Lecture 2 Flashcards
Independent Variable
Variable that researcher changes / measures to see if it has an effect on the dependent variable. (Cause)
Dependent Variable
Variable that researcher measures to see if influenced by the independent variable. (Effect)
Research Design: Correlational
- Assess the degree of relation between two variables - Study always involves at least 2 measures (ie. junk food intake and lvl of self-esteem) - Positive correlation / Negative correlation - Correlation does not equal causation!
Research Design: Experimental
- Holy Grail of research methods. The only method that can determine cause
- Key feature: multiple experiemental “conditions” which are indentical except for the one variable of interest
- Random assignment to condition (who gets the one var of interest)
Nervous System
- Network of cells that carry info all over body
- Electrochemical communication via neurons
- Consists of central and perhipheral nervous systems.
Cells of the Brain
Neurons + Glial cells
Glial Cells
Fatty grey matter cells
1) Provide support for neurons to grow on and around
2) Clean up waste products and dead neurons
3) Produce myelin to coat axons
Neurons
- Building blocks of brain and nervous system
- Electrochemical communication
Neuron Diagram
Cell body
Responsible for maintaining the life of the cell
Dendrites
branch-like structures that receive messages from other neurons
Axon
Long tube-like structure that carries the neural message to other neurons
Axon Terminal
Branches at the end of the axon
Myelin Sheath
Fatty tissue surrounding axon (insulating it. Signal hops past them to nodes of Ranvier)
Nodes of Ranvier
Where the axon is not insulated
