midterm 1 Flashcards
history of psych, research methods, neuroscience
1
Q
what is psychology
A
the scientific investigation of behaviour and mental processes
2
Q
define:
scientific
behavious
mental processes
A
scientifc - we test hunches, intuition, and make careful observations and rigorous measurement and analysis
behaviour - anything we do, observational phenomenon
mental processes - not direct observational capacity internal, subjective experiences, sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings.
3
Q
what type of questions was psychology built on?
A
who are we?
why are we who we are?
what are the origins of human nature?
4
Q
who thought that an unexamined life in not worth living?
A
Socrates
5
Q
Who though that the mind is separate from the body?
A
Socrates & Plato
6
Q
Explain what Socrates and Plato thought
A
They thought that the mind existed before the body - it came down from heaven to join the body and that because of this it endures after death.
Also, thought knowledge is born within us (innate) doesnt come from experiences or learning, it was always in us.
7
Q
Did socrates and pluto think that our knowledge is gained through experiences?
A
NO THEY THOUGHT WE JUST ALWAYS HAD IT
8
Q
Who argued against the idea that the mind and body are separate?
A
Aristotle
9
Q
What is blank slate referred to?
A
tabula rasa
10
Q
Explain what aristotle thought
A
Mind and body are connected - you cant have one without the other.
Also, the mind did not come before the body - they are born WITH each other.
AND knowledge is aquired through experience, we begin as a ‘blank slate’
11
Q
Who created the ‘blank slate’ that aristole was influenced from?
A
John Locke
12
Q
What are the two main differences between Socrates & Plato VS Aristole
A
S&P said mind and body are separate while Aristole said they are conncected
S&P said knowledge is always within us, Aristole said we gain knowledge
13
Q
Who are two other people that thought of the ‘blank slate’ idea
A
Avicenna & Ibn Tufail
14
Q
What did Avicenna say?
A
Human intellect at birth is a Blank Sheet
Knowledge comes from “empirical familiarity with objects in this world”
Aka experience. We need a direct encounter to start having knowledge
15
Q
What did Ibn Tufail do?
A
Demonstrated this idea of blank slate through an allegorical tale in his book Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān
Influenced John Locke’s later formula of tabula rasa
16
Q
What did the scientific revolution era do to influence psychology?
A
The era of when scientific method started to take hold for how to explain things… This led to the interest in finding natural laws through science – how can we do that with people?
17
Q
What was the main question during the scientific revolution
A
Can humans be influenced by the physical world?? People were finding things out by directly observing it.
At this time the mind was thought NOT to be, so how can the human mind be if its divided by the body
18
Q
What was the mind-body problem?
A
People were asking how can a physical body and an immaterial mind interact?
19
Q
Who founded the mind-body problem. What stood out as their main message
A
Renee Descartes - she said that the mind and body are both distinct and connected
20
Q
Explain what Descartes said about the mind-body problem
A
She said that when we have an idea there is a space in our brain that alters how ‘animal spirits’ flow in our body.
Substance in the blood (“animal spirits”) flows from the brain to the muscles, producing movement.
How does our mind respond to physical senses in nature – touching fire - the sensory experiences send vibrations to our mind
21
Q
In the mind-body problem, who were the two men that made bold statements. What were the statements?
A
John Locke suggested that the mind and body could be made of the same substance.
James mill proposed that the mind may be entirely physical, and therefore follow laws.
22
Q
What did John Locke’s statement about the brain lead people to think.
A
John Locke proposed that the mind and body could be made of the same substance, this led people to shift their idea that the mind is NOT actually an entity that comes from heaven….
for eg. if it existed before - wouldnt we be birthed knowing math??
23
Q
What was physiology’s input into understanding psychology
A
Initiated by Hermann Von Helmholtz he found a way to measure the speed of nerve signals in our body - using frogs!
24
Q
What did Hermann Von Helmholtz do specifically?
A
He stimulated frogs nerves at varying lengths from the muscle. When the stimulus was further away, it contracted slower. when it was closer, it was faster.
25
What was the first idea that changed psychology to a science - who did it?
