ALL BIOPSYCHOLOGY 16 MARK ESSAY ANSWERS. 5000+ WORDS ALL POTENTIAL ESSAYS
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Course
Biopsychology
Institution
AQA
Hi, I'm Sarah. In 2023 I achieved an A* in A-level psychology, 256/288. These essays were written by me before the exams for last-minute practice!
This bundle pack contains all biopsychology 16 markers written as full answers. This is useful in revision, exam prep or classwork.
Often the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system work together in a stressful
event. When a pressor is perceived by the hypothalamus, it increases the frequency of
impulses sent to the pituitary gland to stimulate the release of adrenaline. This triggers
activity in the autonomic nervous system and stimulates it to shift to the sympathetic
division, which acts as an “emergency controller” and increases the activity of efforts. The
sympathetic nervous system brings associated physiological changes such as increased heart
rate, increased breathing rate, decreased saliva production and digestion, and a contracted
rectum. The pituitary gland, an endocrine gland, simultaneously releases adrenaline into the
blood plasma. Adrenaline travels along the blood and binds to cells that have complementary
receptors on their cell-surface membrane, bringing associated physiological changes such as
increased sweating, shaking, increased glucose in the blood for respiration and so on and so
forth. The body is now “prepared” to encounter the stressor or the threat, with all of the
changes brought by the system preparing the body for this encounter. After the stressor
passes, the secretion of adrenaline is reduced due to negative feedback. The autonomic
nervous system shifts back into the resting parasympathetic state, which acts
antagonistically to the sympathetic division and reduces heart rate and breathing rate,
increases digestion and saliva production, and relaxes the rectum. This is sometimes referred
to as the rest-and-digest response.
, “Outline and explain localisation of function.”
During the 19th century, psychologists such as Broca and Wernicke discovered that specific
areas of the brain are associated with specific physical and psychological behaviours. This is
known as localisation of function, the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible
for specific behaviours and processes. This initiated a paradigm shift from the prior accepted
holistic theory of brain function, that suggested that all parts of the brain were involved in
the processing of thought and action. It follows that if an area of the brain becomes damaged
through illness or injury, that the function associated with this area will also be affected.
The main part of the brain is split into two hemispheres. Some of our physical and
psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere, this is
known as lateralisation. The brain is simultaneously split into four lobes, with a lobe being
defined as a part of an organ that has a different function to the rest of the organ, which all
have different functions. The first lobe is the frontal lobe, which is found at the front of the
brain and houses the motor area, involved in voluntary movement in the opposite side of the
body. Damage to the motor area may result in loss of function over fine movements and
peripheral digits. The second lobe is the occipital, at the back of the brain, that contains the
visual area. The visual area is in charge of coordinating visual information, with each eye
sending information to the opposite side of the lobe. The temporal lobes house the auditory
area, which analyses speech-based information. Damage to this area may result in a loss of
hearing. Finally, the parietal lobes hold the somatosensory area, which is involved in the
processing of sensory information from the skin. The amount of somatosensory area devoted
to a body part denotes its sensitivity.
Language is confined to a small region of the left side of the brain in most people. Broca
identified a small area in the left frontal lobe that is responsible for speech production.
Damage to Broca’s area leads to Broca’s aphasia, which is characterised by slow and
laborious speech and lack of use of conjunctions. Simultaneously, the psychologist Karl
Wernicke found a region in the left temporal lobe called Wernicke’s area involved in speech
processing and understanding. Damage to Wernicke’s area results in Wernicke’s aphasia,
which is characterised by people producing nonsense words.
Case study support for the concept of localisation of function originates from Phineas Gage.
Gage was impaled in the face with a metal pole that caused a portion of his brain to fall out,
mostly the left frontal lobe. Gage survived miraculously, but it was reported that following
this incident he experienced a sharp change in personality, “no longer gage.” This case study
provides support for localisation of function as it demonstrates the effect of damage confined
to the left hemisphere only, a region potentially involved in regulating mood, and therefore
increases the validity of the theory.
However, a counter to the use of the case study of Phineas Gage in supporting localisation of
function is the idiographic nature of such a study. Case studies often are focused on a unique
situation centric to one individual, and thus the results which are generated may only be true
for the individual and non-applicable to other people. For instance, Gage’s frontal lobe may
have been invvoled in regulating his mood, but this might not be true for others. Thus, the
usage of this case study as evidence potentially flaws the overall theory as it is non-
generalisable to the majority of the population.
Research support for localisation of function, however, originates from neurosurgery.
Neurosurgery is the removal of an area of the brain in an attempt to resolve behavioural
issues associated with it. Research has shown that 30% of individuals who underwent
removal of a specific region of the brain implicated within producing OCD behaviours met
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