Intro to Psychology Flashcards
Which part of the brain is responsible for language?
Left
What did patients with Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Lesions on the Iowa Gambling Task exhibit
-Failed
-Dampened anticipatory SCRs
-No difference between decks
Sunken Cost Fallacy
A person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action when they have already invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial
Confirmation bias
the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories
Actor-Observer bias
the tendency to attribute one’s actions to external causes while attributing other people’s behaviors to internal causes
Optimism bias
the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of experiencing positive events and underestimate the likelihood of experiencing negative events
Anchoring effect
Relying too much on the first piece of evidence heard, and using such to make decisions
Representative heuristic
Decision making based on stereotypes or prototypes, rather than on all available information
Bias blindspot
When people are more aware of bias in others than in themselves
Hyperbolic discounting
Choosing immediate rewards over future rewards, even if the future reward is more valuable
What is the goal of psychology?
Produce relatively reliable predictions about human behavior
What are the steps in the scientific approach to psychology?
- Hypothesis, based on theory
- Information derived on procedures designed to minimize error
- Study, preferably experiment, is performed
- Process is opened to questioning
- Replication is required
- Theory or model is established or revised
What is the difference between a study and an experiment?
Study: any research method used to gather data and investigate a phenomenon
Experiment: specific type of study where a researcher actively manipulates variables to observe the effect on another variable typically with a controlled environment and often with random assignment to groups
What are the elements of good scientific design in psychology?
Random Sampling
Observation and Measurement
-Operationaling Variables
Importance of control conditions
Statistical analyses
Generate conclusions consistent with data
X Variable
Independent variable
-manipulated or changed by the experimenter
Y Variable
Dependent variable
-being measured or tested by the experimenter
What is the Rosenzweig study?
Animal research on neuroplasticity
-Enriched vs impoverished cage environments
-Euthanized, brain autopsied, enriched had thicker and heavier brain cortex
-Re ran 16 times
- Tested for “handling effects”
-Tested for “stress effects” (isolation)
-Artificial environment?
Dendritic branching
dendrites of neurons make new connections with other neurons
Localization of brain funciton
Each area of the brain has a particular function
- is not fixed and can change
Psychological Research with Humans must include what?
-Institutional review board
-Informed consent: use of deception
-Can quit the study at any time
-No penalty upon forfeit
-Confidentiality and anonymity maintained
-Right to debriefing
Psychological Research with Animals?
-Standards of Care for animals
-Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
-Animals are treated as humanely as possible
What is cultural psychology?
The way in which cultures impact on the behavior of individuals: specifics, not universals
