Psych SAC 1 revision

• LPT - long term potentiation


  a process by which synaptic connections between neurons become stronger with frequent activation
• LPD - long term deppression 


  is an activity-dependent reduction in the efficacy of neuronal synapses
• Central nervous system


  brain and spinal cord
• peripheral nervous system

  somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
• somatic nervous system


  controls voluntary movment - sends sensory (afferent) neurons to the brain which then send motor (efferent) neurons to the body part to move it
• autonomic nervous system


  controls involuntary movment - enteric ns, sympathetic ns, parasympathetic ns
• enteric nervous system 


  manages digestive system
• sympathetic NS


  when there is a stressor it activates- auroses our body, activates flight fight freeze, shifts energy from one less important organ to another
• parasympathetic nervous system

  calms us down and maintains homeostasis
• between subject design 


  2 groups doing differnt experiments
• within subject design 


  1 group does 2 experiements
• independent variable 


  variable that is changed
• dependent variable 


  variable that is mesured
• controlled variable

  consistent and unchanged through out the experiement
• approach 


  dealing with the stressor
• avoidance


  avoiding the stressor
• internal stressors 


  factors that origionate inside the body eg. adequete sleep, physical health or anxiety
• external stressors


  factors that origionate outside the body eg. school stressors, moving house
• synaptic plasticity  


  brains ability to reorganise its neural pathways when damadged or adapting to new experiences (sprouting, rerouting and pruning)
• sprouting


  growth of additional branches. on axons or dendrites to enable new connections (occours in LTP)
• Rerouting 


  occours when an undamaged neuron that has lost connection finds another neuron to connect with (occours in LTP)
• pruning


  by pruning or removing neurons that are unuterlised or unesscary so that the brain becomes more efficient(occours in LTD)
• dopamine

  pleasure/ for a reward
• seritonin 


  regulates mood
• acute stress


  bodies immediate response to a percieved stressor
• chronic stress 


  bodies response to a long term stressor
• long term release of cortisal...


  suppreses the immune system
• role of cortisol

  increase glucose levels to help repair bodily functions and save energy and ultilise it in important organs
• adreniline 


  short term stress hormone (boost of energy)
• fight and flight 


  sympathetic nervous system is activated, adreniline is released which then increases heart rate, breathing and dialates pupils
• glutamate 


  excitatory neurotransmitter
• GABA 


  inhibitory neruotransmitter
• freeze 


  parasympethetic NS is activated, imobility and shock due to stressor being threatening so body doesnt know how to react
• spinal reflex 


  quick behaviours that happen entirley in the spinal cord, involving sensory neurons, interneurons and motor neurons
• conscious responses


  happens in the somatic nervous system, involves awareness and is completly voluntary
• unconscious responses 


  happens in the autonomic NS, doesnt include awareness and isnt voluntary