Unit 1 and 2 Revision Slides Flashcards
(109 cards)
Describe three key differences between psychology, psychiatry and social work
Psychology requires 4 years of study compared to Psychiatrists who require 6 years of study. Psychiatrists can also prescribe medication whereas Psychologists and social workers cannot. Social workers work more with the community and people facing situations such as poverty
Explain the nature-versus-nurture debate and provide an example
The ongoing debate of whether human personalities are inspired by nature which is genes or nurture which is the environment and influence of people around us
Explain the philosophical debate between free will and determinism
Free will is when a person makes a conscious decision, however, determinism is where actions are governed by others outside a persons control
Describe the mind-versus-body debate with reference to René Descartes
- Psychologists question whether the mind is a separate entity from the body and brain
- The mind relates to consciousness and self-awareness and cannot be measured
- The brain and body can be measured in terms of mass, density, shape and size
- Rene Descartes viewed the body as two separate entities - dualism. He believed our mind created our existence - ‘I think therefore, I am’
Summarise the beliefs of Claudius Galen and Franz Joseph Gall
- Galen believed the brain played an important role in sensation
- He observed people who suffered strokes or could lose a particular sense even if there was no damage to the sensory organ.
- Franz Gall believed mental abilities and personality were controlled by 27 areas of the brain supposedly located on the surface of the brain
Explain phrenology with reference to Franz Gall
- The study of lumps, bumps and indentations to determine a persons character, intelligence and a range of other behaviours and functions
- Development later led to the localisation of function
Discuss the contributions of early brain experiments by Pierre Flouren’s
- Localised areas of animals brains to observe the effect of their behaviour and cognition
- The cerebral cortex was responsible for higher order thinking and the cerebellum was involved in regulating movement
Identify PET and what it is
- Positron Emission Tomography - it tracks a radioactive substance, such as glucose that has been injected into a persons bloodstream
Identify MRI and what it is
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging - involves harmless magnetic fields and radio waves that produce a computer-enhanced image of the brain structure
Identify fMRI and what it is
- functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging - monitors blood flow and oxygen consumption to reveal areas of greater brain activity
Identify EEG and what it is
- Electroencephalograph - detects and records electrical activity in the brain in the form of brainwaves
Explain the difference between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
- CNS comprises of the brain and spinal cord. It controls the body via messages sent from the peripheral nervous system which includes nerves and ganglia located outside the brain and spinal cord
Describe the autonomic nervous system
- Responsible for communications between non-skeletal muscles and internal organs; for example, heart rate and digestion
Explain what happens in the fight-flight-freeze response
Flight - a person removes themselves from a stressful situation
Freeze - fails to react
Fight - reacts in a combative manner (fight)
Explain the role of the somatic nervous system
- Sends sensory information into the CNS and carries motor movement commands from the CNS to the skeletal muscles
What are the Dendrites responsible for in a neuron?
- Receive sensory information from other neurons via synapses and deliver this to the soma
What is the Soma responsible for in a neuron?
- The cell body
- Controls maintenance of the cell
What is the Axon responsible for in a neuron?
- Carries information from the soma towards other cells in contact with the neuron
What is the Synapse?
The function between two neurons
Explain the difference between a sensory and a motor neuron
- Carry nerve impulses towards the brain and spinal cord
- Motor neurons carry the impulses away from the brain and CNS to the relevant body parts to cause movement
Describe an interneuron
- Carries information between sensory and motor neurons
Describe what the cerebrum is responsible for (part of the forebrain)
- The biggest part of the forebrain
- Divided into the left and right cerebral hemispheres
- Contains four different regions of the brain which are responsible for higher order thinking processes
Explain the role of the midbrain
- Above the hindbrain and below the forebrain
- Responsible for the regulation of sleep, motor movement and arousal
- Connects hindbrain and forebrain
Explain the role of the hindbrain
- Consists of the medulla, pons and cerebellum
- Control breathing, heartbeat, digestion, and coordinate body movements