Psychology Unit 2 2009 – Outcome 2
The Nervous System
For this ‘annotated poster’ task, you will need to demonstrate a full and clear understanding of the following
areas:
 The organisation of the nervous system (diagram) including details for the sub-divisions (as listed
below to help you understand the specific areas).

The central nervous system – structure (parts) and roles

The peripheral nervous system – structure (parts) roles.
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The somatic nervous system and its structure (parts) and role.
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The autonomic nervous system and its role in keeping homeostasis

The ‘Fight or Flight’ response

Changes that occur to various organs under the influence of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
nervous system.
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The spinal reflex / reflex arc – its purpose & how it works, what key neurons are involved, where the
message is sent and why.
How the spinal reflex / reflex arc is an ‘adaptive response’

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Structure of a neuron – know key terms, be able to accurately label parts and be able to explain
functions: dendrites, axon, soma, nucleus, myelin sheath, nodes, axon terminals, synaptic buttons (or
synaptic knob or terminal button).

Types of neurons (3) - their location and roles in the nervous system.

Transmission of neural information – neural impulses and how they work within a neuron, including
specific terms and concepts such as action potential/neural impulse, all or none law, resting potential,
threshold, ions, positive charge, negative charge, ion channels/gates, myelin.

Transmission of neural information between neurons at the synapse – neural impulses and how they
transmit to other neurons, including key terms and concepts such as synaptic buttons (or synaptic
knob or terminal button), neurotransmitters, receptor sites, post synaptic neuron, dendrites, synapse,
synaptic gap, receptor sites, pre-synaptic neuron, post-synaptic neuron, excitatory, inhibitory.

Be able to label or draw diagrams of neurons, synapses and reflex arcs.
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Similarities and differences between neurotransmitters and neuromodulators
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Research methods for studying the NS – split brain operation, ESB, PET, EEG, fMRI.
Be able to state the name in full, how they work, what they show and their limitations.