Psych final Flashcards
Neural mechanisms invlolved in emotional memory
mechanisms: memories for emotionally significant events; multiple perspectives: behavioral science, evolutionary psychology, cognative psychology, clinical psychology.
Behavioral neuroscience: How do we rememeber emotionally significant events. brain structs: amygdala, hippocampus, both help us dectect emotionally significant events.
evolutionary psychology: what is the genetic contribution to human behavior made by amygdala + hippocampus –> why might have evolution shaped is to remember emotionally significant events; variation, survivial, reproduction. survival of the fittest
cognitive psychology: memory -> how accurate are our memories for emotionally significant events?
Clinical psychology: can our memories for emotionally significant events ever go away?
Flashbulb memories
Vivid detailed, complelling, WRONG, humans are active information processors, different aspects to what gets encoded; experiences and memoires can be left out.
PTSD
Post Traumatic stress disorder : disorder involving frequent and unwanted thoughts related to past stress or trauma (ie: nightmeres, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks) .
Unifying themes and debates
Themes: Nature/ Nurture : do genetics or environment contribute most to psychological outcomes?
Limited diachotomies: Limited value of ‘either/ or’ ; psych is more ‘yes, and….’ (both contriubiting factors, how do they combine). How the human mind constructs and deconstructs experiences (active information processors).
Active information processors: active engagement with an intrepretation of our words,
Abnormal informs the normal: no absolute definition of ‘Normal’ so study of abnormal (missing) helps ascertain normal human processes.
Commitment to scientific method : truth through emperical validation –> psychological research: varibales ( IV/DV, conceptual vs operational ; measured vs manipulated) ; research stratagies: correlational vs experimental studies, ethical considerations;
Independent/ dependent Variable
IV: variable that is manipulated or measured
DV: effect of manipulation on specific behavior
Conceptual/ Operational defintion
Conceptual: abstract
Operational: How a variable is assessed - difference btwn psych and phil - conceptual is turned into operational via research, phil tends to focus only on conceptual.
Self-report
Definiton: participants/ people rate state their own results
Observational measure:
Definition : something that can be seen, counted.
Physiological measure:
Definition: showing clear signs and symptoms
Measured/manipulted variable:
Measured: observed/recorded
Manipulated: researcher assigns/controlled -> assigning participants to groups (1 aspect or another in respect to IV), srtong possibility that the IV is altered to determine if any noticable change occurs
Correlation does not mean causation:
Correlation is not directly related to causation.
Directionality Problem
Definition: correlation in data does not equal causation, like which event came first the chicken or the egg. Cant determine which came first
Third Variable Problem
Defintion: individual difference variables. MANY MANY variables that can’t assessed and can impact results increase uncertainty.
Correlation study
Definition: IV is measured/ predicted ex: college students self report violent video game time and researchers observe and rate aggressive behavior.
Adachi & Willoughby (2011)
Experiment: college students randomly assigned to play a violent or non-violent video game for 15 minutes. After the game, participants dole out hot sauce to someone who doesnt like spicy foods
Experimental
Definition: manipulation of IV –> determines which event came first ( solves directionality problem) ; has experimental and comparison group.
Random assignment –> ensures equivalent groups (eliminating the third variable problem), equalizes many of the indavidual difference variables , a causal relationship can be determined.
Confounding Variable
Definition: any factor that varies btwn two experimental groups
Gerneralizability
Definition: a measure of how useful the results of a study are for a broader group of people or situations.
WEIRD Study
Particiapants and study:
Ethical principles
Principles: Do no harm protects patients from harm and discomfort; infromed consent participants agree to be part of a study w/o coercion; debreif reseachers explain study and reveal any ‘lies’ told to participants during the inital presentation; confidentitality ensures that any results found are resleased as a group avg, no indiv results are resleased, ex; HIPPA, privacy prevents psychologitsts from watching or studying participants w/o their knowledge.
Debrief
Defition: researchers explain study and reveal any previous misleadings.
Behavior neuroscience
Defition: the study of the NS and its effects on behvavior, emotion and cognition
CNS
Central Nervous System: made up of brain and spinal cord, fxn: processing, organizing, and intrepreting information and sending it back to PNS
PNS
Peripheral Nervous System : 1) somatosenory info taken in first , sent to CNS, response from CNS signal results in activation, somatic NS acts on voluntary controlled parts of body. Made up of two regions, Somatic and ANS (autonomic NS), Somatic NS regulates organs under voluntary control (ex: muscles), Automonic NS regulates organs under nonvoluntary control –> made up of two systems SNS -> Symp NS ( flight or flight), & PSNS -> peripheral NS (rest & digest) both work simultaneously.
Neruon
cell body: nucelus of neruons,
dendrites : recieves all of the nerual stimuli signals
axon: signal from dendrites travel down from presynaptic cell to synapses
myelin: the cover on the axon that helps to keep the signal moving faster.
axon terminals: where the signal from the presynaptic cell is recieved.
Action Potentials
AP’s: a rapid, transient, all-or-none change in the mbn potential; rate and or number frequency and number of excited neruons –> creates a stronger AP.
