AQA A Level Psychology: Biopsychology

• `Circadian rhythms` are roughly 24-hour cycles in the physiological processes of living organisms.
• What are Exogenous Zeitgebers?

  - Environmental cue helping regulate biological clock
• What is the Pineal Gland?

  - Produces and secretes melatonin at night and decreases release as light levels increase
• What is the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)?

  - Main endogenous pacemaker, lies in hypothalamus
• What are Endogenous Pacemakers?


  - Mechanisms within body that govern internal, biological bodily rhythm
• What are Infradian Rhythms?

  - Have duration greater than 24 hours, may last days, weeks, months or years
• What are Ultradian Rhythms?


  - Cycles that last less than 24 hours e.g. sleep cycle which repeats every 90-100 minutes
• examples of Circadian Rhythms


  - Sleep-wake Cycle:- Hormone Production:
• What are Circadian Rhythms (CR)?

  - Pattern of behaviour that occurs approximately every 24 hours, set and rest by environmental light levels
• What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?

  - Technique that takes raw EEG data and uses it to investigate cognitive processing of a specific event- Very small voltage changes triggered by certain events/stimuli detected
• What is Electroencephalogram (EEG)?


  - Records changes in electrical activity of brain using electrodes attached to scalp- Electrical signals from diff electrodes graphed over time
• What is Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)?


  - Technique for measuring brain activity by detecting blood flow (increased oxygenation) indicating increased neural activity
• What is a Post-Mortem Examination?

  - Way of examining brain after one's passing to establish neurological cause for psychological abnormalities
• What is Functional Recovery?

  - Recovery of abilities and compromised mental processes as result of brain injury/disease
• What is Plasticity?

  - Brain's ability to change and adapt to experience- Nerve pathways used frequently develop stronger connections, rarely sued neutrons die
• What is Split-Brain Research?

  - When the bundle of fibres making the corpus callosum are cut, the connection between the 2 hemispheres is severed
• What is Hemispheric Lateralisation?

  - Two hemispheres are not exactly the same, each has its own functional specialisations- Left is dominant for language and speech, right for visual-motor tasks
• What is Wernicke's area?

  - Area of brain involved in understanding language- Posterior left temporal lobe
• What is Broca's area?

  - in posterior left frontal lobe, believed to be critical for speech production
• What is Localisation of Function?

  The principle that specific functions such as language, memory and hearing have specific locations within the brain
• What is the Fight-or-Flight Response (FFR)?


  - Activity in the body triggered in emergency situations to defend/attack or run to safety
• What is the role of the Adrenal Glands?

  - Sit on top of kidneys, each one made of the adrenal cortex (outer part) and adrenal medulla (inner region)- Hormones released by adrenal CORTEX are vital for life, unlike ones released by adrenal medulla
• What is the role of the Pituitary Gland (PG)?

  - Master gland, primary role is to influence the release of hormones from other glands therefore regulating most bodily functions
• What are Hormones?

  - Chemical messengers that circulate bloodstream and are carried to target sites
• What is the Endocrine System?

  - Network of glands throughout body that manufacture and secrete hormones- Uses blood system to deliver hormones to target sites in body
• What are Inhibitory Neurotransmitters?

  - Nervous systems 'off' switches, decrease likelihood of neuron firing- Responsible for calming mind and body, induce sleep and filter unnecessary excitatory neurotransmitters
• What are Excitatory Neurotransmitters?

  - Nervous systems 'on' switches, increase likelihood of neuron 'firing'- When one binds with a postsynaptic receptor an electrical change occurs in cell membrane, results in excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) → meaning post-synaptic cell more likely to fire
• What is Synaptic Transmission?


  - Process by which nerve impulse passes across synaptic gap from presynaptic neuron to postsynaptic neuron- Impulse reaches end of axon which has synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters that allow transfer of impulse
• What is the role of the Motor Neuron?

  - Located in CNS, project axons outside to control muscles- Form synapses w/muscles and control contractions- Releases neurotransmitters which bind to receptors and trigger response
• What is the role of the Relay Neuron?


  - Lies between sensory input and motor output- Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate
• What is the role of the Sensory Neuron?

  - Carries nerve impulse from sensory receptor (e.g. vision, taste, smell) to CNS
• What are Neurons?

  - Specialised cells that carry neural information

  
• What is the Autonomic Nervous System?


  - Regulates involuntary actions e.g. heartbeat and digestion
• What is the Somatic Nervous System?


  - Divison responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the CNS
• What is the Peripheral Nervous System?

  - All the nerves outside the CNS- Divided into somatic and autonomic nervous system
• What is the role of the Spinal Cord in the CNS?

  - Relay info between brain and rest of body- Allows monitoring and regulation of bodily processes + coordination of movements
• What is the Central Nervous System (CNS)?


  - Consists of the brain and spinal cord- Controls behaviour and regulates body's physiological processes
• How is the Nervous System divided?

  - Central Nervous System → Spinal Cord + Brain- Peripheral Nervous System → Somatic Nervous System + Autonomic Nervous System → Sympathetic Nervous System + Parasympathetic System

  
• Light as an exogenous zeitgeber.


  One of the most dominant EZs; resets body's pacemaker through SCN. May explain why Campell and Murphy found that shining lights on knees caused a shift in circadian rhythm.

  
• Zeitgebers


  External factors in the environment that reset our biological clocks through a process called entrainment.