PSYCH REVIEW BIG

1.1 NATURE VS. NURTURE

-Interaction of two

Twin studies and Adoption studies help us understand because identical twins share 100% of genetic material and fraternal twins share 50% of their genetic material.
-Evolutionary perspective-explores how natural selection influences the expression of behaviours and mental processes
-Eugenics was bad and used selective breeding to promote specific traits

Heredity and environment interact to shape these.

1.2 THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system is essentiali for all behavior and mental processes, responsible for transmitting signals between the brain, spinal cord and body

Nervous system consists of two main parts which are the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

CNS= The brain and spinal cord, responsible for processing sensory info and coordinating body response

PNS= All nerves out of the CNS connecting to limbs, organs, and muscles.

PNS SPLITS= consists of more parts which are the somatic nervous system SNS and the autonomic nervous system ANS

SNS= Controls voluntary movements and relays sensory infor from skin muscles and joins to the CNS

ANS= Controls INVOLUNTARY body functions like heart rate digestion and respiratory rate

ANS SPLITS= consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

Sympathetic= prepares body for flight or fight responses, incerasing heart rate dilating pupils and redirecting blood flow to muscles

Parasympathetic=responsible for rest and digest and helping calmm the body

THE BRAIN=Responsible for all voluntary and involuntary activities.

Key Regions= Cerebrum, Cerebellum, Brainstem, Limbic System

Cerbrum= Largest part of brain divided into two hemispheres and controlling higher functions like reasoning

Cerebellum= Located unter the cerebrum and helps with muscle movements balance and posture.

Brainstem=connects brain to spinal cord and controls basic life functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion.

Limbic system= Involved in motivation, emotion and memory processing

Reflex Arc= Quick automatic response to a stimulus that does not involve the brain.

1.3 THE NEURON AND NEURAL FIRING

Types of neurons

Sensory= Inwards

Motor=Outwards

Inter=between the sensory and motor neurons

Glial cells outnumber neurons and provide structural support and maintain homeostasis.

Myelin Sheath=Fatty layer that insulates axons and increases the speed of electrical impulses

PROCESS OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION

  1. Resting potential where neuron starts at negatic charge maintainging state of readiness to fire when needed

  2. Threshold when neuron reachs enough stimulation

  3. Action potential in which this depolarization travels along the axon to the axon terminals

  4. Reuptake where neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into sending neuron.

NEURON PARTS

  • Axon= Long threadlike part of a neuron that carries signals away from cell body

  • Soma=cell body

  • Dendrites: bushy branches which help transport the signals

  • Synapse= junction between neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transmit signals

NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Neurotransmitters = chemicals that carry signals between neurons

  1. Dopamine- Associated with reward motivatio nand motor control, too much is schizophrenia, too little in parkinsons disease

  2. Serotonin- Plays role in mood regulation, too much is hallucination, too little is anxiety or depression

  3. Norepinephrine- alertness and arousal, essential for fight or flight

  4. Glutamate-main excitatory, too much is alzheimers

  5. GABA-inhibitory and helps regulate anxiety and stress, too littel is seizures tremors and insomnia

  6. Endorphins- natural painkillers, too much is addiction, too little is depression, anxiety and pain

  7. Acetylcholine is muscle activation and memory, too little is alzheimers

HORMONES

Hormones are chemical messengers secreted by glands and are slower than neurotransmitters

  1. Adrenaline- released during stress and triggers the flight or fight

  2. Leptin-satiety

  3. Ghrelin-hunger

  4. Melatonin-sleep

  5. Oxytocin-Bonding and love

Agonists= encourages neural firing

Antagonists= inhibit neural firing

1.4 THE BRAIN AND ITS PARTS

BRAIN- Control center of the body

BRAIN STEM- Includes medulle and plays role in controling BASIC FUNCTIONS

RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM (RAS)- regulates wakefulness and arousal controlling states of sleep and alertness which are essential for attention

CEREBELLUM= Located unter the cerebrum and helps with muscle movements balance and posture. ITS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR FINE TUNES MOTOR CONTROL AND PRECISE MOVEMENTS pls rememebr THINK COORDINATION AND SPATIAL AWARENESS

CEREBRAL CORTEX=higher order function

CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS 4 MAIN LOBES

  1. Occipital lobe= back of brain for seeing, damage is visual agnosia

  2. Temporal lobe=sides of brain and for listening

  3. Parietal lobe=top and back of brain and it responsible for processing sensory info IN THIS, THERE IS THE SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX which is responsible for recieing andp rocessing info like touch sensitivity

  4. Frontal lobe= front of brain haha and it for executive very important things like decision making

Plasticity=brains ’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections after injury

1.5 SLEEP

CONSCIOUSNESS-awareness, sleep is an altered state of consciousness

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM=Our bodies natural sleep/wake cycle which is about 24 hrs

EEG- mesures brain activity, with the line waves

Four stages of sleep= NREM1, NREM2, REM3, REM Sleep

NREM1=hypnagogis sensations, light sleep

NREM2=

NREM3=night terrors

REM=dreaming

Dream Theories

ACTIVATION SYNTHESIS=dreams are brains attempt to amke sense of neural activity in REM

CONSOLIDATION THEORY=Dreams help memory consolidation by organizing and storing info frmo hte day

Memory consolidation-dreams assist in organizaing and strengthening memories

Restoration- dreams assist in replenishing energy and resources during sleep

Sleep Disorders; disrupt sleep

  • INSOMNIA= cant fall asleep does angie have this

  • NARCOLEPSY=uncontrollable sleep attacks

  • REM SLEEP BEHAVIOR DISORDER= acting out dreams during REM sleep

  • SLEEP APNEA=breathing interrupts in sleep

  • SOMNAMBULISM=Sleepwalking, typically in NREM

1.6 SENSATION

Sensation= detecting info frmo environment that meets a certain threshold

Absolute threshold= min amount of stimluation for stimulus to be detected 50% of the time.

Just noticeable differentce=different

Sensory adaptation=chagning

Webers Law=degree which stimuli need to differ for the difference to be detected.

EYES OH NO

  • Retina=transduces visual stimuli into neural signals

  • Rods=light and dark

  • Cones=colour

  • Fovea=focus point

  • Accomoation is changing

COLOUR VISion THEORIES

  • Trichromatic= we perceive light through red blue and green cones which combine

  • Opponent-process theory= Colour perceptoin fromes in pairs like red-green and blue-yellow

Colour constancy=we perceive colours as same in different light

HEARING

  • Pitch=wavelength of sound waves

  • Amplitute=loudness

THEORIES

  • PLACE THEORY

  • FREQUENCY THEORY

Conduction deafness= caused by issues transmitting sound waves to the inner ear.

Sensorineural deafness= results from damage to hair cells on the auditory nerve

TASTE IS GUSTATION

OLFACTION IS SMELL

GATE CONTROL THEORY= pain processing involves gates that open or close ot allow or block pain signals located on the spine

VESTIBULAR SENSE- Balance, from the ear hair

KINESTHESIS- Provides info about body positioning and movement, enabling coordination