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Unit 3: Biological Psychology. Essential Task 3-5b :Describe the subdivisions and functions of the peripheral nervous system : A. Somatic Nervous System B. Autonomic Nervous System i. Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight) ii. Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest).
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Unit 3: Biological Psychology Essential Task 3-5b:Describe the subdivisions and functionsof the peripheralnervous system: A. Somatic Nervous System B. Autonomic Nervous System i. Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight) ii. Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest) CHS AP Psychology
The Central Nervous System • The Brain • The Spinal Cord
The Spinal Cord • Complex cable of nerves that connects brain to rest of the body • Carries motor impulses from the brain to internal organs and muscles • Carries sensory information from extremities and internal organs to the brain • 400,000 people a year in US either partial or complete paralysis.
The spinal cord controls some protective reflex movements without any input from the brain The Spinal Cord
The Somatic Nervous System • Consists of neurons that communicate between the body and the brain • Motor Neurons • Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord (through interneurons) or brain to muscles and glands
Sympathetic division Most active when you are angry, afraid, or aroused Increases heart rate and breathing Stops digestion “Fight-or-flight” The Autonomic Nervous System
What “fear” looks like…(Taken in a Haunted House) A Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) Response
The “I’m not really here to protect you; I just happen to be in front” response.
The pupils don’t just dilate for some people. The eyes widen, too!
Parasympathetic division Calms body Produces effects opposite to those of the sympathetic division Reduces heart rate and breathing Restores digestion “Rest and Digest” The Autonomic Nervous System
The Hypothalamus Has Central Control of the ANS • When someone experiences a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. • This area of the brain functions like a command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so that the person has the energy to fight or flee. • The hypothalamus is involved in the coordination of ANS responses • One section of the hypothalamus seems to control many of the "fight or flight" responses; another section favors "rest and digest" activities