Exam Unit 1 Flashcards
What are the steps of the scientific method
Identify area of research and form an aim
Collect information or data
Identify research question and create a hypothesis
Design a research method to test hypotheses
Collect and analyze data
Draw a conclusion
Report findings
Test the conclusion
What is an IV
the thing that is deliberately manipulated or varied by the experimenter
What is a DV
the thing that is being measured in the experiment
What is a EV
it is something other than the IV that could cause changes in the DV
What is a CV
a variable other than the IV that has a systematic effect on the value of the DV.
How do you write a hypothesis and what is it
A hypothesis is a clear statement that predicts how the changes in the IV will affect the results of the DV.
What is a population
the group in which we wish to draw conclusions from.
What is a sample
the selection of a smaller group of people from the population
What is a random sample
a sampling procedure where every member or number of the population has an equal chance of being selected.
what is stratified sampling
the division of the population into smaller sub groups
What is the difference between Experimental group and Control group
E group - experimental group or e group is the group that is exposed to the IV.
C group - control group or c group is the group that is not exposed to the IV.
What is the Pablo experiment and how do you control for this
Placebo effect - is the participants’ behaviour being influenced by the expectations of how they should or think they should behave.
What is the experimental effect and how do you control for this
Experimental effect - refers to the outcome of an experiment being unintentionally influenced by the experimenter.
What is Qualitative data
he characteristics of what is being studied (opposite to quantitative data it is worded instead of numerical)
What is Quantitative data
refer to measurements - numerical information about the information studied
What is Subjective data
based on opinion, it is data collected based on an individual’s feelings and their responses to the question.
What is Objective data
where everyone is meant to get the same result, it is where there is a right answer.
What is Repeated measures
It is where each participant is part of both groups in the research.
What is Matched participants
participants can be ranked in accordance with scores then allocated to groups.
What are Independent groups
allocates participants to the groups at random
What is Experimental designs
a method of controlling Ev’s by the design of the experiment.
What are the ethical considerations
Confidentiality - (privacy) participants must not be identified in any way in terms of test results
Voluntary participation - Participants have the right to refuse to take part in a study.
Withdrawal rights - Participants have the right to leave a study at any stage, regardless of the effect on the result.
Informed consent - Participants must be given information about the study before they agreed to takepart.
Deception in research - this is only permitted if the results would be confused if the participants have too much information before taking part in the study.
Debriefing - occurs after completion of the study and participants are told the results and conclusions of the study.
What does the CNS consist of
central nervous system consists of the spinal cord and the brain.
What is the role of the CNS
he role of the CNS is to convey messages from the brain to the rest of the body. And the brain to the PNS.
What does the PNS consist of
everything else in the body
What is the role of the PNS
The peripheral nervous systems job is to communicate information fron the body’s organs, glands and muscles to the CNS, from the outside world and inside world. And it also communicates information from the CNS to the body’s organs, glands and muscles via motor neurons.
What are the subdivisions of the PNS
the somatic and autonomic nervous system.
What is the somatic nervous system
responsible for the voluntary movement of skeletal muscles. Motor neurons carry messages from the CNS to muscles.
What is the autonomic nervous system
responsible for the communication of information between the CNS and the body’s non-skeletal muscles and internal organs that are needed to carry out basic bodily functions.
What are the subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
What is the sympathetic nervous system
acts when the body perceives to itself to be in danger or in times of stress. It reddies the body for actions such as the fight, flight or freeze response.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system
operates in times where the body is calm.It maintains automatic day to day bodily functions.
What is the structure of a neuron
neurons are composed of three elements, they are dendrites., soma and axon.
What is the function of a neuron
receive information from other neurons, process the information, and then communicate it to other neurons. Neurons receive, process and then transmit information to each other
What are dendrites
Look tree-like and their role is to receive information from other neurons or sensory receptors via synapses and deliver this to the cell body or soma.
What are soma
It is the cell body and is the largest part of the neuron, it controls the metabolism and maintenance of the cell.
What is an axon
Is the nerve fiber that carries information away from the soma to their ends towards other cells in contact with the neuron.
What is myelin
Is that fatty substance that covers the axon and it is for insulation and to protect the axon from fluid and other neurons.
What are glial cells
Not actually part of the neuron. But they hold neurons together like glue. The 4 main functions include: surround neurons and hold them in place, supply nourishment and oxygen to neurons, remove dead neurons, insulate one neuron from another and increase the speed of transmission of nerve impulses.