Structuralism proposed by Wilhelm Wundt & Edward Bradford.
They examined the individual structures of the mind through introspection, with the goal to reduce overall perception into simple sensory constituents.
26
What was the goal of structuralism
Their goal was to know what are the building blocks of thoughts... meaning they were trying to break down blocks into structures using perception.
Looking at the image, you have a perception – he wanted to know what are the building blocks to create someones perceptions
27
Who created the idea of trying to find out: What are the individual thoughts that go to creating perceptions. What is this idea called?
Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Brandford.
Structuralism
28
Because structuralism didnt work, what was proposed after?
Functionalism by William James
29
What did Wiliam James do?
Created functionalism - which focused on how mental and behavioural processes FUNCTION.
He asked what purpose do the activities of the mind serve? How can this help us survive as species?
30
How does Functionalism differ from Structuralism?
Not the structure of cognittion,,, instead he focused on the FUNCTIONS of cognition.
Interest in concious. We are concious, but some animals are not – how does this help us survive?
31
What are psychologys 3 levels of analysis?
Biological influence, Psychological Influence, Sociocultural influence
32
How does biological influences impact behaviour or mental processes?
Genetic predispositions, evolutionary adaptations, brain anatomy and function
33
How does psychological influences impact behaviour or mental processes?
Perception, cognitive processing, learned expectations, motivation, emotional responses
34
How does sociocultural influences impact behaviour or mental processes?
Interpersonal relationships, peer and group influences, cultural, societal, and family expectations
35
How would you explain drinking on new years from a BioPsychoSocial Approach
Bio: genetic predisposition for addicion. What's happening with our brain to want alcohol – as its naturally addictive.
Psychological: motivation to fit in, social anxiety fixer – our beliefs about alcohol and how it helps us be more open. Peoples beliefs about alcohol. Trying to forget things – numb
Social: alcohol is a cultural norm, is it normalized in your family, peer pressure
36
What are two assumptions of psychology?
Empiricism and Determinism
37
What is empiricism?
Knowledge about the world is based on careful observation, not common sense .
In order to come to conclusions about human behaviour – we have to use direct observation. We cant just logic it out – we have to think directly.
38
What is determinism
All events (including human behaviour) are governed by lawful, cause-and-effect relationships
This means that a hard determinist argues that all moments in time have been decided upon – you don’t actually make a decision, you couldn’t have acted in a different way it has been decided already prior.
39
what is a fixed mindset?
Its the idea that human abilities and attributes, such as intelligence or personality, are fixed - cannot be changed.
Our genes give us different strengths and weaknesses
40
What is a growth mindset?
Its the thought that abilities are malleable and can be developed - through practice, feedback, and effort
our brains are highly adaptable and can change
41
what is the hindsight bias and overconfidence
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
“I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon.
We become overconfident in our power of deduction – intuition .
42
What can we do to overcome hindsight bias and overconfidence?
Looking at things scientifically can help separate reality from illusion
43
What are the 5 stages of scientific method?
observation, development of theories, generate hypothesis, design a research study, collect evidence (data).
the data collected - either supporting or non-supporting is then used to fix theory
44
Explain the first stage of scientific method
Observation: What do we already know about this – typically comes from what we see.
45
What is a theory
Set of principles that explain, organize, and predict events – PREDICTION IS SO IMP IF YOUR THEORY CAANT PREDICT ITS HAS NO USE.
What is already known about this behaviour and how can we organize it to better understand
46
What is a hypothesis
A thing to test if the theory is true. Hypothesis is specific of whats gonna happen from this theory
A testable prediction that is based on (derived from) your theory
What evidence would confirm my theory Disprove it?
47
What are operational definitions?
A clear statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables in a study
Describes how we will measure our variables.
48
Give examples of descriptive approaches to a research study
Surveys / Questionnaires (self-report)
Naturalistic Observation
Case Studies
49
What are descriptive approaches to studys
These methods describe behaviour - they cannot explain it.
For eg. Asking a class if theyre depressed . You took a descripitive approach because youre just describing behaviour , you don’t know why theyre depressed.
