Introduction, Research Methods, Stats, Biological Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
What is Science?
A
the process of systemic observation
2
Q
What is do scientific observations need to be, and what should you avoid using?
A
Objective and measurable observations
Avoid using your interpretation of events
3
Q
What does it mean to say that Science is Democratic?
A
disagreements are solved by looking at the data and the evidence the data provides
4
Q
What does it mean to say that Science is cumulative?
A
Big breakthroughs do not come out of no where. They come from small steps across time
5
Q
True or False: Psychologists are all therapists
A
False. Psychology is a broad field
6
Q
What is psychological inquiry?
A
the scientific study of human thought and behaviour on an individual level
Note: some exceptions in social psychology
7
Q
What do Psychologists study?
A
human behaviour across all people
8
Q
What does studying “good” and “bad” behaviour do?
A
Studying “good” and “bad” behaviour allows for the opportunity to understand why a behaviour occurs. It can then either be discouraged or encouraged
9
Q
What is behaviour?
A
The observable actions produced by an organism while it adjusts to its enviornment
10
Q
True or False: you are only adjusting to your environment when there are large changes
A
False. You are constantly adjusting to and reacting to things in your environment, both physically and inside your head.
11
Q
True or False: Behaviour is solely the reaction to one’s environment
A
False. It is also a reaction to the interpretation of the environment
12
Q
What is an example of an internal factor?
A
genetics
13
Q
What is an example of an external factors?
A
Someone’s upbringing or where they live
14
Q
What is the basis of CBT
A
Controlling maladaptive behaviour
15
Q
What are the 2 parts required for informed consent?
A
- Signed statements indicating participants agree to be involved
- explaining so that the participant actually understands what you are doing to them
16
Q
Why is informed consent sometimes difficult in social psychology?
A
Some experiments risk being affected when giving away all information, and thus must instead must only give away as much as they can without impacting the study.
They must give a debriefing at the end.
17
Q
What is a big part of confidentiality?
A
Where your data is stored
18
Q
What is important for data storage?
A
Servers must be in Canada, data must be encrypted
19
Q
What is the animal rights perspective?
A
Animals have the same rights as humans
20
Q
If following the animal rights perspective, can animals be used for studies?
A
No. They cannot give verbal consent like humans can
21
Q
What is the animal welfare perspective?
A
Animal welfare is the utmost priority
22
Q
What is the mind-body problem?
A
The conundrum of whether there is a physical mind that is part of the body or a figurative mind not bound by physics
23
Q
What was the first scientific form of psychology?
A
Psychophysics
24
Q
What is psychophysics?
A
An interest in the relationship between the physical and psychological worlds
25
What were the original Type of psychologists?
Structuralists
26
What were structuralists interested in?
The what. The structure of the mind
27
What was structuralism criticised as being?
Reductionist (reduced to fine details) and mentalistic (relying too much on introspection). Both have risk of missing stuff
28
What were functionalist interested in?
the purpose of thoughts and behaviours
29
What is the basis of gestalt psychology?
Don't truly understand something by simply listing small features about it
30
What is colour constancy?
knowing it's still the same colour even when the light changes
31
True or false: Phenemona can only be studied once
False. Can be done multiple times at various levels
32
What is the super ego?
code of ethics, social norms, etc
33
What is the ego?
The you that you know about
34
What is the Id?
tendencies not bound by ethics
35
What is the behaviourist perspective?
Looks purely at behaviour. "if you can't see it it doesn't matter."
Come in to the world a blank slate and are shaped by experiences
36
What is different about the humanist perspective?
It looks forward, not back
37
What is the humanist perspective?
Everyone has hopes and dreams and the way you behave is a reflection of that
38
What is the cognitive perspective?
Behaviour is more than just stimulus response, it is how we interpret the environment to be
39
What is the biological perspective?
Behaviour explained by underlying physical structures and biochemical processes. It is not a reaction to anything, it is another level of analysis
40
True or false: Developmental psychology is the study of child development
False. it is the study of development across the life span
41
What is the basis of personality psychology?
What sets someone apart from others that is consistent across most situations
42
What is social psychology?
The influence that groups have on thoughts and behaviours and how group dynamics are influenced by individuals
43
What are the main aspects of clinical psychology
The assessment and treatment of disorders on emotional, mental, and behavioural levels
the promotion of psychological health (such as promoting sleep to prevent sleep deprivation)
44
True or False: It is possible to have absolute certainty in statistics
False. You only have varying degrees of probability. No matter how high the chances it will never be 100%
45
What is descriptive stats?
