Psychology Confusing Questions

[psychlaw]

Some questions I've found confusing (and ones which I couldn't answer)

(1) Which nervous system is the transmission of information from the eyes to the brain co-ordinated by?

(2) Explain why some individuals are able to control automatic functions such as heart rate

(3) Which physiological measure is the most reliable in indictating a change in consciousness and why?


ALSODo we need to know any of the following for the upcoming Psych exam. My teacher didn't teach it at all but it has come across in the text book (though I couldn't find anything on it in the study design)

(1) Gyri and Sulci
(2) The Cerebrum
(3) Skeletal and Visceral Muscles
(4) How light enters the eye using words such as gangion cells, bipolar cells and axons....

My teacher didn't teach it at all but it has come across in places (though I couldn't find anything on it in the study design)
If we need to know about any of them, can you briefly describe what we need to know

[AppleThief]

1. CNS, I think?
2. Not sure
3. brain waves, I'm betting (measured by EEG)

1. Hope not. I don't know what those are.
2. Don't think so. In my notes, I just have the cerebral cortex.
3. Don't think so. But you should know that the motor cortex controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles.
4. Possibly. I have a brief bit about bipolar and ganglion cells in my notes, because it comes under transmission, which you have to know.

[Nick]

1) That's a tricky one but I'd say the Somatic NS- a division of the NS which carries info from sense receptors in the body to the CNS.

2) Individuals are able to control autonomic functions through a process known as biofeedback. I'm a little vague on the details but it basically involves people consciously controlling their autonomic responses by utillising highly focused mental processes.  The person receives feedback on a particular physiological response and using highly focused thought processes, they attempt to control that response. The example I have in my notes from last year is that a person may learn to decrease their heart rate (an autonomic response) by using visual imagery to imagine a stress free scene while they are receiving feedback on their heart rate (this feedback comes from electrodes attached to the person which measure physiological responses).

3) Measuring the electrical activitity of the brain (as shown by EEG patterns) would definitely be the most accurate. This is because variations in brain wave patterns (as measured by frequency and amplitude) allow us to discern the state of consciousness associated with each type of wave. For example, we can conclude that an individual exhibiting brain waves  of high frequency and low amplitude would be in a state of normal waking consciousness, while a person exhibiting waves of the lowest frequency and highest amplitude are typically associated with deep sleep (NREM 3 & 4).



1) No
2) No
3) Just know that visceral muscles are involved with INTERNAL organs and glands (autonomic nervous system), while skeletal muscles are those while are attached to the bones (somatic nervous system).
4) In terms of ganglion and bipolar cells, just be aware that in the transmission stage of visual perception, ganglion cells are triggered by the bipolar cells and enable a smooth transmission of information from the optic nerve to the primary visual cortex.

[melaniej]

1. Transmission from the eyes to the brain: i would assume that the eyes as sensory receptors would be part of the PNS to the CNS

2. They can control these internal functionings by biofeedback, which is selectively attending to their internal state, they cant completely control it, only slightly. They can achieve biofeedback through meditation style exercises.

3. See Above for EEG...

and about skeletal + visceral... when the sympathetic nervous system is aroused, blood flow goes away from visceral muscles (such as the digestive system) and more goes to the skeletal (eg arm + leg muscles) muscles to get more oxygen there. thats about the extent you need to know.

and the other ones got covered above.