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psychology paper 2: approaches and bio psych > BioPsychology > Flashcards

BioPsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

A complex network of nerve cells, carrying messages from the brain and the spinal cord to different parts of the body.

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2
Q

What is the nervous system divided into?

A

The Central Nervous System : CNS
Peripheral Nervous System : PNS

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3
Q

What is the central nervous system split into?

A
  • The brain
  • The brain stem
  • The spinal cord
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4
Q

What are the two main functions of the CNS?

A
  • The control of behaviour
  • The regulation of the body’s psychological processes.
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5
Q

What is the main function of…

A: The spinal cord

A

The spinal cord relays information between the brain and the rest of the body.

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6
Q

What are the four main areas of the brain?

A
  • Cerebrum
  • Cerebellum
  • Diencephalon
  • Brain stem
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7
Q

What can the cerebrum be divided into?

HINT : 4 LOBES

A
  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Temporal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
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8
Q

What are the functions of the 4 lobes within the cerebrum?

A
  • FRONTAL : Thinking / Memory
  • PARIETAL : Language / Touch
  • TEMPORAL : Hearing / Learning
  • OCCIPITAL : Sight
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9
Q

What are the two main divisions of the peripheral nervous system?

A
  • Somatic nervous system
  • Autonomic nervous system
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10
Q

What is the aim of the PNS?

A

Relays nerve impulses from the CNS to the rest of the body.

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11
Q

What is the SNS?

EXTRA : WHAT IS THE RESPONSE?

A

Involved in the responses of humans when in a state of emergency.

Initiates the flight or fight response.

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12
Q

What are biological processes of the SNS?

A
  • Dilates pupils
  • Decreases salivation
  • Accelerates heart rate
  • Relaxes airways
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13
Q

What is the aim of the parasympathetic nervous system?

EXTRA : WHAT IS THE RESPONSE?

A

Relaxes one following a state of emergency.

It allows one to undergo the rest and digest response.

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14
Q

What is a biological process of the Parasympathetic Nervous System?

A
  • Slows heartbeat
  • Reduces blood pressure
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15
Q

A : What are the three types of neuron?

B :What are their aims?

A

A : Motor , Sensory , Relay

B :
SENSORY : Carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors ( vision, taste, touch) to the spinal cord.
MOTOR : Form synapses, when stimulated, they release neurotransmitters which leads to muscle movement.
RELAY : Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate with eachother.

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16
Q

What is the role of the endocrine system?

A

A network of glands throughout the body which create and secrete hormones.

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17
Q

What are the 6 endocrine glands?

A

1 : Thyroid
2 : Adrenal Medulla
3 : Adrenal Cortex
4 : Testes
5 : Ovaries
6 : Pineal

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18
Q

What hormones do the SIX endocrine glands each secrete?

A

1 : Thyroid : Thyroxine
2 : Adrenal Medulla : Adrenaline / Noradrenaline
3 : Adrenal Cortex : Corticosteroids
4 : Testes : Testosterone
5 : Ovaries : Oestrogen
6 : Pineal : Melatonin

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19
Q

What are the effects of each hormone below:

  • Thyroxine
  • Adrenaline / Noradrenaline
  • Corticosteroids
  • Testosterone
  • Oestrogen
  • Melatonin
A

THYROXINE : Regulates metabolism and protein synthesis
ADRENALINE/NORADRENALINE : Fight or flight response / Increased heart rate / Release of glucose for energy
CORTICOSTEROIDS : Release of glucose for energy / Suppression of the immune system
TESTOSTERONE : Male sexual characteristics
OESTROGEN : Female sexual characteristics / Menstruation / Pregnancy
MELATONIN : Sleep-wake cycle

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20
Q

What is synaptic transmission ?

A

Refers to the process by which a nerve impulse passes across the synaptic cleft from one neuron (the presynaptic neuron) to another (the postsynaptic neuron).

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21
Q

What is the pituitary gland?

A

A small structure at the base of the brain which released a wide variety of hormones that control the bodies other hormone glands.

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22
Q

What are the hormones the…

A : Anterior pituitary
B : Posterior pituitary

…produce.

