AP Psych The Biological Approach Practice (Part 1)

Charles Nelson

professor of pediatrics @ Harvard Medical School & Boston Children’s Hospital

Izidor Ruckel

a child who experienced the abuse & neglect of the Romanian government instituted orphanages

had polio (disease that can lead to paralysis due to muscle weakness)

w/ surrogate mother: treated Ruckel w/ love, care, kindness, set foundation for secure attachment style but was disrupted b/c of placement in Romanian orphanage after mother’s death

w/ adoptive parents: disorganized attachment style due to the environment he endured in the Romanian orphanage, aggressive & avoidant

Romanian orphanage

government institution for “irrecoverable” children that neglected/abused said children, society (inside said orphanage) was like a prison, “dog eat dog” world

results of children kept in the Romanian orphanages

stunted growth & problems concerning their mental & emotional health

Nelson observations/deductions (of said children): strange behaviors/coping mechanisms, desperate/needy for attention due to extensive neglect, acting warm then acting cold (disorganized attachment style w/ others), symptoms of problems w/ brain development

the 4 attachment styles

secure: feelings of trust & safety within relationship, stability (built through healthy relationship w/ caregiver)

anxious: fear of abandonment, strong need for reassurance, discomfort w/ too much independence (built through unhealthy relationship w/ caregiver)

avoidant: tendency to avoid emotional closeness, dismissive of importance of intimacy within relationships (built through unhealthy relationship w/ caregiver)

disorganized: mix of anxious & avoidant, fear of close relationships, inconsistent & hard-to-predict behavior, seeking love then angered when love is given (built through unhealthy relationship w/ caregiver)

brain development

for positive development: love, attention, care from caregivers, healthy parenting or healthy parental figure in life

for negative development: neglect, abuse from caregivers, unhealthy parenting or no healthy parental figure in life

EEG

electroencephalography

measures electrical activity of brain

result of EEG in Romanian orphans: 40-watt light bulb instead of 100-watt light bulb (abnormally low)

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging

studies anatomy of brains/highlight where electrical brain activity occurs using images

results of MRI on Romanian orphans: significant reduction in gray and white matter, meaning brains were physically smaller than the average brain

Nim Tottenham

associate professor of psychology @ the University of LA in CA

held experiment involving children from orphanages & their amygdalae when seeing unfamiliar people or their adoptive mothers

results of experiment: no difference in amgydalae’s emotional response between the strangers & mothers

brain rewiring

ability of the brain in order to compensate for negative development caused by a negative environment

stress response

survival mechanism of the body in dire situations, also known as “fight-or-flight”

long-term effects: impairs health/takes toll on body, contributes to high blood pressure, artery-clogging deposits’ formation, brain changes associated w/ mental health disorders & obesity

steps/order: 1. eyes/ears, 2. brain, 3. amygdala, 4. hypothalamus, 5. autonomic nervous system, 6. adrenal glands

amygdala

receives info from eyes/ears, conducts emotional processing, interprets images & sounds, sends distress signal to hypothalamus if danger is detected

hypothalamus

command center, communicates w/ rest of body thru autonomic nervous system

direct of release of hormones in the pituitary gland

part of HPA axis

autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary body functions, non-skeletal muscles & organs, has 2 components (sympathetic and parasympathetic)

sympathetic nervous system

“gas pedal,” triggers fight-or-flight (burst of energy provided for body during danger)

increased heartrate & respiration, suppressed digestion (uses energy)

parasympathetic nervous system

“brake,” promotes “rest & digest” (calms body down after danger)

counterbalances sympathetic nervous system, return to normal homeostasis slowly (conserve energy)

adrenal glands

part of HPA axis

receives signals from autonomic nerves, responds by pumping epinephrine (hormone) into the bloodstream

release adrenaline & noradrenaline, which release cortisol

epinephrine

triggers release of blood sugar/glucose & fats from temporary storage sites

HPA axis

consists of the Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, & Adrenal glands

2nd component of stress response system, relies on hormonal stress signals to repress the sympathetic nervous system

techniques to counter stress

1. relaxation response = happens automatically, but can do manually through deep abdominal breathing, focus on soothing word(s), yoga, tai chi, vice versa

2. physical activity = exercise

3. social support = people one can go to for advice or comfort

the 4 thinking styles

1. concrete sequential (cs)

2. abstract sequential (as)

3. abstract random (ar)

4. concrete random (cr)

concrete = register info directly w/ 5 senses, dealing w/ the obvious/”here and now,” not looking for hidden meanings or relationships between ideas/concepts, “it is what it is”

abstract = visualize/conceive ideas, understand/believe that which one cannot actually see, using intuition & imagination, looking beyond “what is,” “it is not always what it seems”

sequential = mind organizes info in a linear, step-by-step manner, one follows a logical train of thought, traditional approach to dealing w/ info, preference of plan & following it rather than being impulsive

random = mind organizes info in chunks & in no particular order, one may skip steps in procedure & still achieve desired result, may start in middle, end, or work backwards, preference of impulsivity

neuron communication

1. neurons at rest

2. action potential/impulse travels through pre-synaptic neuron to its axon terminal

3. vesicles fuse w/ cell membrane of pre-synaptic neuron’s axon terminal & release neurotransmitters into synapse

4. released neurotransmitters are received by post-synaptic neuron’s receptors

5. as neurotransmitters are received by post-synaptic neuron’s receptors, action potential/impulse also travels through to the post-synaptic neuron (carried by neurotransmitters)

