Studies Flashcards
Greek physician Claudius Galen and the French philosopher René Descartes
mind-versus-body problem
- whether the mind is a separate entity from the brain and the body
Franz Gall
phrenology
- bumps and indentations on the skull to determine a person’s character, intelligence and a range of other behaviours and functions
- Gall believed that mental abilities and personality functions were controlled by specific brain organs located on the surface of the brain, reflected in the shape of the skull
- although Gall was incorrect, phrenology led to the concept of localisation and lateralisation of fuction -> the idea that specific brain regions control specific functions
Pierre Flourens
- through the removal of area of animals’ brain (mainly rabbits and pigeons) observed effects on their behaviour and cognition
- he found that removing different areas of the brain resulted in loss of function e.g. removal of the cerebellum meant loss of coordinate movements
- his experiments showed that a loss of brain tissue resulted in a loss of function, Flourens believed that the brain was composed of areas of specific function, but specific areas interacted and worked as a whole
- from his work with animals he could provide evidence that there were main areas of the brain responsible for different functions that the brain regions worked together for higher order function. This also provided evidence for localisation and lateralisation of function
Wilder Penfield
- he mapped the brain and its functions while performing surgeries on people with epilepsy
- he electrically stimulated different areas of the exposed brain and asked patients to tell him what they experienced
- for example, whilst probing the temporal lobe he was able to stimulate memory and summon a past experience
- his work further provided evidence that there were areas of the brain responsible for different functions and localisation and lateralisation of function
- he was able to map the primary motor and somatosensory cortices and show which areas are responsible for movement and sensation
Mary Carskadon
There is generally a decrease in the total amount of sleep experienced between pre-adolescence and older adolescence.
Caused by a phase delay in the circadian timing system in adolescence (delay in sleep onset)
Biological causes for delay:
- Slowed rise of sleep pressure
- Delayed release of melatonin
- Increased sensitivity to light
Psychosocial causes for delay:
- Bedtime autonomy
- Academic pressure
- Screen time –> light exposure
Length of sleep is not affected by these pressures
Reduction in sleep caused by societal pressures (school start time)
Konrad Lorenz
Attachment in geese.
He took a clutch of goose eggs and put half with a mother goose and half he kept in an incubator. Lorenz made sure he was the first moving thing his geese saw and imitated a mother gooses quacking.
He found that geese follow the first moving thing they see, this process is known as imprinting and suggests that attachment is innate and programmed genetically. Once imprinting occurred it could not be reversed.
The critical period of this happening can occur within 36 hours
Harlow & Zimmermann
They proposed the behavioural attachment theory. This suggested that infants form an attachment with a caregiver that provides food, however Harlow believed that emotional comfort was critical
John Bowlby
He proposed that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, as this will help them to survive.
He proposed that attachment develops through a period of 5 years (the first 2 being most critical)
Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall
identified three main attachment styles that were the result of early interactions with the mother
Bowlby believed that attachment was an all or nothing process. However, research has shown that there are individual differences in attachment quality.
Ainsworth devised an assessment technique called the Strange Situation Classification (SSC) in order to investigate how attachments might vary between children.
Describe Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall’s experiment
Method:
- The experiment is set up in a small room with one-way glass so the behaviour of the infant can be observed covertly. Infants were aged between 12 and 18 months.
- The procedure, known as the ‘Strange Situation,’ was conducted by observing the behaviour of the infant in a series of eight episodes:
- Mother, baby, and experimenter (lasts less than one minute).
- Mother and baby alone.
- A stranger joins the mother and infant.
- Mother leaves baby and stranger alone.
- Mother returns and stranger leaves.
- Mother leaves; infant left completely alone.
- Stranger returns.
- Mother returns and stranger leaves.
Jean Piaget
He believed that cognitive development depends upon the interaction of the brain’s biological maturation with experience
He proposed that children go through 4 different cognitive stages
Michael Rutter
understand that early abuse or deprivation can have detrimental effects on cognitive development
Lev Vygotsky
Sociocultural theory of cognitive development
hat children learn through experience.
He also suggested that parents, caregivers, peer and the culture were responsible for developing high order functions
Carol Ryff
psychological wellbeing
1) Self-acceptance
2) Personal growth
3) Purpose in life
4) Environmental mastery
5) Autonomy
6) Positive relations with others
