Unit 3 AOS 1 SAC

Question 1

central nervous system

Answer 1

comprised of brain and spinal cord. functions to process info recieved by body and activate appropriate responses

Question 2

brain

Answer 2

control centre. recieves and processes sensory information and controls all bodily actions and functions

Question 3

spinal cord

Answer 3

long thing bundle of nerve tissue from base of brain to lower back. Transmits sensory information from body to brain, and motor information from brain to body

Question 4

peripheral NS

Answer 4

all nerves and neurons outside the CNS. functions to recieve sensory information from receptor sights (SAME acronym)

Question 5

somatic NS

Answer 5

network of nerves connected to sensory receptors and skeletal muscles - conscious movement

Question 6

autonomic NS

Answer 6

connections between CNS and internal organs. unconsious regulation of body

Question 7

sympathetic NS

Answer 7

activates visceral organs, muscles and glands for high levels of activity, e.g. exercise or escaping threat

Question 8

parasympathetic NS

Answer 8

maintains optimal functioning of visceral organs, muscles and glands - maintains and returns body to homeostasis after threat

Question 9

enteric NS

Answer 9

controls digestive system - involves bidirectional communication with CNS via vagus nerve

Question 10

conscious responses

Answer 10

reactions involve active awareness - tends to be more complex, involves decision making

Question 11

unconscious responses

Answer 11

reactions do not involve consious awareness

Question 12

spinal reflexes

Answer 12

automatic response that is initiated by interneurons in spinal cord instead of brain. helps respond to danger and harm more quickly

Question 13

neurotransmitters

Answer 13

chemical substances produced by neuron to transmit messages to other neurons

Question 14

steps of neurotransmission

Answer 14

1. neural impulse reaches axon terminals
2. causes neuron to release neurotransmitter into synaptic gap
3. then bind to receptor sites on dendrites
4. excitatory or inhibitory effect

Question 15

neuromodulators

Answer 15

chemical molecule that has an effect on multiple neurons. they are slower than neurotransmitters but have longer lasting effects because they are released into multiple synapses

Question 16

glutamate and excitatory effects

Answer 16

glutamate has an important role in learning and memory and is also excitatory
excitatory effects stimulate neural activity, increasing the likelihood that the post-synaptic neural will fire an action potential

Question 17

GABA and inhibitory effects

Answer 17

GABA has an important role in motor control, memory and reducing anxiety
inhibitory effects suppress neural activity decreasing the likelihood of the post-synaptic neuron firing an action potential

Question 18

dopamine

Answer 18

responsible for voluntary movement, experience of pleasure and reward based learning. it also plays a role in motivation. Can have both excitatory and inhibitory effects

Question 19

serotonin

Answer 19

responsible for the regulation of sleep and mood. has an inhibitory effect

Question 20

synaptic plasticity

Answer 20

ability of neurons to change their structure to create new synapses or eliminate redundant ones in response to experience

Question 21

LTP

Answer 21

long lasting strengthening of neural pathways

Question 22

LTD

Answer 22

long lasting weakening of neural pathways

Question 23

sprouting

Answer 23

when a neuron creates new parts of itself to make more new connections with other neurons

Question 24

rerouting

Answer 24

occurs when new connections are made between neurons to create alternate pathways

Question 25

pruning

Answer 25

the elimination of weak, ineffective or unused synapses

Question 26

stress

Answer 26

a state of physiological and psychological arousal that an individual percieves as challenging and/or exceeding their resources to cope

Question 27

stressor

Answer 27

any person, situation or event that causes stress

Question 28

internal stressor

Answer 28

cause of stress that originates from within an individual

Question 29

external stressor

Answer 29

cause of stress that originates from outside an individual, an event or environment

Question 30

acute stress response

Answer 30

sudden onset, causing high arousal for a short amount of time

Question 31

chronic stress

Answer 31

increased arousal level that persists. tends to have worse effects on the body

Question 32

fight flight freeze response

Answer 32

automatic biological response to a percieved stressor that increases our chances of survival in our environment

Question 33

fight

Answer 33

directly deal with stressor head on

Question 34

flight

Answer 34

evade or escape the stressor

Question 35

freeze

Answer 35

immobilisation of the body, minimising its movements and sound

Question 36

role of cortisol in stress

Answer 36

vital for maintaining HWB of body under stress. it boosts energy levels, hightens alertness and diverts energy to important parts.

Question 37

negative effects of cortisol

Answer 37

if activated over a long period of time, it becomes depleted which leads to decreased immunity, making a person more susceptible to illness

Question 38

stages of GAS

Answer 38

alarm reaction (shock and countershock), resistance stage, exhaustion stage

Question 39

alarm reaction - shock

Answer 39

when we first become aware of the stressor. blood pressure drops, resistance is below normal

Question 40

alarm reaction - countershock

Answer 40

defense reaction, sympathetic NS activated as well as flight fight freeze and adrenaline. resistance rises above normal

Question 41

resistance stage

Answer 41

cortisol and resistance level at their highest. the body fighting stress. individual seems normal but unnecessary functions are shut down.

Question 42

exhaustion stage

Answer 42

resources are depleted, immune system is weakened and prolonged release of cortisol has negative effects. person is susceptible to illness and disease. resistane well below normal

Question 43

lazarus and folkman model

Answer 43

primary appraisal, secondary appraisal and outcome

Question 44

primary appraisal

Answer 44

decide if situation is stressful or not. threat, harm/loss or challenge

Question 45

secondary appraisal

Answer 45

when we examine our actions of coping - problem and emotion focussed

Question 46

outcome

Answer 46

if coping strategy is effective, stress reduces

Question 47

approach strategies

Answer 47

behaviours that attempt to decrease stress by alleviating the problem

Question 48

avoidance strategies

Answer 48

avoiding dealing with stress

Question 49

gut brain axis (GBA)

Answer 49

the connection between the CNS and the ENS that enables bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract

Question 50

context specific effectiveness

Answer 50

a specific coping strategy that works well for a particular situation. most effective when context can be replicated.

Question 51

coping flexibility

Answer 51

ability of an individual to replace an ineffective coping strategy with a different one.