PSYC1020 Neuro and Pysc Notes Structure Description Major Functions Brainstem Stemlike portion of the brain, continuous with diencephalon above and spinal cord below. Composed of midbrain, pons, medulla oblangata. Relays messages between spinal cord and brain, from brainstem cranial nerves to cerebrum. Helps control heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure. Involved with hearing, taste, Cerebellum Cerebral cortex Cerebral lobes Second largest part of the brain. Located behind pons, in posterior section of cranial cavity. Composed of cerebral cortex, two lateral lobes, central flocculonodular lobes, medial vermis, some deep nuclei. Outer layer of cerebrum. Composed of gray matter and arranged in raised ridges (gyri), grooves (sulci), depressions (fissures). Major divisions of cerebrum, consisting of frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital lobes (named for bones under which they lie), insula. Also include limbic lobe. other senses. Process center involved with coordination of muscular movements, balance, precision, timing, body positions. Processes sensory information used by motor systems. Involved with most conscious activities for living. (See major functions of cerebral lobes.) 1. Frontal lobe involved with motor control of voluntary moveme nts, control of emotional expressions and moral behavior. 2. Parietal lobe involved with general senses, taste. 3. Temporal lobe involved with hearing,
Cerebrum Corpus callosum Hypothalamus Largest part of brain. Divided into left and right hemispheres by longitudinal fissure and divided into cerebral lobes. Also contains cerebral cortex (gray matter), white matter, basal ganglia, diencephalon Bridge of nerve fibers that connects one cerebral hemisphere with the other. Small mass below the thalamus; forms floor and part of lateral walls of third ventricle. equilibrium, emotion, memory. 4. Occipital lobe organized for vision and associated forms of expression. Insula may be involved with gastrointestinal and other visceral activities. 5. Limbic lobe (along with the limbic system) is involved with emotionss, behavioral expressions, recent memory, smell. Controls voluntary movements, coordinates mental activity. Center for all conscious living. Connects cerebral hemispheres, relaying sensory information between them. Allows left and right hemispheres to share information, helps to unify attention. Highest integrating center for autonomic nervous system. Controls most of
Midbrain Pons Located at upper end of brainstem. Connects pons, and cerebellum with cerebrum. Site of emergence of cranial nerves 3,4 Short, bridgelike structure composed of mainly of fibers that connect midbrain and medulla, cerebellar hemispheres, and cerebellum and cerbrum. Lies anterior to cerebellum and between midbrain and medulla. Site of emergence of cranial nerve. Complex network of nerve cells organized into ascending (sensory) and descending (motor) pathways. Located throughout core of entire brainstem. endocrine system through its relationship with the pituitary gland. Regulates body temperature, water balance, sleep-wake patterns, food intake, behavioral responses associated with emotion Involved with visual reflexes, movement of eyes, focusing of lens, dilation of pupils Controls certain respiratory functions. Serves as relay station from medulla to higher structures in brain. Reticular formation Specific functions for different neurons, including involvement with respiratory and cardiovascular centers, regulation of brain s level of awareness. Thalamus Composed of two Intermediate relay
separate bilateral masses of gray matter. Located in center of cerebrum. structure and processing center for all sensory information (except smell) going to cerebrum. The Scientific Attitude Scientific approach that is skeptical and open-minded To shift away from illusions to reality, one must use Smart thinking or critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept things, but approaches with skepticism and examines the evidence carefully; Ask how did they know, on guts and instinct? Are the evidence biased? However, must remember to have humility as too extreme would be stubbornness The Limits of Intuition and Common Sense Intuition often ends up nowhere Tend to use a lot hindsight bias: tendency to believe that one would have known it after the results are shown; Seems like common sense; The answer was right there and look how obvious it was Experience it usually when looking back on history; eg. Glen Clark and the fast ferries Humans tend to be overconfident, think we know more than we actually do (probably result of self-serving bias) Hindsight causes us to be overconfident as we believe we would have picked the answer when the results are in front of us The Scientific Method Scientific theory: explanation using set of principles to organise/predict observations No matter how good theory sounds, must put it to test Must imply testable prediction = hypothesis Beware of bias when testing Good experiment can be replicated: the experiment can be repeated and would yield constant results; done with a different group of people or by a different person ending with constant results Theory useful if: 1. effectively organises range of observations 2. implies clear predictions Case study: research method where one person is studied in depth to find universal principles (things that apply to all) Drawback is that the individual being studied could be atypical, results not universally contained Survey: research method to get the self-reported attitudes/behaviours of people
Looks at cases less depth and wording of question affects the response given (framing)tend to hang around group similar to us so using them as study is wrong False consensus effect: tendency to overestimate other s agreement with us; eg. Vegetarians believe larger amount of pop. is vegetarian than meat-eaters Population: all the cases in the group being studied To make a good sample, use random sampling: sample that gives each case a good chance of being studied to ensure results within range Naturalistic observation: observing and recording behaviour in natural settings with any control on situation Like case study & survey, doesn t explain behaviour When finding a trait that accompanies another, not resulting effect, but correlation: the way 2 factors vary together and how well one predicts the other Positive correlation: direct relationship where factors increase or decrease together Negative correlation: inverse relationship where one factor goes up while one goes down Does not explain cause, simply show relationship between factors Illusory correlation: perceiving correlation when none exist; Notice random coincidences as not random, rather as correlated Experiment To isolate cause & effect, conduct experiments Experimental condition: condition that exposes subjects to treatment Control condition: condition that serves as a comparison to see effects of treatment on experimental condition subjects Use random assignment: assigning subjects to experimental/control groups randomly to ensure no bias Independent variable: experimental factor being manipulated and studied (by itself, alone, no need to depend on something) * x-axis Dependent variable: experimental factor that depends on independent variable and changes in response to it * y- axis Placebo: an inert substance/condition that maybe administered instead of a presumed active agent Double-blind procedure: procedure in which the experimenter and the subject noth don't know which treatment is given Franz Gall developed the false theory called Phrenology where bumps on the head dictate personality and intelligence. But the theory did direct our attention to brain region and function. Psychologists that study these connections between biology and behavior are called Biological Psychologists. Neural Communication Our Neural System is basically made up of nerve cells or neurons. Each neuron is composed of Dendrites ~ message receiving fibers and Axons ~ message sending fibers which are insulated by the Myelin Sheath ~ fatty cells that help \speed up impulses. Impulses or Action Potential is a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon as it becomes Depolarized due to the movement of positively charged ions entering the axon.