Final exam subdivisions Flashcards
Acetylcholine
a neurotransmitter – muscle action and memory
Beta-endorphin
a neurotransmitter – pain and pleasure
Dopamine
a neurotransmitter – mood, sleep, and learning
Norepinephrine
a neurotransmitter – heart, intestines, and alertness
Serotonin
a neurotransmitter – mood and sleep
Sensory Memory
storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes.
STM
a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory.
LTM
the continuous storage of information
Explicit memory
facts and events we can consciously remember
Implicit memory
memories that are not part of our consciousness, formed unknowingly
Amygdala
part of limbic system; manages emotion, memory, and fear
Hippocampus
part of limbic system; associated with learning and memory
Hypothalamus
part of limbic system; regulates homeostatic processes
Medulla
part of hindbrain; controls automated processes: breathing, bld. pres., hrt. rt.
Pons
part of hindbrain; connects brain and spinal cord, involved in activity during sleep
Cerebellum
part of hindbrain; balance, coordination, movement, motor skills
Anchoring bias
fixation on a detail
Confirmation bias
fixation on info agreeing with pre-existing beliefs
Hindsight bias
“I knew it all along!”
Representative bias
unintentionally stereotype someone or something
Heuristic
mental short cut
Availability heuristic bias
focus on info most available to you
Vicarious reinforcement
process where the observer sees the model rewarded, making the observer more likely to imitate the model’s behavior.
Vicarious punishment
process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the model’s behavior.
Steps of modeling process (observational learning)
- Attention – focus on the behavior.
- Retention – remember what you observed.
- Reproduction – be able to perform the behavior.
- Motivation – must want to copy the behavior.
reciprocal determinism
Personality formed by:
- Behavior
- Cognitive Factors
- Situational factors
fundamental attribution error
Blame others’ behavior on their character, but blame your own behavior on circumstance.
groupthink
people change their opinions to conform with the group
bystander effect
The more a person is surrounded by others, the less they are to act due to social loafing.
social loafing
a person exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when working alone
ways to reduce cognitive dissonance
- Change their behavior - quitting smoking.
- Change their belief through rationalization or denial - such as discounting the evidence that smoking is harmful.
- Add a new cognition – “Smoking suppresses appetite so I don’t become overweight, which is good for my health”.
Problem-focused coping
identifying the problem, considering solutions and selecting solution. often when stress is seen as controllable
Emotion-focused coping
avoiding, minimizing, or distancing oneself from the problem, seeking happiness or treating symptoms of the stress rather than the problem itself. often used when stress is seen as out of control
Hallucinogens
substances causing changes in sensory and perceptual experiences; includes Mescaline and LSD (serotonin agonists), PCP and ketamine (NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists)
Stimulants
substances that increase overall levels of neural activity; includes Cocaine, Amphetamine, Cathinones (i.e., bath salts), MDMA, caffeine, nicotine, opioids (all highly addictive)
Depressants
substances that suppress the central nervous system activity by binding to GABA receptors which makes the neuron less likely to fire; includes Alcohol, Barbiturates (anticonvulsant medication), Benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medication)
Teratogen
any environmental agent (biological, chemical, or physical) that causes damage to the developing embryo or fetus.
ex. alcohol, smoking, drugs, viruses, radiation
Sleep debt
Sleep debt – result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis.
Sleep Rebound
Sleep rebound – a sleep-deprived individual will tend to take a shorter time to fall asleep during subsequent opportunities for sleep.
Stanley Milgram Study
Obedience experiment: participants told to ‘shock’ learners under the instruction of an authority figure, and 2/3 participants continued to give shocks to an unresponsive learner
- showed the surprising degree to which people obey authority
Phillip Zimbardo study
Stanford Prison Experiment: a mock prison was constructed and participants were given roles: prisoner or guard. The participants fell into their roles intensely, demonstrating the power of social roles, social norms, and scripts.
Solomon Asch study
Conformity experiment: one subject and the rest were confederates; asked to look at two pictures of lines and determine which one was equal in height.
- The subject was likely to go along with the group, especially if there was a higher amount of people and they all gave the wrong answer
- Showed the influence of group majority on an individual’s judgement
Dendrites
branching extensions of the soma (cell body), serving as input sites for messages from other neurons
Axon
a major extension of a neuron where signals are transmitted and delivered to terminal buttons, which release neurotransmitters
Neuron
cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, which are essential for all of the tasks of the nervous system
Neurotransmitter
chemical messenger of the nervous system
Frontal lobe
part of the cerebral cortex involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language; located in front
Parietal lobe
part of the cerebral cortex involved in processing various sensory and perceptual information; located on top
Temporal lobe
part of cerebral cortex associated with hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language; located near the ear
Occipital lobe
part of the cerebral cortex associated with visual processing; located in back
Major depressive disorder symptoms
“depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day” and loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities (for diagnosis, at least five symptoms for at least two weeks)
Symptoms:
- Weight loss or weight gain/increased or decreased appetite.
- Difficulty falling asleep or too much sleep.
- Psychomotor agitation or psychomotor retardation.
- Fatigue/loss of energy.
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
- Difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness.
- Suicidal ideation – thoughts of death, thinking about/planning suicide, suicide attempt.
Limbic system
collection of structures involved in processing emotion and memory
Endocrine system
series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones
Thalamus
sensory relay for the brain
Substance withdrawal
negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued.
Substance tolerance
occurs when a person requires more and more of a drug to achieve effects previously experienced at lower doses; linked to physiological dependence.
Substance dependence
Physiological dependence - involves changes in normal bodily functions and withdrawal upon cessation of use.
Psychological dependence – emotional need for the drug.
Stereotypes
a specific belief or assumption about individuals based solely on their membership in a group. (“People who have a name that begins with J are arrogant and obnoxious.”)
Prejudice
a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group. (“I hate people with the first letter J in their name; they make me angry.”)
Discrimination
a negative action toward an individual as a result of one’s membership in a particular group. (“I would never hire nor become friends with a person if I knew he or she had a name that started with J.”)