Where is the hindbrain located
Is located towards the back or underneath of the brain.
What does the hindbrain consist of
It consists of the medulla, pons and cerebellum.It is also part of the reticular formation.
What is the role of the hindbrain
The hindbrain mainly supports bodily functions and is the link between the spinal cord and brain. The hindbrain is crucial for movement and balance.
What is the medulla
Is the continuation of the spine and it controls breathing, heartbeat and digestion.
What is the pons
Located above the medulla a receives information sent from visual areas to control eye and body actions.
What is the cerebellum
Third major part of the hindbrain. It receives information from the pons and its role is to coordinate the sequence of body movement.
Where is the midbrain located
Sits above the hindbrain and below the forebrain it is much smaller than the other parts and sits in the middle of the brain.
What does the midbrain consist of
reticular formation
What is the role of the midbrain
It is responsible for the regulation of sleep, motor movement, and arousal. It includes the reticular formation.
What is reticular formation
It is a network of neurons part of both the midbrain and hindbrain, and it also connects the hindbrain and forebrain. Important for arousal and the ‘sleeping waking’ cycle
Where is the forebrain located
Located above each of the other parts of the brain and sits on the top of the brain.
What does the forebrain consist of
cerebrum, hypothalamus and thalamus
What is the role of the forebrain
It regulates complex cognitive processes such as thinking, learning, memory, perception, emotion and personality.
What is the cerebrum
It divides the left and right hemispheres. They are separated by the corpus colosseum which is what allows it to exchange and coordinate information. It’s responsible for almost everything we consciously think, feel and do.
What is the hypothalamus
Is in control of basic survival needs including: sleep, temperature, expression of emotions and the 4 f’s - feeding, fighting, fleeing and fornication. Also hunger, thirst and instinctive drive. The hypothalamus basically maintains the body’s internal environment.
What is the cerebral cortex
Is the other layer of the brain and receives information from the environment; higher order thinking such as problem solving and planning. It is also involved in memory , language and emotion regulation. It has billions of neurons; bulges are called gyri; valleys are called sulci.
What are the four lobes
frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital.
What are the 3 parts of the brain
hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain.
What is the role of the frontal lobe
body movement, language, planning, judgement, problem solving, parts of personality and emotional regulation.
What does the frontal lobe consist of
it includes the primary motor cortex
What is the role of the parietal lobe
receives sensations from the body; touch, pressure, temperature and pain.
What does the parietal lobe consist of
Contains the primary somatosensory cortex-
What is the role of the temporal lobe
Processes all auditory information (sensation received in ears) It is vital for understanding human speech or listening to music and a person with damaged primary auditory cortex is likely to experience forms of deafness.
What does the temporal lobe consist of
primary auditory cortex
What is the role of the occipital lobe
Entirely concerned with vision. Information from the left side of each retina is processed in the left optical lobe and vice versa. Information from the center of the visual field and center of each retina is processed in both lobes.
What does he occipital lobe consist of
primary visual cortex
What are the 4 primary cortexes
motor, somatosensory, auditory and visual
Where is the visual cortex located
occipital lobe
What is the role of the visual cortex
receives visual information from the eyes
Where is the auditory cortex located
temporal lobe
What is the role of the auditory crotex
receives sound information from the ears
Where is the somatosensory cortex located
parietal lobe
What is the role of the somatosensory cortex
receives information from sense receptors in the skin.
Where is the motor cortex located
frontal lobe
What is the role of the motor cortex
controls movement.
What is hemispheric specialisation
where each hemisphere receives information from the opposite side of the brain. The left side of the brain functions for the right side of the body and vice versa. Although both sides of the brain are commonly used working together to perform most functions.
What does the left side of the brain dominate in
right-hand touch, math, language, science, writing and logic
What does the right side of the brain dominate in
left-hand touch, music appreciation, art appreciation, dance, sculpture, perception and fantasy.
What is developmeantal plasticity
the ability of synapses to be modified
What is adaptive plasticity
Changes in the brain as learning takes place. More common in the foetal stage.
What are the 5 stages of plasticity
proliferation, migration, circuit formation, synaptic pruning, myelination
What happens during proliferation
fetal neurons divide and multiply, creating about 250,000 cells per minute.
