Exam 1 Psych Flashcards
What year did Wilhelm Wundt find the first lab dedicated to psychology and when structuralism came about?
1879
What year did behaviorism become about?
1913
What year did cognitivism come about?
1967
What are the four definitions of psychology?
the science of mind and behavior, the science of experimental epistemology, the science of knowing and experiencing, the science of things that move on their own
dualism
the universe is made of two interacting substances; physical and nonphysical matter
materialism
the universe is only made of physical matter
scientific materialism
all that exists is matter in motion
The neural assumption is made by…
scientific materialists
Who does psychology apply to?
humans, animals, plants
James Gibson
wanted to look at locomotion; ecological approach to psychology
Reflex
an automatic, stereotyped movement produced as the direct result of a stimulus
What parts make up a neuron?
dendrites, cell body (soma), axon, terminal endings
What is the resting potential of a neuron?
-70 mV
What happens when neurons are stimulated?
Na+ ions are let inside the cell, makes the inside more positive (-70, -69, -68 mV)
When enough Na+ ions get in for the potential to be reduced to -55 mV, what happens?
The ion gates to the cell membrane are flung open, allowing Na+ to rush in
What is the action potential?
40 mV
How does the cell go back to resting potential?
by pushing out K+ ions (Na+ goes out slower), then another pump takes Na+ back out and puts K+ back in
What is the threshold?
-55 mV
Synapse
the gap between two neurons (the presynaptic and post-synaptic)
_________ of presynaptic neurons relay impulses to dendrites of postsynaptic neurons
terminal endings
When do vesicles burst and what do they release?
vesicles burst at action potential; they release neurotransmitters
__________ on membrane of dendrite are like little locks to be opened and neurotransmitters are like the keys (what opens ion gates to allow Na+ inside in the first place)
receptor molecules
neurotransmitters may open a gate to let Na+ inside
excitatory
neurotransmitters may open a gate that pushes positive K+ ions out
inhibitory
temporal summation
repeated subthreshold stimuli applied over time; over time it will illicit a response
spatial summation
if you stimulate multiple places at the same time it will illicit a response
reciprocal inhibition
two opposing tendencies, and one will inhibit the other
central nervous system consists of…
brain and spinal cord
The peripheral nervous system is divided into…
the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
What does the somatic nervous system control?
muscles and senses
What does the autonomic nervous system control?
vital functions: heart rate, breathing, digestion, reproduction
What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
arousal: mobilizes for emergency
parasympathetic nervous system
calm: conserves energy
What are the parts of the hind brain?
medulla, pons, cerebellum
what is the medulla responsible for?
breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation
what are the pons responsible for?
arousal and attention
what is the cerebellum responsible for?
integration of muscles to perform fine movements, but no coordination/direction of these movements; balance
If a cat was transected just above the hindbrain how would it behave?
low-decerebrate cat; can move but not act
What is the other name for the pons?
bridge
Midbrain
forms movements into acts; controls whole body responses to visual and auditory stimuli
How would a cat act if just transected just above midbrain?
can act, but without regard to environment, without purpose
superior colliculus
part of the midbrain; “upper hills”
substantia nigra
part of midbrain; “black substance”
forebrain
cerebral hemispheres connected by corpus callosum
what are the parts of the forebrain?
thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, cerebral cortex
thalamus
sensory and motor relay center
hypothalamus
controls responses to basic needs (food, temp, sex)
basal ganglia
regulates muscle contractions for smooth movements
what are the parts of the limbic system
hippocampus and amygdala
limbic system
memory (hippocampus) and emotion (amygdala)
cerebral cortex
four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal; seat of higher intellectual functions
How would a cat behave transected above its limbic system?
acts normal, with purpose, but clumsy
corpus callosum
connects hemispheres
cerebral cortex
higher motor, sensory, and intellectual functions
Broca’s aphasia
speech is diminished and there is a loss of normal grammatical structure
Wernicke’s aphasia
speech comprehension is diminished
frontal lobe
planning; social behavior; motor control
parietal lobe
somatosensory (sense of touch) (on top and toward back of brain)
occipital
vision
temporal
hearing, memory (side of brain)
left hemisphere is responsible for
language
right hemisphere is responsible for
spatial abilities
front
expression/ actions/ plans
back
reception/ perceptions/ interpretations
pre-frontal lesions
loss of planning, moral reasoning, sensitivity to social context (or loss of initiation of action, deliberation)
apraxia
“no doing”; failure in sequencing components of actions; inability to organize movements (not paralysis); frontal lesions just forward of motor cortex
agnosia
“no knowing”; deficit in interpreting, categorizing, labeling, knowing; occipital or temporal lesions
neglect
right hemisphere (parietal) damage causes inattention to the whole left side
aphasia
left hemisphere (frontal or temporal) damage causes deficits in language function (damage to Broca’s area or Wernicke’s area)
expressive aphasia
cannot produce speech; lesion to Broca’s area
receptive aphasia
cannot understand speech, and consequently cannot produce speech; lesion to Wernicke’s area
