Review Flashcards
the nervous system is comprised of
the central and peripheral nervous systems
the peripheral nervous system is divided into
the somatic (voluntary and autonomic (unconscious) divisions
spinal reflexes occur when the spinal cord
initiates a response independently of the brain enable faster reaction times and reduce the risk of being harmed
the cerebral cortex is divided into
the frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
temporal lobe
somatosensory cortex
touch
temperature
body position
auditory cortex
identifying and processing sounds
memory
face recognition
emotional responses
prefrontal cortex
planning
reasoning
premotor cortex
organising movement
motor cortex
producing movement
broca’s area
production of speech
control of face muscles
wernicke’s area
comprehension of written and spoken language
geschwinds territory
connects the above areas with other parts of the brain to assist in processing
primary motor cortex
executes movement planned by the premotor cortex
cerebellum
coordinates details of movement
basal ganglia
regulates motor areas, decides which of several actions to perform
limbic system includes the
hypothalamus
amygdala
thalamus
hippocampus
hypothalamus
regulates the autonomic nervous system
amygdala
initiates fear
anger
aggression
thalamus
relays sensory info
hippocampus
converts short term memory to long term memory
prefrontal cortex
regulating emotion
the process of neurotransmission
an action potential travels down the axon of a neuron, causing vesicles containing neurotransmitters to be released across the synapse. These attach to the receptors on the receiving dendrite, creating an action potential in the next neuron
excitatory neurotransmitters make
a neuron more likely to fire
inhibitory neurotransmitters make
a neuron less likely to fire
the physical and psychological effect of acetylcholine
physical: muscle action
psychological: enhanced cognition, learning and memory
the physical and psychological effect of epinephrine (adrenaline)
physical: heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism
psychological: excitement, fear, heightened awareness
the physical and psychological effect of norepinephrine
physical: contracts blood vessels, stress responses
psychological: increased attention, responsiveness
the physical and psychological effect of dopamine
physical: movement, suppressed appetite
psychological: reward, pleasure, motivation, addiction
the physical and psychological effect of serotonin
physical: sleep cycle, suppressed appetite
psychological: feelings of wellbeing and happiness
Examples of neurological conditions include
Parkinson’s
Alzheimer’s
Parkinson’s is when
the neurons that produce dopamine and norepinephrine die.
Low dopamine causes difficulty in movement and coordination.
Low norepinephrine causes fatigue and constipation
how can Parkinson’s be treated
dopamine replacement therapy
Alzheimer’s is when
proteins build up in the brain and cause progressive cell death. Levels of acetylcholine decline, affecting learning, reasoning and memory. Treated with enzyme inhibitors that prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine
six steps of visual perception processing
- reception
- transduction
- transmission
- selection
- organisation
- interpretation
reception
visible light enters the eye
transduction
light is converted to electrical signals by photoreceptors cells (rods and cones) in the back of the eye; photoreceptors are grouped into receptive fields that influence a single
transmission
signals travel via the optic nerve to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe
selection
feature detector cells filter incoming visual information to avoid overwhelming the brain
organisation
visual information is processed along ‘what’ and ‘where’ pathways
interpretation
the stimulus is combined with information from other parts of the brain to give it meaning
Biological influences on perception
physiological makeup
ageing
genetics
psychological influences on perception
perceptual set
visual perception principles
social influences
cultural skills - studies by Hudson and Deregowski indicated education and familiarity with pictures influences depth perception and interpretation of images
illusions
Müller-Lyer, Ames room and Ponzo illusions affect perceptions of size due to contextual factors
ambiguous and impossible figures
use various cues to affect how an object may be perceived
sensory memory
very large capacity
iconic (visual) memory lasts 0.3 seconds
echoic (auditory) memory lasts 2.4 seconds
short-term memory
the capacity of 6-8 items
lasts about 12-30 seconds
long-term memory
very large capacity and long duration
working model of memory
central executive
