AAMC Flashcards
Demographic transition theory
Changes in birth and death rate associated with economic development. Drop in death rate followed by drop in birth rate.
fMRI
measures brain activity by detecting associated changes in blood flow.
CT
used to make detailed images of organs, bones, soft tissue, and blood vessels. X rays.
PET
test for disease, radioactive substance injected into body and taken up into organs. Can be tracked through organs to see if they are working correctly
MRI
creates a detailed cross sectional image of organs and other structures. Radio waves.
Sleep spindles are found in which stage of sleep?
NREM stage 2
what are sleep spindles
sudden bursts of brain activity during sleep
brains reward system found in the _______
limbic system
structures of the limbic system
SHAF
Universally expressed emotions
fear, anger, surprise, happiness, disgust, sadness
When do infants begin to develop stranger anxiety?
around 8 months
place theory
one is able to hear different pitches because differnt sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochleas basilar membrane.
interposition
visually, one object overlaps another, causing us to see in depth. Depth perception
parallel processing
ability of the brain to simultaneously process sensory info of differing qualities
reliability
degree to which an assessment tool produces stable and consistent resuls
negative symptoms of schizophrenia
absense of appropriate behaviors and emotion
emotional flattening- no signs of emotional expression
innapropriate affect- emotion is discordant with the content of the individuals speech
positive symptoms schizophrenia
delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts, disorganized speech and behavior
implicit memory is
unconscious memory
Neuroleptics
antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia positive symptoms. Side effects include exacerbating negative symptoms
Unidirectional relationship
something is the direct cause of another thing (death of a family member causes stress)
Reciprocal relationship
the cause can act further to cause itself again (stress causes depression which causes more stress which leads to more depression) Positive feedback.
parallel processing
automatic processing of space, time and frequency of events
novel information
new information
Where is brocas area?
left side of frontal lobe
Corpus callosum
connects L/R hemispheres, sends information between them.
What is the most likely result of someone being in cognitive dissonance?
They will change their attitudes to match their behavior, rather than change the behavior.
cross sectional study
Observational study that gathers information AT A SPECIFIC POINT IN TIME.
Case control study
find two groups that have differing conditions and work backwards to see whats different about them
longitudinal study
repeated observations of the same variables over a period of time.
exchange theory
decision making occurs via a cost-benefit analysis
incentive theory of motivation
individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors that produce rewards or incentives
sanctions
ways of enforcing compliance with social norms. Sanctions are positive when they are used to celebrate conformity and negative when they are used to punish or discourage nonconformity
sanctions example
an individual who behaves appropriately in a given setting by being polite, socially engaged, or patient, is sanctioned with social approval. An individual who chooses to behave inappropriately by acting out of turn, saying or doing strange or unkind things, or expressing rudeness or impatience, is sanctioned with disapproval, expulsion, or more severe consequences, depending upon the situation.
latent function
unintentional and often unrecognized consequence
social constructionism
questions what is defined by humans and society to be reality. Therefore, social constructs can be different based on the society and the events surrounding the time period in which they exist
example- money
Mead’s I and Me
Me- how we believe the generalized other sees us. Societies views. Socialized and conforming aspect of self
I-Individual identity, spontaneous, less socialized component. Often goes against society.
shadowing
experimental technique in which participants recite speech immediately after hearing it
how sound travels to be processed in the brain
verbal inputs to each ear travel to the auditory cortex of the opposite hemisphere and then to the left hemisphere to be processed by language areas
example: sound in left ear goes to auditory cortex in right hemisphere and then travels back to left hemisphere.
amphetamines
stimulants. Increase release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and seratonin at the synapse. Decrease re-uptake of those neurotransmitters
cocaine
stimulant, can be used as anesthesia and is vasoconstrictive.
ecstacy
hallucinogen. Euphoria, increased alertness.
what do stimulants, and hallucinogens to do the body (in general)?
raise heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, constriction. Basically stress
Where are neurotransmitters made?
inside neurons
aquisition phase of operant conditioning
most effective is continuous reinforcement because it teaches the subject which behavior is correct
instinctive drift
difficulty in overcoming instinctual behaviors. Established, operantly learned habits by an animal are replaced by food-related behaviors
