Psych-Soc MCAT (Milesdown)

Franz Gall

phrenology

Pierre Flourens

functions of major sections of the brain;

used extirpation to study parts of the brain

William James

Functionalism, how mental processes help individuals adapt to the environement

John Dewey

Functionalism

Paul Broca

Studied people with legions in specific regions of the brain. Broca's area. Speech production

Hermann von Helmholtz

Speed of nerve impulse. Made psychology a science

Sir Charles Sherrington

Synapses

Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalytic perspective

Sensory neurons

Afferent, receptors --> spinal cord

Interneurons

Between other neurons. Mainly CNS

Motor neurons

Efferent, CNS --> muscles & glands

Reflex Arcs

interneurons in spinal cord relay info to the source of stimuli while simultaneously routing it to the brain

central nervous system

CNS. brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

PNS. Nervous tissue and fibers outside CNS

Somatic nervous system

voluntary movements

autonomic nervous system

sympathetic and parasympathetic

sympathetic nervous system

fight or flight

Parasympathetic nervous system

rest and digest

Neurotransmitters

Released by neurons to carry a signal

Acetylcholine

used by the somatic nervous system (to move muscles), the parasympathetic nervous system, and the central nervous system (for alertness)

Dopamine

Maintains smooth movements and steady posture

Endorphins & Enkephalins

natural painkillers

Epinephrine & Norepinephrine

maintain wakefulness and alertness, and mediate fight-or-flight responses. Epinephrine tends to act as a hormone, and norepinephrine tends to act more classically as a neurotransmitter

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter. Act as brain "stabilizers". Glycine serves a s similar function

Glutamate

Acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter

Serotonin

modulates mood sleep, eating, and dreaming

The endocrine system...

is tied to the nervous system through the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary

cortisol

stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex

Testosterone & Estrogen

mediate libido; ----------- also increases aggressive behavior. both are produced in gonads and released by adrenal cortex

Location of epinephrine & norepinephrine

released by adrenal medulla and cause physiological changes associated with the sympathetic nervous system

Hindbrain

cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation

Midbrain

inferior and superior colliculi

Forebrain

thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, cerebral cortex

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory information

Hypothalamus

Homeostasis & the 4 F's.

Integrates with endocrine system. Hypothalamus --> hypophyseal portal --> anterior pituitary

Basal ganglia

structures in the forebrain that help to control smooth movements and postural stability

Limbic system

septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus

Concerned with instincts and mood.

septal nuclei

pleasure and addition

Amygdala

fear and aggression

Hippocampus

emotion and memory

cerebral cortex

4 Lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

Frontal lobe

executive functions, impulse control, speech, motor

Parietal lobe

Touch, pressure, temperature, pain, spatial processing

occipital lobe

visual

Temporal lobe

sound, speech perception, memory, emotion

left cerebral hemisphere

analytic, language, logic, math

usually dominant

right cerebral hemisphere

intuition, creativity, spatial processing

Neuralation

The formation of the nervous system during weeks 5-8 of gestation. ------------ begins when a section of the ectoderm invaginates and pinches off to form the neural groove, which ultimately forms the neural tube, from which the brain and spinal cord develop.

neural tube

becomes the CNS

neural crest cells

spread out throughout the body, differentiating into many different tissues

primitave reflexes

exist in infants and should disappear w/ age.

rooting reflex

turns head toward stimulus

Moro reflex (startle reflex)

extends arms, response to falling sensation

Babinski reflex

big toe extended and other toes fan in response to brushing of sole of foot

grasping reflex

grasping objects that touch the palms

gross motor skills

motor skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as walking

fine motor skills

use of muscles in fingers, toes, and eyes to coordinate small actions

sensory receptors

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

sensory ganglia

collections of cell bodies outside the CNS

projection areas

Areas in which the brain tissue seems to form a "map" of sensory information.

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

threshold of conscious perception

minimum of stimulus energy that will create a signal large enough in size and long enough in duration to be brought into awareness

Difference (Just noticeable difference) threshold

the minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive the difference

Weber's Law

the just noticeable difference of a stimulus is proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus

signal detection theory

refers to the effects of nonsensory factors, such as experiences, motives, and expectations, on perception of stimuli

Adaptation

Refers to the increase or decrease in sensitivity to a stimulus

Cornea

gathers and filters incoming light

Iris

controls the size of the pupil, divides eye into anterior & posterior chamber. dilator and constrictor pupilae

Lens

refracts incoming light to focus it on the retina

Aqueous humor

Produced by the ciliary body. Nourishes the eye and gives the eye its shape. Drains through the canal of Schlemm.

Retina pathway

rods and cones --> bipolar cells --> ganglion cells --> optic nerve

Rods

detect light and dark, contain rhodopsin

Cones

in the fovea, detects color

retinal disparity (binocular disparity)

space between eyes; allows for binocular vision and depth

horizontal & amacrine cells

integrates signals from ganglion cells and performs edge sharpening

Eye structure and support

virtuous on inside. sclera and choroid on outside

parallel processing

color, form and motion at same time

magnocellular cells

motion. high temporal resolution

parvocellular cells

shape. high spatial resolution

visual pathway

retina -> optic nerve -> optic chiasm -> optic tracts -> lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of thalamus -> visual radiations -> visual cortex

outer ear

pinna (auricle), external auditory canal, tympanic membrane

Middle ear

connected to nasal cavity by Eustachian tube

Ossicles

MIS

Malleus

Incus

Stapes

HAS

Hammer

Anvil

Stirrups

Malleus

a small bone in the middle ear that transmits vibrations of the eardrum to the incus.

incus

a small anvil-shaped bone in the middle ear, transmitting vibrations between the malleus and stapes.

Stapes

stirrup; last of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear, rests in the oval window of the cochlea

inner ear (labyrinth)

bony labyrinth (perilymph) and membranous labyrinth (endolymph)

membraneous labyrinth

filled with endolymph, sound

utricle and saccule

detect linear acceleration and the effects of gravity

semicircular canals

rotational acceleration and balance

Superior olive

localizes sound

inferior colliculi

Startle reflex- Turn head towards unexpected sound; also vestibulo-ocular reflex- keeps eyes fixed while head rotates

Auditory pathway

cochlea --> vestibulocochlear nerve --> medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of thalamus --> auditory cortex

smell

detection of volatile or aerosolized chemicals by olfactory chemoreceptors (olfactory nerves). Bypasses the thalamus

Pheromones

chemicals given off by animals that have an effect on social foraging, and sexual behavior in other members of that species

taste

detection of dissolved compounds by taste buds in papillae: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, uramami

somatosensation

refers to the four touch modalities: pressure, vibration, pain, and temperature

two-point threshold

minimum distance necessary between two points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli

physiological zero

the normal temperature of the skin to which objects are compared to determine if they feel warm or cold