Nervous System
What is the main job of the nervous system?
To send and receive messages around the body.
What type of message travels down a neuron?
An electrical impulse (action potential)
What is a neuron?
A nerve cell that carries messages.
Where does the Synapse start and end?
Starts at the Axon Terminal of the pre-synaptic Neuron and ends at the Dendrites of the post-synaptic neuron
In which research method does the researcher manipulate a variable to see the effect?
An experimental design.
What do we call the variable the researcher changes on purpose?
The independent variable.
What are the two main parts of the nervous system?
The central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Messages between neurons in the synapse are carried by what?
Neurotransmitters
Which part of the neuron receives messages from other neurons?
The dendrites.
Where are neurotransmitters stored before they are released?
Vesicles in the Axon Terminal
Which research method involves watching behaviour without interfering?
Observational study.
What do we call the variable that is measured?
The dependent variable.
Which part of the nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord?
The central nervous system (CNS).
Which type of neuron carries what type of signal from the senses to the CNS?
Sensory Neurons carry afferent signals
Which part of the neuron sends messages away from the cell body?
The axon.
What triggers neurotransmitters to be released into the synapse?
an electrical impulse (action potential) reaching the axon terminal
Which research method studies one person or a small group in great detail?
Case study.
What do we call the variables that must stay the same for a fair test?
Control variables.
Which part of the nervous system carries messages to and from the rest of the body?
The peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Which type of neuron carries messages from the CNS to muscles and glands?
Motor neurons carry efferent signals
What is the role of the myelin sheath?
It speeds up the message along the axon by insulating it.
What type of signal crosses the synapse?
Chemical
Which sampling method divides the population into groups and then selects participants from each group?
Stratified sampling.
Why are control variables important in an experiment?
They help make sure the results of manipulating the IV on the DV are valid and not affected by other variables.
What is the role of the somatic nervous system?
To control voluntary movements (e.g., moving your arm).
What is the purpose of reflex actions?
To protect the body by making very fast, automatic responses.
What is the tiny gap between neurons where messages are passed across?
The Synaptic cleft (also known as the Synaptic gap)
Why do neurons use chemicals (neurotransmitters) instead of electricity to cross the synapse?
Because the electrical signal cannot jump the gap, so chemicals carry the message across.
Which sampling method uses existing participants to recruit more participants?
Snowball sampling
What happens to an experiment’s results if control variables are not kept the same?
The results may be biased or not trustworthy.