Resting Potential
RP’s: neuron is not stimulated –> inside of axon is eletrically negatively charged on the inside = -70 mV More Na+ out and K+ in ( salty banana)
Threshold for AP
Threshold: -55 mV , external electrical stimulus/ electrical potential –> cell becomes potential –> mbn pot at which cell will fire. More positive –> via Na+ flowing in
Sodium Potassium Pump
Na+/K+ Pump : Moves Na+ and K+ in and out of the cell for depolarization and repolarization
Voltage gated channels
Na+ : Opens first, influx of Na+ into the cell and depolarizes past threshold which results in the neuron firing
K+: VGC opens and K+ outflux out of the cell resulting in a repolarization of the cell back to threshold, after the neruon fires.
Depolarization
Definition: when the VG Na+ channels open due to stimulation of signal received from the dendrites which results in an influx of Na+ into the cell ( via passive transport). this causes the threshold of the mbn to change from -70 mV to -55 mV which results in the neruon firing a signal down the axon.
Repolarization
Definition: when the VG Na+ channels open due to stimulation of signal receieved for the dendrites and Na+ influxes into the cell and depolarizes the cell chaning the mbn mV from -70 to -55 and inorder to stabilize the cell again, there is an influx of K+ into the cell which results in change in mbn potential change from -55 to -90 mV.
Initiation and propagation of the action potenial
Initiation: the start / release of a signal along the axon after stimulation of VG Na+ and K+ channels.
propagation: an AP travels down an axon at high speed because of mylination
All-or-none law
AP’s All or none : either happen or they dont
Synapse:
Fxn: a junction between two synapses, allows for impulses to pass from one cell to another, house the NT’s
Synaptic vesicles
Fxn: release NT’s from the synapses which bind to postsynaptic cell.
Neurotransmitter
Fxn: A chemical signal released from synaptic vesicles that binds to receptors on post synaptic cell to intiate a response.
Reuptake:
fxn: NT’s taken up by cell + placed in new vesicles -> released when new AP comes through.
Lock and key model of synaptic transmission
Fxn: receptors only respond to NT’s that fit its shape
Agonist
fxn: increase NT activity –> increase in release, binding and activating (mimic) NT and block reuptake
Anatagonist
Fxn: decreased NT action -> block release; bind an block receptors.
Role and drug/disorder :
dopaine: voluntary movement, motivation, reward. Parkinson’s asychotactive drugs; schizophrenia
seratonin: mood, hunger, sleep. Depression
GABA: Inhibitory. Anxiety, tranquilizers
glutamate: Excitatory. Migranes, siezures.
MRI:
fxn: studies brain anatomy
fMRI
fxn: studies brain fxn, looking for increased oxygen flow during an axon being completed (increased oxygen-laden fxn)
Hindbrain
Struct & fxn: survival fxn and movement
Medulla
Struct & fxn: controls HR and breathing. in the brainstem
Pons
Struct & fxn: controls sleep and arousal, in the brainstem
Cerebellum
Struct & fxn: in the hind brain, responsible for movement and coordination.
Midbrain
Struct & fxn: responsible for movement,
Substantia nigra
Struct & fxn:
Forebrain
Struct & fxn: made up of cerebral cortex and subcortical structures.
Cerebral cortex:
Struct & fxn: thought planning, part of the forebrain; Process mental activity
Subcortical structures
Struct & fxn: cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, basal ganglia
Thalamus
Struct & fxn: sensory gateway for seeing, hearing, etc.
Amygdala
Struct & fxn : associates emotions w/ experiences/ memories –> specifically fear and anger
Hypothalamus
Struct & fxn: regulates body fxns and motivates behaviors; activated by amygdala, communicates directly with ANS -> signals adrenal gland -> stimulates epi ( adrenal glands)
Hippocampus
Struct & fxn: responsible for memory making and encoding based on sigificant events related to emotions
Convolutions
Fxn: folds in the cortex
Left and right hemispheres
Connected by the corpus callosum
Left: controls the right side of the body
Right: controls the left side of the body
Corpus callosum
Struct & fxn: bundle of axons that allows for communication btwn hemispheres
Lateralization
Fxn: functional asymmetry , both hemispheres are constatnly working together
Frontal Lobe
Struct & fxn: complex throught, planning, movement
Parietal lobe
Struct & fxn: touch, spatial relations
Temporal lobe
Struct & fxn: hearing and memory
Occipital lobe
Struct & fxn : vision
Phineas Gage
Def: abnormal infroms the normal
Cerebral cortex:
primary Motor : motor actons on/initates motor activity
primary Sensory: touch
primary visual cortex: vision
Contralateral control
LH controls right side of body
RH controls left side of body
ANS
Autonomic Nervous System: made up of the PSNS and SNS; PSNS -> rest and digest; SNS -> fight or flight response; its involuntary organs
Somat NS
Somatic Nervous System: voluntary control of organ structures; ie: muscles
SNS
Sympathetic Nervous System: fight or flight
PSNS
Parasympathetic Nervous System: rest and digest
Endocrine System
fxn: controls release of hormes, regulated by HPA axis
Hormones
fxn: chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through the body to organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues, released by glands
Adrenal gland
fxn: “stess hormones” cortisol and adrenaline