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
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