Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

PSY100 > MIDTERM > Flashcards

MIDTERM Flashcards

memorize content

1
Q

what is psychological research?

A

We collect information (data) on a behaviour by observing that behaviour under different conditions
Data will lead to the development of theories that help us understand, predict and change behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is stimuli?

A

Some stimuli are meaningful (they may cause/change in behaviour) but many are not
Meaning varies between people (due to individual differences)
Meaning varies with environments (or contexts)
“Smoke in a kitchen” vs “smoke in the classroom”
We do not know the importance of stimulus until we test it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the two branches of psychology?

A

Pure Psychology : tends to…
- Involve exploring mechanism, often through experiments
- Deal with abstract concepts and minutiae
- Take place in laboratory settings
I.e.: Abnormal Psychology

Applied Psychology : tends to…
- Be concerned with what predicts, changes or manages behaviour (often in a therapeutic context)
- Deal with more concrete outcomes (often therapeutic outcomes) that impact our day-to-day lives
- Takes place in a real world settings
- Have more direct implications for the real world
I.e.: Political Psychology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are some biological factors for behaviour?

A

Hunger is linked to physiological changes
Blood sugar levels, leptin levels, and insulin levels matter
The levels of these signalling compounds change with eating or adipose (fat) storage

The sight, smell or thought of food can trigger a biological cascade which prepares us for eating (cephalic phase) and increases hunger
Specific brain areas (e.g. hypothalamus) are involved in eating and energy metabolism
Obese rat has a ventromedial hypothalamic lesion (damage)
Genes are also involved
Eating disorders (obesity) are heritable + run in families

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are some approaches to psychology as a discipline?

A
  • Requires the scientific approach
  • Approach is not intuitive and takes training
  • Being an effective scientist may sometimes require acting against human nature
  • We are all subject to biases (preferences in judgement) and fallacies (errors in logical reasoning)
  • ^ Unconscious (automatically applied without awareness)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is confirmation bias?

A
  • Overvaluing information that agrees with our beliefs and undervaluing information that does not
  • Common and very difficult to avoid
  • Affects public attitudes and social policies on issues such as climate change, vaccination and drug use
  • To think scientifically, you must acknowledge all facts– even those NOT in your favour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is meta-analysis?

A

we can weight the average effect of all studies (on your claim– supporting and not)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is apophenia?

A

We have a clear, unidirectional bias to detect faces in our environment. We see faces in clouds, but never clouds in faces

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is terror management theory?

A

Terror management theory proposes that we manage the fear of death by looking for system with meaning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the 8 perspectives in psychology?

A

Philosophy
Psychophysics (predates psychology)
Structuralism (regarded as the first field)
Functionalism
Psychoanalysis
Behaviourism
Cognitivism
Social Psychology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is structuralism?

A

Study the elements of psychological experiences such as colour, smell + reading
If you studied the experience, you could identify its many parts
Used analytic introspection to identify the elements
Verbal report on the same experience by many subjects
Consistent themes in verbal reports might reflect elements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Who were the key contributors of structuralism?

A

Wundt and Titchener

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Structuralism?

A
  1. Gave credibility to psychology as a science
  2. Identified key differences between sensation + perception
  3. Suggested unconscious processes underlying behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are the DOWNSIDES to Structuralism?

A
  1. Introspection highly variable, hard to interpret
  2. Examined memory of experiences rather than the experiences themselves
  3. Behaviours governed by unconscious processes could not be examined (eg: arithmetic)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is Functionalism?

A

Explain how behaviours served adaptive functions that increased fitness (focus on the purpose of mental processes, rather than their contents)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Who is the key contributor of Functionalism?

A

William James

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Functionalism?

A
  1. Led to the development of many new theories
  2. Basis for evolutionary psychology
  3. Transformed public perspective on behaviours; ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are a matter of context
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the DOWNSIDES to Functionalism?

