The Role of the Brain
This lobe is mainly responsible for decision-making, planning and voluntary movement.
Frontal lobe
The gap between two neurons is called the
Synapse
What is the Central Nervous System comprised of?
Brain & Spinal cord
This theorist proposed the sociocultural theory of development.
Lev Vygotsky
Focusing awareness on one stimulus while ignoring others is called this.
Selective attention
This structure connects the two hemispheres of the brain.
Corpus callosum
This neurotransmitter is strongly linked to reward and pleasure.
Dopamine
This division of the nervous system controls voluntary movement.
Somatic Nervous System
The support provided to learners to help them achieve tasks is called
The body’s internal biological clock operates on this cycle.
Circadian rhythm
Damage to Broca’s area mainly affects this ability.
Speech production
This process occurs when neurotransmitters are taken back into the presynaptic neuron.
Reuptake
This branch of the autonomic nervous system calms the body after stress.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The first Piaget stage occurring from birth to approximately 2 years.
Sensorimotor stage
What is sleep apnea?
A sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you sleep. This prevents restful sleep, lowers blood oxygen levels, and forces the brain to wake you up briefly to resume breathing
Following a head injury, Marcus can no longer recognise familiar faces, even though his eyesight remains normal. Explain which part of the brain is most likely affected and justify your response.
Damage has most likely occurred in the temporal lobe, particularly areas involved in facial recognition such as the fusiform gyrus. Marcus’ vision is intact, meaning the issue is not with sight itself, but with processing and recognising visual information related to faces.
A neurologist explains that multiple sclerosis damages the myelin sheath surrounding neurons. Predict how this would affect communication within the nervous system and explain why.
Damage to the myelin sheath would slow or disrupt neural transmission because myelin insulates axons and allows action potentials to travel efficiently. Without effective myelination, messages between neurons become slower and less coordinated, leading to problems such as muscle weakness, poor coordination and reduced sensory functioning.
A patient has a tumour affecting the gland responsible for regulating growth, stress hormones and other endocrine glands. Which gland is most likely affected?
Pituitary Gland
In Mary Ainsworth's study, a toddler shows little distress when separated and avoids the caregiver upon reunion. Using attachment theory, analyse the differences between these attachment styles and discuss how early caregiving experiences may contribute to their development.
The second toddler is demonstrating insecure-avoidant attachment because they show little distress during separation and avoid the caregiver upon reunion. This attachment style is often linked to caregivers who are emotionally unavailable, rejecting or consistently unresponsive to the child’s emotional needs.
Explain the main purpose of sleep, according to the evolutionary theory of sleep, and restorative theory of sleep
Physical and mental recovery/restoration
The evolutionary: sleep evolved as a survival mechanism. Periods of inactivity and rest were naturally selected to keep organisms out of environments when they were most vulnerable to predators and to conserve energy when food was scarce.
Describe the difference between an EEG, EOG and EMG
An EEG (electroencephalogram) measures the brain’s electrical activity using electrodes attached to the scalp. It is commonly used in sleep research to identify different stages of sleep based on brain wave patterns.
An EOG (electrooculogram) measures eye movements and eye muscle activity. In sleep studies, it is particularly useful for detecting rapid eye movements during REM sleep.
An EMG (electromyogram) measures muscle tension and muscle activity. During sleep, it helps identify changes in muscle tone, such as the muscle paralysis that occurs during REM sleep.
A patient accidentally touches a hot stove and immediately pulls their hand away before consciously feeling pain. Analyse how neurons and the nervous system work together to produce this rapid response.
Sensory neurons first detect the heat and send electrical impulses through the peripheral nervous system to the spinal cord. Instead of waiting for the brain to process the danger, interneurons within the spinal cord quickly activate motor neurons, creating a reflex arc. The motor neurons then send signals to the muscles in the arm and hand, causing the patient to rapidly withdraw their hand from the stove. Conscious awareness of pain occurs slightly afterward when the brain processes the sensory information.
While hiking, Ava suddenly sees a snake nearby. Her heart rate increases, breathing becomes faster and blood flow is redirected toward her muscles. Identify the nervous system division responsible and explain how these physiological changes improve survival.
The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible. It activates the fight-or-flight response, preparing the body to respond quickly to danger. Increased heart rate and breathing deliver more oxygen to muscles, while redirected blood flow improves physical readiness for escape or protection.
Two students attempt a difficult maths problem. One solves it independently, while the other succeeds only after receiving guidance from a teacher. Analyse this situation using Vygotsky’s theory.
The second student is working within their zone of proximal development, meaning they cannot yet complete the task independently but can succeed with assistance. The teacher’s guidance acts as scaffolding, helping the student gradually develop the skills needed for independent problem-solving.
A worker completing rotating night shifts experiences fatigue, poor concentration and irritability. Evaluate why shift work commonly affects psychological functioning.
Shift work disrupts circadian rhythms because sleeping and waking occur at biologically unnatural times. This reduces sleep quality and duration, impairing attention, memory, emotional regulation and cognitive performance due to insufficient restorative sleep.