Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psychology > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

(77 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

A specialised network of nerve cells in the human body based on chemical impulses.
It is our primary internal communication system - it allows the brain, spinal cord and the rest of our body to communicate.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the functions of the nervous system?

A

-To collect, process and respond to information in the environment
-To coordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the sub-systems of the nervous system?

A

Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the CNS divided into?

A

The brain and the spinal cord

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does the brain do?

A

-Centre of all conscious awareness
-Outer layer (cerebral cortex) is highly developed in humans.
-The brain is what distinguishes our higher mental functions to other animals
-Coordinates sensation, intellect and nervous activity
-Divided into two hemispheres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does the spinal cord do?

A

-Extension of the brain
-Passes messages to and from the brain
-Connects nerves to the PNS
-Responsible for reflex action

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What does the PNS do?

A

Transmit messages via nerve cells to and from the CNS

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the PNS divided into?

A

Somatic nervous system and Autonomic nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does the SNS do?

A

-Associated with voluntary actions
-Controls skeletal muscle and movement-Made up of sensory receptors, which carry information to the spinal cord and brain, and motor pathways, which allow the brain to control movement.
-Main role is to carry sensory information from the outside world to the brain and provide muscle responses via the motor pathways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What does the ANS do?

A

-Associated with involuntary actions
-Consists of motor pathways, which allow the brain to control movement
-Controls internal glands and organs
-Has two components

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the two components of the ANS?

A

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

A

Responds to a perceived threat and produces physiological changes, such as adrenaline being released, which prepares the body for fight or flight

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

A

Restores physiological functioning, through relaxing, when the threat has passed. This is known as rest and digest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are physiological changes that take place during a sympathetic state?

A

-Dilated pupils to increase light entry into the eye and enhance vision
-Increased heart rate to increase blood flow to organs and increase movement of adrenaline around the body
-Increased sweat production to regulate temperature as it cools the body so we don’t overheat
-Increased breathing to increase oxygen intake
-Decrease saliva production so there is excess water in the sweat glands
-Inhibits digestion to increase energy for other functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are physiological changes that take place during a parasympathetic state?

A

-Constricts pupils
-Decreased heart rate
-Decreased sweat production
-Decreased breathing
-Stimulates salivary gland secretion
-Stimulates digestion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the nervous systems average response time?

A

0.25 seconds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

One of the body’s major information systems. It instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream.
These hormones are carried towards target organs in the body.

The system communicates through chemical signals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is a gland?

A

An organ in the body that synthesises substances like hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is a hormone?

A

A biochemical substance that circulates the blood but only affects target organs.
They are produced in larger quantities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Are the endocrine and nervous system linked?

A

The endocrine system works alongside the nervous system to control vital functions in the body.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Which system is slower?

A

The endocrine system is slower but has more widespread and powerful effects than the nervous system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How do hormones know what cells to target?

A

Various glands in the body produce hormones which are secreted into the bloodstream and affect any cell in the body that has a receptor to that particular hormone.

Most hormones affect cells in more than one organ, leading to diverse responses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What does thyroxine do?

A

Thyroxine is released by the thyroid gland. The hormone affects cells in the heart so it increases heart rate.
It also affects cells throughout the body increasing metabolic rates so it increases the chemical processes taking place in the cells. This affects growth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is the main gland of the endocrine system?

