#AP Psychology: Nervous System Study Guide 🧠

Welcome to your ultimate nervous system review! Let's make sure you're feeling confident and ready for anything the AP exam throws your way. We'll break down the complex stuff into easy-to-digest pieces and focus on what really matters for test day.

#Overview of the Nervous System

The nervous system is your body's super-fast communication network. It's like the internet, but way cooler. It's divided into two main parts:

• Central Nervous System (CNS): The brain and spinal cord – the command center.
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): All the nerves outside the CNS – the messengers.

#Subsystems of the Nervous System

#Central Nervous System (CNS)

#Functions:

• Consists of the brain and spinal cord, the command centers of the nervous system 🧠
• Receives and processes sensory information from all over the body.
• Sends out motor commands to control movement, behavior, and internal processes.
• Integrates and coordinates all neural activity, allowing for complex functions like thought, emotion, and consciousness.
• Stores memories, enables learning, and generates our perceptions and subjective experiences.

#Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

#Functions:

• Includes all the nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord.
• Serves as a communication relay between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.
• Collects sensory information from receptors in the skin, muscles, and organs and sends it to the brain and spinal cord for processing.
• Carries motor commands from the central nervous system to effectors like muscles and glands to produce responses and behaviors.
• Divided into two main subsystems with distinct functions:
  • Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Regulates involuntary, unconscious processes essential for survival (heart rate, digestion, etc.)
    • Parasympathetic Division: Responsible for "rest and digest" functions that conserve energy and maintain homeostasis. 😌
    • Sympathetic Division: Triggers "fight or flight" responses that prepare the body for action in emergency situations. 😰
  • Somatic Nervous System (SNS): Controls voluntary movements and behaviors under conscious control.
    • Allows us to move our skeletal muscles and interact with the external environment.
    • Enables sensations like touch, pressure, pain, and temperature through afferent nerve fibers.

#Autonomic vs. Somatic Nervous Systems

• Autonomic Nervous System (ANS):
  • Operates automatically and unconsciously, regulating vital functions without our awareness (breathing, heart rate, digestion).
  • Divided into opposing sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions that work together to maintain homeostasis.
  • Sympathetic activation prepares the body for "fight or flight" in stressful situations (increased heart rate, dilated pupils). 😰
  • Parasympathetic activation promotes "rest and digest" functions during relaxed states (decreased heart rate, constricted pupils). 😌
• Somatic Nervous System (SNS):
  • Under voluntary, conscious control and governs movements of skeletal muscles.
  • Allows us to perform purposeful actions and behaviors in response to our will and intentions.
  • Includes sensory receptors in the skin and muscles that provide information about the body's position and external stimuli.
  • Works together with the autonomic nervous system to coordinate and carry out complex patterns of behavior.
  • Both systems contain afferent (sensory) and efferent (motor) nerve fibers that transmit signals between the central nervous system and the periphery. 🌐

#Final Exam Focus

• High-Priority Topics:
  • Divisions of the nervous system (CNS vs. PNS, autonomic vs. somatic).
  • Functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
  • The role of afferent and efferent neurons.
• Common Question Types:
  • Multiple-choice questions that test your understanding of the different parts of the nervous system and their functions.
  • FRQs that ask you to apply your knowledge to real-life scenarios (e.g., how the nervous system responds to stress).
• Last-Minute Tips:
  • Review your notes on the different divisions of the nervous system.
  • Make sure you understand the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
  • Practice applying your knowledge to real-life scenarios.

#

Practice Question

#Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which part of the nervous system is responsible for the "fight-or-flight" response? (A) Somatic nervous system (B) Parasympathetic nervous system (C) Sympathetic nervous system (D) Central nervous system (E) Enteric nervous system

2. The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles is the: (A) autonomic nervous system (B) somatic nervous system (C) sympathetic nervous system (D) parasympathetic nervous system (E) enteric nervous system

#Free Response Question

Scenario: A student is walking home late at night when they hear a loud noise behind them. Their heart starts racing, and they begin to sweat. Explain how the different divisions of the nervous system are involved in this situation.

Scoring Guidelines:

• Point 1: Identification of the stimulus (loud noise) and its initial processing by the sensory system. (1 point)
• Point 2: Explanation of the sympathetic nervous system's activation, leading to increased heart rate and sweating (fight-or-flight response). (1 point)
• Point 3: Description of the role of the autonomic nervous system in controlling these involuntary physiological responses. (1 point)
• Point 4: Explanation of how the somatic nervous system could be involved (e.g., running away). (1 point)
• Point 5: Mention of the parasympathetic nervous system's role in returning the body to a state of calm after the threat has passed. (1 point)

Good luck, you've got this! 💪