A
  1. Theoretical and not experimental
  2. Difficult to test empirically, hard to falsify
  3. Mostly descriptive and not predictive (true of most field, especially true here)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is Gestalt Psychology?

A
  • Emphasised that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’ (contrasts with structuralism)
  • Primarily focused on visual perception
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Who is the key contributor of Gestalt Psychology?

A

Wertheimer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Gestalt Psychology?

A
  1. Led us to reconsider the reductionist approach (the ‘whole’ always matters)
  2. Identified key perceptual principles
  3. Identified several key perceptual phenomena
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the DOWNSIDES of Gestalt Psychology?

A
  1. Did not address mechanism in any way
  2. Focused exhaustively on visual perception only
  3. Descriptive rather than predictive
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is Psychoanalysis?

A
  • Study unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories
  • Emphasis on the importance of childhood experiences
  • Utilised talk therapy and dream analysis many subject were psychiatric patients
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Who were the key contributors of Psychoanalysis?

A

Freud & Jung

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Psychoanalysis?

A
  1. Popularised psychology
  2. Revolutionised mental health care (psychotherapy, particularly insight therapies)
  3. Highlighted the importance of unconscious processing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What are the DOWNSIDES of Psychoanalysis?

A
  1. Fixation on case studies (generalisation concerns)
  2. Many theories unfalsifiable, many theories ultimately not supported by data
  3. Overvalued environmental influences in certain cases
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is Behaviourism?

A

Focused on behaviour as it was believed that the mind could not be easily examined (it was a ‘black box’)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Who were the key contributors of Behaviourism?

A

Watson and Skinner

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Behaviourism?

A
  1. High level of experimental rigour
  2. Identified key learning principles still in use today
  3. Strong predictive power in certain contexts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What are the downsides of Behaviourism?

A
  1. Overvalued environmental influences
  2. Undervalued the importance of interpretation and mental processes
  3. Could not explain certain behaviours adequately (eg language)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is Cognitivism?

A
  • Study mental processes (such as perception, thinking, memory, and judgement)

-Innovative experimental designs and approaches (such as neuroimaging)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Who were the key contributors of Cognitivism?

A

Piaget and Neisser

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What are the BENEFITS of Cognitivism?

A
  1. Deconstructed thought processes for the first time
  2. When paired with neuroscience, identified key neural networks underlying behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What are the DOWN SIDES of Cognitivism?

A
  1. Field cohesion sometimes lacking; researches can disagree
  2. Neuroimaging data and its interpretation increasingly scrutinised
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What is Social/Cultural Psychology?

A

Study how social situations and culture influence decision making

Individualism vs Collectivism index

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Who were the key contributors of social/cultural psychology?

A

Heider, Schachter, Festinger

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What are the BENEFITS of social/cultural psychology?

A
  1. Characterised influences of social context on behaviour
  2. Helped us break down barriers between groups
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What are the DOWNSIDES of social/cultural psychology?

A
  1. Low effect sizes are common, poor predictive power
  2. Some effect difficult to replicate
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What is a variable?

A

An attribute that assumes different values across people, places, and timepoints.

  • thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are the variables of interest
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Can behavioural traits be objectively measured?

A

No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

How do you measure conceptual behaviours?

A
  • Our main strategy is to look for behaviours associated with conceptual variables and measure them instead
  • eg: we can approximate intelligence by measuring behaviours we think are associated with it. Cognitive abilities.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What are conceptual variables?

A

employee satisfaction, aggression, attraction, depression, decision-making

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

What is operational variables?

A

Number of days per month that the employee show up to work on time; rating of job satisfaction from 1-9

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

What is positive impression management?

A

exaggerating positive traits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

What is malingering?

A

Exaggerating/manufacturing problems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

What is framing?

