PSYCH 104 MIDTERMS

Question 1

What are errors of perception?

Answer 1

• behavior is more complex than it may seem
• our personal experiences are limited (we don’t see or know everything)
• we are biased and prone to errors as humans

Question 2

What is naive realism?

Answer 2

The belief that we see the world as it is, no distortions, our opinion is fact ( ex a horizon is flat, not round which prompts people to believe that the earth is flat)

Question 3

What is confirmation bias?

Answer 3

The tendency to notice evidence that confirms our pre existing beliefs ( when you already believe something, you notice supporting evidence and disregard and contradicting points)

Question 4

What is belief perseverance?

Answer 4

The tendency to maintain existing beliefs despite contradictory evidence ( ex not believing you did a good job because you felt insecure about your performance so you disagree with people’s compliments.)

Question 5

What is a scientific theory?

Answer 5

An explanation for a large # of findings in the natural world, the general explanations present in a scientific theory lead to specific predictions. It is able to be tested methodically and the results of the theory will either support or fail to support the theory.

Question 6

What is psych?

Answer 6

A scientific study of the mind, brain and behavior that provides an understanding of various phenomenon and allows us to predict behavior and mental processes.

Question 7

What is validity?

Answer 7

The extent to which an instrument is measuring what it is intended to measure.

Question 8

What is internal validity?

Answer 8

The extent to which we can draw cause and effect inferences (you can be more confident in the statement)

Question 9

What is external validity?

Answer 9

The extent to which we can generalize findings (generalize our findings from a study from other groups)

Question 10

What are the 4 research designs?

Answer 10

1) case study
2) naturalistic observation
3) correlation design
4) experimental design

Question 11

What is correlational design?

Answer 11

Investigates relationships between variables without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them. This reflects the strength and/or direction of the relationship between 2 or more variables.

Question 12

What is a neuron?

Answer 12

The lego bricks that make us up. Brain cells that are specialized in communicating with one another, approx 86 billion neurons with 160 trillion synaptic connections.

Question 13

2 types of neuronal communication?

Answer 13

Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that allow neuron to neuron communication
Synapses: space between neurons where the neurotransmitters travel

Question 14

5 types of neurotransmitters

Answer 14

1) Glutamate & GABA
2) Acetylcholine
3) monamines
4) neuropeptides
5) anandamides

Question 15

What is Glutamate & GABA

Answer 15

• most common neurotransmitter
• associated with learning & memory
• Glutamate is excitatory ( ex studying for exams)
• GABA is inhibitory (hinders) ( ex remembering a persons name)

Question 16

What is Acetylcholine?

Answer 16

• influences arousal, selective attention, sleep and memory
• neurons that connect to muscles release acetylcholine to trigger movement ( ex playing a sport or anytime you are moving)

Question 17

What is monamines?

Answer 17

• norepinephrine: brain arousal, mood, hunger, sleep ( ex you are stressed)
• dopamine:motor function and reward (getting a text from your crush)
• serotonin: mood, temperature regulation, aggression and sleep cycles ( ex finishing a long project)

Question 18

What are neuropeptides?

Answer 18

• some neuropeptides regulate hunger
• other neuropeptides influence learning and memory
• endorphins are a type of neuropeptide that relieves pain (ex exercising, having sex)
• synthetic opioids act on the endorphin system

Question 19

What are amandamides?

Answer 19

• bind to the same receptors as THC
• influence eating, motivation,memory and sleep (ex munchies)

Question 20

What is plasticity?

Answer 20

The nervous systems ability to change over time in response to development, learning, injury and degeneration.

Question 21

Plasticity & Development

Answer 21

1) Growth - we can grow new dendrites (where a neuron receives input from other cells) and axons (the elongated portion of the neuron located in the center of the cell between the soma and axon terminals)
2) SYNAPTOGENESIS - forming new synapses or communication between neurons
3) pruning - removing connections that are useless to us to help clear up space
4) myelination - insulation of the axons, this helps with efficient communication along the axon

Question 22

Plasticity & learning

Answer 22

1) synaptogenesis - as we learn, our body needs to respond to that (ie learning how to walk)
2) potentiation - strengthening of existing connections between neurons
3) structural plasticity - plasticity of structural part of neuron

Question 23

Plasticity & injury

Answer 23

1) neurogenesis - there is plasticity with injury (ie concussion, PTSD, TNI)
2) stem cells - can become many different things

Question 24

What is the central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 24

• sensory info comes in and decisions go out
• protected by meningenes and ventricles filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CFS)

Question 25

6 parts of the CNS

Answer 25

1) cerebral cortex 2) basal ganglia 3) limbic system 4) cerebellum 5) brain stem 6) spinal cord

Question 26

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 26

- divided into systems based on location & function - 2 cerebral hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum

Question 27

What is the frontal lobe?

