Biopsychology 16 Marker plans
Outline and evaluate the flight or fight response
A01 – Sympathomedullary Higher brain functions, hypothalamus,
ANS, sympathetic branch, adrenal medulla, adrenaline,
noradrenaline (acute stress response) Higher brain functions, alert
danger to the hypothalamus, alert the ANS, go from
parasympathetic state to sympathetic, alert the adrenal medulla
which secretes adrenaline and noradrenaline.
A01 – pituitary adrenal Higher brain functions, hypothalamus,
anterior pituitary, releases ACTH in bloodstream, to adrenal cortex,
releases cortisol, immunosuppression, high energy (chronic stress
response). Higher brain functions, hypothalamus, alerts the anterior
pituitary, secretes ACTH into the bloodstream, signal to the adrenal
cortex which releases cortisol, immunosuppression, high energy.
A01 – how they work together for flight and fight, work
simultaneously to prepare the body for a fight or flight response
A03 – Taylor, tend and befriend Men high stress hormone,
androcentric, women have higher levels of oxytocin in stressful
situations, more likely to group together not fight or flight
A03 – PBS
A03 – evolutionary hangover. Society changed, the issues that may
have raised fight or flight then wouldn’t now and therefore it isn’t a
suitable response anymore, lacks temporal validity.
A03 – freeze response, doesn’t account for the freeze response,
remain quiet and hidden, conservation of energy etc.
A03 – cooperative and friendly behaviour. Doesn’t account for
people who run towards danger to help others. This isn’t fight or
flight its intentionally running to the danger to help others
, Discuss localisation of function in the brain
A01 – what is localisation, motor cortex precentral gyrus involved in
muscle movement, right controls left etc., bilateral,
somatosensory, controls touch, pressure, pain, temperature, post
central gyrus in the parietal lobe, specific control of skin.
A01 – visual cortex, controls, colour, and shape movement etc.,
signal carried from retina to the optic nerve to thalamus and then
visual cortex, bilateral, auditory cortex, cochlea to the auditory
nerve, processing and coding in brain stem thalamus and then
auditory cortex, bilateral.
A01 – Broca’s and Wernicke’s, language centres, unilateral, left
hemisphere only. Broca’s controls speech production and
Wernicke’s controls speech comprehension.
A03 – aphasia studies, Tan. Paul Broca studied the brain of a man
who we know as Tan to try and understand the reasons as to why
he can understand speech he just couldn’t produce it coherently.
Could only say the word, Tan. When tan died, Broca studied his
brain and found that he had damage to the area in the left
hemisphere, damage which is now known as Broca’s aphasia.
A03 – PBS, case study
A03 – brain plasticity and functional recovery. This limits the validity
of the localisation of function in the brain due to the idea that the
brain can rewire using neuronal unmasking or stem cell treatment
to regain functions that were lost in the brain.
A03 – Dick and Trembley, 2% believe that language is just
specialised to two areas
A03 – real world applications – useful for brain damage, known
what area is damaged by symptoms e.g., speech production
Broca’s, easy to diagnose
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