Psych N.S> FL Flashcards
Retrospective study
When past records are examined
Prospective study
When researchers propose to review incoming data
embedded field study
when researchers posed as patients
Longitudinal study
when the study consist of analysis of participants over time
A mediating variable
One which explains the relationship between two other variables.
A moderator variable
one that influences the strength of a relationship between the two other variables
Cross’s Nigrescence Model
African American are described as progressing through several stages of cultural awareness. In the first stage, pre-encounter, African-Americans tend to view the majority Caucasian culture as being more desirable and would view a doctor of this race as being more skilled.
Effect of Depressants
Depressants cause relaxation by reducing nervous system activity. Alcohol is the most commonly used depressant. It works by stimulating the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter associated with reduced anxiety, and dopamine, which promotes euphoria. Alcohol slows the activity of the frontal lobe, reducing judgment and lowering inhibitions.
Opiates use effect
Opiates are derived from the poppy plant and include such drugs as morphine and codeine. Opiates cause a sense of euphoria and a decreased reaction to pain by binding to opioid receptors in the nervous system. Opiate overdose can cause death when the brain stops sending signals for respiration. After prolonged use, these drugs can cause the brain to entirely stop producing endorphins, meaning that withdrawal is very painful.
how does stimulant work
Stimulants increase arousal in the nervous system, often through the release and inhibition of the reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. This effectively increases arousal, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and creating effects of anxiety, delusions of grandeur, euphoria, hypervigilance, and decreased appetite.
Effect of Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ketamine, distort perception, enhance sensory experiences, and cause introspection, all while increasing heart rate and blood pressure, increasing body temperature, and dilating the pupils.
Marijuana effect
marijuana has qualities of a stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogen. Marijuana, which is the name used for the leaves and flowers of the plants Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, has an active chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which affects certain receptors in the brain. Additionally, THC increases the production of GABA and dopamine. Physiologically, THC can cause an increase in appetite, dry mouth, fatigue, eye redness, lowered blood pressure, and increased heart rate.
Drive-reduction theory
Depression stems from a reduction in the motivating forces of arousal. A cognitive theorist would argue that arousal is essential to sustaining most behaviors.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
states that performance of a behavior tends to be negatively impacted at high and low levels of arousal. The optimal level of arousal is somewhere between the two.
Abnormal functioning of which brain region plays a role in the development of depression?
Frontal Lobe, Limbic system structures, and Hypothalamus
Frontal Lobe
The frontal lobe is involved in humans ability to project future consequences of current actions.
Limbic system function
Lymbic system structures regulate emotion and memory,
Hypothalamus function
Hypothalamus coordinates many hormones, some of which are involved in mood regulation.
Mood disorder
characterized by the persistent, abnormal elevation and/or lowering of one’s mood, which refers to a sustained, internal state of feeling or emotion. These conditions include bipolar disorders, which are marked by swings between extreme moods. These moods may include depression (a state of persistent sadness and lack of energy) and mania (a high-energy state marked by poor judgment, lack of sleep, and euphoria). Another mood disorder is major depressive disorder, which is characterized by at least one major depressive episode (a period of depression lasting at least two weeks).
Anxiety disorder
involve a state of excessive apprehension, worry, or panic. This state of heightened physical arousal can be unpleasant and inhibit regular functioning.
PTSD
often manifests in people who experienced warfare, sexual assault, or serious injury. PTSD can cause symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, and a propensity to avoid stimuli associated with the event.
Schizophrenia
a psychotic disorder, meaning that sufferers experience at least one of the following symptoms: delusions, disorganized thoughts, disorganized behavior, hallucinations, catatonia, and negative symptoms.
Dissociative Disorder
Involve the disruption or breakdown of perception, identity, memory, or awareness. Individuals with these conditions feel disconnected from reality. Often, this dissociation serves to provide an unintentional escape from reality or barrier against stress from a life event.
Internal Locus of Control
People with an internal locus of control believe that they have control over situation and events, that their action can contribute to influencing the outcomes.
External Locus of Control
People with an external locus of control believe that they have no control over situations and events, that only outside forces contribute to influencing the outcomes.
