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Edexcel Psychology Theories AO1 > biological theories AO1 > Flashcards

biological theories AO1 Flashcards

1
Q

what is the central nervous system

A

brain and spinal cord

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2
Q

what is the parietal nervous system

A

neurons and nerves

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3
Q

what does the human nervous system do

A

sends, receives and interprets all info to respond to environmental changes

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4
Q

how does the CNS work

A

nerves in body send info via spinal cord to brain
spinal cord receives info and its nerves control messages to brain
brain receives info from body via spinal cord and directly from senses
brain processes info and coordinates response

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5
Q

what are the types of motor division

A

somatic nervous system = voluntary movement
autonomic nervous system = involuntary movement

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6
Q

what are the branches of the autonomic nervous system

A

sympathetic branch = triggers fight or flight
parasympathetic branch = calms body down after fight or flight

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7
Q

what do neurons do

A

pass messages via electrical signals as nerve impulses across synapses and respond to info from body

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8
Q

what is the sensory neuron

A

from senses to CNS

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9
Q

what is the motor neuron

A

from CNS to muscles

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10
Q

what is the relay neuron

A

connect neurons to others in a branch

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11
Q

what is the process of passing on nerve impulses

A

message is received
goes from resting charge of 70mV to lower/higher charge compared to outside (action potential)
triggers release of neurotransmitters into synaptic gap so they bond to post synaptic neuron

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12
Q

what is neurotransmitter reuptake

A

the reuptake and reusing of neurotransmitter if they don’t bind to receptors on the post synaptic neuron

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13
Q

what does the excitatory neuron do

A

speed up the nerve impulses

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14
Q

what does the inhibitory neuron do

A

slows down the nerve impulses

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15
Q

what is the soma’s function

A

contains genetic info

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16
Q

what is the dendrite’s function

A

carry impulses from neurons to soma

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17
Q

what is the axon’s function

A

carries info from soma to neuron

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18
Q

what is axon terminal

A

the end of the nerve cell
not connected to next nerve cell

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19
Q

what is a schwann cell’s function

A

produce myelin

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20
Q

what is the node of ranvier’s function

A

force impulses across gaps

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21
Q

what is the myelin sheath’s function

A

protects axon to speed up transmission

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22
Q

what is a neurotransmitter

A

a chemical messenger

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23
Q

what is GABA’s effect

A

pleasure

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24
Q

what does dopamine control

A

mood

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25
Q

what does glutamine control

A

cognitive functions

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26
Q

what is serotonin’s effect

A

calming

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27
Q

what does the cerebrum control

A

movement and temperature

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28
Q

what does the cerebral cortex control

A

language, memory, learning, personality, decisions, intelligence

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29
Q

what does the brain stem control

A

balance, breathing/heart rate

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30
Q

what does the cerebellum control

A

muscle movement

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31
Q

what does the diencephalon control

A

hormone coordination, circadian rhythm, sends sensory and motor signals to cerebral cortex

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32
Q

where are the different lobes located

A

frontal lobe at front
parietal lobe at back (top)
occipital lobe at back (bottom)
temporal lobe below all

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33
Q

what does the frontal lobe control

A

voluntary movement, language, executive functions

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34
Q

what does the parietal lobe process

A

sensory input

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35
Q

what does the occipital lobe control

A

visual perception

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36
Q

what does the temporal lobe process and control

A

auditory info
emotion and language

37
Q

what is an agonist

A

drug with similar properties to a neurotransmitter so mimics its effects

38
Q

how does an agonist work

A

binds to receptor sites on dendrites, exciting neuron and acting as if more is present

39
Q

what is an antagonist

A

drug that reduces/stops normal effects of the transmitter

40
Q

how does an antagonist work

A

binds to receptor sites, blocking neurotransmitter

41
Q

what is reuptake inhibitor

A

drug that blocks the reabsorption of neurotransmitters by the presynaptic neuron after they’ve been released into the synaptic cleft

42
Q

what is the reward pathway

A

involved in pleasure and reinforcement

43
Q

how does the reward pathway work

A

releases neurotransmitters like dopamine

44
Q

how does drug taking lead to addiction

A

artificially stimulates the release of dopamine causing pleasure
the brain associates drug use with reward leading to cravings
over time the brain becomes less responsive to natural rewards so the person craves more

45
Q

what happens when someone uses cocaine

A

dopamine increases along the mesocorticolimbic pathway as it’s reuptake is blocked

46
Q

what are the short term effects of cocaine

A

euphoria
more energetic
hypersensitivity to environment

47
Q

what are the long term effects of cocaine

A

desensitisation = higher doses needed to produce normal effects
sensitisation = less is needed to produce toxic effects

increased risk of overdose

48
Q

what happens when someone uses amphetamines

A

increased release of dopamine but blocks reuptake, so more neurotransmitters in synaptic cleft

