Outlines for biopsychology
Outline FFS response (6 marks)
Personal threat causes amygdala to associate sensory signals of fear to hypothalamus= then
communicates with SNS
Stress either acute (personal attack) or chronic (stressful job)
SNS sends signals to adrenal medulla, releases adrenaline to bloodstream= causes increase
heart rate and breathing rate
After threat passed, parasympathetic nervous system dampens stress response= reduces
heart rate and breathing rate
Brain perceives something as threatening HPA axis kicks in
H= hypothalamus= releases CRH into bloodstream in response to stressor
P= pituitary gland= CRH causes pit gland to produce and release ACTH, transported in
bloodstream to adrenal gland
A= ACTH stimulates adrenal cortex to release various stress-related hormones cortisol
causes quick burst of energy, lower immune system
Prolonged stress leads to CVD or sickness
Outline the effect of exogenous zeitgebers (6 marks)
DEF= environmental cue (e.g. light) that helps to regulate the biological clock in organisms
Receptors in SCN are sensitive to changes in light levels during day and use this info to
synchronises activity in organs and glands
Light resets the internal biological clock each day
Protein called melanopsin and carries signals to the SCN to set daily bodily clocks
Social stimulus (mealtimes)= Aschoff (1971) = show people able to compensate for absence
of zeitgebers (e.g., light by responding to social zeitgebers instead)
Klein and Wegmann (1974) research into jet lag= found circadian rhythms of air travellers
adjusted more quickly if they went outside more than their destination due to exposure to
social cues of next time zone= acting as a zeitgeber
Sleep value in blind people= light still important because SCN connection doesn’t’ involve
visual system
Outline the effect for endogenous pacemakers in the body (6 marks)
DEF= mechanisms within the body that governs internal biological bodily rhythms
SCN=
(1) Found in hypothalamus
(2) Acts as master clock, linking other brain regions that control sleep and arousal and
has control over bio-clock in body
(3) Receives info from light from optic nerve changing to clock during day and night
(4) Also regulates manufacture and secretion of melatonin in pineal gland via
interconnecting neural pathway
Pineal gland=
(1) Produces melatonin to control sleep and activity
(2) If light detected= reduces melatonin levels= feel awake
(3) Darkness detected; melatonin levels increase= feel sleepy
, Outline the effect of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers (6 marks)
Light primary input (exogenous pacemaker)
So:
1) Light sensitive cells (rods e.g.) in eye detect brightness of light and messages sent to optic nerve
2) Melanopsin (protein found in retina cells) sensitive to light= sends messages to master clock
about changes in light levels
Messages sent to SCN – master clock- in hypothalamus EP
Neurons in SCN send out messages= go to pineal gland and regulate melatonin levels
If light detected= decrease in melatonin levels= feel awake
If darkness detected= melatonin levels increase= feel sleepy
Shows connection between inbuilt EP and EZ , light and social cues (e.g. time)
3) Social stimulus (mealtimes)= Aschoff (1971) = show people able to compensate for absence of
zeitgebers (e.g., light by responding to social zeitgebers instead)
Klein and Wegmann (1974) research into jet lag= found circadian rhythms of air travellers
adjusted more quickly if they went outside more than their destination due to exposure to social
cues of next time zone= acting as a zeitgeber
Outline Localisation of brain (6 marks)
Suggests certain areas of brain responsible for certain processes and behaviour
Brain split into 4 lobes= frontal, temporal, and parietal
Frontal lobe= functions (e.g. speech)
Has Broca’s area= speech production, lesions lead to difficulty forming sentences
Has motor cortex= coordinates movements= damage leads to inability to control fine motor
movements
Temporal lobe= hearing and memory
Wernicke’s area= speech comprehension= damage= unawareness of incorrect words
Auditory centres= process audio info= damage= hearing loss
Parietal lobe= sensory info
Somatosensory cortex= processes info associated with senses= lesions= inability to denote
sensitivity to bodily areas
Occipital lobe= process visual info
Visual centres= processes visual info= damage sight loss
Outline lateralisation of hemispheres in brain (6 marks)
Idea each half of a brain (hemisphere) is mainly responsible for certain behaviour and
processes
right hemisphere= visual and motor tasks= Broca= damage visual impairments left
hemisphere= speech production and language
right hemisphere controls left side of body, vice versa, therefore info which we receive from
left visual filed processed by right hemisphere= which coordinates response to affect left
side of body
hemisphere connected by bundle of nerve fibres corpus callosum= allows info to received
from 1 hemisphere to another
