Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is psychology about?
Science of behavior; why; defining the line between normal and abnormal
Brain is programmed for…
Survival
What is the difference between addiction and dependence?
Dependence = missing it when not available Addiction = physiological symptoms
Psychology vs psychiatry?
Psychiatry is about patients being danger for themselves or society (medical model)
Major forces among behavior (2)?
Genetics and environment
Name two types of psychology?
Popular psychology (self-help books, Dr. Phil..); physiological; behavioral; cognitive; psychodynamic; humanistic; socio-cultural; evolutionary
Name of the phenomenon from which we use numbers to describe what goes on?
Empirical basis
Questions answered by the Greeks?
Who are we?
Questions answered by christianity and church?
Everything comes from God
What is phrenology (1750)?
Psychology based on structure of skull
Who first did lab experiments on behavior?
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
What did Darwin bring to psychology?
Evolutionary perspectives: behavior adaptation
Name a few approaches during 20th c.?
Feud, Skinner, Humanism, Evolutionary, Physiological, Behavioral, MRI
Physiological/Biological approach: describe
Biological processes influence directly behavior. Everything is about brain chemistry and physiology. For example, depression is genetic vulnerability.
What is behavioral/learning approach?
“Only observable events can be scientifically studied”; all about conditioning and environment, we are mold from it; we learn by imitation; reinforcement and punishment
What is cognitive approach?
Behavior is a function of mental processes: PERCEPTIONS. It induces self-hurting, depression, self-concept thinking. It is all about information processing.
Jean Piaget worked with children.
Freudian or psychodynamic approach?
Iceberg model of personality: Conscious, preconscious (didnt mean to say that) and unconscious.
With preconscious, you have ego, which tempers Id (basal drives) with rationalization.
With Unconscious, you have Id and Superego, which is the parental authority, culture influences..
Describe stages within the id
1- oral (first 18 months): breastfeeding leads to eating issues
2- Anal (18m - 3y): Learn to go to toilet leads to hygienic and order issues
3- Phallic (3-6y): true sexual apparition, little girls found out missing penis.. issues with a “men world”
4- Latency (6y to puberty)
5- Genital (puberty)
Behavior with Freudian approach?
Gratification = need was met, fixation = no satisfied need : you go to what you are missing
Defense mechanisms are a rationalization of deception
Humanistic perspectives in short
Everybody is different: free will, unlimited potential. That explains self-concept and culpability (how you figure out yourself and how you just acted). Empathy is therapy, you are fundamentally good.
Maslow’s pyramid: physiological - safety - love + belongness + self esteem + self actualization (self-help books)
Socio-cultural psychology
About your origins and your culture: it explains why you act the way you do. Look for gender, lifestyle, sexual orientation, income level.
Acculturation phenomenon can be really stressful; leads to cross-culture country.
Depression is linked to poverty and unemployement.
Evolutionary perspectives
Inherited tendancies: our behavior is about our old middle age reflex and from our relatives that could reproduce (products of sexual/natural selection)
Why applicating a Sc. methods?
Assess claim and make a decision
What is an hypothesis?
A directional guess about outcomes
What is a theory?
May or may not hold truth, but still is a tested hypothesis
What is an operational definition?
A word put in context to confirm its meaning through a specific context. Eg.: intelligence
What is a case study?
A patient interviewed by psychologist(s); it is a profile, it can’t be generalized
What is an observational study?
Leads to generalization but needs many “lookers” to prevent error; it can be naturalistic or in laboratory
Issues: observer bias (many lookers; independent) and observer effect (acting in a non natural way)
How to do a survey?
RANDOM, 10 to 20% to be representative; open-ended questions can be an issue, use like scale
Two types of studies: longitudinal and cross-sectional
Longitudinal: same subjects over a period of time
Reliable but time and money; subject attrition
Ideal for babies (they change rapidly)
Cross-sectionnal: Sample from different ages
Unlikely to be reliable because assumptions are needed
What is a correlation?
Reliable tendancies; correlation coefficient
Experimental method
Looking for cause-effect; independent variable vs dependent variable; controlled group and normal group (placebo).