Describing the data in a way that the brain can comprehend without drawing conclusions
46
What are inferential stats?
Identifying if there are patterns in the data and determining if they are statistically significant
47
What does it mean for something to be statistically significant
That the difference is real and not just due to chance
48
Define "empirical methods"
approaches that are measurable and observable
49
What is empiricism?
the idea that all knowledge comes from experience
50
What is applied psychology
an interest in the application of psychology to everyday life. Mental testing for example
51
True or False: psychology aided to help add homosexuality to the DSM
False. The reverse is true.
52
Define "flashbulb memory"
A highly detailed and vivid memory of an emotionally significant event.
53
What is a neural impulse
An electro-chemical signal that enables neurons to communicate
54
The science of how genes and environments work together to influence behavior is called ____
behavioural genetics
55
Dizygotic twins are also known as ____
fraternal twins
56
Monozygotic twins are also known as ____
identical twins
57
What are quantitative genetics?
the scientific discipline in which similarities
among individuals are analyzed based on how biologically related they are.
58
True or false: genes are effected by environment
True. "genes cannot develop in a vacuum"
59
True or false: numerical analysis makes up a large portion of statistical investigation
False. it makes up a small part
60
What is central tendency
describing data with one single number. This includes mean, median, and mode
61
The mean is ___
the average
62
the median is...
the score that is in the middle, separating it in half
63
the mode is
the score that occurs most often
64
when is the mode used as a means of central tendency
when the data is not numerical
65
True or false: when looking at statistics you should look at more than the raw data
True. Rather than looking at the raw numbers, you are actually looking at the number of standard deviations
66
What is the p-value?
The probability value
67
What is a type one error
think something is there when it is not
68
What is a type two error
think something is not there when there is something
69
What is standardisation?
uniform and consistent procedures in all phases
70
the independent variable is
the variable the researcher manipulates
71
the dependent variable is
the variable you don't control. the part you measure based on the IV
72
What are confounding variables
confused you interpretation of what is supposed to change
73
What is an expectancy effect?
when the researcher subtly communicates what they expect to find (typically unintentionally) and the participant thus tries to satisfy that
74
What is the placebo effect?
When the participant expects there to be a specific change and subconsciously adjust their behaviour to satisfy this
75
What is a double blind control?
Neither the participant nor the (hired) researcher know what is going on
76
What is placebo control?
Having a control group where everything is the same except it does not have the active ingredient
77
What are correlation methods?
determine how much two variables are related when the variables are unable to be manipulated
78
What is a between subjects design
Different groups of participants assigned to different conditions (experiment vs control)
79
What is within subjects design
Using the same group of subjects used throughout each level of the experiment
80
What is face validity
looks valid
81
What is predictive validity
measures that are good at predicting the phenomena
82
What is a self-report measures
they tell about themselves
83
What are behavioural measures
collecting data from other sources
84
what is a potential problem with behavioural measures
they rely on other people's observations
85
what is an archival study?
info from existing records and data
86
what are case studies
extensive observation of one either one person or a small group
87
what are direct observations
- Bring someone to a lab and then watch how they behave or perform under the controlled conditions set up by the researcher
88
what are naturalistic observations
looking at the behaviour in the wild
note: you lose control over the environment
89
True or false: income is a behavioural measure
True
90
The neurons is the ___ of the nervous system
building block
91
The soma is ___
the cell body
92
True or false: dendrites are the starting point
True
93
The synapses is
The junction between axon terminal and dendrite of next Neuron
94
The synaptic terminals contain little containers that are called:
vesicles
95
the potential difference across the membrane is called
the resting potential
96
True or false: Ions cannot move freely through the membrane
true. they use an opening that can be opened or closed. these channels are specific to particles
97
Ions move according to concentration. this is called the___
concentration gradient
98
Hyper-polarize is when it is more or less negative
more negative
99
de-polarise is when it is more or less negative
less negative
100
true or false: you cannot generate an action potential during the absolute refractory period
true
101
true or false: you cannot generate an action potential during the relative refractory period
false. you can, it is just harder
102
During action potential, _____ enters the cell to fully depolarize it
sodium
103
_____ then leaves the cell, causing it to become more negative than the resting state temporarily
potassium
104
