Gretel’s AP Psychology Blog

States of Consciousness  WHAT IS "CONSCIOUSNESSES"? - conscious is our awareness of ourselves and our surroundings.  DAYSDREAMS: - help prepare us for future events.  - they can help us with our social development  - can substitute for impulsive behaviors  BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS: - Annual cycle; seasonal variations (bears hibernation, seasonal affective disorder)  24 hour cycle- menstrual  28 day cycle- our circadian  90 minute cycle- sleep cycle  CIRCADIAN RHYTHM: - our 24 hour biological clock.  -your body temperature and awareness changes throughout the day -it is best to take a test or study during your circadian peaks.  SLEEP STAGES: - 5 stages of sleep - Takes about 90-100 minutes to pass through the 5 stages - Brain waves change according to the sleep stage you’re in - First four stages= NREM sleep - The fifth stage is called REM sleep ...

Parts Of The Brain  Hind:  Structure that is on top of the spinal cord  Controls our basic biological structures  Medulla: Located just above the spinal cord  It is involved in the control of breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure The Pons: Located just above the Medulla connects the Hind brain, The Mid brain, and the Hind brain.  It is involved in facial expressions  Cerebellum: It is the bottom rear of the brain It is known as the little brain It coordinated fine muscle movements  The Midbrain:  Coordinates simple movements with sensory information  Most known as the reticular formation. Controls arousal and the ability to control our attention.    Forebrain: What makes us human  It is the largest part of the brain  It is made up of the thalamus, the limbic system and the cerebral cortex Thalamus:   Switchboard of the b...

Biological Basis Of Behavior Neuron Structure How A Neuron Fires The process of a neuron firing is an electrochemical process. When the cell body sends out an impulse, the sodium channels are opened and positive sodium cells flow into the cell. When a certain threshold is reached, the action potential will fire, which sends the electrical signal down the axon. All or None Response A ll or none response is the principle or idea that either a neuron fires or does not. There is no such thing as a neuron "part way firing". If a stimulus is above a threshold, the neuron will fire. Otherwise, there is no response.  Action Potential Action potential is the neural impulse, action potential is when the neural membrane opens and positively charged ions enter the cell while negatively charged ions leave. The process of action potential is below: 1). Dendrites receive neurotransmitters from a neuron across the synapse ...