49
Q

what are the short term effects of amphetamines

A

heightened arousal
alertness
euphoria

50
Q

what are the long term effects of amphetamines

A

insomnia
violence
psychosis
desensitisation/sensitisation

51
Q

what is a CAT scan

A

x-ray beams are passed through head at different angles using donut-shaped scanner
cross sections build a detailed image on computer

52
Q

what do psychologists use CAT scans for

A

detecting areas of brain damage NOT functions

53
Q

what is PET scan

A

fluorodeoxyglucose is injected and acts as a tracker as it binds to glucose in blood
gamma rays pick up areas of high glucose conc. which means there’s high activity (warm colours) and low glucose conc. means low activity (cool colours)

54
Q

what do psychologists use PET scans for

A

investigating areas of the brain that don’t function normally because of damage

55
Q

what is a fMRI scan

A

radio waves measure blood oxygen levels in brain
the most active areas use the most amount of oxygen so more blood is directed there = haemodynamic response
radio signals make cross section to produce a detailed image

56
Q

what do psychologists use fMRI scans for

A

show functions of areas due to changes of neural activity in tasks

57
Q

what is evolution

A

changes in inherited characteristics of a population over time

58
Q

what is natural selection

A

inherited characteristics that enhance reproductive success while those without die

59
Q

what is sexual selection

A

behaviours that enhance reproductive success to get passed on

protecting, male retention strategies, bullying

60
Q

what is survival of the fittest

A

beneficial characteristics increase likelihood of survival

61
Q

what is genetic drift

A

50% of genes from each parent are passed on so element of chance

62
Q

what are heritable traits

A

traits that can be inherited while others cannot due to environmental factors

63
Q

what is kin selection

A

criticises natural selection because of altruistic behaviour

64
Q

what is direct fitness

A

advantageous gene benefits individual

65
Q

what is inclusive fitness

A

gene is disadvantageous to individual but advantageous to relatives

66
Q

how does aggression link to evolution

A

success is measured by offspring production and whether they survive and reproduce

67
Q

what are some traits animals have evolved to have linked to aggression

A

successful males are bigger, stronger and aggressive
successful females choose successful males so aggression gets more prominent
competition in males drives physical aggression while it drives verbal and emotional aggression in females

68
Q

what is the endocrine system

A

glands that produce and secrete hormones

69
Q

what is the pituitary gland

A

organ at base of brain that produces growth and development hormones

70
Q

what is a hormone

A

a chemical messenger in the blood stream that binds to receptor proteins in target cells to change functions

71
Q

what does adrenaline cause

A

temporary increase in activity = fight or flight can cause aggression, anxiety or anger

72
Q

what did raine find out about testosterone

A

5% of males were characterised by anti-social behaviour and this 5% commit 50-70% of all violent crime

73
Q

what did dabbs et al find out about testosterone

A

level of testosterone was higher in those involved in violent crime

74
Q

what is the dual hormone hypothesis

A

testosterone has to interact with cortisol to have an effect

75
Q

what studies support the dual hormone hypothesis

A

barzman et al = amount of cortisol after waking up correlated with number of aggressive incidents recorded
carre + mehta and popma et al = high cortisol blocks testosterone’s effects so testosterone only leads to aggression if cortisol is low

76
Q

what was freud’s psychodynamic theory of aggression

A

he thought the unconscious mind was embedded with intrusive thoughts and processed repressed memories that cause aggression

77
Q

what was the iceberg theory about the psyche

A

conscious = holds thoughts, ideas and emotions that we’re aware of
preconscious = holds thoughts and ideas ready to be accessed
unconscious = where all thoughts originate, controls instincts and trauma, can be repressed or become conscious

78
Q

what is the id

A

pleasure principle
demand instant gratification based on instinct

79
Q

what is the ego

A

reality principle
rationalises

80
Q

what is the superego

A

morality principle
works on conscience to achieve ideal personality

81
Q

what is catharsis

A

release of aggressive feelings

82
Q

how can catharsis be acheived

A

displacement (directed toward a less powerful, more available substitutes)
observation (of others aggressive behaviour)

83
Q

what is the impact of preventing catharsis

A

leads to a build up of energy that produces a destructive aggressive outburst

84
Q

what is a genotype

A

type of info coming from DNA

85
Q

what is a phenotype

A

characteristics presented by genotype

86
Q

what is nature

A

biological causes of behaviour

87
Q

what is nurture

A

environmental causes of behaviour

88
Q

what does monozygotic mean

A

twins that share 100% of genes

89
Q

what does dyzygotic mean

A

twins that share 50% of genes

Edexcel Psychology Theories AO1 (4 decks)

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