exam 1 Flashcards
Psych means
soul
Logos(ology)
the study of a subject
what are the origins of psychology
- philosophy
- physiology: bio
who is the founder of psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt
what is consciousness?
the awareness of immediate experience
what are the two major schools of thought?
- structuralism (Edward Titchener)
- functionalism(William James)
An example of structuralism is
“what” : an apple is red
An example of functionalism is
“why”: an apple is red: the color of the apple
Focus on the unconscious (Sigmund Freud)
thoughts, memories, and desires that are very bellow awareness but influence behavior
what is introspection?
self examination
what is psychoanalytic theory or psychoanalysis?
peoples unconscious behaviors can influence personality, motivation, and mental disorders
what is an example of behaviorism(John B Watson)?
positive reinforcement (a student gets a small treat if they get 100% on their spelling test)
Observational behavior
something you can see like crying or someones leg shaking because they are nervous
what is an example of humanism
the belief that the person creates their own set of ethics
clinical psychology
a field focused on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders
B.F Skinners work was
- he believed that actions are controlled by the environment, not on peoples conscious decisions
- he also believed “free will” or peoples ability to make choices in life is just an illusion
what is the difference between psychologists and psychiatrists?
Psychologists: studying and understanding mental processes, brain function, and behavior
Psychiatrists: mental doctor that diagnosis and treats mental, emotional and behavioral disorders
Cognition
mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
what is cognitive perspective?
peoples mental processes can influence how they behave
cultural diversity
western psychologist in the 1980s became interested in how culture affects behaviors
evolutionary psychology
behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for members of a species over the course of many generations
psychology defined today
the science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie behavior and it is the profession that applies that accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems
what are the seven unifying themes in psychology?
- psychology is empirical
- psychology is theoretically diverse
- psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context
- behavior determined by multiple causes
- behavior shaped by culture
- heredity and environment jointly influence behavior
- experiences are subjective
what is the research enterprise?
the objective process of planning out and conducting a project
what is a hypothesis?
a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables (I predict predict texting will lower GPA)
what is a theory?
interrelated ideas to explain observations
What is an independent variable?
a variable that the researcher controls based on
What is a dependent variable?
the outcome as a result of what was manipulated
what is an extraneous variable
any variables that other than IV that seem likely to influence the DV in a specific study
What is a confounding variable?
two variables that are linked in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effect on the DV
what is a sample bias?
taking a sample(a subgroup) that may not be representative of the population (the entire group in which the sample is taken from)
What are the five steps in a scientific investigation?
- Formulate a testable hypothesis: to create a hypothesis, you must have a theory
- each variable must have an operational definition
-example: how would you operationally define someones weight? Temperature? height? - Select the research method and design the study: researcher must identify the method to use base on the nature of the question under study
- researcher would recruit participants and/or subjects to observe in a systematic way
- participants=people
- subjects=animals - Collect the data: researchers use a variety of data collection techniques
- example= questionnaires - Analyze the data and draw conclusions: researchers use statistics to access the results of the data and determine whether their hypothesis can be supported
- Report the findings: researchers prepare a report that is delivered at a scientific meeting or submitted to a journal for publication
- jornal
- peer review proccess
what are the advantages of the scientific approach?
- clarity and precision (specify exactly what needs to be examined in the hypothesis)
- intolerance of error( scientists are trained to be skeptical; findings are inspected critically for accuracy)
What are research methods?
different approaches to the observation, measurement, manipulation, and control of variables in empirical studies
- two basic types of research methods: experimental method and correlation/descriptive methods
what are experimental methods?
researchers manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions(independent variable) to observe its effect on another variable (dependent variable)
what is an experimental group?
participants or subjects receive special treatment
what is a control group?
participants or subjects receive no treatment
what are the advantages of the experimental method?
- conclude a cause and effect relationship
- determine whether a particular IV (the cause) is the reason for influencing the DV (the effect)
What are the disadvantages of the experimental method?
- often artificial: it may not be realistic or practical in the real world
- not all variables can be manipulated because it would be unethical
What are the correlation/descriptive methods?
- the methods do not provide a cause and effect relationship, but they still provide a relationship
- the goal is to see whether there is a link or association between the variables of interest without the researcher having full control of how these variables are manipulated
what is correlation?
determine if two variables are related to each other based on two factors: direction and strength through a numerical value called correlation coefficient
what is a correlation coefficient?
a statistical number indicating whether the relationship between two variables is strong or weak
What are the descriptive methods?
naturalistic observation: the researcher carefully observes behavior without intervening directly with the subjects
case studies: an in depth investigation of an individual or special group
surveys: questionnaires or interviews to gather data on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
what are the advantages of the descriptive method?
- able to explore uncontrolled behaviors
- less artificial in a non-laboratory setting
what are the disadvantages of the descriptive method?
