phycology flash cards

Question 1

Which brain structure in the limbic system is crucial for the formation and consolidation of new memories?

Answer 1

hippocampus

Question 2

A physiological response is:

Answer 2

changes in the body

Question 3

The brain’s cerebrum is divided into two halves – the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. What brain structure connects these two hemispheres?

Answer 3

Corpus callosum

Question 4

Which field of psychology primarily focuses on understanding how people grow and change throughout their lives?

Answer 4

developmental phycology

Question 5

The subjective component of emotion includes:

Answer 5

feelings and thoughts

Question 6

What is a healthy way of expressing anger?

Answer 6

assertive communication

Question 7

what does assertive communication involve?

Answer 7

• Expressing emotions and point of view in a clear and direct way.
• Maintaining respect for self and others.
• Using ‘I’ statements

Question 8

Define psychology

Answer 8

Phycology is the study of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.

Question 9

Sally is waiting in the wings about to perform in her first ever dance recital. She is feeling nervous. Using the 3 components of emotion, describe Sally’s emotional response in this scenario.

Answer 9

physiological response: because she is feeling nervous this has activated her autonomic nervous system which can cause her to sweat, have an adrenaline rush and heart rate increases.

Expressive behaviour: because she is nervous is that she is fidgeting, biting her nails, or she could cry. These are the things that we can see happening on the outside.

Subjective feelings: The things she is feeling on the inside. Her nervousness is activated from the dance recital, and this can cause her to think other negative thoughts.

Question 10

Give examples of expressive behaviours.

Answer 10

biting fingernails, yelling, crying, smiling, fidgeting.

Question 11

Compare the roles of the Somatic Nervous System and Autonomic Nervous System.

Answer 11

The autonomic nervous system controls the involuntary body functions. The somatic nervous systems controls the voluntary body functions.

Question 12

what are microexpressions?

Answer 12

Microexpressions are involuntary facial expressions that only last less than a second. (ie mucroexpressions cannot be consciously controlled).

Question 13

List examples of biological, psychological and social factors that influence behaviour.

Answer 13

Biological: genetics, hormones, parts of the brain and brain structure, age, medications and drugs including alcohol, fight or flight response, illness and disease, sleep and sleep deprivation
psychological: emotions, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs, coping strategies, memories of past experiences, mental health, personality traits
social: family relationships, friends, peer pressure, socioeconomic status, work or school, cultural traditions and expectations, societal norms and expectations

Question 14

The polygraph is commonly referred to as a “lie detector” but it doesn’t actually detect lies. Explain how the polygraph works. In your answer list the physiological responses measured, describe the types of questions asked and explain how it is used to detect lying.

Answer 14

The polygraph measures breathing rate, blood pressure and galvanic skin response. The problem with polygraphs is that the arousal they measure could be heightened due to things other than deceptive behaviour like surprise, shock or fear. Two different types of questions are asked during a polygraph. Control questions are asked to establish a baseline level of arousal. They are generally routine and unemotional such as “Is your name X?”. Relevant questions are related to the investigation such as “where were you on X day at X time?”. If physiological arousal increases on relevant questions compared to control questions, it can be assumed the person is lying.

Question 15

Give one example of how the brain of someone experiencing depression might be different to the brain of someone not experiencing depression.

Answer 15

People who suffer from major depressive disorder release larger amounts of cortisol than the average person. The result of this long term exposure is that parts of the brain can actually shrink, including the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, which are involved in memory and decision making. o The amygdala is particularly active when a human or animal experiences negative emotions such as fear. Neuroimaging studies have shown that in response to viewing sad faces, the amygdala of depressed people is extremely active compared to the amygdala of non-depressed people. So an overactive amygdala may be a contributor to depression.

Question 16

Explain what the darker and lighter shades of each colour on Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion indicate. Use an example to support your answer.

Answer 16

The darker and lighter shades of each colour on Plutchik’s wheel of emotion indicate that emotions can be experienced at different intensities

Question 17

Name two emotions that according to Plutchik cannot exist at the same time. Explain why.

Answer 17

Plutchik’s theory is that emotions on opposite sides of the wheel of emotion are polar opposite emotions and cannot exist at the same time.

Question 18

Define the term display rules.

Answer 18

Display rules are a set of norms within a society or culture that dictate the way emotion is expressed, and with what level of intensity.

Question 19

Explain how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) works.

Answer 19

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be used to treat a range of things including anxiety and depression. It involves a combination of cognitive and behavioural therapy.

Question 20

Give an example of a common cognitive distortion that may be addressed during CBT.