50
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51
What is naturalistic observation?
This is a descriptive approach that observes and records behaviour as it naturally occurs, there no attempt to control the situation.
Ensuring that people are in their most natural states.
52
What are case studies?
Observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Issues? It generalizes the broader population based on one persons experience. Not everyone struggles the same.
53
What is correlational research
Measuring the degree to which two variables are related or predict one another (co-related)
54
What is positive correlation
the variables tend to occur together
eg. is there a relationship whether psych majors attend office hours?
Pos correlation would be like – psych majors tend to go to office hours more
55
what is negative correlation?
The variables tend to occur at opposite times
eg. For number of hours slept and number of arguments – this is a negative correlation this is because the less sleep you get, the more arguments
56
What is the correlational coefficient?
This is the statistical measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables
57
What does the sign in front of the correlational coefficient mean?
Indicated the direction of relationship
+ = pos corr
- = neg corr
58
if the correlational coefficient is 0 what does that mean?
0 means theres no correlation between variables
59
If the correlational coefficient is closer to one what would that mean
This means the variables are very closely related. - strong relationship
60
What would it mean if the correlational coefficient is closer to -1?
They are super strongly no related, strongly negatively correlated variables.
61
What is the problem with correlation?
Correlation does not mean causation!!!
You cannot blame ice cream for murder, so while they may be correlated they are not caused by each other.
62
What is the directionality problem?
You dont know which variable is happening to which.
Does X cause Y or does Y cause X?
Sleep deprivation could cause arguing (X causes Y). Arguing could cause sleep deprivation (Y causes X)
63
What is the third variable problem?
Unknown third variable is actually causing two things to happen.
eg. Third variable (e.g. stress) could cause both increase of arguments and lack of sleep (Z causes X and Y)
64
What is experimental research?
A means of determining the cause of events.
If we think one variable causes changes in another, we manipulate that variable and measure changes in the other variable.
65
What is an independent variable?
This is the variable being manipulated. We think this factor causes something else to happen.
eg. sleep deprivation.
66
What is a dependent variable?
This is the variable being measured. Outcome that we think depends on the changes of the independent variable.
eg. conflict
67
What solves the directionality problem?
Manipulation of the independent variable as we can truly see which causes which.
68
What fixes the third variable problem?
Random assignment to conditions
69
What are the 5 things that make good research?
objective measurement, generalizable, unbiased, made public, replicated
70
What is reliability?
A measures ability to produce consistent results
if we put something on the scale and measure it 5 times, producing the same resulte each time shows its reliables, different everytime is not reliable
71
What is test-retest reliablity
If we take a test 3 times spread out - the same results should be expected each time
72
What is interrater reliablity?
if two people mark an essay and come to a different conclusion, its not reliable.
73
What is construct validity?
The extent to which a test/assessment actually measures what it says it does
74
What is generalizability (external validity)
does the sample accurately represent the population of interest
are the experiments procedures relevant to the outside world?
75
what are WEIRD samples?
western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic
76
When testing memory in a sample, which experiment shows the LOWEST external validity?
- Remember list of words that start with ‘a’
- Remember a series of grocery lists
- Remember a stream of images
(faces for example…)
Lowest external validity would be the list of words that start with a as its not relevant to what typically happens to the outside world.
77
When testing memory in a sample, which experiment shows the HIGHESR external validity?
- Remember list of words that start with ‘a’
- Remember a series of grocery lists
- Remember a stream of images
(faces for example…)
More relevant experiments would be grocery lists and faces as in our day to day life we often have to do this.
78
What are the 4 parts of the neuron
1. Cell body (soma)
2. dendrites
3. axon
4. axon terminal
79
What is the function of the cell body (soma)
The life support with the nucleus
80
What is the function of the dendrites
These are the listeners, receives the signal.
This signal travels to the axon hillock and if enough signals are activated, an action potential is generated and transmitted to the axon
81
What is the base of the axon called?
axon hillock - this is the threshold determiner.
If enough signals are activated, an action potential is generated an transmitted to the axon.
82
What is the axon?
