Revision document with diagrams on the Central Nervous system, Peripheral Nervous system and comparison of the autonomic and somatic nervous systems. Also notes on fight or flight with diagram and explanations. Great revision resource for this area of psychology, helped me achieve As and A*s in ass...
CNS
The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain provides conscious awareness
and is involved in all psychological processes. The brain consists of many regions, which are
responsible for different functions.
For example, the brain consists of four main lobes:
The occipital lobe processes visual information; the temporal lobe processes auditory
information; the parietal lobe integrates information from the different senses and therefore
plays an important role in spatial navigation; the frontal lobe is associated with higher-order
functions, including planning, abstract reasoning and logic.
The brainstem connects the brain and spinal cord and controls involuntary processes, including
our heartbeat, breathing and consciousness.
The role of the spinal cord is to transfer messages to and from the brain, and the rest of the
body. The spinal cord is also responsible for simple reflex actions that do not involve the brain,
for example jumping out of your chair if you sit on a drawing pin.
PNS
The role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is to relay messages (nerve impulses) from the
CNS (brain and spinal cord) to the rest of the body.
The PNS consists of two main components:
1) the somatic nervous system and
2) the autonomic nervous system
The somatic nervous system facilitates communication between the CNS and the outside world.
The somatic nervous system is made up of sensory receptors that carry information to the
spinal cord and brain, and motor pathways that allow the brain to control movement. Therefore,
the role of the somatic nervous system is to carry sensory information from the outside world to
the brain and provide muscle responses via the motor pathways.
The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in homeostasis, which maintains internal
processes like body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. The autonomic nervous
system only consists of motor pathways and has two components: 1) the sympathetic nervous
system and 2) the parasympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is typically involved in responses that prepare the body for
fight or flight. Impulses travel from the sympathetic nervous system to organs in the body to help
us prepare for action when we are faced with a dangerous situation. For example, our heart
rate, blood pressure and breathing rate increase, while less important functions like digestion,
salivation and the desire to urinate are suppressed.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller hiwan. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £6.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