Answer 27

- assists in motor functions, language and memory - monitors and organizes most other brain functions Broca’s area involved in speech production - motor cortex has body mapped - prefrontal cortex responsible for thinking, planning and language

Question 28

What is the parietal lobe?

Answer 28

Contains the somatosensory cortex ( pressure, pain and temp) and communicates info to the motor cortex each time we reach, grasp or move our eyes

Question 29

What is the temporal lobe?

Answer 29

Involved in hearing (auditory complex) language comprehension (wernickes area) and storing autobiographical memories

Question 30

What is the occipital lobe?

Answer 30

For vision.

Question 31

What is the corpus collosum?

Answer 31

Lobes of cerebral cortex exists in each hemisphere Corpus callosum facilitates communication between the hemispheres Split brain patients

Question 32

What is the limbic system?

Answer 32

“Emotional center” with smells, motivation and memory Hypothalamus - controls body states and pituitary glands (ptsd) Thalamus - relays info from the sense organs to primary sensory cortex Amygdala - fear, excitement, arousal (ptsd) Hippocampus - spatial memory ( damage impairs ability to form new memories)

Question 33

What is the cerebellum?

Answer 33

“ little brain” Sense of balance Coordinates movement Motor skills Contributes to executive memory, spatial and linguistic abilities

Question 34

What is the brain stem?

Answer 34

Connect cerebral cortex and spinal cord Basic bodily functions Midbrain - tracks visual stimuli and reflexes triggered by sound Pons - connects cortex to cerebellum,triggers dreams Medulla - regulates breathing, heartbeat and other vital functions Reticular activating system - connects forebrain and the cerebral cortex, plays key role is arousal

Question 35

What is the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 35

Nerves that extend outside the CNS 2 branches (somatic nervous system, which controls movement and the autonomic system which controls the involuntary actions of our organs ie adrenaline)

Question 36

What is the automatic nervous system response?

Answer 36

Sympathetic - what we experience when we perceive a threat aka flight flight or freeze, which all affects our adrenal glands Parasympathetic - your body is at rest because it knows you are safe.

Question 37

What is brain mapping?

Answer 37

- phrenology - brain damage - electroenceohalograph (EEG) - brain scans

Question 38

What is norepinephrine?

Answer 38

Brain arousal, mood, hunger and sleep (you are stressed)

Question 39

What is dopamine?

Answer 39

Motor function & reward (associated with Parkinson’s) think eating chocolate.

Question 40

What is anandamides?

Answer 40

Eating, motivation, memory, sleep (hungry, think munchies)

Question 41

What is rival hypothesis?

Answer 41

An alternate explanation for the same set of data aka another way of explaining the same results

Question 42

What is occams razor?

Answer 42

The principle that no more assumptions should be made than necessary.

Question 43

What are the difference fallacy’s?

Answer 43

1) attribution fallacy - observers underestimate situational/environmental factors while judging others behavior 2) emotional reasoning fallacy -basing your view on situations based on how you feel at the moment 3) pathetic fallacy - attribution of human emotion to inanimate objects,nature or animals 4) bandwagon fallacy - believing something is true just because everyone else believes it.

Question 44

What is pseudoscience?

Answer 44

Claims that seem scientific but are not. Lacks safeguards against confirmation and belief perseverance. Signs include exaggerated claims, reliance on anecdotes, failure to self correct and using confusing jargon.

Question 45

What is existence proof?

Answer 45

Demonstration that a given psychological phenomenon can occur.

Question 46

What is phrenology?

Answer 46

- bumps on the skull believed to be linked to enlargements of the brain (linked to psychological tendencies) - damage in specific areas did not result in the deficits predicted.

Question 47

What is an electroencephalograph (EEG)

Answer 47

Measures electrical activity by the brain using multiple electrodes, then patterns and sequences give inferences (shows average neural activity)

Question 48

What are the 4 different brain scans?

Answer 48

Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to visualize the brains structure. Positron emission tomography (PET) measures changes in the brains activity in response to stimuli Functional mri (FMRI) measures change in blood oxygen levels as an indicator of activity, measures second by second Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measures electrical activity, measures millisecond by millisecond so it is the most accurate. MRI is superior at visualizing soft tissue (tumors)

Question 49

What is heritability?

Answer 49

The % of the variability in a trait across individuals that is the result of genes Extent to which genes contribute differences in a trait among individuals