AQA A-Level Psychology notes on the topic of Biopsychology (which appears on paper two!)
Notes are detailed, containing both AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (analysis and evaluation), allowing them to be used to answer any form of question that could come up in the exam from multiple cho...
Biopsychology
Contents
The Nervous System....................................................................................................................................2
Central Nervous System (CNS).................................................................................................................2
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)............................................................................................................3
Somatic Nervous System (SNS)................................................................................................................3
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)...........................................................................................................3
The Endocrine System.................................................................................................................................4
The Fight or Flight Response........................................................................................................................5
Neurons.......................................................................................................................................................7
Sensory Neuron.......................................................................................................................................7
Relay Neuron...........................................................................................................................................8
Motor Neuron..........................................................................................................................................8
Synaptic Transmission.................................................................................................................................9
Localisation of function in the brain..........................................................................................................10
Areas of the brain..................................................................................................................................11
Localisation of function..........................................................................................................................12
Hemispheric lateralisation.........................................................................................................................15
Split-brain research................................................................................................................................16
Plasticity....................................................................................................................................................17
Functional recovery...............................................................................................................................18
Methods of studying the brain..................................................................................................................19
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).....................................................................................19
Electroencephalogram (EEG).................................................................................................................20
Event-related potentials (ERPs).............................................................................................................20
Post-mortem examinations...................................................................................................................21
Biological rhythms.....................................................................................................................................22
Circadian rhythms..................................................................................................................................22
Infradian rhythms..................................................................................................................................23
Ultradian rhythm...................................................................................................................................24
Endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers.............................................................................25
, Endogenous pacemakers and the sleep/wake cycle..........................................................................25
Exogenous zeitgebers and the sleep/wake cycle...............................................................................26
The Nervous System
A specialised network of cells in the body.
Acts as our primary internal communication system.
Based on electrical and chemical signals.
Has two main functions:
o To collect, process and respond to information in the environment.
o To co-ordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body.
Divided into two subsystems: the CNS and the PNS.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The origin of all complex commands and decisions.
Has 2 main functions:
o The control of behaviour.
o The regulation of the body’s physiological processes.
Made up of the brain and the spinal cord.
o The brain is the centre of all conscious awareness. The brain’s outer layer, the cerebral
cortex, is highly developed in humans and is what distinguishes our higher mental
functions from those of animals.
, o The spine relays information between the brain and the rest of the body, hence allowing
the brain to monitor and regulate bodily processes and to control voluntary movements.
The spinal cord also contains circuits of nerve cells that allow us to perform some simple
reflexes without the direct involvement of the brain.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Relays nerve impulses from the CNS to the rest of the body, and from the body back to the CNS.
Subdivided into the automatic and somatic nervous system.
Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
Governs muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors.
Connects the CNS to the senses.
Made up of sensory and motor neurons. The sensory neurons receive information from the
sensory receptors and relay these to the CNS. The motor neurons relay messages from the CNS
to other areas of the body, so control voluntary muscle movements.
Also involved in reflex actions.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Governs the internal organs and glands of vital functions of the body without our conscious
awareness and regulates involuntary actions (e.g., breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual
arousal and stress responses).
Made up of only motor neurons.
Can be subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which are
usually in balance.
The effects of:
Sympathetic Nervous System Parasympathetic Nervous System
“Flight or fight” “Rest and digest”
Adrenaline is released Adrenaline isn’t released
Increases heart rate Decreases heart rate
Bronchial tubes dilate Bronchial tubes contract
Muscles contract Muscles relax
Pupils dilate Pupils constrict
Slowed digestion Digestion increases
Saliva production decreases Saliva production increases
Increased blood pressure Decreased blood pressure
Increased sweat production Decreased sweat production
Increased production and release of Decreased production and release of
glucose glucode
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