Its the speaker - signals travel down axons in the destination to continue the signal.
it is inside the myelin sheath.
83
What is the axon terminals
contains vessicles with neurotransmitters which will pass the message to the next neuron
84
What are the three types of neurons?
Motor neuron, interneuron, sensory neuron.
85
What do motor neurons do, where are they located?
These neurons send messages out TO bodys tissues FROM the brain.
The cell body is located within the spinal cord and have a single axon that projects out the spinal cord to the muscles.
86
What are sensory neurons, where are they located?
These carry messages from sensory organs and tissues TO brain and spinal cord.
The cell body in the spinal cord and axon projects in two directions, picking up signals from PNS and sending them to the CNS (quite long)
87
What do interneurons do, location?
These neurons communicate with EACH OTHER within brain and spinal cord
88
GIve the pathway between interneuron, motor neuron, and sensory neurons.
The sensory neurons pick up signals and send it to the interneurons located in the spinal cord, the signal then travels from the brain to the bodys tissues through motor neurons.
89
How does neural communication occur?
electrochemical process
90
What does the electro part of electrochemical process mean?
There is a shift in electrical charge that travels along the axon
91
What does the chemical part of electrochemical process mean?
release of neurotransmitters that travel from one neuron to next.
92
Define resting potential
inside of neuron is more negatively charged than outside (its polarized). Resting potential usually lies at -70mV.
93
When the axon hillock exceeds the threshold, what happens?
The neuron then 'fires,,' channels will open and pos ions with rush in causing the next set of channel to open up. They will the close causing the resting potential to be shifted (depolarized)
This is an action potential.
94
What is an action potential?
A shift in electrical charge, starting at the base of the axon, travelling down its length
95
list the 5 steps of neural communication
1. At rest, the inside of the cell is more negative than the outside... when possible, positive ions want to rush in
2. stimulation from dendrites affects the electrical charge; when it reaches the voltage threshold of -55mV caused by neurotransmitters making it less neg THEN the action potential begins
3. When an action potential begins, sodium channels open ad positively charge sodium ions rush into the cell making the cell briefly positive (depolarization)
4. Sodium channels close, and potassium channels open. Potassium exits, bringing charge back to resting potential. (Repolarization)
5. Eventually, the K+ channels close as well, but by that time, too many pos charged ions have left. Cell must now reset to prepare for next action potential.
96
Define the 'all or nothing' principle of action potentials
Regardless of the excitation amount, the second it reaches threshold it will fire with the same amount of power - even if it takes a while / is low stimulation.
97
what is every neuron wrapped by
a fatty myelin sheath - supplied by glia cells
98
what cells supply the myelin sheath
glia cells
99
What are the unmyelinated places of the axon called
nodes of Ranvier
100
Where do action potentials occur
on myelinated axons, action potentials are only allowed to occur on the unmyelinated nodes of ranvier
101
What is the name of the process where signals jump from one node to the next?
Saltatory conduction
102
Explain saltatory conduction
it is the rapid method by which nerve impulses move down a myelinated axon with excitation occurring only at nodes of Ranvier.
The jumping of nodes allows for faster transmission.
103
describe multiple sclerosis
This is a demyelinating disease in which the immune system turn on the body - causing the hardening of the myelin insulation
104
What contributes to MS, whos most likely to get it.
Environmental and genetic factors: positive correlation between risk and distance from equator. Identical twins have 33% chance of developing MS
Symptoms typically develop between 20 and 40 years. Women are 3 times as likely as men to develop MS
105
what are the symptoms of MS, give eg.
Visual, Sensory, Motor symptoms:
-Optic Neuritis - painful vision loss
-Reduced balance and fine motor control
-Constant state of tiredness
-Numbness or tingling in the extremities
106
What is the treatment for MS
No cure is currently available, so treatment focuses on symptoms and modifying the course of the disease
107
Define synapses
gaps between neurons
108
define neurotransmitters
chemical messengers contained within vesicles that are released at the axon terminal after an action potential and travel across the synapse.
109
After neurotransmitters are released, what happens?