Outline FFS response (6 marks)
Personal threat causes amygdala to associate sensory signals of fear to hypothalamus= then
communicates with SNS
Stress either acute (personal attack) or chronic (stressful job)
SNS sends signals to adrenal medulla, releases adrenaline to bloodstream= causes increase
heart rate and breathing rate
After threat passed, parasympathetic nervous system dampens stress response= reduces
heart rate and breathing rate
Brain perceives something as threatening HPA axis kicks in
H= hypothalamus= releases CRH into bloodstream in response to stressor
P= pituitary gland= CRH causes pit gland to produce and release ACTH, transported in
bloodstream to adrenal gland
A= ACTH stimulates adrenal cortex to release various stress-related hormones cortisol
causes quick burst of energy, lower immune system
Prolonged stress leads to CVD or sickness
Outline the effect of exogenous zeitgebers (6 marks)
DEF= environmental cue (e.g. light) that helps to regulate the biological clock in organisms
Receptors in SCN are sensitive to changes in light levels during day and use this info to
synchronises activity in organs and glands
Light resets the internal biological clock each day
Protein called melanopsin and carries signals to the SCN to set daily bodily clocks
Social stimulus (mealtimes)= Aschoff (1971) = show people able to compensate for absence
of zeitgebers (e.g., light by responding to social zeitgebers instead)
Klein and Wegmann (1974) research into jet lag= found circadian rhythms of air travellers
adjusted more quickly if they went outside more than their destination due to exposure to
social cues of next time zone= acting as a zeitgeber
Sleep value in blind people= light still important because SCN connection doesn’t’ involve
visual system
Outline the effect for endogenous pacemakers in the body (6 marks)
DEF= mechanisms within the body that governs internal biological bodily rhythms
SCN=
(1) Found in hypothalamus
(2) Acts as master clock, linking other brain regions that control sleep and arousal and
has control over bio-clock in body
(3) Receives info from light from optic nerve changing to clock during day and night
(4) Also regulates manufacture and secretion of melatonin in pineal gland via
interconnecting neural pathway
Pineal gland=
(1) Produces melatonin to control sleep and activity
(2) If light detected= reduces melatonin levels= feel awake
(3) Darkness detected; melatonin levels increase= feel sleepy
, Outline the effect of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers (6 marks)
Light primary input (exogenous pacemaker)
So:
1) Light sensitive cells (rods e.g.) in eye detect brightness of light and messages sent to optic nerve
2) Melanopsin (protein found in retina cells) sensitive to light= sends messages to master clock
about changes in light levels
Messages sent to SCN – master clock- in hypothalamus EP
Neurons in SCN send out messages= go to pineal gland and regulate melatonin levels
If light detected= decrease in melatonin levels= feel awake
If darkness detected= melatonin levels increase= feel sleepy
Shows connection between inbuilt EP and EZ , light and social cues (e.g. time)
3) Social stimulus (mealtimes)= Aschoff (1971) = show people able to compensate for absence of
zeitgebers (e.g., light by responding to social zeitgebers instead)
Klein and Wegmann (1974) research into jet lag= found circadian rhythms of air travellers
adjusted more quickly if they went outside more than their destination due to exposure to social
cues of next time zone= acting as a zeitgeber
Outline Localisation of brain (6 marks)
Suggests certain areas of brain responsible for certain processes and behaviour
Brain split into 4 lobes= frontal, temporal, and parietal
Frontal lobe= functions (e.g. speech)
Has Broca’s area= speech production, lesions lead to difficulty forming sentences
Has motor cortex= coordinates movements= damage leads to inability to control fine motor
movements
Temporal lobe= hearing and memory
Wernicke’s area= speech comprehension= damage= unawareness of incorrect words
Auditory centres= process audio info= damage= hearing loss
Parietal lobe= sensory info
Somatosensory cortex= processes info associated with senses= lesions= inability to denote
sensitivity to bodily areas
Occipital lobe= process visual info
Visual centres= processes visual info= damage sight loss
Outline lateralisation of hemispheres in brain (6 marks)
Idea each half of a brain (hemisphere) is mainly responsible for certain behaviour and
processes
right hemisphere= visual and motor tasks= Broca= damage visual impairments left
hemisphere= speech production and language
right hemisphere controls left side of body, vice versa, therefore info which we receive from
left visual filed processed by right hemisphere= which coordinates response to affect left
side of body
hemisphere connected by bundle of nerve fibres corpus callosum= allows info to received
from 1 hemisphere to another