A

Wording f the question matters

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

For a test to be useful, we need: Every time we do the test, we get a similar result

A

test-retest reliability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

No matter who is scoring the test, we get a similar result

A

inter-rater reliability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

The degree to which a construct (our test) measures what it claims to be measuring. It doesn’t matter if it’s repeatable, if it’s not valid, it’s garbage. Part of the reason they don’t let go, is because they devoted their career to it.

A

Construct validity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

What is Operational Definition?

A

what specific test you are applying to measure the conceptual variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

What is construct validity?

A

does your test result actual predict the real-world behaviours linked to the conceptual variable (not a given)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

What is Statistical Analysis of Variables?

A

How to process and analyse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

What are measures of central tendency?

A

mean, median, and mode

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

What are measures of variability?

A

Range and standard deviation (SD)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

What is the mean?

A

The average score of the variable within a population

Computed by dividing the sum by the number of cases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

What is Standard Deviation? (SD)

A
  • A measure of how much a score in the population typically deviates (+-) from the mean
  • High SD means a lot of spread around the mean
  • Low SD means little spread around the mean
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

When is the mean the MOST sensitive?

A
  • extreme scores (outliers) particularly is the sample is small
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

What are OUTLIERS?

A

Definition varies; generally a score must be at least 2 absolute SD units away from the mean

Lead to non-representative means and limit the usefulness of means

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

What is the median?

A

The value separating the higher half of a population from the lower half

1,3,3,6,7,8,9
Median = 6

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

Medians and outliers

A

The median is not influenced by extreme scores/outliers (unlike the mean)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
61
Q

What is mode?

A

The most frequently occurring value in a population (popular)

Though it is informative to look at modes, we often do not use them in formal analysis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
62
Q

What is range?

A
  • The distance between highest and lowest score.
  • Large ranges theoretically possible, but rare
  • Large ranges misleading, often because of outliers
  • For this reason, SD> range
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
63
Q

What is Normal Distribution?

A
  • Symmetrical, bell-shaped (also called Bell Curve)
  • 68% of cases between +- 1SD, 95% between +- 2SD
  • No skewness
  • Limited kurtosis
  • Mean = Median = Mode
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
64
Q

In a Negatively Skewed Graph..

A

the mean is a smaller number that the median and mode

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
65
Q

in a normal distribution graph…

A

the mean is the same number as the median and mode

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
66
Q

in a positively skewed graph…

A

the mean is a larger number than the median and mode

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
67
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A
  • A proposed explanation of a phenomenon made on a basis of evidence that serves as a starting point for an investigation
  • A good hypothesis must be SIMPLE, CLEAR, and TESTABLE with experimental studies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
68
Q

What is the scientific method?

A
  • Question
  • Background Research
  • Construct Hypothesis
  • Experiment
  • Analyze Results
  • Hypothesis is supported / not support (revise approach)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
69
Q

3 research approaches;

A
  1. descriptive research
  2. correlational analysis
  3. experimental research
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
70
Q

What is DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH?

A
  • General assessment of variables through systemic observation
  • It is not possible to infer causation in descriptive research, as the researcher is not doing a manipulation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
71
Q

What are the three main subtypes of descriptive research?

A

Case studies
Surveys
Naturalistic Observation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
72
Q

what is case study?

A
  • An intensive examination of one individual
  • Can give valuable insight into rare phenomena, providing proof of existence (that something can happen even if improbable)
  • Common in medicine; basis of Freud’s theories
  • Though useful, difficult to generalise to large populations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
73
Q

Major case studies in psychology (4)

A
  • Phineas Gage: role of frontal lobe in behaviour
  • H.M.: Role of hippocampus in memory
  • Genie; role of early experience in development
  • David Reimer; Gender identity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
74
Q

What is naturalistic observation?

A
  • Observation of an animal in its natural setting without direct intervention
  • Highly generalizable (external validity); avoids concerns about the observer effect
  • Several flaws (most f which relate to the fact you are not intervening directly)
  • Poorly controlled
  • Limited range of variables can be assessed
  • Difficult to study infrequent behaviours and thoughts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
75
Q

example of naturalistic observation:

A

Goodall’s work with chimps
Darwin and the Origin of Species
Numerous studies in children and adolescents

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
76
Q

What is correlational analysis?