They will be released at the axon terminal and join receptors on the dendrites. Any remaining neurotransmitters in the synapse is diffused, degraded, or reabsorbed.
110
Describe neurotransmitters
They are uniquely shaped and can only bind to certain receiving dendrites. They can also have excitatory or inhibitory effects on the receiving neuron.
FOr eg. neurotransmitters are ligands and there are receptors on the dendrites of another neuron - one neurotransmitter can be the agonist to one receptor and another can be an antagonist to the same receptor.
111
Explain synaptic transmission
1. action potential (shift in ele charge) reaches axon terminal
2. calcium channels open
3. calcium ions causes vesicles to release neurotransmitters
4. neurotransmitters cross synapse
5. neurotransmitter bind to neuroreceptors
6. trigger signal in post-synaptic neuron.
112
T/F: the neurotransmitter itself is not excititory, but rather it tends to bind to excititory receptors.
True!
113
List 5 types of neurotransmitters
Glutamate, GABA, Acetylcholine (ACh), Serotonin (5-HT), Dopamine (DA).
114
Explain Glutamate
Excitatory; linked to forming memories. Excessive glutamate implicated in triggering of seizures.
115
Explain GABA
Inhibitory' influences muscle tone (amt of tension we feel in our muscles), facilitates sleep, reducesarousal; epilepsy meds INCREASE action of GABA
115
Serotonin ( 5-HT)
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, ect. Serotonin levels may be linked to depression - prozac raises serotonin
116
Acetylcholine (ACh)
Found at the neuromuscular junction; controls movement; Role in attention and memory (cognitive functioning)
117
Dopamine
Involved in reward & pleasure, learning, movement. Abnormal levels in schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson's
118
What are SSRI
This inhibits the uptake of serotonin and forces the neurotransmitters to be absorbed by other neurons.
119
What is a drug?
An exogenous substance (comes from outside the body), not necessary for normal function, which alters the functions of cells.
They can cause changes in physiology and behaviour -- eg. RItalin blocks reuptake of dopamine which increases attention.
120
What is a psychoactive drug?
A chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood.
eg. Ritalin is psychoactive, Tylenol is not.
121
Explain how drugs affect brain chemistry at synapses (ago)
they increase or mimic effects of neurotransmitters - agonist.
for eg. Black widow spider venom increases release of ACh which causes violet muscle contractions
122
Is Prozac and agonist or an antagonist
Antagonist as it blocks the reuptake of serotonin leaving more in the synapse... this more is absorbed. This relieves depression symptoms.
123
Explain how drugs affect brain chemistry at synapses (ant)
Block, or inhibit effects of, neurotransmitter - antagonist
eg. Botulin - blocks release of ACh - restricts movement causes paralysis.
Curare - blocks ACh receptor site, causes paralysis.
124
Explain the whole process of transmitting a signal
1. charge at rest is negative (-70mV)
2. Neurotransmitters bind with reeptor sites on dendrites
3. if charge reaches threshold, action potential begins.
4. Sodium channels open at the axon hillock, Na ions rush in, charge humps up to peak triggering adjacent sodium channels to open down the axon.
5. Potassium channels open, K ions exit brining charge back to resting potential
6. when AP reaches the axon terminals, it opens calcium channels, causing Ca ions to rush into the terminal which releases neurotransmitters
7. nueortransmitters travel across synapse and bind with post-synaptic neuron
125
What is research often trying to find?
differences between groups
eg. Sleep deprivation (high vs. low) and conflict
Use of antidepressants (medication vs. none) and depressive symptoms
Lecture attendance (attend vs. not) and final grades
126
Define statistical significance
what is the probability that the difference we found in our sample truly exists in the population
127
define null hypothesis
It is the claim that the effect being studied does not exist.
There is no significant difference between specified population
128
define alternative hypothesis
This is a claim that there is a difference between the two specified populations
129
Imagine there is an average difference of 5 arguments in the sample of chosen married couples...
Now, if there is no difference in the population of married people, what is the probability of finding a difference of 5 arguments in the next sample by random error?
By convention, we use p < 0.05 (the probability has to be less than 5%).
we can never 'prove' a difference exists.
