Exam 1 Flashcards
Research Procedures
Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental
Different Research Methods and How to Choose a Method for a Research Project
Choosing a research question
Selecting most appropriate design
Determining most effective setup
Considering cost, time, ethical issues, and other limitations
Deciding how to measure the behavior or process to be studied
Considering confounding variables
Basic Ethical Concepts for Animals
British Psychological Society (BPS): Has established guidelines for reasonably natural living conditions and companions for social animals
American Psychological Association (APA): Has established guidelines for humane treatment and minimization of infection, illness, and pain
Basic Statistical Concepts
Measures of central tendency include a single score that represents a set of scores.
Mode: Most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution
Mean: Arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores; can be distorted by few atypical scores
Median: Middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it, and half are below it
Sensory Neurons
Most of the neurons are found in the brain, but motor and sensory neurons are found throughout the body. The message does not travel down the axon in the same way an electrical signal does down a wire; in fact, electricity in a wire travels 3 million times faster. In the body, neural signals travel about 2 to 180 miles per hour. However, the chemical signal has an advantage; it does not decrease in intensity as it travels down the axon. No signal is lost.
Acetylcholine
Enables muscle action, learning, and memory.
With Alzheimer’s disease ACh producing neurons deteriorate.
Dopamine
Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.
Oversupply linked to schizophrenia, Undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson’s disease.
Serotonin
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.
Undersupply linked to depression. Some drugs that raise serotonin levels are used to treat depression.
Norepinephrine
Helps control alertness, and arousal.
Undersupply can Depress mood.
GABA (gammaaminobutyric acid)
A major inhibitory
neurotransmitter
Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.
Glutamate
A major excitatory
neurotransmitter; involved in
memory.
Oversupply can overstimulate the brain, producing migraines
or seizures.
Endorphins
Neurotransmitters that influence
the perception of pain or pleasure
Oversupply with opiate drugs can suppress the body’s
natural endorphin supply
The Nervous System and Its Role in Motivation, Learning, and Memory
The body’s speedy electrochemical communication network, which consists of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems
Central nervous system (CNS)
The brain and the spinal cord are the body’s decision makers.
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Sensory and motor neurons connect the CNS to the rest of the body for gathering and transmitting information.
Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
Temporal Lobes
Temporal lobes: Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes areas that receive information from the ears.
Occipital Lobes
Occipital lobes: Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
Parietal Lobes
Parietal lobes: Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Frontal Lobes
Frontal lobes: Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral cortex: Thin layer of interconnected neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center
Plasticity
Neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways.
Neuroplasticiy enables us to adapt to our rapidly changing world.
Through neuroplasticity
The brain changes throughout life by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
New neural pathways reflect personal experiences.
The human brain is designed to change.
Development (zygote to adulthood)
Zygote
Zygote: The life cycle begins at conception, when one sperm cell unites with an egg to form a zygote (fertilized egg). The zygote enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division. (Conception- 2 Weeks)
Embryo
Embryo: The zygote’s inner cells become the embryo; the outer cells become the placenta. The embryo is the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through 2 months.