true or false: anions have their own channels
false they are proteins that never leave
105
functions you don't have to think about are:
Autonomic
106
sympathetic nervous system is
you fight or flight
107
parasympathetic nervous system is
controls visceral organs
108
the somatosensory is responsible for
processing sensory info + controlling voluntary muscle movement
109
the three interconnected layers to the brain are the:
Brain stem
limbic system
cerebrum
110
the brain stem is responsible for
automative processes (heart rate, breathing)
111
the limbic system is responsible for:
motivation, memory, emotion
112
the cerebrum is responsible for:
sensory info, movement coordination, thinking and reasoning
113
the thalamus, hyperthalamus and brain stem are all part of the:
(midbrain, forebrain, or hindbrain)
forebrain
114
The substantial nigra does what
releases dopamine and sends it somewhere else
115
the ventral tegmental area does what
releases dopamine that then travels to other parts of the forebrain
116
the Pons is the
bridge between cerebellum and brain stem
117
the medulla does
very basic functions
118
the "gatekeeper" that determines the type of sound or stimulation that initiates action when unconscious is called
reticular formation
119
the cerebellum is responsible for
motor coordination (not controlling) and learning
maintains equilibrium (posture)
120
the limbic system contains the (3):
hippocampus
amygdala
hypothalamus
121
the hippocampus is responsible for
memory formation for both explicit (conscious) and implicit learning
cognitive maps: when you get to know your way around your environment and can get there on autopilot
122
what does the amygdala do
controls emotion, aggression, and retention of emotional information in memory
123
what does the hypothalamus do
regulates behaviour that is already motivated -> stuff like eating, temperature, sexual arousal. determines if motivated behaviour should be continued or stopped
124
what does the parietal lobe do
feelings of touch, pain, temperature
125
what does the occipital lobe do
primarily vision processes
126
what does the temporal lobe do
related to hearing, auditory cortex
determines what frequencies can be heard
127
what is the frontal lobe responsible for
motor control, cognitive activitities (planning, decision making, goal setting), personality
128
the motor cortex is responsible for:
action of voluntary muscles
129
the somatosensory cortex is responsible for:
sensory input processing
130
what does the association cortex do?
interprets and integrates information from sensory modalities in order to plan the response to stimuli
131
true or false: the brain representation of body parts depend on their size
false. Representation of different body parts on the brain varies based on how many receptors there are
132
____ is an impairment of language
Aphasia
133
damage to Broca's area causes:
impaired speaking
134
damage to Wernicke's area causes:
impaired understanding
135
true or false: It is possible to grow new synapses or receptors
true
136
neurogenesis is ___
the production of new brain cells from natural stem cells
137
true or false. stem cells can replace damaged neurons
true, under the right conditions when prompted to do so
138
Phantom Limb is when
Amputees experience feelings and pain in limbs that they do not actual have
139
true or false: The somatosensory cortex does not actually need the body part to feel
true
140
What is the neuralmatrix
a matrix of nerves in the parietal lobe. this matrix is independent of any limbs someone may or may not have. It is an association with a representation for the whole body and is not affected by development
141
What is xenomelia?
Alien limb syndrome. Occurs when you have control over a limb but do not feel like it belongs to you
142
True or false: you lose sensation if the somatosensory cortex is damaged
True
143
What does electrophysiology do?
Records the electronic charge coming of of a single, or group, or neurons in order to read the action potential
144
What does microdialysis do?
Measures fluid movement. you collect it and then measure how many neurotransmitters are in it
145
What is the primary limitation of micro dialysis
You can only collect it every 10 minutes
146
Where does the ventral tegmental area send dopamine
the nucleus accumbus
147
Measures electrical activity at the scalp and records it
EEG
148
timelocked processing of EEG signal
ERP
149
A series of x-rays that are taken at different depths of brain tissue
CT
150
Is a CT scan a functional measure
no
151
- Measures blood flow to brain areas
- a radioactive form of sugar (glucose) is injected
PET
152
an attempt to combine CT and PET using a giant magnet
fMRI
153
Define Cause-and-effect
whether we say one variable is causing changes in the other variable, versus other
variables that may be related to these two variables
154
What is a confidence interval?
An interval of plausible values for a population parameter; the interval of values within the margin of error of a statistic
155
What is generalisability?
Related to whether the results from the sample can be generalized to a larger population
156
What is the margin of error?
The expected amount of random variation in a statistic; often defined for 95% confidence level.
157
With correlations, researchers measure _____
variables as they naturally occur
158
With experiments, researchers____
manipulate a variable to watch what happens to the other variables
159
Science is the result of ____ and ______ study of the natural world.
