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

Question 1

Central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Brain

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Spinal cord

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Somatic nervous system (SNS)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Motor neurons

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Sensory neurons

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Skeletal muscles

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Visceral muscles/organs/ glands

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Sensory stimuli

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Sensory receptor

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Voluntary response

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Spinal reflex

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Spinal sensory-motor circuit (reflex arc)

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Interneurons

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Neuron

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Neural transmission

Answer 20

Neural transmission the process in which a neuron sends a message

Question 21

Neural reception

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Synaptic gap

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Presynaptic neuron

Answer 23

Presynaptic neuron the neuron that releases a message into the synapse

Question 24

Postsynaptic neuron

Answer 24

Postsynaptic neuron the neuron that receives a message from the synapse

Question 25

Synapse

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Dendrites

Answer 26

Dendrites the bushy spines of a neuron that receive a message

Question 27

Axon

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Myelin

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Axon terminals

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Neurotransmitter

Answer 30

Neurotransmitter a chemical substance that carries information between neurons

Question 31

Presynaptic neuron

Answer 31

Presynaptic neuron the neuron that releases neurotransmitters into the synapse

Question 32

Postsynaptic neuron

Answer 32

Postsynaptic neuron the neuron that receives neurotransmitters

Question 33

Synaptic gap

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Synaptic buttons

Answer 34

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

Question 35

Receptor sites

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Lock-and-key process

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Action potential

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Excitatory effect

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Inhibitory effect

Answer 39

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

Question 40

Glutamate

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)

Answer 41

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

Question 42

Parkinson’s disease

Answer 42

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

Question 43

Stress

Answer 43

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

Question 44

Stressor

Answer 44

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

Question 45

Distress

Answer 45

Distress a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state

Question 46

Eustress

Answer 46

Eustress a form of stress characterised by a positive psychological state

Question 47

Daily pressures

Answer 47

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

Question 48

Life events

Answer 48

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

Question 49

Acculturative stress

Answer 49

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

Question 50

Major stress

Answer 50

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

Question 51

Catastrophes

Answer 51

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

Question 52

Fight-flight-freeze

Answer 52

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

Question 53

Cortisol

Answer 53

Cortisol a hormone released into the body in times of stress

Question 54

General Adaptation Syndrome

Answer 54

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

Question 55

Alarm reaction

Answer 55

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

Question 56

Resistance

Answer 56

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

Question 57

Exhaustion

Answer 57

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

Question 58

Appraisal

Answer 58

Appraisal an assessment or evaluation

Question 59

Primary appraisal

Answer 59

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

Question 60

Benign-positive

Answer 60

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

Question 61

Irrelevant

Answer 61

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

Question 62

Stressful

Answer 62

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

Question 63

Harm/loss

Answer 63

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

Question 64

Threat

Answer 64

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

Question 65

Challenge

Answer 65

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

Question 66

Secondary appraisal

Answer 66

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

Question 67

Coping

Answer 67

Coping the process of dealing with stress

Question 68

Emotion-focussed coping

Answer 68

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

Question 69

Problem-focussed coping

Answer 69

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

Question 70

Coping

Answer 70

Coping the process of dealing with stress

Question 71

Context-specific effectiveness

Answer 71

Context-specific effectiveness | when the coping strategy or mechanism used is appropriate for the demands of the stressor

Question 72

Coping flexibility

Answer 72

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

Question 73

Exercise

Answer 73

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

Question 74

Approach strategies

Answer 74

Approach strategies coping strategies which confront the source of the stressor