How should I answer this question. using your knowledge of the nervous system, identify and explain the activity of the divisions of the nervous system.
Please help me with suggestions!!
PLEASE HELP ME WITH ANSWERING THIS PSYCH QUESTION
Hey, Heres some notes I have on it.
The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord, and its main role is to integrate information, coordinate activities in the body, and control behavior. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is a network of nerves outside of the CNS that conveys sensory and motor messages to and from the brain via the spinal cord.
Within the PNS, there are two main divisions:
Somatic Nervous System: This division regulates voluntary movements and transmits sensory information from receptors in our skin, muscles, and joints to the CNS. It also sends motor commands from the CNS to skeletal muscles for voluntary movement.
Autonomic Nervous System: This division regulates involuntary processes such as heart rate, digestion, breathing, and glandular activity. It has two branches:
• Sympathetic Nervous System: This branch prepares our body for "fight or flight" responses during stressful situations by increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, increasing breathing rate, etc.
• Parasympathetic Nervous System: This branch promotes relaxation and conserves energy by decreasing heart rate, constricting pupils, decreasing breathing rate.
Everything Talei said is correct but my textbook also briefly covers the enteric nervous system which is a sub-division of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for the gastro-intestinal/digestive tract.
I'm not sure if you'd lose marks for not including it (my geuss would be probably not but don't quote me on that) but it wouldn't hurt to include.
To answer the question as a whole it's important to identify each branch and it's subdivisions before giving a breif but accurate explaination of what they do, so my answer to the question would be this:
The nervous system has two primary parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system is comprised of the brain and the spinal chord and is responsible for processing the information from stimulus both inside and outside the body and coordinating the body's responses and activities.
The peripheral nervous system are a network of nerves that convey messages to and from the central nervous system via the spinal chord with two main branches, the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system is responsible for communicating sensory information to the brain and sending the responding motor information to skeletal muscles to control voluntary movements.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for sub-conscious responses and behaviour with 3 branches, the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for controlling the body's flight or fight response after percieiving a fer trigger or experiencing a crisis, such as by increasing the body's breathing rate and producing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for maintaining homeostasis or balance within the body, and is typically the dominant system over the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system helps gradually reduce the effects of the sympathetic nervous system to return the body to a calm state once the individual is out of danger.
The enteric nervous system is responsible for controlling the body's digestive or gastrointestinal tract such as controlling nutrient absorption and hormone release within the gut.
I am a current year 12 psych student this year so I can't say with certainty what I'm doing is correct so if anyone corrects me I'll take any feedback on board and my information may not be the best as I'm still learning the topic as well.
I hope this could be of some help and I'm sorry if it isn't.