Systemic and intentional
160
True or false: All methods have limitations, which is why the best research uses a variety of methods
True
161
Random assignment is critical to experimentation because ____
if the only difference between the two groups is the independent variable, we can
infer that the independent variable is the cause of any observable difference
162
What are confounds?
things that could undermine your ability to draw causal inferences
163
participant demands occurs when
participants try to behave in a way they think the experimenter wants them to behave.
164
correlational research is what
When scientists passively observe and measure phenomena
165
in correlational research you both identify patterns and infer about causes
false. you simply identify
166
who is the father of psychoanalysis
Sigmund freud
167
what type of analysis centers around the study of stories and personal accounts of people, groups, or
cultures
narrative analysis
168
what is a longitudinal study
track the same people over time
169
the strength of a scientific finding lies in the strength of its ___
methodology
170
“Resting Membrane Potential,” describes ______
what occurs in a neuron at rest, when
it is theoretically not receiving or sending signals
171
Synapsesform between the ____
presynaptic terminal button
172
what do interneurons do
process the sensory input from our environment into meaningful
representations
173
what do unipolar neurons do
involved in transmission of physiological
information from the body’s periphery
174
what do bipolar neurons do
involved in sensory perception such as
perception of light in the retina of the eye
175
what do multipolar neurons do
they communicate sensory and motor information in the brain.
176
which glia cells digest debris of dead neurons, carry nutritional support from blood vessels to the neurons, and help to regulate the ionic composition of the extracellular fluid?
microglia and astrocytes
177
true or false: glial cells are involved in communication the same way neurons do
false
178
negatively charged ions
anions
179
positively charged ions
cations
180
the force on molecules to move from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration
diffusion
181
the force on two ions with similar charge to repel each other and the force of two ions with opposite charge to attract to one another
electrostatic pressure
182
what is equilibrium potential
the voltage at which no ions flow
183
true or false: action potential is all or nothing
true
184
what is the threshold of excitation?
the minimum voltage to trigger an action potential. -55 mv
185
what happens if two IPSPs come into the
cell at the same time
they sum together to increase hyperpolarization
186
what are the gaps in the myelin sheath called
the nodes of ranvier
187
no ions flow between the ______ and ______ fluid
intracellular, extracellular
188
what is saltatory conduction?
the movement of action potential from node to node
189
A neurotransmitter that does not bind to receptors is ______
broken down and inactivated
by enzymes or glial cell
190
what is an axon?
Part of the neuron that extends off the soma, splitting several times to connect with other neurons; main output of the neuron
191
what is an ionotropic receptor
Ion channel that opens to allow ions to permeate the cell membrane under specific conditions,
192
what is the function of the Sodium-Potassium pump
An ion channel that uses the neuron’s energy (adenosine triphosphate, ATP) to pump three
Na+ ions outside the cell in exchange for bringing two K+ ions inside the cell
193
what are spines
Protrusions on the dendrite of a neuron that form synapses with terminal buttons of the
presynaptic axon
194
The nervous system is divided into _____ and _____ nervous systems
central, peripheral
195
The bulges between sulci are called _____
gyro (gyrus plural)
196
what is agnosia?
inability to know or understand language and speech-related behaviours
197
the primary visual cortex is in the ____ lobe
occipital
198
what is grey matter?
neuronal cell bodies
199
what is white matter?
mylienated axons
200
what is a downside to PET scans?
invasive and rendering poor spatial resolution
201
What are afferent nerves
Nerves that carry messages to the brain or spinal cord
202
what is the Arcuate fasciculus?
A fiber tract that connects Wernicke’s and Broca’s speech areas
203
what is the Cingulate gyrus?
A medial cortical portion of the nervous tissue that is a part of the limbic system
204
what are efferent nerves
Nerves that carry messages from the brain to glands and organs in the periphery.
205
what is a fornix?
(plural form, fornices) A nerve fiber tract that connects the hippocampus to mammillary
bodies
206
The brain uses _____ and ______,
delivered via the blood.
oxygen, glucose
207
what happens if you suffer damage to the brain stem?
you will require life support
208
what is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
technique in which an electronic pulse is applied to the head to temporarily induce weak reactions
209
what is diffuse optical imaging?
shining infrared light on brain and measuring the light that comes out
210
what is ablation
Surgical removal of brain tissue
211
what is the basal ganglia?
Subcortical structures of the cerebral hemispheres involved in voluntary movement.
212
The surgical procedure in which the corpus callosum is severed to control severe epilepsy is called _______
Callosotomy
