EXAM 1 Flashcards
What is Psychology?
The study of the mind
What are the 7 types of psychology?
Evolutionary, cognitive, social, structuralism, functionalism, behavioralism,
What is the difference between structuralism vs functionalism?
Structuralism is when you focus on the structure and the bigger picture while Functionalism is when you focus on the function, the parts that do not illuminate the whole.
What are the four types of descriptive statistics?
Survey: Lots of people to which you get direct feedback
Case studies: Take group and put them in environment
Naturalistic observation: Observing someone in their natural state
Laboratory Observation:fixed setting
What is the difference between independent and dependent variable?
The IV is changed to influence the DV
What is a positive correlation?
If X increases, Y increases.
What is a negative correlation?
If X increases, Y decreases
What is no correlation?
There is no discernible pattern with the data.
What did psychology originate from?
Philosophy, medicine, and natural history/ethology
What is objective introspection?
Careful observation of mental processes under controlled conditions
What is behaviorism?
Observable behaviors and environmental factors ONLY
What is tabula rasa?
The idea that children are born with no knowledge or “content” whatsoever and are “filled” by life experiences
What is the difference between a perspective and a subfield?
A perspective is a school of thought or a philosophy that guides the research questions asked, while a subfield is an area of study and study within an academic discipline. (Basically, how you look at it vs. division)
What are the 5 points of tension?
- Relative importance of NATURE vs NUTURE
- Importance of CONSCIOUS vs UNCONSCIOUS processes
- Focus on INTERNAL mental states vs OBSERVABLE behavior
- Orientation towards FREE WILL vs DETERMINISM
- Focus on INDIVIDUALISM differences vs UNIVERSAL principles
What is the order of the research process?
Observe behavior -> Form hypothesis -> Design research -> Conduct experiment -> Receive outcome -> Report results -> Repeat
What is a descriptive method?
A type of research strategy that DESCRIBES what exists in group/population
What are the three types of research strategies?
Descriptive, Correlational, and Experimental
What are the types of descriptive methods?
Naturalistic Observation: Observe subject in natural habitat
Laboratory Observation: Observe subject in controlled environment
Case study: “Intense” observation of one or few individuals
Survey: Gather data by having people answer questions
What is a correlational method?
A method that allows researchers to determine whether a relationship exists between two or more variables
What is the correlation coefficient?
r, measure of strength and direction of correlation (-1 < r < 1)
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
A non-linear relationship (inverted U)
What is a spurious correlation?
When correlation does NOT mean one change causes change in the other variable (Nick cage example)
What is an experimental method?
Simply just conducting an experiment
What are the types of experimental designs?
Between-groups: Each group receives a diff condition
Within-groups: One group receives two conditions
What was the Milgram obedience test?
Shock thing, see how far people would go.
What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
A group who reviews research with humans
What is a neuron?
It controls the transmission of signals/information to organs, muscles, etc
Explain the structure of a neuron.
The head (soma) has a nucleus, the strands out of the head are dendrites, the neck part is called an axon and has myelin sheaths over it, with axon terminals at the end.
Are neurons polarized?
Yes, negative ions inside and positive outside.
What is this different charge in neurons called?
Potential
What is the Action Potential?
a signal that goes through your neuron passing on a message
What is the all-or-none property?
Once it starts, does not stop until hitting the end
What is the refractory period?
The millisecond before it can fire again
What is a synapse?
Where the axon meets the dendrite; with the synaptic cleft which is an intercellular gap
What carries the signal across the synaptic cleft?
A neurotransmitter
What is reuptake?
What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist?
An agonist activates a receptor while an antagonist blocks a receptor/shuts it down
What is the central nervous system?
The brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system?
All the nerves in your body
What is afferent vs efferent?
Afferent is conducting the signal inwards, efferent is conducting the signal outwards
What is the reflex arc?
It is the sensory and motor pathways used in behavior system
What is lateralization?
Left hemisphere controls right side of body and vice versa
What does the left hemisphere do?
Speech/comprehension, analysis/calculations, time/sequencing, recognition of words/letters
What does the right hemisphere do?
Creativity, spacial ability, context/perception, recognition
What is the most common type of neuron in the brain?
An interneuron
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
Wilhelm Wundt established the first laboratory for psychology research in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. He and his students formed the structuralist school of psychology, using introspection to discover the structure of the mind.
Who was William James?
William James and his colleagues rejected purely introspective investigation and formed functionalism, the school of psychology emphasizing the adaptive function of behavior and the careful measurement of the behavior of other people and animals.
Who were Watson and Skinner?
John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner, further emphasized the careful measurement of behavior, specifically when organisms are learning, and rejected the study of any mental phenomena, like emotions and consciousness, that could not be directly observed.
Who were gestalt psychologists?
Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Köhler, studied perception, noting that our perception of any observed scene was more than just the sum of its parts, thus demonstrating that mental functions that could not be directly observed could nevertheless be studied.
What is Occam’s razor?
a principle suggesting that among competing hypotheses, the one requiring the fewest assumptions should be favored.
What does the brain stem do?
It has neurons essential for basic life functions like breathing
What does the cerebellum do?
It coordinates motor behaviors
What does the cerebrum do?
It controls higher mental functions, including decision making and language.
What are the four lobes of the cortex?
Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital.
What does the frontal lobe do?
It controls judgment and decision making
What does the parietal lobe do?
It analyzes touch and pain
What does the temporal lobe do?
It analyzes smell, taste, sound, and speech
What does the occipital lobe do?
It analyzes vision.
What does the basal ganglia do?
It’s crucial for motor coordination
What is the limbic system?
It plays a key role in learning, emotions, and sensory processing.
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation? (TMS)
It allows scientists to temporarily disrupt function in a brain region through the skull, without surgery.
What are electroencephalograms? (EEG)
They record signals from electrodes placed on the surface of the scalp to detect electrical signals generated by the activation of synapses in the brain.
What does computer tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) do?
Take detailed pictures of your brain
What does a functional MRI (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) do?
Help us reflect the mind at work by showing which brain regions are especially active when a person is performing a particular task.
What is consciousness?
the state of being aware that we are conscious, and our perception of what is going on in our minds.
Who is Sigmund Freud?
Mommy guy, believe that behavior is motivated by inner forces/conflicts