6. post-synaptic neuron’s receptors send back the neurotransmitters into the synapse, then neurotransmitters are degraded by enzymes in the synapse and then are received by pre-synaptic neuron’s transporters and stored back into vesicles

physiological psychology

biological basis of behavior

CAT scans/CT

computed tomography

x-rays, cross-sectional, different angles

apply @ bone, lung, chest, cancer

FMRI

functional magnetic resonance imaging

same as MRI, but shows electrical activity as it is taking place, as it’s “live”

nervous system

made up of 2 parts = central & peripheral

central: brain & spinal cord

peripheral: nerves, 5 senses

brain

interprets sensory info & generates response(s), processing center for thoughts, motives, & emotions

spinal cord

central pathway of info, nerves (neuron bundles) to (afferent) & from (efferent) the brain & the peripheral nervous system

afferent

to

efferent

from

reflexes

quick & involuntary responses w/ the brain

peripheral nervous system

all nerve cells (not brain & spine)

consists of somatic nervous system & autonomic nervous system

somatic nervous system

voluntary movement, large skeletal muscles

pituitary gland

part of HPA axis

release ACTH hormone to adrenal glands

“master gland”

5 hormones to remember

1. adrenaline

2. ghrelin

3. leptin

4. melatonin

5. oxytocin

endocrine system

collection of glands that regulates bodily functions through the release of hormones (HPA axis)

brain evolution

3 main parts of the brain = forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain

brain develops from bottom to top

hence hindbrain is the simplest and earliest part, & forebrain is the most complex and latest part

forebrain

consists of the cerebral cortex, lobes, & limbic system

cerebral cortex

large, sets humans from other mammals, lots of neurons, most advanced, outer layer/surface, location of language, complex skills, problem-solving, social skills

folds allow cortex to develop within skull

areas of cortex = sensory, motor, association

sensory cortex: receives sensory input

motor cortex: sends out motor info/movement

association cortex: associates info in sensory & movement cortices

dysfunctions

1. apraxia = can’t organize movement

2. agnosia = can’t recognize sensory input

3. alexia = can’t read

4. agraphia = can’t write

forebrain lobes

frontal (higher-level thought) = problem-solving, planning, judgement

parietal (somatosensory/touch) = input from sensory receptors (pressure, pain, temperature)

temporal (auditory) = speech, processing, music

occipital = sight

Paul Broca’s area

brain damage in left hemisphere in stroke victims result in the inability to speak

Carl Wernicke’s area

left temporal lobe, stroke damage resulted in receptive aphasia (can’t comprehend speech)

cerebral hemispheres

corpus collosum: band of nerve fibers connecting the hemispheres

Roger Sperry: split brain experiment, severed collosum for seizure patients, resulted in the inability to draw objects but still be able to see them

contralateral processing: info crosses between hemispheres, left to right/right to left

hemispherical specialization theory

the concept that one is more left-brained or more right-brained

limbic system

consists of thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus

thalamus: relays sensory info (not smell) to cerebral cortex

hippocampus: processes memory

amygdala: emotional processing

hypothalamus: regulation of temperature, sex drive, food, & water intakes (pituitary)

lateral = on switch for eating

ventromedial = off switch for eating

midbrain

consists of colliculi, basal ganglia, ventral tegmental area (VTA)

inferior colliculus

auditory tracking, is below superior colliculus (refer to name)

superior colliculus

visual tracking, is above inferior colliculus (refer to name)

basal ganglia

motor movement

ventral tegmental area (VTA)

reward system

tectum

roof of midbrain, just above the colliculi

tegmentum

floor of midbrain

hindbrain

lowermost part of the brain, contains pons, medulla, cerebellum

pons

body movement

medulla

controls heart rate & breathing

cerebellum

coordinate voluntary movement, balance

neurons

are the foundation of the nervous system, receive & transmit info, & are consisted of 3 parts

neuron parts

cell body/soma

dendrites (send & receive info)

axon (carry info away from cell body/soma)

axon terminal (end of road)

myelin: insulates/speeds up info carry, jumps between nodes of Ranvier (gaps)

neuron communication

action potential/nerve impulse travels through

1. dendrite

2. cell body

3. axon

4. axon terminal

synapse

outside the neuron, space between axon terminal (pre) & dendrite (post)

vesicles

storage, stores neurotransmitters (pre)

transporters

reuptake, receives back neurotransmitters (pre)

enzymes

in the synapse, degrades neurotransmitters

receptors

receive & release (post)

neurotransmitters

carry action potential, chemicals

excitatory effect

increases activity, doesn’t always cause action, inside charges of ions during effect are positive (depolarization)

inhibitory effect

decreases activity, probability of action goes down, inside charges of ions are negative (hyperpolarization)

way to remember hyperpolarization = hibernation sounds like hyperpolarization

ion movement during action potential

1. positive (+) ions move inside

2. negative (-) ions move outside

3. increase of (+) inside

4. ions move down w/ axon

5. myelin effect

6. animation (resting potential)

acetylcholine (ACh/ACTH)

function: enables muscle action, learning, memory

malfunctions: w/ Alzheimer’s, ACTH producing neurons rot

dopamine

functions: influences movement, learning, attention, emotion

malfunctions: oversupply linked to schizophrenia, undersupply linked to tremors & decreased mobility w/ Parkinson’s

serotonin

functions: affects mood, hunger, sleep, arousal

malfunctions: undersupply linked to depression

norepinephrine

functions: helps control & alertness

malfunctions: undersupply can depress mood

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

functions: major inhibitory neurotransmitter

malfunctions: oversupply linked to seizures, tremors, insomnia

glutamate

functions: major excitatory neurotransmitter

malfunctions: oversupply can overstimulate brain & produce migraines or seizures

endorphins

functions: influence the perception of pain or pleasure

malfunctions: oversupply w/ opioid drugs can suppress body’s natural endorphin supply

substance p

functions: involved in pain perception & immune response

malfunctions: oversupply can lead to chronic pain