AQA A-level PSYCHOLOGY 7182/3 Paper 3 Issues and
options in psychology
Localisation of function - ANSWER Theory that states that different areas of the
brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.
Motor area - ANSWER Back of frontal lobe, involved in regulating movement.
Somatosensory area - ANSWER Front of both parietal lobes, processes sensory
information such as touch.
Parts of the brain: Visual area. - ANSWER Occipital lobe, receives and processes
visual information.
Parts of the brain: Auditory area. - ANSWER Temporal lobe, analyses speech-
based information.
Parts of the brain: Language areas. - ANSWER Broca's area, frontal lobe in the left
hemisphere = speech production.
Wernicke's area, temporal lobe in the left hemisphere = language comprehension.
Define plasticity. - ANSWER Brain's tendency to change and adapt (functionally and
physically) as a result of experience and new learning.
What five things must be used to evaluate localisation of function? - ANSWER Brain
scan evidence, neurological evidence, case study evidence, Lashley's research and
plasticity and the equipotentiality theory.
Synaptic pruning. - ANSWER As we age, rarely used connections are deleted and
frequently used connections are strengthened.
Axonal sprouting. - ANSWER Undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to
reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed.
Recruitment of homologous areas. - ANSWER Regions on opposite sides of the
brain take on functions of damaged areas.
Functional recovery. - ANSWER Form of plasticity. Following damage through
trauma, the brain's ability to redistribute/transfer functions performed by damaged
areas to other, undamaged areas.
Neural plasticity. - ANSWER Describes the brain's tendency to change and adapt -
functionally and physically - resulting from experience and new learning.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)? - ANSWER Consists of brain and spinal
cord; origin of all complex commands and decisions.
, What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)? - ANSWER Sends info to CNS from
outside world, transmitting messages from CNS to muscles and bodily glands.
Define hemispheric lateralisation. - ANSWER Certain mental processes and
behaviours are controlled or dominated by one hemisphere rather than the other (as
in the example of language).
Corpus callosum - ANSWER A band of neural fibres that connects the left and right
hemispheres of the brain.
Split-brain studies. - ANSWER Corpus callosum cut in patients with severe epilepsy,
allowing researchers to investigate the extent to which brain function is lateralised.
Describing what you see. - ANSWER Pictures shown to RVF could be described but
not those to LVF because no language centres in left hemisphere (connected to
RVF).
Recognition by touch. - ANSWER Could not describe objects projected to LVF, but
able to select a matching object from a selection of different objects using their left
hand.
fMRI - ANSWER Measures brain activity in specific areas by detecting associated
changes in blood flow.
EEG - ANSWER A record of the brain wave patterns produced by millions of
neurons, producing characteristic patterns.
ERPs - ANSWER Isolating specific responses of neurons to specific stimuli or tasks.
Post mortem examinations - ANSWER Correlating behaviours before death with
brain structures after death.
Circadian rhythms. - ANSWER Have cycles that generally occur once every 24hrs.
Infradian rhythms - ANSWER Have cycles that occur less than once every day.
Ultradian rhythms - ANSWER Have cycles that occur more than once every 24
hours.
Biological rhythm - ANSWER Distinct patterns of changes in biological activity that
conform to cyclical time periods.
Siffre study - ANSWER spent extended periods underground. Deprived of exposure
to natural light and sound, but with access to adequate food and drink. His biological
rhythm settled down to one that was just beyond the usual 24 hours.
Aschoff and Wever - ANSWER Participants spent 4 weeks in a WWII bunker
deprived of natural light. All but one of the participants displayed a circadian rhythm
between 24 and 25 hours.
options in psychology
Localisation of function - ANSWER Theory that states that different areas of the
brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.
Motor area - ANSWER Back of frontal lobe, involved in regulating movement.
Somatosensory area - ANSWER Front of both parietal lobes, processes sensory
information such as touch.
Parts of the brain: Visual area. - ANSWER Occipital lobe, receives and processes
visual information.
Parts of the brain: Auditory area. - ANSWER Temporal lobe, analyses speech-
based information.
Parts of the brain: Language areas. - ANSWER Broca's area, frontal lobe in the left
hemisphere = speech production.
Wernicke's area, temporal lobe in the left hemisphere = language comprehension.
Define plasticity. - ANSWER Brain's tendency to change and adapt (functionally and
physically) as a result of experience and new learning.
What five things must be used to evaluate localisation of function? - ANSWER Brain
scan evidence, neurological evidence, case study evidence, Lashley's research and
plasticity and the equipotentiality theory.
Synaptic pruning. - ANSWER As we age, rarely used connections are deleted and
frequently used connections are strengthened.
Axonal sprouting. - ANSWER Undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to
reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed.
Recruitment of homologous areas. - ANSWER Regions on opposite sides of the
brain take on functions of damaged areas.
Functional recovery. - ANSWER Form of plasticity. Following damage through
trauma, the brain's ability to redistribute/transfer functions performed by damaged
areas to other, undamaged areas.
Neural plasticity. - ANSWER Describes the brain's tendency to change and adapt -
functionally and physically - resulting from experience and new learning.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)? - ANSWER Consists of brain and spinal
cord; origin of all complex commands and decisions.
, What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)? - ANSWER Sends info to CNS from
outside world, transmitting messages from CNS to muscles and bodily glands.
Define hemispheric lateralisation. - ANSWER Certain mental processes and
behaviours are controlled or dominated by one hemisphere rather than the other (as
in the example of language).
Corpus callosum - ANSWER A band of neural fibres that connects the left and right
hemispheres of the brain.
Split-brain studies. - ANSWER Corpus callosum cut in patients with severe epilepsy,
allowing researchers to investigate the extent to which brain function is lateralised.
Describing what you see. - ANSWER Pictures shown to RVF could be described but
not those to LVF because no language centres in left hemisphere (connected to
RVF).
Recognition by touch. - ANSWER Could not describe objects projected to LVF, but
able to select a matching object from a selection of different objects using their left
hand.
fMRI - ANSWER Measures brain activity in specific areas by detecting associated
changes in blood flow.
EEG - ANSWER A record of the brain wave patterns produced by millions of
neurons, producing characteristic patterns.
ERPs - ANSWER Isolating specific responses of neurons to specific stimuli or tasks.
Post mortem examinations - ANSWER Correlating behaviours before death with
brain structures after death.
Circadian rhythms. - ANSWER Have cycles that generally occur once every 24hrs.
Infradian rhythms - ANSWER Have cycles that occur less than once every day.
Ultradian rhythms - ANSWER Have cycles that occur more than once every 24
hours.
Biological rhythm - ANSWER Distinct patterns of changes in biological activity that
conform to cyclical time periods.
Siffre study - ANSWER spent extended periods underground. Deprived of exposure
to natural light and sound, but with access to adequate food and drink. His biological
rhythm settled down to one that was just beyond the usual 24 hours.
Aschoff and Wever - ANSWER Participants spent 4 weeks in a WWII bunker
deprived of natural light. All but one of the participants displayed a circadian rhythm
between 24 and 25 hours.
