3.3 Parts of the Nervous System — Your Brain's Ancient Survival Software Explained | Psychology 2e
After this lesson you will be able to…
- Learn the difference between the voluntary somatic and involuntary autonomic nervous systems.
- Understand how the autonomic nervous system divides into sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
- Discover the specific bodily changes triggered by the sympathetic nervous system during a threat.
- Explore how our ancient fight-or-flight system misfires in response to modern psychological stressors.
- Learn how the parasympathetic system reverses emergency responses to restore bodily balance.
- Consider how to consciously signal safety to your autonomic nervous system in modern stressful situations.
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(0)This lesson explores Section 3.3 of OpenStax Psychology 2e, breaking down how the nervous system is organized and why it responds to stress the way it...
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Quiz: The Autonomic and Somatic Nervous Systems
FundamentalsAnswer the following questions based on the video lesson you just watched. All answers can be found in the video — no outside knowledge is needed.
Practice: Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System Functions
PracticeAnswer each question using what you learned in the video lesson. Questions progress from recall and understanding to application and analysis — do your best before checking your notes.