PSY251 V1 Flashcards
Average size of human brain:
Between 1 and 2 kilos.
How many neurons in the human brain:
86 billion
What percentage of the bodies energy does the brain use:
20-25%
Why do human brains have so many neurons compared to the brain of other animals:
Because we were able to cook food and gain more calories.
Main functions of the brain:
The brain’s primary function is produce behaviour and movement.
It does this by receiving information from the outside world to construct a subjective reality, which in turn produces behaviour (movement) and thought.
One is responsible for the other, which is responsible for the other in a never ending cycle.
Patterns (Behaviour):
Behaviour consists of patterns in time, patterns can be movements, vocalisations, or changes in appearance. Changes in the brains electric and biochemical activity that are associated with thinking is a behaviour that forms patterns in time.
Brain structures involved in Conscious vs unconscious behaviours:
Forebrain: made up of the Cerebrum and has left and right hemisphere. Prominent in mammals and birds, responsible for most conscious behaviours.
Brainstem: Source of behaviour in simpler animals, responsible for most of our unconscious behaviours.
Persistent vegetative state:
Condition in which a person is alive but unaware, unable to communicate or to function independently at even the most basic level.
Minimally conscious state:
Condition in which a person can display some rudimentary behaviors, such as smiling or uttering a few words, but is otherwise not conscious.
Locked in syndrome:
Condition in which a patient is aware and awake but cannot move or communicate verbally because of complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles except the eyes.
Learnt vs inherited behaviours:
The brain comes at birth prepared to produce behaviour but also prepared to change.
We have inherited ways of responding, like sucking response in newborn infants, but later food is strongly influence by learning and culture.
Most behaviours are a mix of inherited and learned actions.
Neural plasticity allows us to learn.
Dualism (Perspective on brain and behaviour):
Both a non-material mind and the material body contribute to behaviour. The non-material mind directs rational behaviour and then the body and the brain direct everything else. The mind instructed the Pineal gland to direct fluids from the ventricles to expand muscles which in turn moves the body.
Problems with Dualism
Pineal gland: Influences biological rhythms, not behavioural control.
Fluid is not pumped from ventricles for movement, movement is controlled by motor cortices.
Mind-body problem: eg. mind and body are actually one.
Materialism (Perspective on brain and behaviour):
Behaviour can be explained as a function of the nervous system (Material) without talking about a mind (immaterial) (The idea of the mind is irrelevant when behaviour can be explained by the central nervous system)
Mentalism (Perspective on brain and behaviour):
The non-material mind: The Psyche is independent of the body, this produces behaviour. Brain exists to cool the body
Intelligence: How it’s measured and is it the same with everyone.
Intelligence can vary amongst humans.
Intelligence is difficult to measure as there are many types of intelligence.
Hind brain; 4 parts and their locations:
Pons: Connects the Cerebellum to the rest of the brain, controls important movements of the body.
Medulla: Controls vital functions of heart rate and breathing. Sits at very top of spinal column.
Reticular formation: Runs posterior to the Pons and Medulla. Reticular formation is a netlike structure made up of both neurons (Grey matter) and nerve fibre (white matter). Stimulates the forebrain - regulation of sleep - wake behaviours and behavioural arousal.
Cerebellum: Plays a major part in fine tune accuracy and timing of movement. Plays a small role in cognitive function. Animals that are fast in movement and require fine movements such as birds and cats have large cerebellum compared to brain size.
