Difficult topics Flashcards
What is the theory that says that consciousness is split up in parts, like matter is in atoms?
structuralism
WEIRD problem in psychology?
generalizability
Which part of the brain contains more nerve cells than the rest of the brain combined?
cerebellum
What is the somatic nervous system?
Nerves that link brain and spinal cord
What happens when chemicals are released from terminal buttons?
Transmits information between neurons
Where is pleasure and which chemical?
Dopamine in nucleus accumbens
What is the role of glia?
structural matrix
What activates when you are nervous?
The sympathetic nervous system and the digestive system
What is accommodation and equilibration in regards to Piaget’s theory?
Accommodation: Involves altering existing ideas or schemas as a result of new experiences.
Equilibration: A mechanism that assists children in achieving a balance between assimilation and accommodation.
Where are each of the lobes located in the cerebral cortex and what are their roles?
Frontal: planning movement. Front of head
Parietal: touch. Top of head
Occipital: vision. Back of hear
Temporal: hearing. Above ear
What is the function of fovea?
Detailed vision (cones in iris - 6 mil but for high levels of light)
What is the Waber-fachner law?
relation between the actual change in a physical stimulus and the perceived change
Is perception top down or bottom top?
not top -down
What is true about validity and reliability and what are they?
Reliability is consistency
Validity is accuracy
Can be reliable but not valid
What is the neutral stimulus in Pavlovian conditioning?
A stimulus that at first elicits no response
Ringing the bell
What is the use of cornea and lens?
Light ray focus
What is the flow of vision?
Ventral stream to temporal lobe
What are the types of memory?
Semantic: facts about the world
Episodic: experiences
Autobiographical: facts about ourselves
Implicit: unintentionally memorized information
Explicit: intentionally memorized information
What is Freud’s psychodynamic theory?
Unconscious Mind: Drives much of our behavior without our awareness.
Psychosexual Stages: Personality develops through five life stages; issues in any stage affect adulthood.
Id, Ego, Superego:
Id: Seeks pleasure.
Ego: Balances reality.
Superego: Enforces morals.
Defense Mechanisms: Used by the ego to manage stress and conflict.
Dream Analysis: Dreams reflect unconscious desires.
Free Association: Reveals unconscious thoughts through spontaneous speech.
What is Wernicke’s and Broca’s aphasia?
Wernicke: no comprehension. Random words
Broca: loss of verbal fluency. Short sentences.
What is the purpose of the mesolimbic pathway?
transports dopamine from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens and amygdala
What is the James-Lange theory?
physical changes in the body happen first, which then leads to the experience of emotion
Serotonin vs dopamine
Serotonin is associated with happiness, focus and calmness. Dopamine is associated with rewards and motivation
What is the stroop effect?
our tendency to experience difficulty naming a physical color when it is used to spell the name of a different color
What is the false consensus effect?
The tendency to overestimate how much others agree with us
What is the principle of social proof?
humans are heavily influenced by the actions of others
What is the health belief model?
a person’s belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease together with a person’s belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior or action will predict the likelihood the person will adopt the behavior.
What is factor analysis?
technique that is used to reduce a large number of variables into fewer numbers of factors
What are hypothesis tests?
procedure for deciding whether the results of a research study support a particular theory which applies to a population
What is Beck’s therapy beliefs?
- CBT
What is Holland’s theory?
in choosing a career, people prefer jobs where they can be around others who are like them
What is biofeedback?
a type of mind-body technique you use to control some of your body’s functions, (ex heart rate, breathing, etc)
What is the principle of reciprocity?
- People tend to feel obligated to return favors after people do favors for them
- ex smiling at another
What is the biopsychosocial model?
considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery.
What is the halo effect?
The influence of a general impression on specific traits or behaviors
What is drive reduction theory?
actions are driven by a desire to reduce internal uncomfortable states