A

A correlation is a measure of the strength of relationship between two variables (X,Y)
Technically an analytics technique, not a research design

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
77
Q

what is the statistical measure of correlation called?

A

CORRELATION COEFFICIENT
- Person r is the coefficient for continuous variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
78
Q

what is the r value range?

A

0-1
the higher the absolute are r value (positive or negative), the stronger the relationship

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
79
Q

When is correlational analysis preferred?

A

Suitable for linear relationships.

  • You can do correlation between any two variables in one population (e.g. alcohol and grades)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
80
Q

Correlations variations:

A

Perfect Positive Correlation (1)
High Positive Correlation (0.9)
Low Positive Correlation (0.5)
No Correlation (0)
Low Negative Correlation (-0.5)
High Negative Correlation (-0.9)
Perfect Negative Correlation (-1)

81
Q

when can strong correlations be misleading?

A
  1. Non-linerarity (correlation equation won’t work)
  2. Third factor effects (variable C causes A+B)
  3. Spurious associations
82
Q

What is NON-LINEARITY?

A
  • Curvilinear relationships cannot be accurately described by the correlation equation (r=0)
  • The hypothesised relationship between arousal and performance is an example

Yerkes-Dodson Law adaptation

83
Q

What is Third Factor?

A
  • Ice cream consumption and criminal activity are correlated
  • Ice cream consumption → Criminal activity → Temperature
84
Q

What is Spurious Associations?

A

Correlations can emerge by chance, and may not represent real relationships in nature

85
Q

What is independent variable/ IV?

A

Manipulated at least one variable

86
Q

What is dependent variable/DV?

A

Measure at least one variable

87
Q

what are some concerns with experimental designs?

A

Sampling, confounding variables, demand characteristics and the observer effect, the placebo effect, the experimenter effect

88
Q

What are confounding variables?

A
  • Variables that a researcher fails to control can limit the usefulness of a study
  • An uncontrolled variable that is related to the DV and/or is called a confounding variable
89
Q

what is the act of observation?

A
  • Demand Characteristics Observer/Hawthorne effect
  • Can be limited by opacity and/or deception by the researcher (L03)
  • Difficult to prevent in most cases, though less of an issue for Naturalistic Observation studies
90
Q

placebo comparison groups is also coined:

A

single-blinding or participant blinding

  • if a treatment truly works, it will affect behaviour more than either a placebo or no treatment
91
Q

Possibilities: Pure Treatment effect

A
  1. Drug > Control
  2. Drug> Placebo
  3. Placebo = Control
92
Q

Possibilities: Pure Placebo effect

A
  1. Placebo > Control
  2. Drug > Control
  3. Placebo = Drug
93
Q

What is experimenter effect?

A

If a researcher wants a certain result, they might unconsciously behave in a way that gets that result

94
Q

What is double-blinding?

A

For this reason, it is preferred that researchers and participants are blinded

95
Q

Ethical guidelines: 5

A
  1. Informed consent
  2. Freedom to leave at any point: attrition (subject loss) is high in human studies
  3. Protection of participants
  4. Confidentiality
  5. Debriefing: any deception is revealed
96
Q

what does treatment effect mean?

A

If we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis, we say that there is a treatment effect (or simply an effect)

97
Q

What kind of tests do we use in psychology?

A

Statistical tests– quantifying uncertainty
(i.e. how likely it is our result is due to chance)

98
Q

what is the p threshold?

A

p threshold = 0.05 is common
If p value < threshold, we say that the difference between the groups is statistically significant

99
Q

What is effect size and how to do we get it?

