1. T HE P ERIPHERAL N ERVOUS S YSTEM Year 12 Psychology Unit 3 – The Conscious Self Area of Study 1: Mind, Brain and Body Chapter 5 (pages 271 to 285)

2. T HE H UMAN N ERVOUS S YSTEM 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).

3. HOMEWORK: learn this so that you can draw it from memory! Human Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System Central Nervous System BrainSpinal CordSomatic Nervous System Autonomic Nervous System Sympathetic Nervous System Parasympathetic Nervous System

4. C ENTRAL N ERVOUS S YSTEM 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.

5. P ERIPHERAL N ERVOUS S YSTEM 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: 5.3 and 5.4

6. T HE ‘F IGHT OR F LIGHT ’ R ESPONSE Sympathetic NS Arouses body to prepare for fight/flight Parasympathetic NS Returns body to equilibrium (‘normal’) Activity: 5.6 FightorFlight!

7. T HE ‘F IGHT OR F LIGHT ’ R ESPONSE Body organBody functionSympatheticParasympathet ic HeartHeart rateIncreasesDecreases Sweat GlandsSweatingIncreasesDecreases StomachDigestionDecreasesIncreases LungsRespirationIncreasesDecreases BladderUrineDecreasesIncreases

8. T HE ‘F IGHT OR F LIGHT ’ R ESPONSE