Psychology Flashcards
Instinctual behaviors
genetically coded and happen automatically
What changes instinctual behaviors in humans?
cultural learning
adaptive trait
trait which increases the reproductive success of an organism
temperament
how individuals respond behaviorally and emotionally to environmental stimuli
biologically shaped
ex: two siblings might act very different as infants
heritability
how much of a trait is determined by genes alone
score from 0-1 (high heritability)
quantifies genetic versus environmental influence on a trait
example of promoters and regulatory genes shaping expression
5-HTT promoter gene can affect serotonin levels and influence depression
example of epigenetics
chronic stress can lead to methylation of certain genes which is passed down to future generations
epigenetics
study of how behaviors and environment can change gene expression
often involves methylation
patellar reflex
knee jerk
4 types of infant reflexes
1) Palmar grasp reflex
2) rooting and sucking
3) moro reflex- startled baby
4) babinski reflex- foot
critical period
time when experiences imprint development with life-long effects
language learning depends on the critical period
What is the prefrontal cortex? When does it fully develop?
prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision making
does not fully develop until 25
crystallized versus fluid intelligence
crystallized intelligence refers to knowledge acquired through previous experience, keep this in old age
fluid intelligence refers to being able to think and reason to solve problems, loose this in old age
attribution
process by which individuals explain the causes of either their own or other’s behavior
Independent versus dependent variables
independent variables are manipulated/selected by the researcher and go on the x-axis
dependent variables are measured in response to the independent variables and go on the y-axis
y-axis DEPENDS on the x-axis
experimental study
the researcher manipulates the independent variable and tracks changes in the dependent variable
confounding variable
affects both the independent and the dependent variables
mediating variable
provides a mechanistic link between an observed relationship between two variables
in between the independent and dependent variable
moderating variable
modulates the intensity of a certain relationship
ex: exercise could lessen the relationship between stress and heart attacks
operationalization
translating a goal of studying something into a practical way
negative controls
do not receive the treatment or intervention of interest
ex: placebo
positive controls
receive a treatment that is known to produce some outcome of interest
used to compare a known response to a new response
randomized control trial (RCT)
an experimental study where participants are either randomized into a treatment or control group
cross sectional study
an observational study in which researches take a set of people representative of a population, measure various things about them, and look for correlations