Midterm Review HISTORY, PERSPECTIVES, BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR Flashcards
What was Wundt’s first experiment testing?
Reaction time
Functionlism vs. Structuralism
Structuralism focuses on the structure of the mind (perception, sensation) whereas functionalism focus on the function of the mind (“why and how” the mind functions)
Ethics in research
Honesty, integrity, openness, confidentiality, respect intellectual property, responsible monitoring, respect colleagues
Correlations
The measure of degree of relation between two variables.
(Positive, negative, none.)
What makes a study scientific?
Employing the scientific method to support or contradict a scientific theory.
Statistical significance
a measure of the probability of the null hypothesis being true compared to the acceptable level of uncertainty regarding the true answer.
Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic
Sympathetic is the nervous system responsible for your “fight or flight” responses in times of emergencies. It controls the body’s responses to stress, injuries, or perceived threats.
Parasympathetic is the nervous system responsible for your “rest and digest” responses in times of non-emergencies. It controls the body’s responses at rest and helps your body regulate its normal daily organ functions.
Medulla vs. Pons
The pons is situated on the upper side of the brain stem while Medulla is situated on the lower side of the brain stem.
Amygdala
Region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes. The amygdala is located in the medial temporal lobe, just in front of the hippocampus. It’s also almond-shaped.
Split Brain Research
Roger Sperry conducted a number of bizarre, but groundbreaking experiments on patients who had their corpus callosums — brain structures responsible for connecting the two hemispheres of the brain — severed. The experiments would later be known as “the split brain experiments.”
A correlation coefficient
a number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between variables. The correlation coefficient is usually represented by the letter r.
Correlation uses
Prediction, validity, reliability, theory verification
Positive and Negative Correlation
A correlation of –1 indicates a perfect negative correlation, meaning that as one variable goes up, the other goes down. A correlation of +1 indicates a perfect positive correlation, meaning that as one variable goes up, the other goes up.
Memory clue for Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic
Sympathetic nervous system kicks in during times of stress, and the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in during times of peace.
Pons
Pons is the part of the brain stem that is liable for the facial expressions and movement of the eyes. Many nerves in the brain that contains sensory information travel and connect to the pons.
Medulla Oblongota
It works as a connector between the spinal cord and other parts of the brain and this is how it becomes a very important part of the brain can have. The main work done by the medulla is to transmit signals between the body and brain.
What system is the amygdala apart of?
The Limbic system
Why do people get their brains “split?”
Split-brain surgery, or corpus calloscotomy, is a drastic way of alleviating epileptic seizures, the occurrence of sporadic electrical storms in the brain. The procedure involves severing the corpus callosum, the main bond between the brain’s left and right hemispheres.
Consequences of split-brain surgery
Both spheres do not exchange information as efficiently as before. This impairment can result in split-brain syndrome, a condition where the separation of the hemispheres affects behavior and agency. Alleviated seizures.
Split-brain syndrome
In patients with split-brain syndrome, the right hemisphere, which controls the left hand and foot, acts independently of the left hemisphere and the person’s ability to make rational decisions. This can give rise to a kind of splitpersonality, in which the left hemisphere give orders that reflect the person’s rationalgoals, whereas the right hemisphere issues conflicting demands that reveal hidden desires.
