Unit 3 Flashcards
What makes up the nervous system
Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
What is the CNS made up of
Brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS made up of
Nerves
What is the function of the brain
For processing information
What is the function of the spinal cord
To connect the brain with the PNS
What is the function of nerves
To carry information to and from the body
What is the PNS split up into
Autonomic systems and somatic systems
What does somatic systems control
Voluntary actions
What does autonomic systems control
Involuntary actions
What is the autonomic system split into
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
What is the function of the sympathetic
To prepare body for fight or flight
What does sympathetic do to the body
Increases heart rate
Increases breathing rate
Inhibits digestive processes
Relaxes bladder
What is the function of parasympathetic
Prepares body for rest and digest to allow for recovery
What does the parasympathetic do to the body
Decreases heart rate
Decreases breathing rate
Increases rate of peristalsis
Contracts bladder
What is the function of the cerebral cortex
Coordinated voluntary movements and receives sensory information and controls decision making
What is the function of the limbic system
Controls emotion, behaviour and biological motivation e.g. If hungry you eat
What is the function of the cerebellum
Controls balance posture and movement
What is the function of the medulla
To control actions without conscious thought e.g. Peristalsis, breathing rates
What is the function of the corpus callosum
A bundle of fibres which connect the two cerebral hemispheres together passing information between them
What are the three types of functional areas in the cerebral cortex
Sensory
Association
Motor
What is the function of the motor area
To send impulses to the skeletal muscles
What is the function of the sensory area
Receives senses from the skin organs and muscles
What is the function of the association area
Receives impulses from eyes
What is the process of touching something hot
- The sensory area receives information from receptions in the skin
- The association area analyses and interprets the information to make a decision
- The motor area receives the information from the association area and carries out the orders by sending motor impulses to the elbow muscles
Define episodic memories
Recall of personal facts and memories
Where are episodic memories stored
Various regions of the cortex
Define semantic memories
Recall of general knowledge and facts
Where are semantic memories stored
Various regions of the cortex
Define spatial memories
Recall of info about the environment and where objects are positioned
Where are spatial memories stored
Limbic system
Define procedural memories
Motor and mental skills
Where are procedural memories stored
Motor cortex
Define emotional memories
From when positive or negative associations are made with experiences e.g. Going to the dentist
Define perception
Where the brain processes, analyses and makes sense of out-coming sensory information
What are the three areas of perception
Recognition
Segregation of objects
Perception of distance
What is segregation of objects
Where the brain segregated the image into the figure and the background to make a coherent pattern
What is relative size
The further away something is the smaller it looks
What is superimposition
When one object to blocking another the image that is being blocked looks further away
What is relative height and field
When the objects have their base levels below a visible horizon and the objects with the lower bases appear closer
Binocular disparity
The eyes see two images from different angles however the brain fuses the images together to give an overall perception of the object
Perceptual constancy
The capacity to appreciate the unchanging dimensions of an object as it moves
Perceptual set
A group of expectations based on past experience and context which affects how stimulus is perceived
Define recognition
The ability to perceive an objects physical properties such as shape colour and texture
Define memory
The capacity to recall information when required
What are the three stages of memorising
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
When information enters the brain where does it go
Sensory memory -> short term memory -> then either to long term memory OR discarded
How long does sensory information last
A few seconds
How long does short term memory last
30 seconds
How can STM be lost
By displacement or decay
Methods of moving info from the STM to the LTM
Rehearsal
Elaboration
Organisation
How can retrieval happen
By contextual cues (reminders) and signs
What is a neuron
a nerve cell
What is a nerve
bundles of fibres which carry electrical impulses from one part of the body to another
What are the fibres in neurons called
dendrites and axons
What is the function of a dendrites
to conduct nervous impulses towards the cell body
What is the function of an axon
to conduct nervous impulses away from the cell body
What are the three types of neurons
sensory, inter, motor
What is the function of a sensory neuron
carry impulses into the CNS
What is the function of an inter neuron
conducts impulses within the CNS, linking sensory and motor neurons
What is the function of a motor neuron
conduct impulses from the CNS to muscle or glands
What are the roles of a glial cell
providing physical support for neurons, production of myelin sheaths, maintain a homeostatic environment around neurons.
What is a neurotransmtter
chemicals that relay messages from nerve to nerve outwith and within the brain.
Where do neurons connect with other neurons
the synaptic cleft
Where are neurotransmitters stored
in vesicles in the pre-synaptic cleft
What do neurons bind to when diffusing across the cleft
receptors
