BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. VERIFIED
2025/2026.
Label brain structure and functions. - ANS Frontal: Cognitive skills, behaviour, problem
solving, STM, language, judgement.
Parietal: Relates visual information to motor skills, in response to perception and sensation.
Occipital: Visual processing
Temporal: Memory ans auditory processing.
Cerebellum: Co-ordinates muscle activity and stores motor skills.
Limbic System: (hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala) Prepares an animal for action and is
responsible for emotion, aggression and memory.
Striatum: Controls motivation.
Corpus Callosum: Connects the two hemispheres.
Describe fMRI scans. - ANS Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
A magnetic field causes oxygen in the brain to align, and the oxygen is shown on a computer
screen as 'voxels'. More active areas have more oxygenated haemoglobin for respiring tissues.
Used to detect diseased tissue, monitor tumours and observe brain function.
Evaluate fMRI scans. - ANS Advantages:
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Shows brain function.
Non-invasive.
Low risk.
No radiation.
Produces images from every angle.
Disadvantages:
Expensive.
Any movement from patient can distort readings.
Cannot distinguish between tumour types.
Claustrophobic.
Readings susceptible to non-neural changes.
Describe CAT scans. - ANS Computerised Axial Tomography.
X-rays used to create a detailed image of brain sructure, which can be layered together to
produce a 3D image.
Used to detect infraction, tumour, haemorrhage and trauma etc.
Evaluate CAT scans. - ANS Advantages:
Provides detailed images of structure.
Non-invasive.
Disadvantages:
Radiation risk.
Needs a 7 hour fast.
Specialist required.
Any movement from patient can distort reading.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Describe PET scans. - ANS Positron Emission Tomography.
Used to show images of funtion and structure, as radioactive tracer (FDG) is injected which
attaches to glucose and shows the most active areas of the brain, as respiring tissues use more
glucose.
Evaluate PET scans. - ANS Advantages:
Shows brain structure and function,
(Relatively) non-invasive.
Disadvantages:
Injection required.
Radioactive tracer used.
Claustrophobic.
Risk to foetus for pregnant women.
Define: Neuron - ANS A specialised cell for transmitting electrical nerve impulses.
Label a neuron. - ANS A: Dendrite.
B: Cell Body.
C: Axon.
D: Axon Terminal.
E: Schwann Cell.
F: Myelin Sheath.
G: Nodes of Ranvier.
How to neurons work? - ANS Neurons recieve electrical impulses in the dendrites from other
cells.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, A differentiation in ion voltage causes a wave of action potential to travel down the axon,
insulated by the myelin sheath to the axon terminal.
The action potential causes neurotransmitters to be released into the synaptic cleft by the axon
terminal.
Define: Neurotransmitters - ANS A chemical that is stored in the axon terminal in vesicles,
and is transmitted across the synaptic cleft, transferring messages from neuron to neuron.
EG Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA.
Define: Synapse - ANS A junction between two neurons, where impulses are passed along by
neurotransmitters.
Label a synapse. - ANS Axon Terminal.
Vesicles containing neurotransmitter.
Synaptic cleft.
Neurotransmitter.
Receptor.
Dendrite.
How to synapses work? - ANS Wave of action potential arrives at axon terminal, and this
stimulates the vesicles to undergo exocytosis and release neurotransmitters into the synaptic
cleft, which fit receptors stimulating the dendrites on the next cell passing on the wave of action
potential.
The rate of re-uptake regulates the amount of neurotransmitter in the synapse.
Describe Raine et al. (1997) - ANS Aims:
To see if there was a difference in brain structure of murderer who pleaded not guilty by way of
insanity, and non-murderers.
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. VERIFIED
2025/2026.
Label brain structure and functions. - ANS Frontal: Cognitive skills, behaviour, problem
solving, STM, language, judgement.
Parietal: Relates visual information to motor skills, in response to perception and sensation.
Occipital: Visual processing
Temporal: Memory ans auditory processing.
Cerebellum: Co-ordinates muscle activity and stores motor skills.
Limbic System: (hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala) Prepares an animal for action and is
responsible for emotion, aggression and memory.
Striatum: Controls motivation.
Corpus Callosum: Connects the two hemispheres.
Describe fMRI scans. - ANS Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
A magnetic field causes oxygen in the brain to align, and the oxygen is shown on a computer
screen as 'voxels'. More active areas have more oxygenated haemoglobin for respiring tissues.
Used to detect diseased tissue, monitor tumours and observe brain function.
Evaluate fMRI scans. - ANS Advantages:
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Shows brain function.
Non-invasive.
Low risk.
No radiation.
Produces images from every angle.
Disadvantages:
Expensive.
Any movement from patient can distort readings.
Cannot distinguish between tumour types.
Claustrophobic.
Readings susceptible to non-neural changes.
Describe CAT scans. - ANS Computerised Axial Tomography.
X-rays used to create a detailed image of brain sructure, which can be layered together to
produce a 3D image.
Used to detect infraction, tumour, haemorrhage and trauma etc.
Evaluate CAT scans. - ANS Advantages:
Provides detailed images of structure.
Non-invasive.
Disadvantages:
Radiation risk.
Needs a 7 hour fast.
Specialist required.
Any movement from patient can distort reading.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Describe PET scans. - ANS Positron Emission Tomography.
Used to show images of funtion and structure, as radioactive tracer (FDG) is injected which
attaches to glucose and shows the most active areas of the brain, as respiring tissues use more
glucose.
Evaluate PET scans. - ANS Advantages:
Shows brain structure and function,
(Relatively) non-invasive.
Disadvantages:
Injection required.
Radioactive tracer used.
Claustrophobic.
Risk to foetus for pregnant women.
Define: Neuron - ANS A specialised cell for transmitting electrical nerve impulses.
Label a neuron. - ANS A: Dendrite.
B: Cell Body.
C: Axon.
D: Axon Terminal.
E: Schwann Cell.
F: Myelin Sheath.
G: Nodes of Ranvier.
How to neurons work? - ANS Neurons recieve electrical impulses in the dendrites from other
cells.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, A differentiation in ion voltage causes a wave of action potential to travel down the axon,
insulated by the myelin sheath to the axon terminal.
The action potential causes neurotransmitters to be released into the synaptic cleft by the axon
terminal.
Define: Neurotransmitters - ANS A chemical that is stored in the axon terminal in vesicles,
and is transmitted across the synaptic cleft, transferring messages from neuron to neuron.
EG Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA.
Define: Synapse - ANS A junction between two neurons, where impulses are passed along by
neurotransmitters.
Label a synapse. - ANS Axon Terminal.
Vesicles containing neurotransmitter.
Synaptic cleft.
Neurotransmitter.
Receptor.
Dendrite.
How to synapses work? - ANS Wave of action potential arrives at axon terminal, and this
stimulates the vesicles to undergo exocytosis and release neurotransmitters into the synaptic
cleft, which fit receptors stimulating the dendrites on the next cell passing on the wave of action
potential.
The rate of re-uptake regulates the amount of neurotransmitter in the synapse.
Describe Raine et al. (1997) - ANS Aims:
To see if there was a difference in brain structure of murderer who pleaded not guilty by way of
insanity, and non-murderers.
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
