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Intro to Psychology > Unit 1 Exam > Flashcards

Unit 1 Exam Flashcards

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1
Q

three main things psychologists study

A

thoughts
feelings
behavior

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2
Q

five domains of psychology + what they are

A

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

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3
Q

operational definition
+ example

A

qualify and quantify variables so they can be understood objectively

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4
Q

how does culture affect mental activity?

A

religion and ideals can influence ways of thinking and thought processes

more talkative culture, more talkative individuals

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5
Q

three steps of critical thinking

A
  1. is the source of the claim believable
  2. is there strong evidence for the claim
  3. do other believable sources agree about the claim
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6
Q

what is informed consent and why is it required for research with human participants?

A

people must be told about the research

required for research to ensure that the participants physical and emotional well-being is protected

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7
Q

three “R’s” of nonhuman animal research

A

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

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8
Q

three main functions of the nervous system

A

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

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9
Q

dendrites

A

short branchlike extensions of the cell body– receive signals from neighboring neurons

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10
Q

cell body

A

information received from thousands of other neurons is collected and combined

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11
Q

axon

A

electrical impulses are transmitted along these

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12
Q

terminal buttons

A

knoblike structures that release neurotransmitters

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13
Q

myelin sheath

A

fatty casing that insulates the axon (makes for quick neural communication)

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14
Q

what is fMRI technology and how does it help us study mental activity?

A

functional magnetic resource imaging

tracking which parts of the brain are specializing in which types of processing

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15
Q

what did Paul Broca find?

A

discover that the front left side of the brain was important for speech (brocas area)

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16
Q

peripheral nervous system

A

nerves aside from the CNS

responds to messages to perform specific behaviors or make bodily adjustments

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17
Q

four divisions of the peripheral nervous system

A

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

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18
Q

four lobes of the brain and their functions

A

frontal– planning, movement, complex thought

parietal– touch, spatial information

occipital– vision

temporal– hearing, memory

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19
Q

neurotransmitter

A

chemicals that carry signals from one neuron to another

create mental activity and behavior by allowing nerves to communicate with each other

20
Q

four types of plasticity

A

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)

21
Q

what do comparative psychologists study and why?

A

behavior of animals and how we can relate them to human actions and behavior to solve problems

22
Q

natural selection

A

the process over time by which organisms adapt and change

ex. giraffes long necks to reach food

23
Q

artificial selection

A

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

24
Q

sexual selection

A

natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex

ex. peacocks tail

25
Q

homology

A

trait shared by two or more species because they share a common ancestor (force of genetics)

26
Q

analogy

A

trait shared by two or more species due to similar selection procedures

27
Q

convergent evolution

A

species occupy similar ecological niches and adapt in similar ways in response to similar selective pressures
- leads to analogous traits

28
Q

three main characteristics of animal communication

A

social
conveys info
species specific (group/region)

29
Q

three types of play

A

object– touching on an object

locomotor– provide exercise and practice of motor sills needs later in life

social– playing with other animals

30
Q

consciousness

A

our subjective awareness of the world around you and your thoughts, feelings, actions

31
Q

negative consequences of multitasking

A

inability to focus on a single task for a few min

poor school performance

32
Q

inattention blindness

A

we can be blind to some visual information in our environment

not conscious of it

33
Q

three altered states of consciousness

A

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

34
Q

how does the global workspace model explain conscious experience?

A

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

35
Q

how does meditation affect the brain

A

greater stress reduction

improvement in attention

36
Q

negative effects of sleep deprivation

A

decreases cognitive performance and hippocampus activity

interferes with hunger signals

negatively impacts mental health

37
Q

three domains of development

A

physical– changes in body and systems working

cognitive– mental processes and communication changes

socio-emotional– changes in how we understand ourselves, interaction, emotion

38
Q

zygote

A

formed by the union of egg and sperm and implanted in the uterus

39
Q

embryo

A

most important time for the development of the spinal cord, brain, internal organs

3-8 weeks

40
Q

fetus

A

week 9-birth

begins to move muscles, organs finish developing, brain begins to process sensory input and motor output

41
Q

teratogen

A

environmental substances that can harm prenatal development

smog
smoking
alcohol

42
Q

negative outcomes of infants not getting adequate physical touch and comfort from caregivers

A

less developed brain

poor problem solving

poor academic skills later in life

cannot develop advanced language skills

43
Q

how does meditation affect the brain

A

long term has effects on brain function

44
Q

what is the pineal gland associated with

A

sleeping, melatonin production

45
Q

transduction

A

the process of turning physical stimulus into signals the brain can understand

46
Q

thalamus

A

every sense must be processed through this aside from smell, which goes straight to where it is processed

Intro to Psychology (3 decks)

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