- unable to determine a cause and effect relationship
- you don’t know if x causes y or if y causes x; therefore your unable to know which is the independent and dependent variables
what are other concerns in evaluating research?
scientists are fallible human beings and their studies are not always free of errors
what are the ethical principles in research?
when researchers have people participating in their study, there are important guidelines to follow:
- participation is voluntary(participates can withdraw at any time)
- there should be no harmful or dangerous treatments given to participants
- if deception was involved in the study, participants should be debriefed(informed of the true nature and purpose of the research) as soon as possible
- peoples privacy should never be compromised: data should remain anonymous and confidential
what is positive correlation?
both variables go in different directions (represented as a positive(+) sign)
- x goes up and y goes down. or x goes down and y goes down
what is a negative correlation?
both variables go in different directions (represented as a negative(-) sign)
- x goes up and y goes down or x goes down and y goes up
what are neurons?
individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit Information
what is the soma (cell body)?
contains the cell nucleus and most of the chemical machinery common to most cells
what is a dendrite?
part of a neuron that receives informations
what is the axon?
a long thin fiber that transmits signals to other neurons to other neurons, muscles, or glands
what is the myelin sheath?
insulating material that encases some axons
what are the terminal buttons?
small knobs that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters
what is the synapse?
a junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to another
What is a glia?
cells found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons (examples: supply nourishment to neurons, remove waste products, provide insulation around many axons)
what is the resting potential?
electrochemical reaction between ions: electrically charged atoms ad molecules (going inside and out of a neuron)
- stable, negative charge when cell is inactive or at rest(-70mv)
what is the action potential?
a very brief shift in a neurons electrical charge that travel along a axon
- channels of a membrane open
- positive charged ions rush in (magnetism)
- less negative and more positive then fires (only for an instant)
- voltage then races down axon
- absolute refractory period: minimum length of time after an action potential, another cannot begin(1-2 ms)
what is the all or none law?
- a neuron either fires or it doesn’t
- all action potentials are the same size
- neurons convey the strength of a stimuli through the rate at which it fires action potentials
what are the five steps of synaptic transmission?
- synthesis of neurotransmitters and storage in synaptic vesicles
- synaptic vesicles touch the membrane of the presynaptic cell and release its contents in the cleft
- unused neurotransmitters go through inactivation (convert) or removal (drift away)
- reuptake: when neurotransmitters are “sponged up” from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane
what is acetylcholine?
motor control and memory
what is dopamine?
the reward pathway
what is norepinephrine?
mood and arousal
what is serotonin?
sleep/arousal (wake)
What is GABA?
inhibitory transmitter, regulation of anxiety, sleep/arousal, and anxiolytic Rx
what are endorphins?
pain relief and stress responses
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Made up of all the nerves that are outside the brain and spinal cord
(has the somatic and automatic nervous system)
what is the somatic nervous system and what does it contain?
nerves to voluntary muscles, sensory receptors (two way street)
- afferent: incoming nerves from periphery to central nervous system
- efferent: outgoing from central nervous system to periphery
what is the automatic nervous system and what does it contain?
nerves to heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands
-sympathetic: mobilizes, fight or flight response
-parasympathetic: consists of the brain
What is the central nervous system and what does it consist of?
consists of the brain and spinal cords, cerebrospinal fluid(CSF), blood brain barrier
What is the spinal cord?
Houses bundles of axons that carry the brains commands to peripheral nerves and relays sensation from the periphery to the brain
what is the brain?
integrates info from inside and outside the body, coordinates the bodies actions, enables speech, thought, memory, planning, creating, and dreaming
What is the hindbrain and what does it consist?
cerebellum(little brain): relatively large and deeply folded(80%) structure posterior to the brainstem
- movement
- physical balance
- new research suggests perception, recognition, and recall of emotions and language processing
medulla: controls largly unconscious functions
- breathing
- maintaining muscle tone
- regulating circulation
pons(bridge): fibers that connect the brainstem with the cerebrum
-sleep/arousal
What is the midbrain and what does it consist?
between the hindbrain and forebrain
- integration of sensory processes
- dopamine system (reward pathway)
- reticular formation (modulation of muscle reflexes, breathing, pain perception)
- sleep/ wake(function overlaps with the hindbrain(decentralization) amending fibers wakefulness specifically
what is the forebrain and what does it consist?
thalamus: all sensory info except smell must pass to get to the cerebral cortex
hypothalamus: hypo(under) under the thalamus, regulation of biological needs. Four fs: fighting, feeling, feeding, and mating
limbic system(edge): hippocampus, amygdala, pleasure/dopamine centers
cerebrum: largest and most complex (learning, remembering, thinking)
cerebral cortex: wrinkled surface of the cerebrum, outer layer
cerebral hemispheres: right and left half of the cerebrum
corpus callous: major structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres
What is the occipital lobe?
the primary visual cortex
what is the parietal lobe “primary somatosensory cortex”?
Sense of touch, bodies position in space
What is the temporal lobe “near the temples”?
primary auditory cortex
what is the frontal lobe?
largest , primary moter cortex. more cortex for fine motor movement , less for crude movement (thighslshoulderg)
what is the prefrontal cortex?
executive control system, CEO
what are family studies?
assess trait resemblance among blood relatives
what are twin studies?
compare trait resemblance of identical and fraternal twins
what are adoptive studies?
compare adopted children to their adoptive parents and to their biological parents
what are hormones?
chemicals released by endocrine system
Governed by hypothalamus and pituitary glands…
releases a variety of chemicals that fan out and stimulate action in other endocrine glands
what is oxytocin?
a hormone that is released by the pituitary gland regulates reproductive behavior, fosters bonding and influences social behavior.
