psychology paper 2 biopsychology Flashcards
divisions of the nervous system
1) central nervous system = brain and spinal cord
2)peripheral nervous system = somatic and autonomic
autonomic = sympathetic and parasympathetic
the central nervous system
comprised of the spinal cord and brain, brain controls higher psychological processes while the spinal cord transmits info between the bran and peripheral nervous system
the peripheral nervous system
comprised of somatic, autonomic, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
somatic nervous system
made up of sensory receptors that carry information to the spinal cord and brain, as well as motor pathways which allow the brain to control movement
autonomic nervous system
plays important role in homeostasis, comprised of motor pathways only, has two components, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems
motor cortex
located in frontal lobe, responsible for voluntary motor movements (in the opposite side of the body to the hemisphere its located in)
somatosensory cortex
located in parietal lobe, detects sensory events and produces responses such as touch or pain from receptors
visual cortex
located in occipital lobe, each eye sends info from the right visual field to the left visual cortex, and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex; processes color, shape movement
auditory center
located in temporal lobe, analyses speech based info
language centers
Brocas’ area: frontal lobe in left hemisphere, associated with speech production
Wernicke’s area: temporal lobe of left hemisphere, associated with speech comprehension
localization of function evaluation
-challenged by equipotentiality theory
-communication between brain areas may be more important than localization
+aphasia evidence
-language production not confined to Brocas’ area alone (plasticity)
structure of neurons
structure: (accurate drawing labelled with, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, terminal bouton, node of rounvier)
function of neurons
sensory neurons: carry impulses from sensory receptors to CNS
motor neurons: form synapses with muscles to control muscle movements
relay neurons: allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate
the fight or flight response to stress
- amygdala sends distress signal to hypothalamus
- hypothalamus releases CRH
- SNS prepares body for fight or flight
- pituitary releases ACTH
- adrenal medulla releases adrenaline
- adrenal cortex releases stress hormones
- parasympathetic NS dampens stress response
- feedback system for cortisol levels
- SNS responds to acute stressors by release of adrenaline.
fight or flight evaluation
- tend and befriend in females
- freeze, precedes both fight and flight
- extreme stress can lead to increased cooperation
? SRY gene explains both sex differences in fight or flight