A
  • The magnitude of the treatment effect is expressed in the form of effect size
  • We get this measure by doing statistical operations on our dataset (like we did for p)
  • Many measures (e.g. Cohen’s d)
100
Q

Sample size

A

The larger that sample size (n), the more likely we are to reliably detect differences

101
Q

what are strong effects?

A

Strong effects can be found with small n
(e.g. n~10)
- Opiate drugs and pain

102
Q

What are weak effects?

A

Weak effects generally require very large n (e.g. n~ 50,100,500) to be considered reliable
- Aspirin and pain

103
Q

The nervous is divided into:

A

central CNS
peripheral PNS

104
Q

What is CNS?

A

brain + spinal cord, encased in bone (skull and vertebrae, respectively)

105
Q

What is PNS?

A

everything else outside the CNS

106
Q

How many cells in the brain?

A

90 billion

107
Q

What are the two main cell types?

A

neurons and glia

107
Q

what are the special properties of neurons?

A

They can generate and conduct electrochemical signals (i.e. they are excitable cells).

108
Q

What happens in neurotransmission?

A
  1. Neuron receives a chemical signal (transmitter) from another cell
  2. This transmitter might trigger an electrochemical impulse (action potential) in the neuron
  3. That action potential causes the neuron to release a transmitter of its own
  4. Transmitter released by Neuron A travels across the synapse to affect receptors on Neuron B. There are some 125 trillion synapses in the brain.
109
Q

Small molecule neurotransmitters: 4

A
  1. amino acids
  2. monoamines
  3. acetylcholine
  4. unconventional neurotransmitters
110
Q

Large neurotransmitters:

A

neuropeptides
- Pituitary peptides
- Hypothalamic peptides
- Brain-gut peptides
- Opioid peptides
- Miscellaneous peptides

111
Q

what is an agonist?

A

a compound that bands to a receptor and produces a response (e.g. glutamate is an agonist of glutamate receptors)

112
Q

what is an antagonist

A

a compound that binds to a receptor but does not produce a response

113
Q

what is naloxone

A

can be used to block the effects of opioids and thereby stop overdoses

114
Q

external features of the brain: 4

A
  1. Frontal lobe
  2. Parietal lobe
  3. Occipital lobe
  4. Temporal lobe
115
Q

what are bumps on the brain called?

A

Gyri (s. gyrus)

116
Q

what are folds on the brain called?

A

sulci (s. sulcus) or fissures

117
Q

what is longitudinal fissure?

A

divides the hemispheres

118
Q

what is Central fissure?

A

frontal and parietal lobes
- Precentral cyprus before the fissure (frontal)
- Postcentral gyrus after the fissure (parietal)

119
Q

what it lateral fissure?

A

top half (frontal + parietal) from bottom half (temporal)

120
Q

what does the left + right hemispheres control?

A

the opposite (contralateral) sides of the body
- language often lateralized left (70-90%)

121
Q

Case study: opioid drugs

A
  • (e.g. ꞵ-endorphin) which acts as ‘natural painkillers’
  • Endorphins mediate pain responses by acting on targets in the nervous system, including μ-opioid receptors
  • μ-opioid receptors are also highly responsive to opioid drugs (e.g. morphine)
122
Q

Divisions of the CNS (4)

A
  • frontal lobe
  • parietal lobe
  • temporal lobe
  • occipital lobe
123
Q

what is frontal lobe?

A

Performs executive functions that coordinate other brain areas, motor planning,
language, and memory

124
Q

Parietal lobe?

A

Processes touch information, integrates vision and touch

125
Q

Temporal lobe?

A

Processes auditory information, language, and autobiographical memory

126
Q

Occipital lobe?

A

Processes visual information

127
Q

what is basal ganglia?

A

Control movement and motor planning

128
Q

limbic system?

A
  • Thalamus: Conveys sensory information to cortex
  • Hypothalamus: Oversees endocrine and autonomic nervous system
  • Amygdala: Regulates arousal and fear
  • Hippocampus: Processes memory for spatial locations
129
Q

what is cerebellum?

