Unit 1 Exam Flashcards
three main things psychologists study
thoughts
feelings
behavior
five domains of psychology + what they are
biological– activity in the brain and body and relation to thoughts
cognitive– mental activities affect on thoughts and feelings
developmental– how do you change over your life in terms of thoughts and actions
social and personality– how do social factors and personality affect thoughts
mental and physical health– what affects it and how can you develop healthy behaviors
operational definition
+ example
qualify and quantify variables so they can be understood objectively
how does culture affect mental activity?
religion and ideals can influence ways of thinking and thought processes
more talkative culture, more talkative individuals
three steps of critical thinking
- is the source of the claim believable
- is there strong evidence for the claim
- do other believable sources agree about the claim
what is informed consent and why is it required for research with human participants?
people must be told about the research
required for research to ensure that the participants physical and emotional well-being is protected
three “R’s” of nonhuman animal research
Replace the use of animals whenever possible
Reduce the number of animals needed to a minimum
Refine tests to cause animals the least amount of distress
three main functions of the nervous system
receive sensory input from the world through vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell
process info in the brain by paying attention to it, perceiving it, and remembering it (mental activity)
respond to info by acting on it
dendrites
short branchlike extensions of the cell body– receive signals from neighboring neurons
cell body
information received from thousands of other neurons is collected and combined
axon
electrical impulses are transmitted along these
terminal buttons
knoblike structures that release neurotransmitters
myelin sheath
fatty casing that insulates the axon (makes for quick neural communication)
what is fMRI technology and how does it help us study mental activity?
functional magnetic resource imaging
tracking which parts of the brain are specializing in which types of processing
what did Paul Broca find?
discover that the front left side of the brain was important for speech (brocas area)
peripheral nervous system
nerves aside from the CNS
responds to messages to perform specific behaviors or make bodily adjustments
four divisions of the peripheral nervous system
autonomic–regulates body’s internal environment
somatic– transmits signals to and from CNS through nerves (controls voluntary actions)
sympathetic– prepares body for action
parasympathetic– returns the body to resting state
four lobes of the brain and their functions
frontal– planning, movement, complex thought
parietal– touch, spatial information
occipital– vision
temporal– hearing, memory
neurotransmitter
chemicals that carry signals from one neuron to another
create mental activity and behavior by allowing nerves to communicate with each other
four types of plasticity
neurogenesis– production of new neurons
neural pruning– connections that are not strong are pruned so other connections can be strengthened
brain reorganization– new connections develop between neurons (ex. recovery from brain injury)
what do comparative psychologists study and why?
behavior of animals and how we can relate them to human actions and behavior to solve problems
natural selection
the process over time by which organisms adapt and change
ex. giraffes long necks to reach food
artificial selection
identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals and steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations
ex. show dogs
sexual selection
natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex
ex. peacocks tail
homology
trait shared by two or more species because they share a common ancestor (force of genetics)
analogy
trait shared by two or more species due to similar selection procedures
convergent evolution
species occupy similar ecological niches and adapt in similar ways in response to similar selective pressures
- leads to analogous traits
three main characteristics of animal communication
social
conveys info
species specific (group/region)
three types of play
object– touching on an object
locomotor– provide exercise and practice of motor sills needs later in life
social– playing with other animals
consciousness
our subjective awareness of the world around you and your thoughts, feelings, actions
negative consequences of multitasking
inability to focus on a single task for a few min
poor school performance
inattention blindness
we can be blind to some visual information in our environment
not conscious of it
three altered states of consciousness
sleep– circadian rhythm’s that regulate biological cycles
meditation– intense contemplation leads to a deep sense of calmness
psychoactive drugs– mind altering substances that change the brains neurochemistry
how does the global workspace model explain conscious experience?
people share common patterns of brain activity which provides a window into their conscious experience
different brain areas are active depending on what subjects see in images
how does meditation affect the brain
greater stress reduction
improvement in attention
negative effects of sleep deprivation
decreases cognitive performance and hippocampus activity
interferes with hunger signals
negatively impacts mental health
three domains of development
physical– changes in body and systems working
cognitive– mental processes and communication changes
socio-emotional– changes in how we understand ourselves, interaction, emotion
zygote
formed by the union of egg and sperm and implanted in the uterus
embryo
most important time for the development of the spinal cord, brain, internal organs
3-8 weeks
fetus
week 9-birth
begins to move muscles, organs finish developing, brain begins to process sensory input and motor output
teratogen
environmental substances that can harm prenatal development
smog
smoking
alcohol
negative outcomes of infants not getting adequate physical touch and comfort from caregivers
less developed brain
poor problem solving
poor academic skills later in life
cannot develop advanced language skills
how does meditation affect the brain
long term has effects on brain function
what is the pineal gland associated with
sleeping, melatonin production
transduction
the process of turning physical stimulus into signals the brain can understand
thalamus
every sense must be processed through this aside from smell, which goes straight to where it is processed
