Behavior Flashcards
What is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter?
Glutamate
What is the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter?
GABA
Low levels of serotonin are associated with…
Depression
Acetylcholine is involved in…
Muscle contraction
Low levels of dopamine are associated with…
Parkinson’s disease
High levels of dopamine are associated with…
Schizophrenia
Endorphins block…
Pain sensations
What are three ways lesion studies can be performed?
Tissue removal, radiofrequency lesions, neurochemical lesions (most precise)
CAT (CT) Scan
Gives information about structure, uses x-rays
MRI
Gives information about structure, uses radio waves which are exposed to a magnetic field
EEG
Gives information about function, noninvasive, shows total activity (can’t give information about activity of a specific set of neurons)
MEG
Gives information about function, higher resolution than EEG, records magnetic fields produced by electric currents in brain
fMRI
Gives information about structure and function, records amounts of oxygenated vs. deoxygenated blood in the brain
PET
Gives information about function (but combined with CT or MRI for structural info). Inject brain with glucose (more active parts of brain use more glucose)
5 schools of thought for motivation
- Evolutionary 2. Drive-Reduction theory 3. Cognitive 4. Optimal Arousal theory 5. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Drive-Reduction Theory
Drives are states of arousal resulting from a physiological or psychological need. Humans are motivated to satisfy these drives. Based on negative reinforcement
Optimal arousal theory
People are driven by a desire to reach full arousal/awareness
Id
Instinctual desires, driven by the pleasure principle, part of unconscious mind
Ego
Driven by the reality principle, seeks to fulfill the id’s desires using reason, part of conscious and unconscious mind
Superego
Driven by morality/conscious, reflects cultural ideals, part of conscious and unconscious mind
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
The following needs must be met in order: 1. Physiological: food, water, sleep 2. Safety: employment, property, resources 3. Love: sense of belonging/acceptance 4. Self esteem 5. Self actualization: reaching maximum potential
Incentive Theory
People are motivated to receive rewards. Based on positive reinforcement.
What are the phases of the sex response cycle?
- Excitement phase: physiological arousal 2. Plateau 3. Orgasm 4. Refractory period
ABC Model of attitude
- Affective: our emotions towards a stimulus 2. Behavioral: the way we act towards a stimulus 3. Cognitive: what we believe about a stimulus Each of these shapes our attitude toward that stimulus
What four theories describe how our attitudes influence behavior?
- Theory of planned behavior 2. Attitude to behavior process model 3. Prototype willingness model 4. Elaboration likelihood model for persuasion
Theory of planned behavior
People consider their intentions and implications of their behavior before deciding how to respond Intentions are based on:
- attitudes toward a behavior
- subjective norms: what others think about the behavior
- Perceived behavioral control: how easy we think it is to control the behavior
Attitude to behavior process model
Attitudes, triggered by an event, determine behavior in response to that event
Prototype Willingness Model
Behavior is a function of 6 things:
- Attitude
- Intentions
- Past behaviors
- Prototypes/models
- Subjective norms
- Willingness to engage in behavior
Elaboration likelihood model for persuasion (ELM)
The likelihood of an individual to be persuaded depends on the central route of persuasion (the argument itself) and the peripheral route of persuasion (such as the attractiveness of the persuader)
Foot in the door phenomenon
People are more likely to agree to something if you first offer them smaller things to agree to
Door in the face phenomenon
Offering someone something big to agree to, and when they say no, getting them to agree to something smaller
Effort justification
People attribute greater value to something that they put a lot of effort into
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
People experience cognitive dissonance when their cognitions, behaviors, or attitudes are contradictory
People seek to create harmony between these contradictions by:
- Modifying cognitions
- Trivializing: making cognitions seem less important
- Adding: more cognitions
- Denying
Attribution
The process of inferring the causes of behaviors
Can be internal or external
Three parts of external attributions?
- Consistency: does the person usually act the same
- Distinctiveness: does the person act different in different situations
- Consensus: do other people act this way
Humanistic theory of personality (Maslow and Rogers)
Humans are inherently good and driven by a desire to reach self-actualization
Big five personality traits
Openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (obserrvational learning)
Behavior results from interactions between an individual and his/her environment
Consists of four stages: 1. attention, 2. memory 3. imitation 4. motivation
Bandura used the Bobo doll experiment to show that children learn not just through reward/punishment, but by watching others get rewarded/punished
What are the four categories of defense mechanisms?
Pathological, neurotic, immature, mature
Denial is a type of __ defense mechanism
pathological
Projection and passive aggression are types of ___ defense mechanisms
Immature
What are some types of neurotic defense mechanisms?
Intellectualization: seperating facts from emotion
Rationalization
Regression: acting like a baby
Repression
Reaction formation: person does the opposite of their unconscious feelings
Displacement
3 main characteristics impacting whether we are persuaded for or against a message:
1. Message characteristics: content of the argument
2. Source characteristics: characteristics of the environment or the speaker
3. Target characteristics: characteristics of the listener (mood, slef esteem, etc)
Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion
We evaluate information along two possible paths: the central and peripheral routes
The central route is chosen by those knowledgable/with high motivation about the topic. It involves evaluating the content of the argument and results in lasting change.
The peripheral route is chosen by those with lower motivation. It involves evaluating superficial characteristics and ruselts in temporary change.
Ego depletion
Self control is a limited resource. If you engage in a task requiring a high degree of self control, it may be more difficult to exhibit self control in another area.
What brain areas may be altered in those showing higher levels of aggression?
Amygdala and frontal cortex
Kin selection
Tendency to help those who are more closely related to us
Reciprocal altruism
Tendency to help people if they have helped you before
Empathy Altruism Hypothesis
Altruistic behavior are due to empathy