A

Controls balance and coordinated movement

130
Q

What is brain stem?

A
  1. Midbrain: tracks visual stimuli and reflexes triggered by sound
  2. Pons: Conveys information between the cortex and cerebellum
  3. Medulla: Regulates breathing and heartbeats
131
Q

Spinal Cord

A

Conveys information between the brain and the rest of the body

132
Q

The Cortex

A

The term cortex refers to the outer layer of the brain (2-4mm thick)
Frontal cortex= outer layer of the frontal lobe

133
Q

What is frontal lobe?

A
  1. The ‘seat of executive function’ in the brain
  2. Involved in the planning, organisation, initiation and inhibition of behaviour
  3. Central to initiating voluntary muscle movement (as it contains the primary motor cortex)
  4. Regulates social behaviour, stress, memory and even decision-making
134
Q

What is frontal cortex lesion– Gage

A
  • The injury was associated with pronounced behavioural changes, such as increased impulsivity and inappropriate social behaviour (“no longer Gage”)
135
Q

The Orbitofrontal Cortex

A
  • Positioned near the orbital bone, around the eyes
  • Commonly injured
  • Damage is associated with deficits in social behaviour, impulse control, taste and smell
136
Q

what is the parietal lobe?

A
  • Involved in language, spatial relationships and tactile perception (including touch, pain,
    and proprioception)
    Sensation will be discussed in L06
  • Contains the somatosensory cortex, where various regions of the body are represented
  • Lesion might impair ability to feel/recognize tactile stimuli (tactile agnosia) do maths (dyscalculia) and read (dyslexia)
137
Q

What is the Temporal Lobe

A
  • Associated with many key functions, including hearing, language, multimodal integration
    and memory
  • May be associated with much more complex functions such as creativity, and religiosity
138
Q

The limbic system? (4)

A
  1. Amygdala
  2. Hypothalamus
  3. Hippocampus
  4. Cingulate gyrus
139
Q

What is amygdala?

A

Involved in emotional processing (fear, anxiety and anger but also positive emotions) = social behaviour

140
Q

what is hypothalamus?

A
  • Small and complex structure with many subregions, each of which may serve a different (and vital function)
141
Q

what does hypothalamus DO?

A
  • Important drive centre for regulatory behaviour
  • Governs the drive for aggressive, feeding, fearful and sexual behaviours
  • Also a ‘homeostatic regulator’ that controls fluid balance, thermoregulation and circadian rhythm
  • Participates in the regulation of stress responses via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
142
Q

What is hypothalamus and feeding?

A
  • Damage to the hypothalamus (lateral + ventromedial subregions) disrupts appetite regulation and energy metabolism, resulting in weight changes
  • Rats
143
Q

what is the hippocampus’ function?

A
  • Centrally involved in memory consolidation, spatially guided behaviour and emotion (particularly anxiety)
  • Termed ‘the gateway to declarative memory’
144
Q

what is H.M. and the Hippocampus?

A
  • Hippocampus surgically removed to treat epilepsy
  • Had anterograde amnesia from the point of injury
145
Q

types of memory (2)

A

Long-term memory
Declarative memory / Nondeclarative memory

146
Q

what is cingulate gyrus?

A
  • Plays a role in many behaviours, including social interaction, pain, emotion, and learning/memory
  • Cingulate lesions can have profound effects on social behaviour in human and animals
147
Q

Basal ganglia (impulse control)

A
  • Caudate + Putamen (together = dorsal striatum) as well as Globus Pallidus. Important for movement
  • Nucleus Accumbens and other structures (=ventral striatum). Role in reinforcement learning + habit formation (relevant to addiction)
148
Q

what does the spinal cord do?

A
  • Tracts for sending motor instructions out
  • Tracts food delivering sensory information in
    Insert image (i have not yet taken the picture)
149
Q

what are the techniques?