What happens during migration
newly formed neurons move outward their destinies location. The role that a particular neuron might have is determined by where it is located at its time of formation.
What happens during circuit formation
the axons of a new neuron grow out to target cells and form synapses with them.
What happens during synaptic pruning
involves the elimination of excess neurons and synapses; that is those that have not established a connection with a neighbouring cell will die.
What happens during myelination
a process where the axons of the neurons in the neurons of the child’s brain become insulated by myelin, is the final stage before the brain becomes fully mature.
What does synaptogenesis mean?
It is the process of forming new synapses.
Which structures in the brain develop during adolescence
cerebellum, amygdala, corpus callosum, frontal lobe
How does the cerebellum develop during adolescence
there is an increase in the amount of neurons and synapses in the cerebellum.
How does the amygdala develop during adolescence
becomes more active in adolescence
How does the corpus callosum develop during adolescence
thickness and there is an increase in the number of connections (nerve fibres) between hemispheres.
How does the frontal lobe develop during adolescence
motor movement and higher order thinking. Is the last part of the brain to undergo the process of myelination.
What are some common causes of brain damage
Head injuries, strokes, (lack of oxygen to the brain) and severe injuries that damage the brain directly. Eg. concussion can cause brain injuries.
What is adaptive plasticity after bran damage and how does it work
Adaptive plasticity is your brain developing through experiences, but the brain can also continue to develop and recover after serious injury because the brain continues to create neurons through its lifetime which enables the brain to cope with new experiences. And the more experiences a human has the more active the brain will remain - the more plasticity stays throughout lifetime.
What happened to Cameron Mott
Was having many seizures and after brain surgery almost went completley normal
What is Broca’s aphasia
Is a result of damage to the Broca’s area which is located in the left frontal lobe and surrounding areas. And it can also be called expressive aphasia because a person with broca’s aphasia had trouble expressing themselves in words or sentences, although they are still able to understand speech almost perfectly.
Where does Broca’s aphasia occur
left frontal lobe and surrounding areas
What are characteristics of Broca’s aphasia
speech non-fluent, not able to remember any names, difficulty pronouncing words, speech lacks grammar, trouble with writing, mild comprehension difficulties
What is Wernicke’s aphasia
Is a result of damage to the Wernike’s area which is located in the left temporal lobe close to the parietal lobe boundary. Someone with Wernicke’s aphasia has trouble with written and spoken language and if they try to write or speak it makes no sense to others. Speech is fluent and they are able to talk freely and rapidly although it makes no sense to others.
Where does Werniche’s aphasia occur
left temporal lobe close to the parietal lobe boundary.
What are characteristics of Wernicke’s aphasia
speech is fluent and flows quite normally, there is partial or complete loss of the ability to recall names, they may struggle to find the right words, nonsense words are used that make no sense, difficulty understanding and pronouncing written and spoken language.
What is spatial neglect
Also known as neglect syndrome because it is a disorder where the person affected completely ignores the stimuli on one side of the body. Commonly caused by a brain injury and particularly in the areas of the right parietal lobe which results in the ignoring of the left side of the body. Basically the person affected is ‘blind’ on one side of the body although they are not actually blind because their eye still functions normally. Eg. may pronounce words like baseball and toothpick as ball and pick. Or they might only draw half a picture displayed to them.
How do genes and environment affect behaviour
When babies are born they are born with genetic material inherited from their parents although they have also been under the influence of physical, cognitive, social and emotional behaviours (environment factors). A baby’s genetic makeup determines its developmental potential but reaching that potential is entirely dependent and the environment the baby grows up in.
Genes lay out the foundation and environment influences the genes.
Explain twin studies
Twins share the same genetic material and as they grow up commonly have the same or similar environment. Although Jim twins who were separated at birth when meeting again were very similar. They shared the same interests and their intelligence was very similar as well as their handwriting. So although growing up in a different environment the Jim twins were still extremely similar. `
Nature/nurture and influence on intelligence
Hereditary and the environment interact to influence the intellectual potential of a child. For example if a child had a disease it can affect their intelligence.
Nature/nurture and influence on personality
Personality is both nature and nurture because if it was entirely genetic as a person ages their personality would stay exactly the same, likewise if it was entirely determined by environment then personality would change significantly through their lifetime. Which as we know people do change although their main personality traits stay the same or very similar throughout their life.