130
Describe phrenology
Founded by Franz Gall, this was the idea that different parts of the brain were localized to specific mental abilities and traits.
He thought that bumps on the skull alluded to different 'faculty' of the brain .. the more tissue in that part meant you were stronger in that area.
This is wrong but is the right idea that various brain regions have particular functions!
131
What are the three main parts of the brain?
Hindbrain, Midbrain, Forebrain
132
What do the midbrain and hindbrain combine to surround?
The brain stem - which is where the spinal cord meets the skull
133
What are the brain stem functions
Automatic functions, related to survival.
thats why damage to the brainstem is lethal - its the most integral functions
134
What makes up the brainstem
Medulla, Pons, Midbrain, Cerebellum
135
What is the function of the medulla
heart rate, blood pressure, reflexes required for survival (coughing, swallowing)
136
What is the function of the pons?
breathing, relaying sensory information to other parts of the brain (specific about face and skull), transmit pain signals
137
What is the function of the midbrain?
Automatic survival movements:
motor movements (spec movement of the eyes) and reflexes (move away from something hot)
138
Below the cortex, what is that called + system name
Subcortical - limbic system
139
What makes up the subcortical
Thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygoala, basal ganglia
140
What is the function of the thalamus
- sensory switchboard, meaning it takes in sensory information and relays it to appropriate brain regions to process the info.
- also important for regulating sleep and conciousness
141
What is the function of the hypothalamus
This is directly below the thalamus, responsible for the body maintenance and our "drive functions"
- thirst, hunger, sex drives, temperature... our body is constantly regulating and controlling this.
142
WHat would be an example of a kid who experience damage to the hypothalamus?
He wants to keep and keep eating because his brain isnt getting the signal that hes not hungry anymore.
143
what is the function of the hippocampus?
Turning information from short-term to long-term memory.
And in charge of spatial memory - knowing how to get somewhere based on your location.
144
What is the function of the amygdala
- Processing emotions and giving an adequate emotional response
- fear responses, like knowing when something is dangerous / when they should fear it.
- memory for emotional events - remembering how a situation made you feel
145
Define Basal ganglia
This is the direct connector between brain and movement ... its in charge of planning and carrying out movement
146
list all parts in the cerebral cortex
frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe.
147
What does it mean if the brain has contralateral function
This means that one side of your body is controlled by the opposite hemisphere.
eg. If you want to move your RIGHT hand, the LEFT hemisphere is processing that.
148
what is the part of the brain that make humans most different from animals
frontal lobe - specifically prefrontal cortex
149
What is the frontal lobe in charge of
- Planning and goals
- inhibition of impulses
- personality
- executive functions
- primary motor cortex (this is the first area that motor signals get sent to)
150
Who is phineas gage?
He was a man who had a large rod driven through his left frontal lobe. He is used as prime evidence of the frontal lobes responsibility for personality as he suffered from having an altered personality after.
And he is used to show the localization of brain function as he could still live a normal life.
151
what does that temporal lobe do?
it is the primary AUDITORY cortex and is in charge of speech production and language. It is also integral for object and facial recognition due to the fusiform gyrus.
152
What is the fusiform gyrus in charge of
object and facial recognition
153
What is the main effects of damage to the left temporal lobe called
Aphasia - this is language impairment
154
What is broca's aphasia
this is damage to the left temporal lobe resulting in the inability to speak
155
What is wernickes aphasia
this is damage to the left temporal lobe resulting in the inability to understand what others are saying... even though you can speak it is incoherent because you cant process it.
156
what is the parietal lobe in charge of?
spatial attention and spatial sense (pretty much allows clarity for where we are and whats going on around us)...
that is why its the primary somatosensory cortext - signals about touch go here first.
157
What could damage to the parietal lobe cause?
spatial neglect - this is more common to the right parietal lobe which causes attention impairment.
As a result, you will face failure to be aware of objects on your left side - not even aware theres another part of life.
...
this makes sense as right is in charge of left
158
What does the occipital lobe do?
This lobe is the primary visual cortex, meaning it is responsible for processing our vision!