A

A : Luteinising hormone (LSH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
B : Oxytocin

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23
Q

What is the role of…
A : LSH & FSH
B : Oxytocin

A

A : In FEMALES, it stimulates the ovaries to produce oestrogen and progesterone. In MEN, stimulates testes to produce testosterone and sperm.
B : Stimulates the contraction of the uterus

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25
Where are the adrenal medulla, and the adrenal cortex found in the body?
In the adrenal glands.
26
What is the role of the hypothalamus in... 1 : The flight or fight response 2 : In response to chronic stressors
1 : Acts as command centre in the brain, communicates with the rest of the body through the sympathetic nervous system. 2 : The hypothalamus released a chemical messenger, corticotrophin-releasing hormone, (or CRH) which is released into the bloodstream in response to the stressor.
27
What is a criticism of the fight or flight response?
It reduces complex stress responses to just two options, ignoring other tendencies such as `freeze` and `tend and befriend`
28
What is localisation?
This refers to the principle that specific functions (language, memory ect) have specific locations within the brain.
29
What is lateralisation of brain function?
Key functions in the brain may only be located in one specific half of the brain.
30
Provide one example of evidence for localisation?
The advancement of scientific research and the measurement of electrical brain acivity now allows for substantial evidence.
31
32
What is Broca's area?
Broca’s area is a region in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere of the brain that is primarily responsible for speech production and aspects of language processing.
33
What case study lead to the discovery of Brocas area?
TAN: A patient who could only speak the word `Tan`, which lead to Broca studying 8 other patients, all with similar language issues, and all had a lesion on the left hemisphere of their brain.
34
Where is Broca's area located?
In the left frontal hemisphere of the brain.
35
What is Wernicke's area?
An area of the brain crucial for understanding language.
36
Where is Wernicke's area located?
In the left temporal lobe.
37
Summarise the Phineas Gage case study.
Phineas Gage survived a severe brain injury in 1848 when an iron rod pierced his frontal lobe, leading to major personality changes, which provided early evidence linking the frontal lobe to personality and behavior.
38
What did the Phineas Gage case study prove?
That specific parts of the brain controlled certain aspects of a person.
39
What is a strength of the Phineas Gage case?
Evidence for brain plasticity.
40
What is a weakness of the Phineas Gage case?
As it is a case study, it can't be generalised to a mass population.
41
What is brain plasticity?
The brains ability to change and adapt its structure following an injury.
42
What are the four ways of studying the brain?
- Post mortem - fMRI - ECG - ERP
43
1 :What is a post-mortem examination of the brain? 2 :What is a strength of it? 3 :What is a limitation?
1 : Brains from dead individuals who displayed cognitive abnormalities can be dissected to check for structural damage. 2 : Allowed for detailed examination. 3 : May confuse findings.
44
1 :What is an fMRI of the brain? 2 :What is a strength of it? 3 :What is a limitation?
1 : Functional magnetic resonance imaging, a brain scanner which measures increased blood flow to brain sites when individuals are asked to perform tasks. 2 : Non-invasive 3 : Only measures blood flow, not neural activity.
45
1 :What is an EEG of the brain? 2 :What is a strength of it? 3 :What is a limitation?
1 : Measures brain activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp. 2 : Records brain acivity over time and therefore monitor changes as a person switches from task to task. 3 : EEGS only monitor electrical activity in the outer layers, and thus, cannot reveal electrical acvitiy in deeper brain sites.
46
1 :What is an ERPS of the brain? 2 :What is a strength of it? 3 :What is a limitation?
1 : Measures small voltages of electrical activity when a stimulus is presented. 2 : Continous measure of neural activity in response to a stimulus. 3 : ERPS only monitor electrical activity in the outer layers, and thus, cannot reveal electrical acvitiy in deeper brain sites.
47
What is a PET scan? What is a strength? What is a weakness?
1 : Takes images of radioactive markers in the brain. 2 : Nuclear medicine is useful for identifying tumors ect. 3 : Normal cells happen to reproduce quickly and can be affected along with abnormal cells.
48
What is a biological rhythm?
A biological rhythm is a regular, cyclical pattern in biological activity, such as sleep or hormone levels, that occurs in response to internal biological clocks and sometimes external cues like light.
49
What is a circadian rhythm?
A circadian rhythm is a type of biological rhythm that follows a roughly 24-hour cycle.
50
What is an example of a circadian rhythm?
Sleep-wake cycle.
51
What is an endogenous pacemaker?
Internal body clock.
52
What is an exogenous zeitgeber?
Enviromental stimuli, such as weather and social interaction.
53
What is a criticism of endogenous pacemakers?
Czeiser : 1999 24 participants in low light, for a month, in a simulated 28 hour day. P's only adopted a 24 hour, 11 minute cycle.
54
What is a criticism on exogenous zeitgebers?
Siffre Study: Lived without natural light or time cues for extended periods. YET, his sleep-wake cycle stayed at around 24 hours.
55
What is an infradian rhythm?
A biological rhythm which occurs less than once every 24 hours.
56
What is an example of an infradian rhythm?
The menstrual cycle.
57
What is an ultradian rhythm?
Biological rhythms lasting less than 24 hours.
58
What is an example of the ultradian rhythm?
Sleep-wake cycle.
59

psychology paper 2: approaches and bio psych (1 decks)

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