Stages of lifespan development – ages and milestones
Infancy 0-2/ rapid growth, increased memory and understanding abilities, enjoyment of play and understanding of themselves.
Childhood preschool children / rapid brain development, preferred hand established, understanding language, more pretend play and learning about gender roles.
Childhood school aged children / Growth slows, motor skills improve, attention span improves, more logical thinking, improved memory and problem solving abilities, more independent and friendship groups become stable - commonly with the same gender.
Adolescence 12-20 / dramatic growth, logical thinking and understanding, quest for independence, self image and esteem, emotionally closer friendships.
Early adulthood 20-40 / Peak physical functioning, good cognitive skills, work on self identity, intimacy and independence, adjustment to new roles such as marriage and parenthood.
Middle Age 40-65 / Physically declines, more stable cognitive functioning, more stable self-identity and careers and family are more stable.
Old age 65+ / continues physical decline, cognitive declines, life satisfaction, close ties to family and friends.
Wha are the types of development
Physical, cognitive, emotional and social
What is physical developmet
impacts our psychological functioning. mOur bodies and out brain change, we becomes bigger and stronger and out motor skills become better eg. holding a pen or tying shoelaces. Body changes during puberty, menopause and old age.
What is cognitive development
Refers to development of our mental abilities though the course of our lifetime. Ou problem solving, memories, language and thinking abilities change throughout of lives
What is emotional and social development
as you age you understand social rules and situation changes, along with cognitive changes, you change socially and emotionally. You develop the ability to regulate emotions. Also as you age you become more interested in expanding their social network for their caregiver to many other people such as friends, teachers etc.
What is the difference between learning and maturation
Learning is permanent changes in behaviour due to experience whereas maturing is genetically programmed processes that govern growth.
What are inborn reflexes
automatic responses to specific stimuli, they are entirely hereditary and not due to nature in any way.
What are developmental norms
indicate the average age that a certain behaviour of skill will be achieved based of the mean age of a large sample
What are critical periods
in development are times of special sensitivity to certain environment factors that can shape an individual’s capacity for feature development.
What are teratogens
toxic substances that are capable of harming an unborn child’s development.
What are sensitive periods
best optimal times for psychological development in certain areas, such as learning to speak in the first years of life. If these sensitive periods are missed it is very hard to then learn the skills later on in life, although it is definitely possible just the outcome will not be the same as others.
What is Experience expectant learning
where it is vital the individual is exposed to the necessary experiences to develop.
What is experience dependent learning
a form of learning that can occur at any time during an individual’s life and refers to plasticity encoding new experiences that occur throughout life.
What is emotional development
Negative and positive emotions, the way we feel and interact with others, aslo how we display our emotions.
What is infant attatchment
Attachment forms between a child and parent and that is their first emotional relationship a child has. At 3-5 months infants show attachment-like behaviours. Emotional development allows attachment to occur: that is a strong, close and emotional bond that develops between an infant and their caregiver and lasts for many years. `
What was Harlow’s work
Freud proposed that infants become attached to people who could provide them with oral satisfaction or nourishment. Harlow’s work focused on the attachment of these monkeys. Initially he separated infant monkeys from their mothers at birth in order to raise them in a germ free environment because monkeys were dying from disease. He discovered that the monkey grew up healthy, but was unable to get along with the other monkeys. Harlow discovered that the monkeys had grown attached to the blanket in each of the cages, the monkey would get upset if the blanket was taken away from them. From their initial observations, Harlow conducted studies to determine if food or close comforate were more important to the monkey’s attachment. Harlow found out that monkeys spent most of their time with the “surrogate mothers”.
What was Ainsworth’s work
According to Ainsworth, infants can form different types of attachment with their caregivers. These can vary in terms of how strong the connection (quality) is and the kind of connection. The strength of each of these attachments also depends to a large extent on how sensitive and responsive the caregiver(s) is to the infant’s needs. The infant’s responsiveness is also a factor in the type of attachment that is formed.
what are the 5 approaches to normality
situational, cultural, historical, functional, medical
What is situational normality
Different situations require specific behaviour. Eg. It’s not normal to tell jokes, loudly, at a funeral
What is cultural normality
Society has ‘norms’ and rules which govern behaviour. Eg. It’s normal for a child to look an adult in the eyes when talking to them but in Japan that is considered rude.
