AP Psychology AMSCO Guided Notes
1.2: Overview of the Nervous System
AP Psychology Guided Notes
AMSCO 1.2 - Overview of the Nervous System
Essential Questions
- What are the different parts of the nervous system and what are their respective functions?
I. Subsystems of the Human Nervous System
1. What is neuroanatomy and what structures does it study?
2. How is the nervous system organized into major subsystems?
A. The Central Nervous System
1. What is the central nervous system and what is its primary function?
2. What are the two main components of the CNS and how do they work together?
3. What percentage of body weight and oxygen consumption does the brain account for, and how is it protected?
4. What is the role of the spinal cord and how is it protected?
B. The Peripheral Nervous System
1. What is the peripheral nervous system and how does it connect to the central nervous system?
2. What are the two major pathways of the PNS and what does each pathway do?
1. The somatic nervous system
1. What is the somatic nervous system and what types of movements does it control?
2. The autonomic nervous system (ANS)
1. What is the autonomic nervous system and what functions does it control?
2. How does the autonomic nervous system differ from the somatic nervous system in terms of voluntary control?
II. Two Divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System
A. The sympathetic nervous system
1. What is the sympathetic nervous system and when is it activated?
2. What physiological changes occur when the sympathetic nervous system is activated?
B. The parasympathetic nervous system
1. What is the parasympathetic nervous system and what is its primary function?
2. How do the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work together to regulate the body?
Key Terms
autonomic nervous system
brain
central nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
peripheral nervous system
somatic nervous system
spinal cord
sympathetic nervous system