Longitudinal Cohort design
when a study relates to following a group of individuals and assessing them at multiple intervals over a period of time
Cross sectional design
examine a group of individuals at one point in time.
Case control design
compare information about individuals with a disease or condition against people without the disease or condition.
Primary socialization
refers to the learning of acceptable actions and attitudes during childhood, mostly from observation of our parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other authority figures.
Secondary socialization
refers to the process of learning what is acceptable and appropriate in a smaller, more focused section of society.
Symbolic interactionism
focuses on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction.
Conflict theory
emphasized the role of coercion and power in producing social order. It sees society as fragmented into groups that compete for social and economic resources.
Functionalism
views society as a system of interconnected parts that carry out a specific role that enables them to cooperate to maintain social equilibrium for society as a whole.
Game theory
views social interaction as a game in which there will be winners, losers, and proper ways to “play” in order to achieve victory.
Social exchange theory
views society asa series of interactions that are based on estimates of rewards and punishments.
Gestalt Law of Proximity
Objects that are arranged close to each other will be perceived as forming a group.
Gestalt principle of similarity
states that objects that are similar to each other in terms of color or other properties will be grouped together
Law of closure
states that people tend to infer complete shapes even if a shape is incompletely sketched out or blocked by another object.
Stereotype
prevalent but oversimplified idea or set of ideas about a certain group. This stereotyped group typically consists of people with similar characteristics (gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.).
Prejudice
specifically target people, groups, or things that the holder of the prejudice encounters.
[For example, if I believe that all people who wear red are loud and annoying, this constitutes a stereotype. If I actually see or hear about a person who is wearing red and form a negative opinion about that person, that is a prejudice]
stigma
strong social disapproval and even outright rejection of a stigmatized group. Typically, stigma is reserved for people or groups who break important social norms. Unlike stereotype and prejudice, stigma is always a highly negative perception.
discrimination
the irrational, often negative treatment of a person or group as a result of prejudice
Attrition bias
When participants drop out of a long-term experiment or study.
Reconstructive bias
is a type of bias related to memory. Most research on memories suggests that our memories of the past are not as accurate as we think, especially when we are remembering times of high stress.
Social desirability bias
a type of bias related to how people respond to research questions.
Selection bias
refers to a type of bias related to how people are chosen to participate.
Confirmation bias
is a tendency that people have to focus on information that is in agreement with the beliefs they already have, rather than the information that is contrary to those beliefs.
Fundamental attribution error
tendency to place less importance on the context of behavior, and instead place emphasis on internal qualities or personality in order to explain behavior.
Actor-Observer bias
We often blame our own actions on external situations but the actions of others on personality.
Self-serving bias
tendency people have to credit their successes to themselves and their failures either to the actions of others or to situations.
Neustress
happens when you are exposed to something stressful, but it doesn’t actively or directly affect you.
Cognitive response to stress
Hypothalamus releases CRH, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce ACTH, which in turn stimulates the release of Cortisol from the adrenal gland.
How does Cortisol help to cope with the stress
Cortisol helps the body to maintain the continuous supply of blood sugar needed to sustain a stress response by up-regulating gluconeogenesis and mobilizing free fatty acids and amino acids from body.
Positive reinforcement
adding a stimulus to increase a behavior
Negative reinforcement
removing a stimulus to increase a behavior
Negative punishment
removing a stimulus to decrease a behavior
Positive punishment
adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior
Bystander effect
a phenomenon in social psychology where people stand by during a situation where someone else is at risk. They do not intervene.
Deindividualization
describes how people lose their sense of self-awareness in a large-group setting, which provides a high degree of arousal and a low sense of responsibility. The main factors that contribute to deindividualization are anonymity, diffused responsibility, and group size.
Social facilitation vs social loafing
Social facilitation is the tendency that people have to perform simple tasks better or more efficiently when in the presence of other people. In contrast, social loafing is the tendency that people have to put in less effort in a group setting, particularly if the group is being evaluated as a whole and not on an individual basis.
Group Polarization
tendency that groups have to make decisions that are notably more extreme than the initial, individual opinions of their members.
