biopsychology

• what is biopsychology 


  the biological approach suggests that everything psychological is at first biological.

  it is biological structures and processes within the body that determine our behaviour
• what are the two major systems that allow them to gain information from the environment and respond it this info

  the nervous system and the endocrine system
• what do psychologists use their knowledge of the systems for 


  to explain normal and abnormal behaviour
• what are the functions of the nervous system 


  collect, process and respond to environmental information

  coordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body

  1. sensation
  2. integration
  3. response
• what is the nervous system 


  a specialised network of cells and is primary communication system in the body
• what are the two sub-systems of the nervous system

  central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
• what are the two sub-systems if the peripheral nervous system 


  somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
• what are the two sub-systems of the autonomic nervous system 


  sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
• what does the CNS comprised of 


  the brain and the spinal cord
• what is the function of the Brian and the spinal cord 


  brain - involve in many different physiological processes and has three main functions: take information from the senses, interpret it and act on it

  • the brains outer layer (cerebral cortex) is involved in higher order thinking, such as problem solving

  spinal cord - receives and transmits information to and from the brain to the peripheral nervous system and it is also responsible for reflex actions.
• what is the peripheral nervous system 


  the PNS transmits messages via millions of neutrons to and from the CNS

  it takes in information from the environment, muscles and organs and sends it to the CNS and once processed it sends it from the CNS to the muscles and glands the body
• does the SNS and ANS work consciously and unconsciously 


  SNS - consciously

  ANS - unconsciously
• what does the SNS and ANS control / its main function 


  SNS - controls muscle movement and relays information to motor neurone

  ANS - functions of the main organs
• what pathways does the SNS and ANS have

  SNS - sensory and motor pathways

  ANS - motor pathways
• where does the SNS and ANS carry information from 


  SNS - receive information from sensory receptors and sends this to the SNS

  ANS - the nerve of ANS connects to the CNS to the internal organs
• what are the characteristic of the the sympathetic nervous system 


  dilated pupils, decreased salivation, increased respiration rates, increased heart rate, constricts blood vessels, inhibits digestive processes, relaxes bladder muscles, inhibits defecation
• what are the characteristics of the parasympathetic nervous system 


  constricts pupils, increases salivation, decreases respiration rate, decreases heart rate, dilated blood vessels, stimulates digestive processes, contracts bladder muscles, stimulates defecation
• which system works along side the nervous system to control vital functions in the body

  the endocrine system
• how does the endocrine system work compared to the nervous system 


  more slowly but has a wide spread and powerful effects
• what do glands produce 


  hormones which are secreted into the bloodstream and affect any cells in the body that have a reception for that particular hormone
• what is referred to as the 'master gland' and what does it do


  pituitary gland in the brain

  it controls the relearn of hormones from all the other endocrine glands
• what are the different glands in the endocrine system 


  adrenal, ovaries, pancreas, pituitary and testes
• what is the role of the adrenal gland 


  prepares the body for fight or flight by releasing adrenaline and targeting the vital organs
• what is the role of the ovaries I gland

  1 - controls puberty and menstrual cycle

  2 - stimulates production of luteinising hormones (LH)

  3 - suppresses production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)

  BY releasing oestrogen and targeting the ovaries, uterus and pituitary gland
• what is the role of the ovaries II gland 


  1 - maintains the womb lining

  2 - surpasses FSH production

  BY releasing progesterone and targets the uterus
• what is the role of the pancreas 


  controlling blood sugar levels by releasing insulin and targets the liver
• what is the role of the pituitary gland I


  control blood water levels (triggers kidneys to uptake water) by relapsing antidiuretic hormone and targeting the kidneys
• what is the role of the pituitary gland II 


  triggers egg ripening and oestrogen production in ovaries by releasing follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and targeting the ovaries
• what is the role of the pituitary gland III


  triggers egg release and progesterone production in ovaries by releasing luteinising hormone (LH) and targets the ovaries
• what is the role of the testes 


  controls puberty in males by releasing the hormone testosterone and targets the male reproductive organs
• what is the flight or fight response 


  occurs when we encounter a stressor in our environment and it is generated by an ANS and endocrine system working together

  the hypothalamus detects the stressor and triggers the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system triggers the pituitary-adrenal system, releasing adrenaline
• describe the process of the flight or fight response 


  a person enters a stressful/dangerous situation and the amygdala is activated which sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus activates the sympathomedullary pathway (SAM pathway) - the pathway running to the adrenal medulla and the sympathetic nervous system. The SNS stimulates the adrenal medulla, part of the adrenal gland causing it to secrete the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline into the blood stream. Adrenaline causes number of physiological changes to prepare the body for fight or flight
• what is one weakness of the flight and fight response 


  evidence to suggest we are not limited to two responses

  • Gray (1988) suggests jay the first response to danger is to avoid confrontation altogether, demonstrated by a 'freeze' response. During the freeze response humans are hyper vigilant while they appraise the situation to decide the best course of action for that particular threat
  • therefore, the flight or fight response fails to fully explain the complexity of the human response to stress
  • REDUCTIONIST APPROACH
• what is another weakness of the flight or fight response 


  evidence to suggest women respond differently

  • Taylor et al. (2002) suggests that females adopt a 'tend to befriend response in stressful/dangerous situations, with women more likely to protect their offspring (tending) and form alliances with other women (befriend), rather than fight an adversary or flee
  • therefore, the flight or fight response shows gender bias (specifically a beta bias)
• what is another weakness of the flight or fight response 


  may not be relevant to the modern word

  • the flight or fight response had also been criticised for being outdated. It was useful for our ancestors when there were genuine threats (i.e. from predators). In modern life, this rarely happens nor is such an extreme response needed
  • therefore, the flight and fight response may lack temporal validity (may only be relevant when first discovered)
• what is a positive of the flight or fight response 


  the flight or fight response can be seen in all mammals

  • the flight or fight response has been found to be a response in all mammals, not just humans. As a result, this gives the response practical support and, thus, heightens external validity
  • therefore, the flight or fight response is generalisable to an beyond the population
• what are neurons


  they provide the nervous system with its primary form of communication by transmitting signals electrically and chemically

  they are the building blocks of the nervous system

  80% of the 10-12 billion neurons we have are located in the brain
• what are the three types of neurons 


  sensory, motor and relay
• what are dendrites and where are they located 


  they receive signals from neighbouring neurons or from sensory receptors ad carry this message towards the cell body

  they are located at one end of the neuron (by the cell body)
• what is the cell body


  contains the nucleus that contains the genetic code for the cell and often called the soma