19 of the SEHS glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
The cranial nerve that carries parasympathetic impulses from the medulla to the heart and other organs; its stimulation slows the SA node and lowers heart rate.
The extent to which a method or test measures what it claims to measure, and an investigation as a whole answers the research question it set out to answer.
Forcefully breathing out against a closed airway, as when straining to lift a heavy load, which raises pressure in the chest and causes large rises in blood pressure.
Practice of a skill under a range of different conditions, such as distances, speeds and positions, intended to build a strong schema that adapts to new situations.
A training principle stating that methods, exercises and environments should be varied, within the limits of specificity, to maintain motivation, prevent boredom and reduce overuse injury risk.
The narrowing of arterioles when the smooth muscle in their walls contracts, reducing blood flow to the tissue they supply, such as the skin when the body is cold.
The widening of arterioles when the smooth muscle in their walls relaxes, increasing blood flow to the tissue they supply, such as the skin when the body is hot.
A quantity that has both size (magnitude) and direction, such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, momentum and impulse; drawn as an arrow.
A blood vessel that carries blood towards the heart under low pressure, with a thin wall, a wide lumen and, in the limbs, valves that prevent backflow.
The rate of change of displacement (), describing how fast a body moves and in which direction; a vector measured in m s⁻¹.
The narrowing of veins by contraction of the smooth muscle in their walls, stimulated by sympathetic nerves, which reduces the blood stored in the veins and increases venous return.
The volume of blood returning to the right atrium through the veins per minute, aided by the skeletal muscle pump, respiratory pump, venous valves and venoconstriction.
One of the two thick-walled lower chambers of the heart, which pumps blood into the arteries: the right ventricle to the lungs and the left ventricle to the rest of the body.
The column of 33 vertebrae (7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, the fused sacrum and coccyx) that supports the trunk and head, protects the spinal cord and allows trunk movement.
An increase in the likelihood of a behaviour that occurs when an individual observes another person being rewarded for that behaviour.
The recording of movement on video so that it can be replayed, slowed down, paused frame by frame and measured, either by eye or with software.
The maximum volume of air that can be breathed out after a maximal inspiration, equal to tidal volume plus the inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes; about 4–5 L in adults.
An organic compound needed in small amounts that the body cannot make in sufficient quantities; vitamins regulate metabolic reactions, often as coenzymes, and support tissue synthesis.
The maximum rate at which the body can take in, transport and use oxygen during exercise with large muscle groups, in L min⁻¹ (absolute) or mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹ (relative).