Nervous Systems
This part of the nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
This part of the neuron receives incoming messages.
What are dendrites?
This life stage is known for extremely rapid brain growth and formation of neural connections.
What is infancy?
This psychologist proposed the stages of psychosexual development.
Who is Sigmund Freud?
The brain’s ability to reorganise and adapt is called this.
What is neuroplasticity?
The peripheral nervous system has two sub-divisions. This division controls voluntary movement.
What is the somatic nervous system?
This fatty covering speeds up neural communication.
What is the myelin sheath?
This process removes unused neural connections to make the brain more efficient.
What is synaptic pruning?
This psychologist developed the stages of cognitive development.
Who is Jean Piaget?
Rats raised in enriched environments generally showed this compared to rats in deprived environments.
More neural connections, thicker cortexes, and improved learning/problem solving.
This is a branching system from the autonomic nervous system responsible for stress (fight or flight response).
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
Chemical messengers released between neurons are called these.
What are neurotransmitters?
During adolescence, this brain region responsible for decision-making and impulse control is still developing.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
This psychologist believed development is a lifelong process involving 8 distinct stages of psychosocial conflict.
Who is Erik Erikson?
This type of neuroplasticity refers to the brain reorganising functions after injury.
What is functional neuroplasticity?
A student touches a hot stove and instantly pulls their hand away before consciously feeling pain. This rapid response is mainly controlled by this structure.
What is the spinal cord?
Glutamate is this type of neurotransmitter because it increases the likelihood that a neuron will fire.
What is an excitatory neurotransmitter?
Why are teenagers more likely to take risks compared to adults?
Their emotional/reward systems, the striatum, develop faster than the prefrontal cortex and is more active, meaning emotions and reward-seeking can overpower judgement and impulse control.
According to Sigmund Freud, what are the roles of the id, ego and superego, and how do they interact with each other?
The id seeks immediate pleasure and acts on instincts, the superego represents morals and rules, and the ego tries to balance the demands of both while making realistic decisions. The ego acts as the mediator between impulsive desires and moral expectations.
Why are enriched environments important for brain development and neuroplasticity?
Enriched environments provide stimulation, learning opportunities, social interaction and physical activity, which strengthen neural connections and support the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganise. This can improve learning, memory and overall cognitive development.
Explain the difference between the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord and processes information. The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body and carries messages to and from muscles, organs and senses.
A person takes a drug that greatly increases GABA activity. Predict one likely effect on the nervous system.
Likely slowing/calming effects such as relaxation, reduced neural activity, drowsiness or slower reaction time because GABA is inhibitory.
Explain the difference between a critical period and a sensitive period.
A critical period is a specific time where certain experiences must occur for normal development. A sensitive period is a time where experiences have a stronger effect on development, but learning can still happen later.
A child struggles to complete a difficult task alone, but succeeds when a teacher gives hints and guidance. Using Lev Vygotsky’s theory, explain why this support improves learning.
Vygotsky believed learning occurs through social interaction with more knowledgeable others. The teacher’s guidance helps the child work within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), allowing them to achieve something they could not yet do independently. Over time, the support (scaffolding) can be reduced as the learner becomes more capable.
After a stroke damages the language centres of the brain, a patient slowly relearns speech through therapy. Explain how neuroplasticity is involved.
Undamaged brain regions can reorganise and form new neural pathways to partially take over lost functions through practice and experience.