MCAT Psych #1 Flashcards
(214 cards)
Franz Gall (1759-1828)
o Behavior, intellect and personality may be linked to brain anatomy
o Phrenology: brain area for trait expands for well-developed trait
Measure psychological attributes by feeling or measuring the skull FALSE
Pierre Flourens (1794-1867)
o Studied the function of major sections of the brain
o Extirpation or ablation: remove parts of the brain and observe behavioral consequences
Specific parts have specific functions, remove one part and it weakens the whole thing.
William James (1842-1910)
o How the mind functions in adapting to the environment
o Functionalism: a system of thought in psychology that studied how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment.
John Dewey (1859-1952)
o Also important in functionalism
o Reflex arc, breaks the process of reacting to stimulus into discrete parts.
o Psychology should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it adapts to environment
Paul Broca (1824-1880)
o Examined the behavioral deficits of people with brain damage physiology
Specific functional impairments can be linked with specific brain lesions.
o Broca’s area: man unable to talk cause of lesion in Broca’s area (left side of the brain)
Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894)
o First to measure the speed of a nerve impulse. Nerve impulses in terms of reaction time psychology mix with natural sciences.
Sir Charles Sherrington (1857-1952)
o Inferred the existence of synapses. He thought synapses were an electrical process but we now know that they are a chemical process.
What are the types of neurons in the nervous system?
sensory neurons (afferent neurons) motor neurons (efferent neurons) interneurons
afferent neurons
transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain.
efferent neurons
transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands.
interneurons
: found between other neurons and are the most numerous of the three.
Found in the brain and spinal cord and are linked to reflexive behavior.
Reflex arcs: neural circuits that control reflexive behavior.
• Ex: step on a nail: sensory neurons signal up spinal cord sensory neurons connect with interneurons, these relay pain impulses up to the brain and they also send signals to muscles in the legs which causes the individual to move. Original sensory info still makes its way to the brain but by the time it arrives the foot is already moved.
reflex arcs
neural circuits that control reflexive behavior.
• Ex: step on a nail: sensory neurons signal up spinal cord sensory neurons connect with interneurons, these relay pain impulses up to the brain and they also send signals to muscles in the legs which causes the individual to move. Original sensory info still makes its way to the brain but by the time it arrives the foot is already moved.
What are the two primary components of the nervous system
central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
What makes up the central nervous system
composed of the brain and spinal cord
What makes up the peripheral nervous system
made up of nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain and spinal cord, including all 31 spinal nerves and the 12 cranial nerves.
Olfactory and optic nerves (cranial nerves I and II) are outgrowths of the CNS but are still considered the PNS.
what are the components of the peripheral nervous system
somatic and automatic NS
What are the components of the autonomic NS
sympathetic and parasympathetic NS
Draw overall diagram of all breakdowns of the NS
Figure 1.1 Psych
somatics NS
consists of sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin, joints, and muscles. Sensory through afferent fibers, motor through efferent fibers.
Autonomic NS
regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions (involuntary muscles associated with many internal organs and glands ). Also regulated body temperature (sweating and piloerection). Automatic.
The parasympathetic NS and sympathetic NS are ____ of each other
antagonistic
sympathetic: fight or flight
parasympathetic: rest and digest
parasympathetic NS
Acetylcholine is NT responsible
regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions (involuntary muscles). Also regulated body temperature. Automatic.
constricts pupils, stimulates flow of saliva, constricts bronchi (less air flow), slows heartbeat, stimulates peristalsis and secretion, stimulates bile release, contracts bladder
sympathetic NS
Adrenaline and noradrenaline
activated by stress
o Mild stressors to emergencies.
o Associated with rage and fear, fight or flight reactions.
o Increases heart rate
dilates pupils, inhibits salivation, relaxes bronchi, accelerates heartbeat, stimulates sweating and piloerection, inhibits peristalsis and secretion, stimulates glucose production and release, secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline inhibits bladder contraction, stimulates orgasm.
Meninges
thick sheath of connective tissue that covers the brain.
o Protect brain, keep it anchored in the skull, and resorb cerebrospinal fluid.
o 3 layers:
Dura mater: most exterior
Arachnoid mater: medial
Pia mater: most interior