In the lobe there are distinct groups of neurons responsible for detecting shape, colour, movement, ect - and then this information is used to recruit other parts of the brain to create a coherent picture.
159
What is the one thing connecting the two hemispheres of the brain that allows them to communicate.
the Corpus Callosum!
160
T/F: depending on the task, the two hemispheres interact to different degrees
TRUE!
161
Is it true that the two sides of the brain dictate if youll be more into arts or math?
NO! This is a common myth... while each side of the brain specializes in certain parts -- that does not mean theyre completely seperate.
162
What is the left brain more specialized in?
Language
163
WHat is the right brain more specialized in
spatial ability
164
What part and side of the brain has been shown to have higher activity in happier people
right frontal lobe
165
In the temporal lobe, compare the right vs left.
Left: better at processing grammar, vocabulary, literal meaning, speech
Right: important for emotional content of works, metaphor, comprehension of words
166
In the temporal lobe, compare the left vs right
Right: spatial awareness
Left: reading, writing, and math (which all involve spatial functions)
167
What happens if the two hemispheres of the brain are split down the corprus collasum?
The hemispheres are unable to communicate with each other - both hemispheres comprehend and follow instructions but differently...
If image flashed to right visual field, patient can name the object (left = language)
If image flashed to left visual field, patient reports seeing nothing…but can point to correct object with right hand
168
What did scientists believe that seizures were
they thought it was overactivation of the brain that spread rapidly ... aka amplification of brain activity.
they thought cutting the communication between the two hemispheres (corpus callosum) could stop this
169
what was the explanation for how the man could survive with just '10% of his brain'
it was due to something called "hydrocephalus" which is when the cerebrospinal fluid builds up and destroys cell bodies of neurons as well as connections between neurons... as a result the neurons were being compressesed to toward the skull, leaving a residual layer.
- the reason the neurons can do this is bc of neural plasticity
170
What is neural plasticity?
This is the capacity of the brain to modify itself, functionally and structurally, in response to experience and injury.
171
what is the function of the cerebellum
Coordinates voluntary movement
Important for balance and coordination
172
What is consciousness?
Subjective awareness of the world and of ourselves (including internal thoughts and external stimuli).
173
What does stream of conscious mean?
It explains how our thoughts and experiences are structured in our mind. Conciousness does not appear in chopped up bits - its a continuous flow or stream.
174
How do we know the mind is what the brain does?
We know that conscious and the brain are connected because we have seen that if there's damage to the brain, we see impacts in someones conscious.
175
What is the "hard problem" of consciousness?
It's the fact that even though we know the brain and mind are intrinsicly linked / arise from each other, we don't know why!
How do we know something is the colour blue, but we don't know why...
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What is circadian rhythm
This is your 24h biological cycle that regulates our patterns of wakeness vs tiredness.
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T/F: When you're sleeping, you're unconscious
FALSE. It may subjectively feel like we're unconscious but its not true - we are really in a different state of consciousness
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How is our circadian rhythm influenced
by patterns of our environment - aka light and dark.
The retinas relay light info to the suprachasmic nucleus (SCN), which communicates with the pineal gland. The pineal gland releases melatonin.
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WHat things pose problems to our circadian rhythm?
Artificial light - aka smart phones! They are sending signals to the brain, effecting the levels of melatonin
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What is endrogenous rhythm?
This is the internally produced biological cycle - meaning the environment doesn't just dictate our sleep.
This can be proven by the cave study in which people were trapped away from the sun and move (external sources, and still, people defaulted to a 24h cycle with 8 hours of sleep.
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How are brain waves measured
with an electroencephalogram (EEG) in Hz
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What are brain waves
the electrical activity of our brain - created when thousands of neurons fire together in unison.
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What are the 5 types of brain waves
Gamma, beta, alpha, theta, delta
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if a brain wave is about 30-100 Hz what does that mean compared to 0.5-3 Hz
larger # = higher activity
smaller # = slower activity
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Explain gamma waves
(30-100Hz) - this is when you're really really in the zone with high brain activity ; high cognitive function - above normal neural function.
