PSYCH exam 1 Flashcards
What is the oldest part of the brain
brain stem
what is the portion of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord
central nervous system
All of the following are neurotransmitters
Seretonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine
The difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic
While your sympathetic nervous system controls your body’s “fight or flight” response, your parasympathetic nervous system helps to control your body’s response during times of rest
How can participants affect the outcome of an experiment?
Participants will sometimes second-guess what the researcher is after, or change their answers or behaviors in different ways, depending on the experiment or environment
How does one use systematic observation
The intent is to ensure that, under the same or similar circumstances, all observers will obtain the same results
How can hypothesis be falsified
if it is possible to conceive of an experimental observation that disproves the idea in question
How can a person tell the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning is a bottom-up approach, while deductive reasoning is top-down. Deductive reasoning, you make inferences by going from general premises to specific conclusions
What’s the difference between correlational and experimental designs
In an experimental design, you manipulate an independent variable and measure its effect on a dependent variable. Other variables are controlled so they can’t impact the results. In a correlational design, you measure variables without manipulating any of them
How can experiments help us infer causality
With experiments, researchers actively make changes in one variable and watch for changes in another variable
Why is the peripheral nervous system so important
It plays key role in both sending information from different areas of your body back to your brain, as well as carrying out commands from your brain to various parts of your body
How is the limbic system used in daily life?
The limbic system is the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, especially when it comes to behaviours we need for survival: feeding, reproduction and caring for our young, and fight or flight responses
What causes a person to have adaptations like survival adaptation
An adaptation is defined as a physical or behavioral feature of an animal that helps them better survive in their environment. In other words, an adaptation is something on their body or something they do with their bodies that help them find food, water, mates, and shelter
Why are there still gender roles
they give individuals cues about what sort of behavior is be- lived to be appropriate for what se
How is psychosexual development important to psychology
psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory
Describe the process that happens of the synapses between nervous
Neurons communicate with one another at junctions called synapses. At a synapse, one neuron sends a message to a target neuron—another cell. Most synapses are chemical; these synapses communicate using chemical messengers. Other synapses are electrical; in these synapses, ions flow directly between cells
Natural Selection
the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change
Sexual Selection
natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex
Error Management
psychological mechanisms are designed to be predictably biased when the costs of false-positive and false-negative errors were asymmetrical over evolutionary history
Ecological Momentary
study people’s thoughts and behaviour in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data in an individual’s normal environment, at or close to the time they carry out that behaviour
frontal lobe
The frontal lobes are important for voluntary movement, expressive language and for managing higher level executive functions
Correlation is not causation
True
Type 1 Error
rejecting the null hypothesis when it’s actually true
Type 2 Error
a statistical term used within the context of hypothesis testing that describes the error that occurs when one fails to reject a null hypothesis that is actually false
null hypothesis
the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between specified populations, any observed difference being due to sampling or experimental error
What is a soma
acting on the central nervous system
What is a quasi-experimental design
studies that aim to evaluate interventions but that do not use randomization
What is the sexual selection theory
Sexual selection is a biological way one sex chooses a mate for the best reproductive success
Why is the use of random assignment important in some experiments
because it helps strengthen the internal validity of an experiment and avoid biases
“Neurons communicate with another by receiving information through the ———”
dendrites
Children often group other behaviors and activities into gender categories, which are called
schemas
Which lobe of the brain is in charge of hearing and smell
Temporal lobe
Identify an example of developmental intergroup theory?
Developmental intergroup theory specifies the mechanisms and rules that govern the processes by which children single out groups as targets of stereotyping and prejudice, and by which children learn and construct both the characteristics
How do Intersexual selection and Intrasexual competition relate and differ from each other
Intersexual selection occurs when one sex chooses which members of the opposite sex to mate with, while intrasexual selection occurs when members of the same sex compete for mates
How do sex and Gender differ?
Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people
Explain the relationship between neurons, axons, and dendrites
Neurons communicate with each other by sending chemicals, called neurotransmitters, across a tiny space, called a synapse, between the axons and dendrites of adjacent neurons
Which part of the brain is responsible for decision making
Frontal lobe
What is the role of Neurotransmitters
What is the role of Neurotransmitters
What are Gender stereotypes?
The beliefs and expectations people hold about the
typical characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of men and women.
What are some of the major differences between gender and sex
variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed
What are some ways that we observe the brain
imaging devices
Which part of the brain processes sounds and smells
Olfactory Cortex: Vital for the processing and perception of odor
How does a neuron pass information/an electrical signal to another neuron
Information from one neuron flows to another neuron across a small gap called a synapse (SIN-aps). At the synapse, electrical signals are translated into chemical signals in order to cross the gap. Once on the other side, the signal becomes electrical again.
What is the purpose of the myelin sheath
allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells
What is the purpose of the myelin sheath
allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells
Why is random assignment when conducting research so important?
It helps you ensure that all groups are comparable at the start of a study: any differences between them are due to random factors, not research biases like sampling bias or selection bias
What is the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable
The independent variable is the cause. Its value is independent of other variables in your study. The dependent variable is the effect. Its value depends on changes in the independent variable
Parietal lobe
one of the brain’s major lobes, roughly located at the upper back area in the skull. Controls taste and smell
Describe the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems
The somatic nervous system consists of nerves that go to the skin and muscles and is involved in conscious activities. The autonomic nervous system consists of nerves that connect the CNS to the visceral organs such as the heart, stomach, and intestines. It mediates unconscious activities