A

Spatial resolution
Temporal resolution

150
Q

what is spatial resolution?

A
  • Referring to ability to measure space between brain regions– small structures)
  • How effectively can we distinguish between brain regions
  • Low → High
  • As spatial resolution increases, it’s easier to identify brain areas
151
Q

What is temporal resolution?

A
  • How effectively can we measure changes in brain activity over time
  • Low → High
  • As temporal resolution increases, it is easier to tell how neural activity changes over time (even if it is changing very fast)
152
Q

What is EEG? (stands for)

A

Electroencephalography

153
Q

What does EEG do/when is it useful?

A
  • Measures electrical activity in specific brain regions
  • Useful in studies of arousal, consciousness + epilepsy
154
Q

What is EEG record?

A
  • Potential difference (volts or V, y axis) over time (seconds or sec, x axis)
  • Notice how the voltage varies in a ‘wave-like’ manner over time, with peaks and valleys
  • The variation in voltage over time gives us frequency
155
Q

what is the biggest advantage of EEG?

A

Great temporal resolution
- Millisecond scale
- Great for measuring rapid changes in arousal/consciousness (regular EEG) and rapid cognitive processes (ERP)

156
Q

what is the biggest disadvantage of EEG

A

Poor spatial resolution
- Difficult to determine which specific areas are active
- Deeper brain areas cannot be measured

157
Q

what does PET stand for?

A

Positron Emission Tomography

158
Q

What is PET?

A
  • A synthetic radiotracer is injected into the subject
  • This radiotracer reacts with tissue in the brain; this reaction produces a signal that can be measured with specialised equipment
  • Wherever the radiotracer goes in the brain, there will be a signal generated
159
Q

what is the purpose of PET?

A
  • Measuring metabolic activity
  • Characterising distribution of specific substances
160
Q

PET advantages?

A
  • Decent spatial resolution
  • Better than EEG (measuring an inch of neurons on the top) but worse than MRI
161
Q

PET disadtavantage?

A
  • Poor temporal resolution
  • Difficult to resolve rapid changes in neural activity
  • If you were measuring someone’s brain during a maths test, but you may be measuring activity from twenty minutes ago which will confound what you are trying to measure. For that reason, it is no longer being used.
162
Q

what is MDD

A

Major depressive disorder

163
Q

When is MRI useful?

A

Very useful for the study of grey matter and assessing structure.

164
Q

what if fMRI?

A

can be used for assessing function

165
Q

what is the basis of the fMRI signal?

A

Oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood send different signals to the brain.

Active neurons use glucose + oxygen
After blood delivers oxygen, it becomes deoxygenated

166
Q

what is the fMRI signal?

A
  • Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood have different magnetic properties which can be measured
  • If you measure blood oxy/deoxy ratio in a given area, you’ll have a correlated of neuronal activity in that area
167
Q

fMRI advantages?

A
  • Great spatial resolution (great for studying brain structure)
  • Best out of techniques we have covered
  • Can be ‘paired’ with other techniques (e.g. PET)
168
Q

fMRI and temporal resolution?

A
  • Decent temporal resolution
    Better than PET (arguably), not as good as EEG or MEG
  • Lag of seconds between activity and signal is still evident
169
Q

why should fMRI be interpreted with care? 2

A
  • Graph doesn’t work. Suggests simple models of brain activity.
  • One should not interpret cognitive activity.
170
Q

What is Lesion Studies?

A

If a brain lesion is associated with behavioural deficits, it is possible that the brain region damaged is involved in the behaviour damaged

171
Q

case studies in lesion studies (2)

A
  • Patient HM– removal of Hippocampus + adjoining areas; impaired memory
  • Phineas Gage– Lesion of Frontal Lobe; Impulsivity + Impaired Social Behaviour
172
Q

what is sensation?

A

Sensation = receiving, collecting and amplifying information from the environment (initial phase; involves sensory organs); early in the process

173
Q

what is perception?