All about control
What is an experiment?
Investigation + ind/dependent variables + control + TREATMENT
What is a blind experience?
The subjects don’t know if they are placebo or not?
Double-blind is..?
Searchers + subjects don’t know which one attends to which group
What is a non-parametric data?
Non numeral data
What is the median?
Natural middle
What is the mean?
Average, not necessarly realistic
What is a standard deviation?
calculated from the spread of the scores: big deviation = big spread
Nervous system is about..
Control
Hippocrates’ theory
4 biles in balance in the body
Aristote’s
Brain + heart = cooling down the animal system
Renaissance is about..
DaVinci, Descartes and phenology
Modern Age brought us..
Microscope; reticular theory against neural doctrine
Neurological system in short
Neuro Sys = CNS (brain + spinal cord) + PNS (Somatic (voluntary) + Autonomic (Sympatic (lion) + Parasympathic (take it easy)))
Afferent stands for…
Sensory; to the brain
Interneurons are…
Neurons in between afferent and efferent (motor) neurons
What are cortical neurons?
In the brain
Glial cells in short
Glue (10:1 neuron)
Eg.: astrocyte + oligodendrocytes
Description of a neuron
In the action potential direction: dendrites (start) + cell core + axon hillock + axon + axon terminal (+ synapse)
Resting gradient in the membrane
-70 mV, induced by ions balance
Excited gradient within the membrane
+50 mV
How long is the refractory period?
4 ms
How is the -70mV induced?
Na channels open: + enters the cytoplasm (+50)
Na channels close, K channels open, balance obtained again (-70mV)
Opening and closing ions channels progresse down the lenght of the…
Axons!
When the action potential reaches the axon terminals, it opens the…
Synaptic vesicles
Synaptic vesicles release…
Neurotranmitters
Where are neurotransmitters released?
In the synaptic cleft (tiny liquid-filled gaps)
What is the lock and key image?
The specificity of the neurotransmitters and their respective receptors
How are the neurotransmitters influencing the receiving neuron?
Indicates to fire or not
How many types of neurotransmitters discovered yet?
Around 50
Why do we call drugs “endogenous”?
Because drugs affect our neurons, which release neutransmitters, and those create effects
Acetylcholine: its effects and its issues
Excitory or inhibitory effects; hey to learning and memorizing + muscular contraction
If Alzeihmer, probably low levels
Norepinephrine…
Is a neurotransmitter (excitation effect) and a hormone (fight or flight: sudden energy) If low levels: depression, bipolar, ADHD Important for sleep and eating Sudden increase: panic attack SYNONYM of NORADRENALINE
Serotonin…
Feel good chemical. Effects on mood and anxiety; targeted by Prozac; high levels = calm and serene; if too low, leads to depression, if too too high (ectasy, LSD), can be lethal
Linked to impulsivity, appetite: low = eating more, high = feel full
Linked to sudden infant death syndrome
Dopamine…
Control of our brain arrousal: key is balance;
too much = schizophrenia (+hallucinations); too low = mental stasis
Glutamate…
Pretty much like norepinephrine: excitatory + basic learnings and long-term memory
Enkephalins/Endorphins
Modulate stress, pain and promote a serene calm, floaty
Linked to physical activity dependence
In the forebrain, there are 5 major structures
Cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, thalamus (Canada post), lymbic system (emotional processing), basal ganglia (mvt and coordination)
In the hindbrain, there are 5 major structures
Pons (link from spinal cord to forebrain), cerebellum (balance and coordination), medulla (basic body processes, reflex and spinal cord-forebrain), putuitary gland and reticular formation (attentional processes)
Synonym of hindbrain?
Brain stem
What is the role of medulla?
Basic body functions: heart rate, breathing, swallowing
Reticular activating system…
Alarm (like a bip!): activates higher areas of the brain + filters out messages to not overwheilm the brain + sends messages to thalamus
Pons…
Messages to motor cortex + sleep cycle + dreaming coma
Cerebellum…
Coordination, balance, posture + low levels activity (walk, talk..) + self-recognition
Thalamus…
Relay center, except for the smell
Hypothalamus…
Homeostasis regarding: body’s temperature, eating, thirst, sex and emotional changes
Lymbic system is composed of three major structures…
Parts of hypothalamus + amygdala + hippocampus
What is amygdala?
