Thinking About Psychology
The Science of Mind and Behavior 3e
Charles T. Blair-Broeker & Randal M. Ernst
PowerPoint Presentation Slides by Kent Korek
The Nervous System and the
Endocrine System
Module Overview
• Neurons: The Building Blocks of the Nervous S
ystem
• How Neurons Communicate
• The Structure of the Nervous System • The Endocrine System
Neurons: The Building
Blocks of the Nervous
System
Nervous System
• The electrochemical
communication system of the body
• Sends messages from the brain to the body for movement
Neuron
• A nerve cell;
• the basic building block of
the nervous system.
• Neurons perform three basic tasks – Receive information
– Carry the information
Parts of the Neuron - Dendrites
Parts of the Neuron - Soma
Parts of the Neuron - Axon
Parts of the Neuron – Myelin Sheath
Parts of the Neuron - Terminals
How Neurons
Communicate
How Neurons
Communicate:
The Neural Impulse
Action Potential
• A neural impulse;
• a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron.
Refractory Period
• The “recharging phase” during which a a neuron, after firing, cannot generate another action potential
Resting Potential
• The state of a neuron when it is at rest and capable of generating an action
potential.
All-or-None Principle
• The principle stating that if a neuron fires, then it always fires at the same intensity;
• all action potentials have the same strength.
How Neurons
Communicate:
Communication Between
Neurons
Synapse
• The tiny, fluid-filled gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another.
Neurotransmitters
• A chemical messenger that travels
across the synapse from one neuron to the next and influences whether a
Excitatory Effect
• A neurotransmitter effect that makes it more likely that the receiving
neuron will generate an action potential or “fire.”
Inhibitory Effect
• A neurotransmitter effect that makes it less likely that the receiving neuron will generate an action potential or
“fire.”
How Neurons
Communicate:
The Neural Chain
Receptor Cells
• Specialized cells in the sensory
systems of the body that can turn other kinds of energy into action
potentials (neural impulses) that the brain can process.
Sensory Nerves
• Nerves that carry information from the sensory receptors to the spinal cord and brain.
Interneurons
• Nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for processing information.
Motor Nerves
• Nerves that carry information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
The Structure of the
Nervous System
Central Nervous System (CNS)
• The brain and spinal cord.
• The brain is the location of most information processing.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
• The sensory and motor nerves that
connect the brain and the spinal cord to the rest of the body.
• Peripheral means “outer region” • The system is subdivided into the
Somatic Nervous System
• The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s
skeletal muscles.
Autonomic Nervous System
• The division of the peripheral nervous
system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs;
• its subdivisions are the sympathetic
(arousing) division and the
parasympathetic (calming) division.
• Monitors the autonomic functions
Sympathetic Nervous System
• The part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body to deal with perceived threats.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
• The part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body.
The Endocrine System
Endocrine System
• One of the body’s two communication systems;
• a set of glands that produce
Hormone
• A chemical messengers produced by the endocrine glands and circulated in the blood.
• Similar to neurotransmitters in that they are also messengers
Pituitary Gland
• The endocrine system’s “master gland”
that,
• in conjunction with adjacent the brain
area, controls the other endocrine glands.
• Called the “master gland”
Hypothalamus
Thyroid Gland
• Endocrine gland that helps regulate the energy level in the body
Adrenal Gland
• Endocrine glands that help to arouse the body in times of stress
• Located just above the kidneys
Pancreatic Gland
Sex Glands
• Ovaries (females) and testes (males) are the glands that influence emotion and
physical development.
• Testosterone – primary males hormone • Estrogen – primary female hormone
Teacher Information
• Types of Files
– This presentation has been saved as a “basic” Powerpoint file. While this file format placed a few limitations on the presentation, it insured the file would be compatible with the many versions of Powerpoint teachers use. To add functionality to the presentation, teachers may want to save the file for their specific version of Powerpoint.
• Animation
– Once again, to insure compatibility with all versions of Powerpoint, none of the slides are animated. To increase student interest, it is suggested teachers animate the slides wherever possible.
• Adding slides to this presentation
Teacher Information
• Domain Coding
– Just as the textbook is organized around the APA National Standards, these Powerpoints are coded to those same standards. Included at the top of almost every slide is a small stripe, color coded to the APA
National Standards.
• Scientific Inquiry Domain • Biopsychology Domain
• Development and Learning Domain • Social Context Domain
• Cognition Domain
• Individual Variation Domain
• Applications of Psychological Science Domain • Key Terms and Definitions in Red
– To emphasize their importance, all key terms from the text and their
Teacher Information
• Hyperlink Slides - Immediately after the unit title slide, a page (usually slide #4 or #5) can be found listing all of the module’s subsections. While in slide show mode, clicking on any of these hyperlinks will take the user
directly to the beginning of that subsection. This allows teachers quick access to each subsection.
• Continuity slides - Throughout this presentations there are slides,
usually of graphics or tables, that build on one another. These are included for three purposes.
• By presenting information in small chunks, students will find it easier to process and remember the concepts.
• By continually changing slides, students will stay interested in the presentation.
• To facilitate class discussion and critical thinking. Students should be encouraged to think about “what might come next” in the series of slides.
• Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions, concerns, suggestions, etc. regarding these presentations.
Kent Korek
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