brain+neuropsychology

• what is the nervous system split into?

  -central nervous system

  -peripheral nervous system
• What is the central nervous system?

  consists of brain and spinal cord
• what does the brain do in the central NS?

  cognitive thinking and decision making
• what does the spinal cord do in the central NS?

  connects to the brain, controls movement and passes information around the body
• what is the peripheral nervous system made up of?

  -somatic nervous system

  -autonomic nervous system
• what does the somatic nervous system control?

  voluntary movements and reflexes
• what does the autonomic system control?

  automatic bodily functions
• what is the autonomic system split into?

  -sympathetic

  -parasympathetic
• What does the sympathetic system do?

  fight or flight= bodily changes that automatically happen when there is a threat. doesn't travel through spinal cord so can move quicker in order to survive
• what does the parasympathetic system control?

  returns body to normal after fight or flight
• what are examples of sympathetic changes?

  -heart beat increases to supply more oxygen to brain

  -pupils dilate for a wider field of view and to see in the dark

  -digestive system slows so energy can be saved

  -salvation stops so energy isnt wasted
• what are examples of parasympathetic changes?

  -heart rate regulates back to normal

  -pupils return to normal size

  -digestive system returns to normal

  -salvation returns to normal
• what is a neuron?

  a specialised nerve cell, it receives, processes and transmits info to other cells in the body
• what does a neuron do?

  Sends electrical signals through the body and passes information
• what is the role of the sensory neuron?

  -uses 5 senses to detect information and passes it to the brain

  -for example, when holding a hot pan the sensory neuron will detect the heat
• what is the role of the relay neuron?

  -Transfers messages from sensory neurons quickly to the motor neuron

  -located in the brain

  -for example, when holding hot pan the relay neuron will quickly tell the brain the pan is hot
• what is the role of the motor neuron?

  takes information from the brain and tells the body to move

  -for example, when holding a hot pan the motor neuron will receive info from the relay neuron and therefore drop the pan
• describe the James-Lange theory

  suggests bodily responses occur before we recognise emotion. Believes event takes place which triggers arousal (bodily changes) these changes lead us to recognise (interpret) what emotion we are feeling
• what order does James-Lange say we experience emotion in?


  event- arousal- interpretation- emotion
• according to James-Lange what is the "event"?


  something that causes a reaction
• according to James-Lange what is the "arousal"?


  bodily changes occur
• according to James-Lange what is "interpretation"?

  your brain works out what bodily changes have occurred and infers what emotion to feel
• according to James-Lange what is the "emotion"?

  the brains decision on what we are feeling
• what is a strength of the James-Lange theory?

  1. real life application

  2. Aliport and Tomking found facial expressions directly influence emotion- this supports the study that body action comes first and then we recognise the emotion
• what is a weakness of James-Lange theory?

  -needs context dependant cues as a bodily change can be for multiple different emotions

  -some believe emotion and bodily change happen at the same time and are impossible to separate
• what is an example of James-Langes theory?

  If you were walking in the dark a night and street lights begin to flicker, its expected that our heart rate and vision will increase which we would later interpret as the "fear" emotion.
• What does a dendrite do?

  receives information from other neurons
• what does the soma do?

  contains nucleus and the genetic makeup of cells
• what does the axon do?

  carries electrical impulses down the neuron
• What does the mylein sheath do?

  fatty layer that protects the axon and speeds up transmit
• What does the axon terminal do?

  communicates with other synapses
• What does the node of ranvier do?

  gaps in the axon to speed up transmission
• difference between motor and sensory neuron?

  motor neuron enables body to move whereas sensory neuron takes info from the environment and sends messages to the CNS
• Define brain plasticity


  The brain's ability to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning.
• Describe Hebb's theory


  suggests that repeating a new activity causes your brain to change and develop, called brain plasticity. originally, when we are learning a new skill we are overwhelmed, however, after a few attempts our neural pathway recognises the activity by engram and uses the same neurons. information is passed faster and neurons wire together as a neuron repeatedly excites another neuron- known as neuron growth. This skill becomes a habit and our brains will use this pathway forever.
• Strengths of Hebb's theory

  1. Backed by scientific evidence as brain scans show different neuron pathways chosen
  2. gives biological reasoning for depression and anxiety in people
  3. applied to education and how we teach as we know it is difficult to unlearn skills
• weakness of Hebbs theory

  it is a biological reductionist as it doesn't factor social cues or hormones
• define Localisation of Function

  the idea that the brains abilities (eg vision, memory and emotion) are locationed in 1 area of the brain
• what is the function of the brain stem?

  connects brain and spinal cord, controls movement
• what does the cortex control?

  complex thought