Answer 20

• Personalisation: attributing personal responsibility for events which aren’t under a person’s control (eg., our team lost because of me, it’s all my fault)
• Catastrophising: jumping to the worst case scenario immediately (eg., this spot on my skin is probably skin cancer, I’ll be dead soon)
• Overgeneralisation: making sweeping conclusions based on a single event (eg., after one bad date, saying “I’ll never find a partner”)

Question 21

Explain one difference between psychologists and psychiatrists.

Answer 21

• A phycologist cannot handle medical things as they are not certified medical doctors, psychiatrist are medical doctors where they can handle and prescribe medication.
• Psychologists can conduct psychological tests like IQ tests, whereas psychiatrists cannot.

Question 22

Explain why you might check appropriate gestures before going on an overseas trip.

Answer 22

You would check appropriate gestures before going on an overseas trip because gestures are not universal across cultures and you would not want to offend someone or be misunderstood. For example, the “okay” gesture can just mean okay, good or perfect, but in some countries it can be a rude gesture.

Question 23

Describe what is involved in anger management.

Answer 23

• Anger management involves teaching the person how to express emotions assertively instead of aggressively.
• Anger is a normal and healthy emotion, but it can be difficult to manage and when uncontrolled impact relationships, work/school and mental health. Some people experience anger more frequently and with more intensity than most, causing them to respond with disproportionate aggression. The aim of anger management is to help the person understand and manage anger in a constructive way
• Anger management also involves learning calming strategies that relax and control internal physiological responses. For example, deep breathing, meditation, and allowing time for feelings to subside by removing oneself temporarily from the situation.

Question 24

define emotion.

Answer 24

Emotions are very helpful to humans, for example crying can be beneficial for you to understand others emotion better. Our own emotions allow us to comprehend the other emotions of others. We experience emotions of different intensity.

Question 25

James-Lange theory

Answer 25

suggest the bodily response to the emotional trigger is instinctive and immediate rather than being conscious and controlled. Stimulus –> physiological arousal –> emotion. 1885 people experience emotion after noticing a physiological response.

Question 26

Cannon-bard theory

Answer 26

both subjective feeling and the physical response occur both simultaneously and independently, causing the experience of emotion. Thalamus is the “relay station” in the brain that directs sensory information to other brain structures (activates the autonomic nervous systems in response) one does not cause the other

Question 27

Schachter singer two – factor theory

Answer 27

two factor if emotion (physical arousal +cognitive label)
Physical response to an emotion is experienced first, which the brain then labels as an emotion. The cognitive labelling is needed before the phycological changes can be correctly interpreted. Stimulus ->phycological arousal -> cognitive label -> emotion. We decide which particular emotion we are feeling based on memory of similar situations and interpretation of what is happening at the moment.

Question 28

Plutchik’s theory of emotion

Answer 28

emotions serve an adaptive role, allowing both humans and animals to respond to their environment to improve their chances of survival e.g., fear, fight, or flight. Eight primary emotions: fear, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, anticipation, trust, joy. All other emotions are derived from these primary emotions and occur as a combination of them. Primary emotions have opposite emotions which cannot be experienced simultaneously. Emotions have varying levels of arousal and intensity. Stimulus event -> cognite appraisal -> subjective reaction -> behavioral reaction - > function.

Question 29

describe the Limbic system

Answer 29

A series of structure within the brain that process emotions and coordinate emotional responses.

Question 30

describe the Hippocampus

Answer 30

Plays and important role in memory. Transferring short term memories to long term storage. Episodic memory (long-term memory – recollection of a personal experience) (memory’s go into long term during sleep) can form dementia without enough sleep.

Question 31

describe the amygdala

Answer 31

A person with an intact amygdala would interpret an angry facial expressions as, angry. A person with a damaged amygdala won’t recognize the facial expressions and think angry is approachable and trustworthy.

Question 32

describe the Thalamus

Answer 32

Sits above the brain stem near the centre of the brain. Responsible for replaying information from the sensory receptors to areas of the brain where it can be processed.

Question 33

describe the Hypothalamus

Answer 33

Sits below the thalamus, about the size of a pea.
Converts emotions into physiological reactions. Responses to input from the amygdala by activating the adrenal gland to secrete adrenaline and cortisol.

Question 34

describe gestures

Answer 34

movements of the body, usually the hands or the head, to emphasize or express an idea or meaning.
Counting, signaling to come closer, expressing appreciation when we are angry and want others to know.
Vary significantly between cultures, therefore cross-cultural understanding is important!