Module 1 Flashcards
What are neurons?
Cells that receive and transmit electrochemical signals.
What is neuroscience?
The scientific study of the nervous system.
Thinking ___________ (thinking in productive, unconventional ways) is the cornerstone of any science.
Creatively.
Define clinical.
Pertaining to illness or treatment.
What are the two aspects to the clinical implications theme in biopsychology?
1) much of what biopsychologists learn about the functioning of a healthy brain comes from studying dysfunctional brains; and
2) many of the discoveries of biopsychologists have relevance for the treatment of brain dysfunction.
What is the evolutionary perspective approach to biopsychology?
Thinking of the environmental pressures that likely led to the evolution of our brains and behavior often leads to important biopsychological insights.
(although the events that led to the evolution of the human species can never be determined with certainty).
What is an important component of the evolutionary perspective?
The comparative approach.
(Trying to understand biological phenomena by comparing them in different species).
True or False?
The adult brain is a static network of neurons.
False.
In the past four decades, research has clearly demonstrated that the adult brain is not a static network of neurons: It is a plastic (changeable) organ that continuously grows and changes in response to an individual’s environment and experiences. (Neuroplasticity)
The discovery of __________ is arguably the single most influential discovery in modern neuroscience.
Neuroplasticity.
True or False?
The plasticity of the human brain is not always beneficial.
True.
Contrary to popular belief, the plasticity of the human brain is not always beneficial. For example, it also contributes to various forms of brain dysfunction.
What is the study of epigenetics?
Genes are only a small part of what determines who you are. Instead, you are the product of ongoing interactions between your genes and your experiences—such interactions are at the core of a field of study known as epigenetics.
Define consciousness.
The perception or awareness of some aspect of one’s self or the world.
Define biopsychology.
The scientific study of the biology of behavior.
(Some refer to this field as psychobiology, behavioral biology, or behavioral neuroscience; but we prefer the term biopsychology because it denotes a biological approach to the study of psychology rather than a psychological approach to the study of biology: Psychology commands center stage in this text.)
Define psychology.
The scientific study of behavior—the scientific study of all overt activities of the organism as well as all the internal processes that are presumed to underlie them (e.g., learning, memory, motivation, perception, emotion).
Although it is not possible to specify the exact date of biopsychology’s birth, the publication of _________________ in 1949 by Donald Hebb played a key role in its emergence
The Organization of Behavior.
List the six fields of neuroscience that are particularly relevant to biopsychological inquiry.
1) Neuroanatomy. The study of the structure of the nervous system.
2) Neurochemistry. The study of the chemical bases of neural activity.
3) Neuroendocrinology. The study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system.
4) Neuropathology. The study of nervous system dys- function.
5) Neuropharmacology. The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity.
6) Neurophysiology. The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system.
What are some advantages that humans have over other animals as experimental subjects of biopsychological research?
1) They can follow instructions
2) They can report their subjective experiences
3) Humans are often cheaper (he cost of maintaining an animal laboratory can be prohibitive)
4) They have human brains (which is obviously optimal in a field aimed at understanding the intricacies of human brain function haha)
What are three advantages that nonhuman animals have over humans as subjects in biopsychological research?
1) The brains and behavior of nonhuman subjects are simpler than those of human participants. (which often more likely to reveal fundamental brain–behavior interactions.)
2) Insights frequently arise from the comparative approach, the study of biological processes by comparing different species. (Ie: comparing the behavior of species that do not have a cerebral cortex with the behavior of species that do can provide valuable clues about cortical function.)
3) It is possible to conduct research on laboratory animals that, for ethical reasons, is not possible with human participants. (There are fewer ethical constraints on the study of laboratory species than on the study of humans.)
Nonhuman animal ethics committees emphasize consideration of the so-called “three R’s”. What are the the “three R’s”?
1) Reduction (efforts to reduce the numbers of animals used in research)
2) Refinement (refining research studies or the way animals are cared for, so as to reduce suffering. Providing animals with better living conditions is one example of refinement.)
3) Replacement (replacing of studies using animal subjects with alternate techniques, such as experimenting on cell cultures or using computer models. Ie: crash test dummy)
What are two common types of nonexperimental studies in biopsychological research?
Quasiexperimental studies and case studies.
What is an experiment?
The method used by scientists to study causation, that is, to find out what causes what.
In an experiment, what is the difference between “between-subjects design” and “within-subjects design”?
Between-subjects design = a different group of subjects is tested under each condition
Within-subjects design = sometimes it is possible to test the same group of subjects under each condition
What is an independent variable?
The difference between the conditions that an experimenter assigns the subjects to conditions, administers the treatments, and measures the outcome in such a way that there is only one relevant difference between the conditions being compared.
What is a dependent variable?
The variable measured by the experimenter to assess the effect of the independent variable.
Why is it critical that there be no differences between conditions other than the independent variable?
When there is more than one difference that could affect the dependent variable, it is difficult to determine whether it was the independent variable or the unintended difference— called a confounded variable—that led to the observed effects on the dependent variable.
What is the Coolidge effect?
The fact that a copulating male who becomes incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex partner can often recommence copulating with a new sex partner.
True or False?
The Coolidge effect is named after a biopsychologist named Coolidge.
False.
It is named after President Calvin Coolidge.
Define lordosis.
The arched-back, rump-up, tail-diverted posture of female rodent sexual receptivity.
The Coolidge effect had not been demonstrated in females because it is more difficult to conduct well-controlled Coolidge-effect experi- ments with females—not because females do not display a Coolidge effect. The confusion stemmed from the fact that the males of most mammalian species become sexually fatigued more readily than the females. As a result, attempts to demonstrate the Coolidge effect in females are almost always confounded by the _______ of the males.
Fatigue.
What are quasiexperimental studies?
Studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world.
(For example, experiments assessing whether frequent marijuana use causes brain dysfunction are not feasible because it would be unethical to assign a human to a condition that involves years of frequent marijuana use.)
True or false?
Quasiexperimental studies are true experiments.
False.
They are not true experiments because potential confounded variables have not been controlled—for example, by the random assignment of subjects to conditions.
Experiments can tell us whether an independent variable causes a change in a dependent variable (assuming that the experimenter has controlled for all confounding variables); quasiexperiments can tell us only that _____________.
Two variables are correlated with one another.
(For example, in interpreting experiments we can reach causal conclusions like “frequent alcohol consumption causes brain damage.” In contrast, quasiexperimental studies can tell us only that “frequent alcohol use is associated with brain damage.”)
What is a case study?
Studies that focus on a single subject, or very small number of subjects.
What is a major problem with all case studies?
Their generalizability—the degree to which their results can be applied to other cases.
What is the goal of a case study?
Their focus is on providing a more in-depth picture than that provided by an experiment or a quasiexperimental study, and they are an excellent source of testable hypotheses.
Pure research and applied research differ in a number of respects, but they are distinguished less by their own __________ than by the __________ of the researchers involved in their pursuit.
attributes, motives
