VCE Psychology Units 3 and 4 Comprehensive Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering nervous system subdivisions, neurotransmission, stress models, learning, memory structures, sleep regulation, and mental well-being concepts.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

A major division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord that receives, processes, and coordinates sensory inputs and motor responses.

Somatic Nervous System

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system responsible for voluntary motor movement and communicating sensory (afferent) information to the CNS and motor (efferent) signals to skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System

A self-regulating subdivision of the peripheral nervous system connected to internal organs, glands, and visceral muscles that controls internal body functioning autonomously.

Sympathetic Nervous System

A branch of the autonomic nervous system that dominates during threatening or stressful situations, increasing arousal to prepare the body for action.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

A branch of the autonomic nervous system that dominates during calm, day-to-day activities, maintaining internal equilibrium and restoring the body after stress.

Spinal Reflex

An unconscious, involuntary motor response initiated directly by interneurons in the spinal cord without prior conscious processing or input from the brain.

Dendrites

Branch-like extensions of a neuron that receive chemical messages from neurotransmitters released into the synaptic gap by presynaptic neurons.

Myelin Sheath

A fatty layer insulating the axon of a neuron that allows for faster and more efficient transmission of neural messages.

Glutamate

The primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, essential for structural changes in learning and memory formation.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that works to reduce neuronal overexcitation and control anxiety levels.

Dopamine

A neuromodulator involved in voluntary movement, pleasure, motivation, and reward-based learning.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter and neuromodulator with inhibitory effects that stabilizes mood, sleep pressure, emotional regulation, and appetite.

Synaptic Plasticity

The capacity of the brain's neural connections to modify their structure or function in response to experience and learning throughout life.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

The long-lasting strengthening of synaptic connections following repeated, high-frequency stimulation of a neural pathway.

Long-Term Depression (LTD)

The long-lasting weakening and reduction of synaptic strength caused by repeated low-level activation of a neural pathway.

Sprouting

A structural adaptation associated with long-term potentiation where additional dendritic spines grow to form new synaptic connections.

Pruning

The elimination of unused or excess neurons and synaptic connections associated with long-term depression to increase neural efficiency.

Acute Stress

A short-term, intense psychological and physiological state of arousal triggered by an immediate, sudden threat.

Chronic Stress

A persistent, long-term state of physiological and psychological arousal caused by ongoing stressors.

Cortisol

A steroid hormone released by the adrenal cortex during prolonged stress to elevate blood glucose levels, which suppresses immune system functioning over extended periods.

Gut-Brain Axis (GBA)

The bidirectional communication network connecting the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system, regulated partly by gut microbiota.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye's three-stage biological model of stress describing a non-specific response consisting of alarm reaction (shock and countershock), resistance, and exhaustion.

Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman's psychological model emphasizing stress as an interaction between an individual and their environment mediated by primary and secondary cognitive appraisals.

Context-Specific Effectiveness

A match or fit between the characteristics of a chosen coping strategy and the specific demands of a stressful situation.

Coping Flexibility

The individual ability to evaluate and adjust coping strategies when they prove ineffective and implement alternative methods suited to the situational demands.

Classical Conditioning

A three-phase learning process in which a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit an involuntary conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

A three-phase learning framework (Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence) where voluntary behavior is strengthened or weakened based on reinforcement or punishment.

Observational Learning

A social-cognitive learning method occurring across five steps (attention, retention, reproduction, motivation, reinforcement) by observing a model's actions and consequences.

Songlines

Oral mnemonics utilized by Aboriginal peoples that combine singing, rhythm, and physical landmarks on Country to preserve and retrieve cultural and survival knowledge.

Atkinson-Shiffrin Multi-Store Model

A structural model of memory describing three distinct sequential stores: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Hippocampus

A brain structure within the temporal lobe essential for consolidating explicit semantic and episodic long-term memories before permanent storage.

Amygdala

A structure located in the brain's limbic system involved in consolidating emotional elements of explicit memories and conditioning implicit fear responses.

Neocortex

The outer cerebral layer responsible for storing and integrating the varied components of explicit episodic and semantic memories.

Basal Ganglia

Subcortical brain structures involved in encoding and storing implicit procedural memories related to motor movement sequences and habits.

Cerebellum

A brain structure located at the base of the brain responsible for encoding and storing implicit procedural memories involving fine motor skills, posture, and coordination.

Alzheimer's Disease

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by neural loss, extracellular amyloid plaques, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles starting in the hippocampus.

Aphantasia

A cognitive condition characterized by an inability to voluntarily generate visual mental imagery.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

A cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus that functions as the master biological clock, regulating the circadian sleep-wake cycle by controlling melatonin secretion.

Zeitgeber

An external environmental time cue, such as ambient light or temperature, that synchronizes an organism's internal biological rhythms.

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPS)

A circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder where sleep onset and wake times are delayed significantly past typical or desired schedules.

Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder (ASPD)

A circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder where sleep onset and wake times occur significantly earlier than typical or desired schedules.

Bright Light Therapy

A biological intervention for circadian rhythm disorders using exposure to timed high-intensity light to signal the SCN and adjust melatonin release.

Social and Emotional Well-being (SEWB)

A holistic, multidimensional Indigenous framework capturing connections to body, mind/emotions, family/kinship, community, culture, Country, and spirituality/ancestors.

Specific Phobia

An anxiety disorder marked by intense, irrational, and persistent fear triggered by exposure to or anticipation of a specific phobic object or situation.

Benzodiazepines

A class of short-acting anti-anxiety drugs that act as GABA agonists by binding to post-synaptic receptors to reduce physiological overexcitation.

Systematic Desensitization

A psychotherapeutic technique for treating phobias that pairs gradual exposure to a fear hierarchy of stimuli with deep relaxation training.

Cultural Continuity

The uninterrupted preservation, practice, and intergenerational transmission of cultural values, knowledge, and traditions in First Nations communities.

Self-Determination

The fundamental right of First Nations peoples to autonomously direct and manage their social, political, cultural, and economic affairs.