October Midterm Flashcards
Who is John B. Watson
- founded behaviourism
- believed that humans are products of learning
Who is Sigmund Freud
- pioneered psychoanalysis
- trained as a medical doctor
- was trying to understand “hysteria”
- determined that they must be psycholgical
Who is William James
- founded second psychology lab
- wrote first textbook
- wrote a lot about behaviour
- was a functionalist
Who is Wilhelm Wundt
- Father of psychology
- started giving out degrees in psychology
- first psychological lab
- was structuralist
What is Cognitive Perspective
- examines mental processes
- Gestalt Psychology: based on idea that the mind perceives things as a whole rather than in parts
What is Biological Perspective
- examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behaviour
- Sociobiology: social behaviours are the products of evolution, as they better allow the passing of genes (aggression, competition, nurturing)
What is Sociocultural Perspective
- examines how social environment affects behaviour, thoughts, feelings
- Cultural Psychology: examines how culture (values, beliefs, behaviour, traditions) are passed on
What is Humanistic Perspective
- pioneered by Carl Rogers
- focus on values and choice
- helps people “fulfill their full potential”
- came up with the idea of “self conception”
What is Psychodynamic Perspective
- was pioneered by Freud
- studies behaviour within the inner working of the mind
emphasizes unconscious processes
What is Behaviourism Perspective
- forget the “mind”, focus on actual observable behaviour
- discuss how behaviour changes under various conditions
- focus on external environment
- Law of effect: learning us key to how experiences shapes behavior
What are the 6 Modern Psychological Perspectives
- Behaviourism
- Psychodynamic
- Humanistic
- Sociocultural
- Biological
- Cognitive
Structuralism Vs. Functionalism
Structuralism
- analysis of the brains basic structure in terms of basic elements
Functionalism
- study of functions of consciousness rather than structure. how do mental processes help us adapt.
What is British Empiricism
all ideas and knowledge are gained through the senses
What is Monism
Mental events corresponds to physical events in the brain. This philosophy allows us to learn about the mind by studying the brain
What is Mind-Body Dualism
When you believe the mind is a spiritual entity separate from the body. Impossible to learn about the mind from the brain if you believe this.
3 levels of psychology
- Biological
- Psychological
- Environmental/Cultural
what are the psychology goals
- Describe how people behave
- Explain causes of behaviour
- Predict how people will behave
- Influence behaviour to enhance human welfare
2 kinds of experimental psych w/ definitions
- Cognitive Psychology
- mental processes, mind as info processor - Biopsychology
- the effect of genes & hormones on behaviour
what is personality psych
identify core personality traits and how they relate and influence behaviour
what is developmental psych
study of human physical, physiological and social development across a lifespan
what is social psych
- peoples influence on each other
- behaviour in groups
- impressions, love, predjudice
what is industrial-organizational psych
leadership, teamwork, satisfaction motivation and performance
what is experimental psychology
study of learning, senses, perception and motivation through experiments… opposite of Clinical Psychology
what is educational psych
how do ppl learn and how can they be helped
What is Clinical Psychology
The study and treatment of mental disorders
What is Psychology
The study of behaviour and the mind
Who is Thorndike
- discovered that organisms learn through the consequences of their actions (law of effect)
- behaviourist
Who is Ivan Pavlov
- Medical researcher
- realized that dogs salivate before food is shown to them because they learn to associate him with food
- discovered “Classical Conditioning”
Who is Skinner
- says learning is about punishment and reward
Who is Piaget
- studied how kids develop intelligence
- said kids don’t think like adults
- Piagetian Theory is named after him
Who is Carl Rogers
- humanistic
- created Rogerian therapy
What is the Scientific Process
- Identify
- Gather
- Test
- Analyze
- Build
What is Naturalistic Observation
observe behaviour in a natural setting, attempting to avoid influencing behaviour
What is a Case Study
in-depth study of one individual, group, or event
What are some survey methods and what do they do
Population: all individuals we are interested in
Sample: subset drawn from the larger population
Representative Sample: reflects important characteristics of population
Stratified Random Sampling: if 45% of the population is male, then 45% of random sample spaces would be for males
What is a Bidirectionality Problem
does “X” cause “Y” OR does “Y” cause “X”… Maybe they both influence eachother
Meaning of Control between subjects
Control and experimental groups are separate people
What is Double-Blind
When neither subject nor tester know which experimental condition the subject is under (this is the gold standard)
What is Meta-analysis
Statistically combining the results of different studies ti examine their overall significance
What is incomplete disclosure
Not telling subject what you are actually testing them about
What do dendrites do
Collect messages from other neurons and send them to the cell body
What do the Axons do
Sends electrical impulses to other neurons, muscles, glands. They generate “action potential”
What do the Glial Cells do
Hold neurons in place, make food for neurons, absorb toxins
What is the function of the Cell Body
Biochemical structures that keep the neuron alive, carries genetic info
What is the Myelin Sheath
Insulation layer derived from glial cells that cover some axons. Makes action potential travel down the axon faster. Broken up into nodes of ranvier
What do neurons communicate through
Action potentials
What is resting potential
When there is no communication happening, the charge inside the neuron is negative and the surrounded by positively charged sodium
Process of Neuron Communication
- ) Neuron is electrically stimulated
- ) Once and only once the threshold of -55mv is reached, the sodium channels open
- ) Sodium flows in, depolarizing the neuron
- ) Neuron goes through an “absolute refractory period” where it can not be excited until resting potential is restored
- ) Sodium channels are closed and the potassium channels are opened. Potassium is also positive and the cell is trying to dump positive charge to restore equilibrium “repolarization”
- ) Cell will briefly go below its resting potential. This is called “hyperpolarization”
- ) Cell then enters relative refractory period where it is able to fire agian
What is synapse
It is the space between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of the connection neuron
What are Neurotransmitters
Chemicals that travel across the synapse to excite (EPSP) or inhibit (IPSP) other neurons. Whether they excite or inhibit depends on the neurotransmitter and the receptor receiving it
What is the Life Cycle of a Neurotransmitter
- ) Formed in the neuron
- ) Stored in synaptic vesicles in axon terminals
- ) When the action potential comes down axon, they are released into fluid between neurons
- ) They then bind to receptor sites of the receiving neuron’s membrane (specific transmitters fit specific receptors)
- ) Receiving neuron either;
- is excited (inflow of positive ions)
- is hyperpolarized by inhibitor transmitters (outflow of positive ions or inflow of negative ions)
What is Glutamic Acid
- Excitatory
- Involved in all behavior, learning & memory
What is Dopamine
- Motivation, reward, pleasure
- Voluntary motor control
- Thought process
- Not enough is related to Parkinson.s and depression
- Too much causes schizophrenia
What is GABA
- Inhibitory
Anxiety & Motor Control - Alcohol makes the brain more sensitive to it