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explain beta waves
12-30Hz - regular waking state. attentive and engaged with the world
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explain alpha waves
8-12Hz. awake but relaxed, starting to get drowsy. depending into meditation.
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explain theta waves
3-8Hz. Drowsy and drifting down into sleep and dreams . starting to fall asleep
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explain delta waves
0.5 - 3 Hz. deep asleep but not dreaming
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explain the stages of sleep
you begin at alpha waves - awake and relaxed.
then you enter stage one where you're breathing slows, and you have irregular theta waves. This is brief, a light sleep - may not even feel like you're sleeping. may also experience hypnic jerks during this stage.
then you enter stage 2 where youre starting to get into deeper sleep. you experience sleep spindles (high frequ.) periods and K complex (high amp.) waves. This is thought to be high brain activity to keep you undisturbed by the external stimuli
stage 3 is deep sleep, slow delta waves, hard to wake up at this point.
after deep sleep you RISE to rapid eye movement. the EEG is similar to being awake, your muscles are relaxed, and it gets progressively longer throughout the night.
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why is it called rapid eye movement?
this is because you're looking at images in your dreams.
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what stops you from acting out your dreams
the brain stem blocks motor signals from reaching muscles so you don't act out your dream
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why do we sleep
- conserve and protect ; comes from our evolutionary past
- grow, restore, and repair ; recoup from the day, repair damage to cells, release of hormones to grow
- memory consolidation
- problem solving
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effects of sleep deprivation
impaired cognitive abilities, accidents, irritability, memory bias – we remember more negative things from our past, relationship conflict, depressed immune system, weight gain, early death
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What are dreams
electrochemical events that involve the brainstem, Forebrain, and eyes.
occur promarily during REM sleep
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Are we awake when we dream
sort of - its an internal awakeness
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how do dreams occur
Pons releases Ach, which travels to the forebrain (associated with cortical arousal)
serotonin and norepinephrine suppress and inhibit REM activity
brain stem blocks signals from motor cortex so that you don't act out your dreams.
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WHat are the most common themes of dreams and what influences our dreams?
1. being chased
2. sexual experiences
3. falling
1. concerns of your everyday life
2. external stimuli
3. yourself (lucid dreaming)
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T/F: dreams contain more negative content than positive
TRUE!
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WHat was Freuds theory for why we dream?
Wish fulfillment
manifest vs latent content
- dreams are an expression of our repressed tensions / desired
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What was cartwright's theory for why we dream
purpose is to gain insight and problem solve -- indigenous also think this
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What was Hobson and McCarleys theory for why we dream?
He thought it was our minds attempt to make sense of random cortical activity .. our brain tries to make sense of it into a story
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What are night terrors and when do they happen
these are intense bouts of panic that wake you up - happens during non-REM
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what are examples of sleep disorders
insomnia, nightmares during rem, night terrors during nonrem, sleepwalking during REM, rem behaviour disorders, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, sleep paralysis
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what are other variations in consciousness
non-conscious processes and meditation
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what is confabulation?
When we dont know why we do something, we make a random explanation.
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what is selective attention
this is when we direct our attention to relevant stimuli, to the exclusion of everything else.
eg. talking to a friend in a crowded bar
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In attentional blindness
this is the failure to notice clearly visible objects/events because our attention is directed elsewhere
eg. moonwalking bear
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What did Mack & Rock find out about selective attention and inattentional blindness
In a study where they had to report whether vertical or horizontal arm is longer, while a word is flashed in the center of the display. 60% were 'blind' to the presentation of the world in the center..
YET many successfully completed aword stem with the target word, suggesting unconscious knowledge of the stimulus.
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When a partygoer can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room .. what is this?
Selective attention
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When is broadbent filter theory of selective attention
information around you is blocked... BUT attention can shift if you hear your nameWH
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What is Treismans Attenuation theory about selective attention
its not that we are not processing the information around us, but rather the volume is turned down.
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What is meditation
it is a practice that involves training attention and awareness
- focused attention (eg transcendual meditation) - focus on one thing
- open monitoring (eg mindful meditation) focus on how the one thing feels like
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