What is historical normality
Time changes the concept of what is ‘normal’). Eg. A few decades ago a minority of teenagers had body piercings and tattoos. Today the number has increased.
What is statistical normality
Normality can be defined in terms of what is most frequently occurring in a population. Characteristics/behaviour outside the normal range = abnormal. Eg.It is statistically abnormal to be 7 feet tall or have an IQ of 145.
What is functional normality
Normality is dependent on the person being able to carry out their normal activities. Eg.It’s not normal for panic attacks to prevent a person from going to work in the morning.
What is medical normality
Abnormality is defined by the diagnosis of mental illness from specific symptoms. Eg. It’s not normal to hear voices and experience hallucinations.
What is adaptive behaviours
Are age-appropriate ‘everyday living skills’ that can be basic as walking, talking, dressing on our own, attending school.
What are maladaptive behaviours
Develop as a means of reducing anxiety and originated from early childhood experience, family experiences and environmental stressors. In a way they can be viewed as a copy mechanism.
What is a mental health problem
Often occurs as a result of a life stressor, usually less severe, shorter duration than disorder, will often resolve with time or when life stressor changes or passes. If a mental health problem persists or increases in severity it may develop into a disorder
What is a mental health disorder
Combination of thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours which impair the ability to function effectively in everyday life. There is clinically diagnosable dysfunction in thoughts, feelings and/or behaviour. Causes significant personal distress or disability in everyday life. Actions and reactions are atypical of the person and inappropriate within their culture.
What are internal factors which influence mental health
Internal: Self-esteem Confidence Difficult behaviour Inability to accept uncertainty. Negative self-talk. Unrealistic expectations. Need to always be perfect.
What are external factors which influence mental health
External: Feeling loved Family breakup/loss Physical ill health Abuse
What does locus of control refer to
Refers to an individual’s perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life.
what is internal locus of control
A student who takes responsibility for their own learning.
what is external locus of control
A person believes that their behavior is governed by outside influences such as luck
what are internal risk and protective factors
Internal Protective factors are the absence of mental disorder, optimism, internal locus of control, good self-esteem, good health, good memory, and positive attributes. Whereas the internal risk factors depression, pessimistic, external locus of control, poor self-esteem, poor health and negative attributes.
What are external risk and protective factors
External Protective factors are the secure attachment, having a loving and supportive family, good friendships, a sense of belonging, whereas external risk factors are avoidant attachment, little interest from parents, few friendships, and disconnection from others.
what are the Influences on coping with change and challenge
personality, resilience and genetics
What does it mean when personality Influences on coping with change and challenge
Refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The study .
What does it mean when resilience Influences on coping with change and challenge
Is the ability to cope with stress and catastrophe and to adapt to overcome adversity.
If a person tends to be anxious, fearful and avoidant, they will be less likely to develop resilience than a person more relaxed.
What does it mean when genetics Influences on coping with change and challenge
Play an important role in coping with changes. Genetic influences include genetic/heredity, biochemical process and physical health.
What is the definition of stress
Stress can be defined as psychological and physiological response to internal or external tensions/’perceived threats’
What is distress
Distress is a negative psychological response to a perceived ‘stressor’/’threat’.
What is eustress
Eustress is a positive psychological response initiated by ‘positive’ or ‘challenging’ events/news/sources.
Mental illness can be broadly divides into two groups, what are they?
psychosis and neurosis
What is psychosis
Refers to situations when there is some loss of contact with reality. Mental disorders such as schizophrenia have episodes of psychosis. The person may experience hallucinations or lose distinction between reality and the imaginary world.
What is neurosis
Refers to non-psychotic illnesses such as anxiety, depression and personality disorders. There are difficulties with thought, feelings and behaviours.
What is the Rosenhan’s study
This was a study of 8 psychological ‘normal’ people who visited different psychiatric hospitals in the United states complaining they heard voices saying words such as empty, hollow, and thud. They were all sent to hospitals and diagnosed with manic depression (bipolar), schoipherna. Once they were at the hospital they stopped hearing voices. Ranging from 7-52 days they were discharged from the hospitals saying that they didn’t have schizophrenia or bipolar anymore. This study was about the number of fake paintings in the three-months period. Rosenhan studies highlight the issues surrounding diagnosis. Misdiagnosis raise issues about the justification of treatments.
