Quiz 1- Chapters 1 And 2 Flashcards
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
- Father of psychology, objective introspection
What are the three types of basic research in Psychology?
- Descriptive: goal is to describe, methods include observation, case studies, surveys.
- Correlational: goal is to predict, method is statistical analysis (correlation coefficient), shows relationship (not cause). Provides a statistical measure of how closely two things vary together and how well one predicts another.
- Experimental: goal is to explain (show cause), method is the experiment.
Who are Ivan Pavlov and John Watson?
- Fathers of Behaviourism
- Focused only on observable behaviour
- Behaviour is learned
- Facilitated Little Albert experiment
Humanistic perspective
- People have the freedom to choose their own destiny
- Human nature is inherently positive and growth oriented
How many modern psychology perspectives are there and what are they?
- 7
- Socio-cultural
- Evolutionary
- Psychodynamic
- Behavioural
- Cognitive
- Behaviour genetics
- Neuroscience
Describe the neuroscience perspective
- Behaviour and mental processes have physical causes- brain structure and function, neurotransmitters, hormones, nervous system
Describe the behaviour dynamics perspective
- Individual differences come from combination of genes and environment for example nature v nurture
What are Psychologies three main levels of analysis?
- Biological influences
- Psychological influences
- Socio-cultural influences
What are the four goals of psychology?
- Describe, explain, predict, change
Psychology v Psychiatry
- A psychologist has doctoral level psychology degree, may be licensed as a therapist, but cannot prescribe medication.
- A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with special training in psychological disorders and can prescribe medication.
Which research method must you use to determine cause?
- Experimental method
What is the function of glial cells?
- Provide support for the neurons to grow on and around (the “glue” of the brain). - Deliver nutrients to neurons.
Gestalt Psychology
- Believed that sensations and perceptions could not be broken down into smaller elements and still be understood.
- “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”
Psychoanalysis: Sigmund Freud
- Physical ailments had mental causes
- Believed in powerful unconscious forces behind behaviour.
- Extremely important influence of early childhood.
Psychodynamic perspective
- Unconscious mind, early development.
- Less emphasis on sex and aggression, more influence on social influences/motivations
Behavioural perspective
- Focus on learned, observable behaviour; rewards and punishments, associations, observations.
Cognitive perspective
- Emphasis on mental processes- thinking, memory, intelligence, language, problem solving, attention
Psychology’s three main levels of analysis
- Biological
- Psychological
- Socio-cultural
Neurons
- A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
- Receives and sends messages within the nervous system and other body systems.
What is the soma in a neuron?
- The cell body of the neuron, responsible for maintaining the life of the cell
What are dendrites in a neuron?
- Branch-like structures that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body
What is the axon in a neuron?
- Long, tube-like structure that carries the neural message to other cells.
Myelin
- Insulate, protect and speed up the neural impulse
- Covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses
Which part of neuron is positively/negatively charged
- Inside neuron- negatively charged
- Outside neuron- positively charged
Action potential
- The release of the neural impulse consisting of a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Refractory period
- The time required to restore the resting potential
Excitatory v inhibitory synapse
- Excitatory synapse: causes the receiving cell to fire
- Inhibitory synapse: causes the receiving cell to stop firing
