?

Answer 13

Blind sight

Question 14

Which hemisphere is Broca’s area found?

Answer 14

Left

Question 15

Which lobe is Broca’s area found?

Answer 15

Posterior region of frontal lobe

Question 16

What is Broca’s area responsible for?

Answer 16

Speech production

Question 17

Which hemisphere is Wernicke’s area found?

Answer 17

Left

Question 18

Which lobe is Wernicke’s area found?

Answer 18

Superior region of temporal lobe

Question 19

What is lateralisation?

Answer 19

The way that one hemisphere of the brain predominantly controls particular processes or functions.

Question 20

Which hemisphere is dominant?

Answer 20

The left

Question 21

What is the function of the cerebrum?

Answer 21

To integrate the sensory and neural function as well as initiate and co-ordinate voluntary activity in the body.

Question 22

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 22

To co-ordinate muscular activity.

Question 23

What is the function of the brain stem?

Answer 23

Controls flow of messages between the body and the brain.

Regulates key processes such as breathing, swallowing, heart rate, blood pressure, as the brains stem contains the medulla oblongata.

Question 24

What does the cerebral cortex allow?

Answer 24

Consciousness.

Question 25

What is the function of the superior colliculus?

Answer 25

Integrates sensory information into motor signals that help transfer messages from the spinal cord to the brain.

Question 26

Where is the primary visual centre in the brain?

Answer 26

Optic tectum.

Question 27

What is the function of the corpus callosum?

Answer 27

Allows communication between the left and right hemisphere.

Question 28

What is the function of the internal capsule?

Answer 28

Allows communication between the cerebral cortex and the rest of the body.

Question 29

What is contralateralisation?

Answer 29

The way that the left hemisphere controls the right hand side of the body and vice versa.

Question 30

What is hemi-paresis and why may it come about?

Answer 30

Difficulty in controlling one side of the body due to damage to the internal capsule.

Question 31

What is a brain cell?

Answer 31

Fundamental building block of all biological organisms.

Question 32

What are glia?

Answer 32

Supporting cells in the brain.

Question 33

Why is it rare for tumours to occur in neurons?

Answer 33

Because mitosis doesn't occur in neurons.

Question 34

What are dendrites?

Answer 34

Branch like processes on the cell body that receive information from other neurons.

Question 35

What is an axon?

Answer 35

Long, filament like process which branches and carries information away from the cell body to other neurons.

Question 36

What are microtubules?

Answer 36

The transport system for moving proteins up or down an axon.

Question 37

What is an action potential?

Answer 37

An electrical signal which runs down the axon and away from the cell body.

Question 38

What is myelin sheath?

Answer 38

A layer of insulation (fat) which surrounds an axon and helps the flow of electrical current.

Question 39

What is a node of ranvier?

Answer 39

A gap in the myelin sheath that forces the action potential to jump from node to node.

Question 40

What is a schwann cell?

Answer 40

Produces myelin sheath.