THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEMYear 12 Psychology Unit 3 – The Conscious SelfArea of Study 1: Mind, Brain and BodyChapter 5 (pages 271 to 285)

THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM Three main functions:

Receive information; Process information; Coordinate a Response to the information.

Broken up into different divisions/sub-systems: Each ‘branch’ has its own responsibilities.

Essentially, the nervous system allows messages to be sent between the brain and the rest of the body (both to and fro).

HOMEWORK: learn this so that you can draw it from memory!

Human Nervous System

Peripheral Nervous System

Central Nervous System

Brain Spinal Cord Somatic

Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System

SympatheticNervous System

Parasympathetic Nervous System

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Brain:

The ‘big boss’ of the nervous system (‘master organ’);

Oversees almost everything we think, feel and do.

Spinal Cord: Passes sensory information from PNS to Brain; Passes motor information from Brain to PNS; Controls the Spinal Reflex – simple response

that occurs independently of the brain.

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Somatic Nervous System:

Carries information from CNS to muscles & from sensory receptors to the CNS.

Involved whenever we do something voluntarily.

Autonomic Nervous System: Regulates/controls functioning of internal organs. Functions automatically – fairly independent of

the Central Nervous System.

Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Nervous System: ‘fight or flight’.

Activity: 5.3and 5.4

THE ‘FIGHT OR FLIGHT’ RESPONSE Sympathetic NS

Arouses body to prepare for fight/flight

Parasympathetic NS Returns body to

equilibrium (‘normal’)

Activity: 5.6

Fight orFlight!

THE ‘FIGHT OR FLIGHT’ RESPONSE

Body organ Body function Sympathetic Parasympathetic

Heart Heart rate Increases DecreasesSweat Glands Sweating Increases DecreasesStomach Digestion Decreases IncreasesLungs Respiration Increases DecreasesBladder Urine Decreases Increases

THE ‘FIGHT OR FLIGHT’ RESPONSE