The Brain and Neuropsychology | Edexcel GCSE Psychology (1PS0)
The Brain and Neuropsychology
- 68 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
The Brain and Neuropsychology is examined in Paper 1, every student.
It covers lobes of the brain and the effects of damage, lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain study, neurons, synapses and the central nervous system and Phineas Gage and how brain research has changed.
Sample questions from The Brain and Neuropsychology
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Lobes of the brain and the effects of damage
Where is the cerebellum found?
Show the answer
The cerebellum sits at the back of the brain, below the occipital lobes. -
Lobes of the brain and the effects of damage
What is prosopagnosia?
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Prosopagnosia is an inability to recognise familiar faces, sometimes including one's own. Prosopagnosia is often called face blindness. -
Lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain study
How is lateralisation used to explain sex differences between males and females?
Show the answer
Some researchers claim male brains are more lateralised than female brains. Women may use both hemispheres for language, which could explain differences in verbal skills. -
Lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain study
How did Sperry test the sense of touch in split-brain patients?
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Objects were placed in one hand behind a screen so the participant could not see them. Participants were asked to name the object or find it again by feel. -
Neurons, synapses and the central nervous system
Describe what happens when an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron.
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The impulse causes vesicles in the axon terminal to release neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters cross the synaptic gap to the next neuron. -
Neurons, synapses and the central nervous system
Name two neurotransmitters and give one function of each.
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Dopamine is involved in reward and movement. Serotonin is involved in regulating mood and sleep. -
Phineas Gage and how brain research has changed
What were the results of Damasio et al. (1994)?
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The rod damaged the ventromedial part of the pre-frontal cortex in both hemispheres. The left side was damaged more than the right. -
Phineas Gage and how brain research has changed
How did nineteenth-century case studies of brain damage change psychology?
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Cases such as Gage and Broca's patient Tan linked specific brain areas to specific functions. Localisation of function became a key idea in psychology.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Lobes of the brain and the effects of damage | The frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and the cerebellum, Broca's area, visual agnosia, prosopagnosia, and the effects of damage to the pre-frontal cortex. | 18 |
| Lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain study | Lateralisation and asymmetrical function, the left and right hemispheres and the corpus callosum, sex differences, and Sperry's split-brain research. | 18 |
| Neurons, synapses and the central nervous system | Dendrites and axons, synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters, excitatory and inhibitory effects, and the brain and spinal cord as the central nervous system. | 16 |
| Phineas Gage and how brain research has changed | Phineas Gage's injury and personality change, Damasio's reconstruction of the damage, phrenology, split-brain research, lobotomies and brain scanning. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 891 questions with their answers.