A

Perception = interpreting/organising this information so that we may understand + react to it (later phase); rich experience that guides your feelings

174
Q

what do sensory organs contain?

A

Contain specialised receptors attached too neurons, these neurons send signals into the brain

175
Q

what is vision? (2)

A
  • Processing the stimulus of light
  • Light is an electromagnetic wave. Different types of light have different wavelengths.
176
Q

what are rods? (3)

A
  1. Dense in periphery
  2. Useful in dim light/darkness
  3. Less involved in colour
177
Q

what are cones? (3)

A
  1. Dense in the fovea (centre of retina)
  2. Operate in bright light
  3. Role in colour perception
178
Q

what it trichromatic colour theory?

A
  • Also called Young-Helmholtz Theory– not a perfect explanation
  • Every colour is a combination of three independent colour signals (and perhaps the activity of three cones
  • Analogy: Colour Slider in Imagining Software
179
Q

what is opponent Process Colour Theory?

A

Processing of signals in pairs, contrasting colour signals interact (Blue v Yellow, Red v Green, Black v White)

180
Q

what is hearing?

A
  • Pressure vibrations in the air; wave form, peaks and valleys
  • The magnitude of air pressure (in molecule density) is amplitude
  • Related to loudness
  • Changes in air pressure (from high to low) are cyclic (they repeat over time)
  • The amount of cycles per second is frequency (Hz)
  • Related to perceived pitch
181
Q

what is the vestibular system?

A
  • Involved in our perception of balance
  • Referring to the fact that the process of hearing is closely associated with balance
182
Q

what is somatosensory cortex? (2)

A
  1. Frontal lobe; motor map in precentral gyrus
  2. Parietal lobe; sensory map in postcentral gyrus
183
Q

what is proprioception?

A
  • Sense of the relative position of one’s body and the strength of effort employed in movement
  • Achieved through input from specialised neurons in the skin, joints, bones, ears and tendons
  • Neurons communicate compression + contraction of muscles
184
Q

what is the taste hypothesis?

A
  • Taste Map Theory:
    Definitely disproven (you can disprove this yourself, RIGHT NOW)
  • Supertaster Bud Theory:
    Currently debated (Jury is still out)
185
Q

what is olfactory pathway?

A

Begins with olfactory receptors in the olfactory bulb responding to odorant molecules in the air

186
Q

what are the 5 sensory intersections?

A
  1. The taste experience
  2. Speechreading and the McGurk effect
  3. Synesthesia
  4. Sensory mismatch
  5. Sensory competition
187
Q

what is ‘absolute threshold’?

A

Absolute threshold refers to the lowest stimulus intensity (in units) at which we can correctly detect the stimulus > 50% of the time (i.e. above chance)

188
Q

what is blindsight?

A

Responses without awareness might be possible

189
Q

what does JND stand for?

A

just noticeable difference

190
Q

what does jnd do?

A
  • Also termed the difference threshold
  • The point (in stimulus units) at which you can just barely discriminate a change in a stimulus
191
Q

what is consciousness (2)

A
  • Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
  • We have automatic (unconscious) and controlled (conscious) behaviours as well as both implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) memory
192
Q

what is neurocognitive theory?

A

increase in complexity with age

193
Q

why do we dream? (3)

A

Dream Protection Theory
Evolutionary Theory
Activation-Synthesis Theory

194
Q

what is Activation-Synthesis Theory

A

Dreams are an attempt by the brain to interpret random activity

195
Q

what is evolutionary theory?

A

Dreams about threats to reproductive success, plan solutions

196
Q

what is dream protection theory

A

Sexual + aggressive instincts are transformed into symbols that represent wish fulfilment; interpretation required

197
Q

what are two theories of hypnosis?

A

Dissociative theories and socio-cognitive theories (better-supported) have been proposed

Not viewed fondly by the legal community

PSY100 (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions