Topic 1 Flashcards
What is the difference between psychology and biology?
Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and biology is the study of life and living organisms.
Specialty areas in psych and bio?
Psych
1. Sport
2. Forensic
3. Educational
Bio
1. Neuroscience
2. Marine Biology
3. Pharmacology
Psychologist vs Psychiatrist
Psychologists are registered health professionals who are trained in human behaviour. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed specialised training in psychiatry.
Behaviour
Refers to a observable action made by a living person or animal.
Mental Process
Defined as an experience that occurs within an individual, cannot be directly observed.
Nervous System
A complex system of nerves and cells that carries messages around the body
What are the two branches of the PNS?
Somatic NS and Autonomic NS
Central Nervous System
- Composed of the brain and spinal cord
- Brain is the control of the body, central hub of the nervous system
- Spinal cord allows brain to communicate with rest of the body
Autonomic Nervous System
- Controls the body’s non-skeletal muscles and all involuntary movement.
- Basic bodily functions needed for survival.
Somatic Nervous System
- Responsible for all voluntary movement.
- It’s motor neurones carry messages from the CNS to the muscles that need to move.
- It’s sensory neurones carry messages from our senses to our brain so we can interact with the environment.
Peripheral Nervous System
- Any nerve outside the brain or spinal cord
- First function is to communicate information from the body to the brain
- Second function is to communicate information from the brain to the body
What are the two branches of the Autonomic Nervous System?
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
Sympathetic Nervous System
Prepares us for action, including the fight or flight responses
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Calms our body down and returns us to baseline (hoemstasis)
What is the cerebrum and what does it do?
- Main part of brain
- Outer layer = cerebral cortex
- Divided into left and right hemispheres, each hemisphere has 4 lobes
Pons location and what does it do?
- Located on brain stem
- Responsible for regulating breathing and sleep cycles
What is the cerebellum and what does it do?
- Located at the base of brain
-Responsible for muscle coordination and balance
What is the role of cerebral cortex?
Where all conscious thought and thinking occurs
4 Lobes?
Frontal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe and Parietal Lobe
What is the occipital lobe?
- Dedicated to vision
- Contains primary visual cortex
- Left lobe receives information from right visual field and vice versa