A

Pituitary gland which is located in the brain. It is often called the ‘master gland’ as it controls the release of hormones from all other endocrine glands in the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is fight or flight?
The way animals respond when stressed. The body becomes physiologically aroused in readiness to fight an aggressor or to flee
26
How is the endocrine system linked to fight or flight?
The endocrine system and the ANS work in parallel with one another
27
What happens when a stressor is perceived?
A part of the brain called the hypothalamus activates the pituitary gland and triggers activity in the sympathetic part of the ANS.
28
What happens in the ANS when a threat is perceived?
It changes from its parasympathetic resting state to the physiologically aroused sympathetic state.
29
What is adrenaline?
A hormone produced by the adrenal glands, specifically the adrenal medulla, which is part of the human body's immediate stress response system.
30
What does adrenaline do?
It triggers physiological changes in the body which create the physiological arousal needed for fight or flight. It has a strong effect on the cells of the cardiovascular system, which stimulates heart rate, contracting blood vessels and dilating air passages.
31
What are immediate and automatic responses?
This means all responses take place as soon as the threat is perceived. It's an acute and automatic response.
32
What is parasympathetic action?
This occurs when the threat has passed and the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to a resting state. It works in opposition to the sympathetic system. It acts as a brake and reduces the activities of the body that were increased by the actions of the sympathetic branch. This is known as 'rest and digest'
33
What does the pineal gland do?
Releases melatonin which regulates important biological rhythms such as the sleep wake cycle
34
What does the hypothalamus do?
Stimulates and controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland
35
What does the ovaries do?
Release oestrogen which controls the regulation of the female productive system including the menstrual cycle and pregnancy
36
What does the testes do?
Releases testosterone which is responsible for the development of male sex characteristics during puberty and muscle growth
37
What does the adrenal gland/cortex do?
Releases cortisol which stimulates the release of glucose to provide the body with energy whilst suppressing the immune system.
38
What are neurons?
The basic building blocks of the nervous system which provide a means of communication. They are specialised nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical signals. There are 100 billion in the human nervous system and 80% are located in the brain.
39
What are the types of neurons?
-Sensory -Relay -Motor
40
What do sensory neurons do?
They carry messages from the PNS to the CNS. They have long dendrites and short axons Brings sensory information from the outside world to the brain or spinal cord.
41
What do relay neurons do?
They connect the sensory neurons to the motor or other relay neurons. They have short dendrites and short axons. They are located in the brain and spinal cord
42
What do motor neurons do?
They connect the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands. They have short dendrites and long axons
43
What are the structures in a neuron?
-Dendrites -Myelin sheath -Nodes of Ranvier -Cell body -Axon -Axon terminal/ Terminal buttons
44
What are dendrites?
Branch like structures which receive information from other neurons and carry the nerve impulse to the cell body
45
What is the myelin sheath?
A fatty layer which protects the axon and speeds up electrical impulses
46
Why must the myelin sheath have gaps?
If it was continous and didnt have gaps (nodes of ranvier) it would have the opposite effects and slow down the electrical impulse.
47
What are the nodes of ranvier?
Areas of gaps in the myelin sheath which recharge the action potential helping impulses travel faster by forcing them to jump
48
What is the cell body?
The control centre of the neuron, it contains the nucleus which holds the genetic material of the cell
49
What are axons?
Long slender structure which carries nerve impulses away from the cell body towards axon terminals. It is surrounded by the myelin sheath
50
What are axon terminals?
These contain neurotransmitters and connect the neuron to other neurons through synaptic transmission across a synapse
51
Where are neurons located?
The cell body of motor neurons may be in the CNS but they have long axons which form part of the PNS. Sensory neurons are located outside of the CNS and in the PNS in clusters called ganglia. Relay neurons make up 97% of all neurons and most are found within the brain and visual system.
52
What is the reflex arc?
The nerve pathway followed by a reflex action. e.g - touching something hot
53
How does the reflex arc work?
1 - Receptors in the PNS detects a stimulus 2 - Sensory neurons send electrical impulses from the PNS to a relay neuron in the CNS 3 - Relay neurons connect sensory neurons to motor neurons. They are involved in the analysis of the sensation and help decide how to respond 4 - Motor neurons send electrical impulses to an effector 5 - The effector produces a response which causes the muscle to move
54
What is electrical transmission?
When a neuron is in a resting state the inside of the cell is negatively charged compared to the outside When a neuron is activated by a stimulus the inside of the cell becomes positively charged for a split second causing an action potential to occur. This creates an electrical impulse that travels down the axon towards the end of the neuron.
55
What are neurotransmitters?
Brain chemicals released from synaptic vesicles that relay signals across the synapse from one neuron to another. They can be broadly divided into those that have an excitatory or inhibitory effects.
56
What is synaptic transmission?
The process where neighbouring neurons communicate with each other by sending chemical messages across a synapse.
57
How do neurons communicate?
Within groups known as neural networks.
58
What is a synapse?
An extremely tiny gap which separates neurons.
59
How are signals within neurons transmitted?
Electrically
60
How are signals between neurons transmitted?
Chemically across the synapse
61
What happens when the electrical impulse reaches the end of the neuron?
When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the presynaptic terminal it triggers the release of neurotransmitters from tiny sacs called synaptic vesicles
62
diagram
63
What effects can neurotransmitters have?
An excitatory or inhibitory effect on the neighbouring neuron.
64
What is excitation?
When a neurotransmitter, like adrenaline, increases the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron. This increases the likelihood that the postsynaptic neuron will pass on the electrical impulse - more likely to fire
65
What is inhibition?
When a neurotransmitter, like serotonin, increases the negative charge of the postsynaptic neuron. This decreases the likelihood that the postsynaptic neuron will pass on the electrical impulse.
66
What is summation?
It is the sum/total of the positive and negative charges in post synaptic neuron. Essentially, it is whether a postsynaptic neuron fires. If the net effect on the postsynaptic neuron is inhibitory then the postsynaptic neuron is less likely to fire. If the net effect on the postsynaptic neuron is excitatory then the postsynaptic neuron is more likely to fire. Once the electrical impulse is created it travels down the neuron.
67
What is polarisation?
The process of when the cells charge becomes more positive or less negative
68
What causes depolarisation?
Summation
69
Explain the first 3 steps of synaptic transmission
1 - In order for signals to be sent between neurons, action potentials need to be converted from electrical signals into chemical signals through synaptic transmission 2 - Inside a neuron, the electrical impulse/ action potentials reach the end of the presynaptic neuron to the terminal buttons 3 - This triggers the synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitters into the synapse which causes the signal to become chemical
70
Explain the last 3 steps of synaptic transmission
4 - Neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and bind to receptors in the postsynaptic neuron which converts the signal back into electrical 5 - Neurotransmitters either have an excitatory or inhibitory effect, this results in the neuron becoming more positively or negatively charged 6 - Through the process of summation, this may result in depolarisation which makes the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire an action potential again
71
What is depolarisation?
When the neuron and action potential becomes more positive which makes it more likely to fire
72
What is hyperpolarisation?
When the neuron and action potential becomes more negative which makes it less likely to fire
73
What happens at the threshold of excitation?
If the charge reaches a certain level, the neuron becomes active and the action potential begins
74
What is localisation?
The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.
75
What is a case study supporting localisation?
In 1848, Phineas Gage was working on a rail line and was involved in an accident where a piece of iron went through his skull. He survived but experienced a major change in personality (loss of inhibition and increased anger) This provided evidence for localisation of brain function because it was believed that the damaged area was responsible for personality.
76
What are the hemispheres of the brain?
The cerebrum is divided into two symmetrical halves, the left and right hemisphere. Activity on the left-hand side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere (vice versa)
77

Psychology (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions