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VCE Psychology Units 3&4 > Unit 3 AOS 1 - How Does The Nervous System Enable Psychological Functioning > Flashcards

Unit 3 AOS 1 - How Does The Nervous System Enable Psychological Functioning Flashcards

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1
Q

Central nervous system (CNS)

A

Central nervous system (CNS) the brain and the spinal cord, responsible for transmitting neural messages to and receiving neural messages from the peripheral nervous system

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2
Q

Brain

A

Brain the body’s information centre, responsible for initiating and processing actions, thoughts and behaviour

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3
Q

Spinal cord

A 
Spinal cord a long cable of nerve
tissue (neurons) connecting the
brain to the peripheral nervous
system, responsible for sending
motor information from the brain,
and sensory information from the body
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4
Q

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) all nerves outside the CNS, responsible for transmitting information to and from the CNS

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5
Q

Somatic nervous system (SNS)

A

Somatic nervous system (SNS) the branch of the PNS responsible for sending motor information from the CNS to
the body’s skeletal muscles and bringing sensory information from the body to the CNS in order to formulate voluntary responses

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6
Q

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) the branch of the PNS responsible for connecting the CNS and the body’s visceral (non-skeletal) organs, muscles and glands like the heart and liver

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7
Q

Motor neurons

A

Motor neurons (also known
as efferent neurons) neurons
that transmit information (motor neural messages) about voluntary movement from the CNS to the PNS

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8
Q

Sensory neurons

A

Sensory neurons (also known
as afferent neurons) neurons
that transmit information (sensory neural messages) about the body’s sensations from the PNS to the CNS

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9
Q

Skeletal muscles

A

Skeletal muscles muscles connected to the skeleton that are involved in conscious, voluntary movement

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10
Q

Visceral muscles/organs/ glands

A

Visceral muscles/organs/ glands the body’s non-skeletal muscles, organs and glands that are largely self-regulating and don’t require conscious control. These are controlled by the ANS

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11
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

Sympathetic nervous system
a branch of the ANS responsible for activating the body’s visceral organs, muscles, and glands for increased activity or when under threat

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12
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

Parasympathetic nervous system a branch of the ANS responsible for returning and maintaining the body’s visceral organs, muscles and glands at optimal and balanced functioning

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13
Q

Sensory stimuli

A

Sensory stimuli anything in the environment or body that is detected by the body’s senses

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14
Q

Sensory receptor

A

Sensory receptor a nerve ending that detects sensations in the environment and body

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15
Q

Voluntary response

A

Voluntary response an action coordinated by the body that is performed with conscious control and intention

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16
Q

Spinal reflex

A

Spinal reflex an unconscious response to sensory stimuli that is initiated at the spinal cord, not involving the brain

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17
Q

Spinal sensory-motor circuit (reflex arc)

A

Spinal sensory-motor circuit (reflex arc) the path that neural messages take as part of the spinal reflex response, involving sensory messages to the spinal cord which are immediately relayed from the spinal cord as motor messages

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18
Q

Interneurons

A

Interneurons neurons that transfer impulses between sensory and motor neurons as part of the reflex arc

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19
Q

Neuron

A

Neuron a nerve cell responsible for transmitting, receiving and processing information

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20
Q

Neural transmission

A

Neural transmission the process in which a neuron sends a message

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21
Q

Neural reception

A

Neural reception the process in which a neuron accepts, or receives, a message

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22
Q

Synaptic gap

A

Synaptic gap the space in between two neurons into which a neuronal message is sent

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23
Q

Presynaptic neuron

A

Presynaptic neuron the neuron that releases a message into the synapse

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24
Q

Postsynaptic neuron

A

Postsynaptic neuron the neuron that receives a message from the synapse

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25
Q

Synapse

A

Synapse the area in which neuronal transmission occurs between two neurons, including the sending end of the presynaptic neuron, the gap between two neurons, and receiving end of the postsynaptic neuron

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26
Q

Dendrites

A

Dendrites the bushy spines of a neuron that receive a message

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27
Q

Axon

A

Axon the long strand-like part of a neuron that transmits a message from one end of the neuron to
the other

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28
Q

Myelin

A

Myelin the fat and protein substance that surrounds and insulates the axon of a neuron

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29
Q

Axon terminals

A

Axon terminals the ends of a neuron that release a message into the synapse

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30
Q

Neurotransmitter

A

Neurotransmitter a chemical substance that carries information between neurons

31
Q

Presynaptic neuron

A

Presynaptic neuron the neuron that releases neurotransmitters into the synapse

32
Q

Postsynaptic neuron

A

Postsynaptic neuron the neuron that receives neurotransmitters

33
Q

Synaptic gap

A

Synaptic gap the space in between two neurons into which a message is sent

34
Q

Synaptic buttons

A 
Synaptic buttons (also known
as terminal buttons or synaptic knobs) the end of the presynaptic neuron’s axon terminals that release neurotransmitters
35
Q

Receptor sites

A

Receptor sites protein molecules located on the dendrites of a postsynaptic neuron, responsible for receiving neurotransmitters

36
Q

Lock-and-key process

A

Lock-and-key process an analogy used to describe the role and functions of neurotransmitters and receptor sites in the process of neural transmission

37
Q

Action potential

A

Action potential the neural message, in the form of an electrical impulse, sent down the axon of a neuron when certain conditions are met

38
Q

Excitatory effect

A

Excitatory effect when a neurotransmitter causes the postsynaptic neuron to become more likely to fire an action potential

39
Q

Inhibitory effect

A

Inhibitory effect when a neurotransmitter causes the postsynaptic neuron to become less likely to fire an action potential

40
Q

Glutamate

A

Glutamate the primary excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate is essential for movement, thought, learning and memory

41
Q

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)

A

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA functions largely to counterbalance the effects of excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate

42
Q

Parkinson’s disease

A

Parkinson’s disease a progressive disease of the nervous system characterised by both motor and non-motor symptoms

43
Q

Stress

A

Stress a psychological and biological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope

44
Q

Stressor

A

Stressor a stimulus (internal or external) that prompts the stress response

45
Q

Distress

A

Distress a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state

46
Q

Eustress

A

Eustress a form of stress characterised by a positive psychological state

47
Q

Daily pressures

A

Daily pressures small inconveniences and problems that are experienced as a part of day- to-day life

48
Q

Life events

A

Life events stressors that change a person’s circumstances and force them to change something about their lifestyle

49
Q

Acculturative stress

A

Acculturative stress stress that results from the challenges presented by adapting to a new and foreign culture

50
Q

Major stress

A

Major stress stressors that present significant and negative threats to a person’s psychological and/or physiological wellbeing

51
Q

Catastrophes

A

Catastrophes that disrupt whole communities large-scale events or upheavals that affect an interconnected population

52
Q

Fight-flight-freeze

A

Fight-flight-freeze response
an involuntary and automatic response to a threat that takes the form of either confronting it, escaping it or freezing in the face of it

53
Q

Cortisol

A

Cortisol a hormone released into the body in times of stress

54
Q

General Adaptation Syndrome

A

General Adaptation Syndrome a model that examines the biological stages of stress involved in responding to a persistent stressor

55
Q

Alarm reaction

A

Alarm reaction the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome which involves the body’s initial decline and then rise in arousal to a stressor

56
Q

Resistance

A

Resistance the second stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome which involves the body sustaining high levels of arousal to a persistent stressor

57
Q

Exhaustion

A

Exhaustion the final stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome which involves the body’s defences and energy levels depleting, leading to a greatly reduced ability to cope with current and future stressors

58
Q

Appraisal

A

Appraisal an assessment or evaluation

59
Q

Primary appraisal

A

Primary appraisal the initial process of evaluating the nature of an incoming stressor, specifically the kind of stress it will cause

60
Q

Benign-positive

A

Benign-positive an initial appraisal of a stimulus as neutral or good, and not causing stress for the individual

61
Q

Irrelevant

A

Irrelevant an initial appraisal of a stimulus as a non-issue for the individual

62
Q

Stressful

A

Stressful an initial appraisal of a stimulus as a source of worry or emotional significance for the individual

63
Q

Harm/loss

A

Harm/loss a further appraisal of a stressor as having caused some damage for the individual

64
Q

Threat

A

Threat a further appraisal of a stressor as potentially causing damage for the individual in future

65
Q

Challenge

A

Challenge a further appraisal of a stressor as potentially providing a good opportunity for growth or change for the individual

66
Q

Secondary appraisal

A

Secondary appraisal the process of evaluating the resources available and required in order to cope with a stressor

67
Q

Coping

A

Coping the process of dealing with stress

68
Q

Emotion-focussed coping

A

Emotion-focussed coping the use of coping strategies that target the emotional components of a stressor, dealing with it indirectly rather than confronting its source

69
Q

Problem-focussed coping

A

Problem-focussed coping the use of coping strategies that directly target the source of the stressor, aiming to reduce it in a practical way

70
Q

Coping

A

Coping the process of dealing with stress

71
Q

Context-specific effectiveness

A

Context-specific effectiveness

when the coping strategy or mechanism used is appropriate for the demands of the stressor

72
Q

Coping flexibility

A

Coping flexibility an individual’s ability to adjust or change their coping strategies depending on the unique and changing demands of a stressor

73
Q

Exercise

A

Exercise physical activity performed to improve a person’s health and wellbeing

74
Q

Approach strategies

A

Approach strategies coping strategies which confront the source of the stressor

VCE Psychology Units 3&4 (5 decks)

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