Key emotions like anger and rage (quick survival answer) + recognition of voice tone
Damage = no fear
Extra dvlped = unrational
Hippocampus..
Sea-horse shaped structure; short term memory + formation of long term memory; dampens excitation; key to mental maps and spacial memory
The cerebral cortex is composed of three types of structures…
Lobes, cortex and areas
How many lobes and which are they?
Frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital
Frontal lobe is:
Memories; plans; conception of time; rationality; personality; civility; moral; consequences; high level thoughs
Parietal lobe is …
Interpretation center for sensory data; chasmiatic and up/down
Occipital lobe is:
Interpretation of what we see, compared to past
Temporal lobe is…
Interpreting sounds
There are 4 + 1 cortex which are…
Visual, somatosensory, motor, auditory + cerebral
Where is the auditory cortex?
In the middle of the brain, in the temporal lobe
Where is the primary visual cortex?
At the lower back of the brain, in the occipital lobe
There are two areas, what are they and where are they?
Broca’s area, near the frontal lobe (speech and articulation) + Wernicke’s area (understanding of spoken words; 95% in the left hemisphere)
What is cerebrum?
Two cerebral cortex separated by the corpus callosum
How thick are the cerebral cortex?
1/2 cm
What cerebral cortex stands for?
Judgements; higher thoughts
What is the endocrine system?
A communication system: glands manufacture hormones carried in the bloodstream
6 structures in the endocrine system
pituitary, thyroid, pineal, adrenal, pancreas, gonades
Roles of pituitary (base of brain)
Foreman, master gland; activates other glands; body growth
Roles of thyroid (throat)
Secrete thyroxines for food metabolism
Pineal (brain)
Sleep via melathonine
Adrenal (kidney)
Turned on by the pituitary; stress response (norepinephrine); sympathic NS; muscles dvlpt
Pancreas
Insuline and glucagon
Gonads
Oestrogen + progesterone = menstrual cycle, gestation and puberty
Testosterone = sperm, sexual differentiation, puberty
PMS is influenced by..?
Hormone sensitivity, serotonine sensitivity
Evolutionary force of men
Aggressive, hunter, less communication between both hemispheres
Women’s forces
Using more the larger corpus callosum; more aware of the environment
How do we partially explain evolutionary differences between men and women?
Differentiated reinforcement
Brain plasticity is optimal…
under 13 years old; female
Why is the X chromosome bigger?
Codes for gestation
Genotype stands for…
What you are
Phenotype stands for…
What you see
What is the light-switch model?
Environment turns genes on
Exemple: twins, adoption
Polygenic inheritance
Not all genes are expressed or not at all.. think of black and white parents giving birth to a chocolate kid
What is an antagonist?
Blocker of receptors
Agonist is…
Enhance NT influence
Eg.: caffeine blocks re-uptake of glutamate (more alert)
Cocaine affects..
Dopamine levels
Human orgasm is…
Dopamine rush
Left hemisphere is for…
Verbal, speech, language, mathematics and logics
Right hemisphere…
Gestures, non-verbal, face recognition, arts, special abilities
Split brain research linked to which disease..?
Severe epilepsy
Handedness
No clear cause; 4% left-handed; 1/5 identical twins differs; chances: 1/50, 1/6, 1/2; likely set before birth, forced change for hard left-handed leads for stuttering
EEG
Brain waves.. for sleep
Computed tomography scan
3D x rays of the brain, looking for abnormalities
Pet scan
Positron emission tomography scan: injects radioactive isotopes to tracking use of energy
Magnetic resonance imaging
Influence of radio waves over atoms
Functional MRI
Brain in action
Soma stands for
Core of a neuron, or every cell except sexual ones
Myelin
Sheath around the axon of a neuron (between Ranver’s nodes)
