Test 1 (Chapter 1, 2, 11) Flashcards
Define psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
What are the two major types of research in psychology?
Basic and Applied
What is Basic research?
Gathers knowledge for the sake of knowledge
What is Applied research?
Changing behaviors and outcomes. Has real life applications.
What are the goals of psychology?
Describe, Explain, Predict, Control
What is Describe in terms of the goals of psychology?
To report what is observed
What is Explain in terms of the goals of psychology?
To organize and make sense of what researchers have observed
What is Predict in terms of the goals of psychology?
To predict behaviors or outcomes on the basis of observed patterns
What is Control in terms of the goals of psychology?
To use research findings to shape, modify, and control behavior.
Identify Influential People
Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchener, William James
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
He created the first psychology laboratory.
Who was Edward Titchener?
He established structuralism to study the elements of the mind.
Who was William James?
He offered the first psychology class in the United States.
What are the major perspectives in psychology?
Psychoanalytic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, evolutionary, biological, sociocultural, and biopsychosocial.
What is the psychoanalytic perspective?
Looks at the unconscious conflicts at the root of personality development.
What is the behavioral perspective?
Examines human behavior primarily through associations, reinforcers, and observation.
What is the humanistic perspective?
Focuses on the positive and growth aspects of human nature.
What is the cognitive perspective?
Considers the mental processes that direct behavior.
What is the evolutionary perspective?
Examines heritable traits that increase or decrease in frequency across generations.
What is the biological perspective?
Identifies the physiological basis of behavior.
What is the sociocultural perspective?
Looks at the social and cultural influences that impact behavior.
What is the biopshycosocial perspective?
Explains human behavior in terms of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
What is pseudopsychology?
An approach to examining and explaining behavior that is not based in objective evidence.
What is critical thinking?
The process of weighing various pieces of evidence, synthesizing them, and determining how each contributes to the bigger picture.
What is pseudopsychology’s relationship to critical thinking?
There is none. Critical thinking is absent from pseudopsychology.
What is the scientific method and what are its applications in psychology?
The scientific method is how repeatable and valid an experiment is. If an experiment is valid and repeatable, it can be used in the future as a baseline.
Summarize the importance of a random sample.
A random sample ensures that all members of a population have an equal chance of being selected to participate in a study, which then allows for a greater chance that a representative sample is used.
What is descriptive research?
An investigation that looks at new or unexplored topics. Methods include naturalistic observation, case studies, the survey method, and the correlation method.
How does the experimental method relate to cause and effect?
If all of the variables are controlled except for the ones being experimented on, then if there is a change in the behavior of those groups can be seen as a direct result of that change.
What are ethics important in psychology?
To protect the participants.
What is neuroscience?
The study of the neurons and the brain.
What is biological psychology?
A subfield of psychology that focuses on how the brain and other biological systems influence behavior.
What are the contributions of neuroscience and biological psychology in understanding human behavior?
These disciplines help discover connections between behavior and the brain as well as physiological reasons of the behavior.
What does an EEG (electroencephalogram) do?
Detects electrical impulses in the brain
What does a CAT/CT (computerized axial tomography) scan do?
Uses X-rays to create many cross-sectional images of the brain.
What does a MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) do?
Uses magnets and pulses of radio waves to produce more detailed cross-sectional images.
What does a PET (Positron emission tomography) do?
Uses radioactivity to track glucose consumption to construct a map of the brain.
What does a fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) do?
Captures changes in brain activity by tracking patters of blood flow.
What are the three basic parts of a neuron?
The Cell body, axon, and dendrites
What is an action potential?
The electrical signal that moves down the axon, causing a neuron to send chemical messages across the synapse.
How do neurons communicate with each other?
Neurotransmitters
What is the difference between a neurotransmitter and a hormone?
Neurotransmitters are quick and dissipate quickly, where as hormones are slow to release, dissipate slowly, and are glandular. An example of both is epinephrine.
What are the two branches of the peripheral nervous system?
The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
What is the somatic nervous system?
The system that controls the skeletal muscles that enable voluntary movement.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
The system that regulates the body’s involuntary processes.
What are the two main parts of the autonomic nervous system?
The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
The body’s reaction to stress. The fight or flight response.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
The system that oversees the rest-and-digest processes.
What is the role of the endocrine system?
The endocrine system uses chemicals to send messages through the body.
What does the left hemisphere of the brain control?
Controls most of the movement and sensation on the right side of the body. This side excels in language.
What does the right hemisphere of the brain control?
Controls most of the movement and sensation on the left side of the body. This side excels in visual-spatial tasks.
What is lateralization?
The localization of function or activity (as of verbal processes in the brain) on one side of the body in preference to the other
What are the areas in the brain that are responsible for language production and comprehension?
Broca’s area is primarily responsible for speech production and Wernicke’s area is primarily responsible for language comprehension.
What is neuroplasticity?
The brains ability to form and rearrange synaptic connections in response to learning, experience, and injury.
What are the lobes of the brain?
The prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe and the occipital lobe.
What is the purpose of the prefrontal cortex?
Personality, higher level thinking
What is the purpose of the parietal lobe?
Consolidation of sensory information, proprioception, and math
What is the purpose of the temporal lobe?
Auditory and linguistics
What is the purpose of the occipital lobe?
Vision
What comprises the limbic system?
The hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and the hypothalamus.
What is the purpose of the hippocampus?
Memory and the creation of new cells
What is the purpose of the amygdala?
The fight or flight response
What is the purpose of the thalamus?
The message center of the brain
“Air traffic control”
What is the purpose of the hypothalamus?
Regulation
“The thermostat”
What does the hypothalamus regulate?
hunger, breathing, heart rate, hunger
What is stress?
There are two types of stress; stress and eustress. Stress is the body’s reaction when it is threatened and eustress is something like childbirth. Stress is considered negative while eustress is considered positive.
