The biology of behaviour
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| neuron | 神经元 | shén jīng yuán |
| synapse | 突触 | tū chù |
| neurotransmitters | 神经递质 | shén jīng dì zhì |
| central nervous system | 中枢神经系统 | zhōng shū shén jīng xì tǒng |
| peripheral nervous system | 周围神经系统 | zhōu wéi shén jīng xì tǒng |
| sleep | 睡眠 | shuì mián |
| cerebral cortex | 大脑皮层 | dà nǎo pí céng |
| REM sleep | 快速眼动睡眠 | kuài sù yǎn dòng shuì mián |
A signal, and a gap it has to cross
- A neuron 神经元 receives at its dendrites, fires along its axon, and passes the signal on.
- Between two neurons is a synapse 突触 — a gap the electrical signal cannot cross.
- Neurotransmitters 神经递质 carry it across chemically, which is why chemistry can change how a brain works.
How does a signal cross the gap between two neurons?
Which is why chemistry — including medication — can change how a brain works.
The two systems
- The central nervous system 中枢神经系统 is the brain and the spinal cord.
- The peripheral nervous system 周围神经系统 is everything else — the nerves reaching the body.
- A reflex can be handled by the spinal cord alone, which is why your hand leaves a hot surface before you have decided anything.
Match each system to what it includes.
A reflex can be handled by the spinal cord alone, before the brain has decided anything.
The cortex, and sleep
- The cerebral cortex 大脑皮层 has four lobes, each associated with characteristic functions.
- Sleep 睡眠 runs in cycles of about ninety minutes, and REM sleep 快速眼动睡眠 is where most vivid dreaming happens.
- Sleep is when memories are consolidated, which connects this unit directly to GAC030's work on memory.
About how many minutes does one sleep cycle last?
Around ninety minutes, repeating through the night, with REM sleep in each cycle.
Two ways to write the same fact.
Overstated: "The amygdala controls fear."
Accurate: "The amygdala is associated with processing fear, working with other regions rather than acting alone."
The second is what the evidence supports. A question that offers the first as an option is testing exactly this overstatement, and it is the most reliable trap in the unit.
Which statement does the evidence support?
No single region is solely responsible for a complex behaviour. The phrasing is a marked distinction.
Say "is associated with", not "controls". Brain regions work together, and no single region is solely responsible for a complex behaviour. This phrasing is a marked distinction, not pedantry.
Do not treat a brain explanation as more real than a psychological one. "The neurotransmitter levels changed" and "the person was under stress" describe the same event at different levels, and neither replaces the other.
A brain-level explanation is more scientific than a psychological one.
They describe the same event at different levels. Neither replaces the other.