Term
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Definition
| the scientific study of behavior and the mind |
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Term
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Definition
| observe a behavior --> ask a question --> formulate a hypothesis --> conduct research --> analyze data --> report findings --> build on theories |
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Term
| Define a theory and its four main characteristics |
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Definition
A formal statement of how or why events are related
- organize info meaningfully
- testable
- supported by research
- simplest theory used to explain a phenomenon |
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Term
| What are the four characteristics of Pseudo-science? |
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Definition
- resembles, associates w/ and mimics true science
- relies on anecdotal evidence
- sidesteps disproof
- oversimplifies |
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Term
| Explain the theory and hypothesis behind the Spreading Activation Model. |
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Definition
Theory: The mind stores concepts as nodes and related nodes will spread activation to each other
Hypothesis: Activating one word will activate another word
ex: computer experiment determining if words are in English |
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Term
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Definition
any factor that can vary
Operational Definition: how you manipulate or measure that variable (different study-to-study) |
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Term
| Define reliability vs. variability |
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Definition
reliability: repeatability of results
variability: valid and true to actual results |
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Term
| List and briefly describe the four types of studies |
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Definition
1. Descriptive Research: time consuming, difficult to capture rare behaviors
2. Case Studies: in-depth analysis of a group or event, difficult to establish cause-effect, hard to generalize
3. Naturalistic Observation: seen in natural environments
4. Survey Research: gather info through interviews or questionnaires, involves many people; valid conclusions about people requires representative samples |
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Term
| Define correlation and give an example |
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Definition
variations in variable A lead to variations in variable B
- positive, negative or NO correlation
- strength of correlation = absolute value of correlation
ex: grave pillar height and longevity
* NOT NECESSARILY A CAUSAL FACTOR |
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Term
| What is the difference between the brain and the mind? |
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Definition
| The brain is a physical organ that directs all the movement, thought and behavior, whereas the mind is not something that can necessarily be found within the body, but that still directs and influences a person |
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Term
| What are three reasons for which correlation would NOT form causation? |
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Definition
1. Spurious relationship = random correlation
2. Bi-directionality problem = works both ways
3. Third variable problem (i.e. social status in grave pillar example) |
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Term
| In what two types of studies are correlations primarily useful in? |
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Definition
| Survey research and naturalistic observation |
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Term
| Explain the basics of experimental research |
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Definition
| design studies in the lab; manipulation of controlled variables (independent and dependent) |
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Term
| What's the deal with Wilhelm Wundt? |
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Definition
| German physiologist, used technique of introspection: subjects reported reactions to senses |
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Term
| Define structuralism and who it is attributed to |
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Definition
| Edward Titchener (William Wundt?) structure of mind broken down into basic components = sensations |
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Term
| define functionalism and who it is attributed to |
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Definition
| the study of the functions of consciousness rather than structure (structuralism) (William James) |
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Term
| List the six psychological perspectives |
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Definition
1. Psychodynamic
2. Behavioral
3. Cognitive
4. Humanistic
5. Sociocultural
6. Biological |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the psychodynamic approach. |
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Definition
*FREUD*
Human nature: inner conflict of drives and urges
Root of Behavior: unconscious motives, conflicts, and defenses, early childhood experiences |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the Behavioral approach. |
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Definition
*PAVLOV + WATSON + SKINNER*
Human nature: reacts to environment
Root of behavior: past learning: what you have been rewarded/punished for in the past |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the cognitive approach. |
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Definition
Human nature: thinker - actively planning and interacting with the environment
Root of Behavior: thoughts, planning, attention and memory |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the Humanistic approach. |
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Definition
Human nature: free-agent individual who wants to self-actualize
Root of Behavior: free-will, choice and innate drive towards meaning and self-actualization |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the sociocultural approach. |
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Definition
Human nature: social being requiring interaction
Root of behavior: norms and social pressure |
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Term
| Explain the human nature and root of behavior of the Biological approach. |
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Definition
Human nature: Animal (rawr.)
Root of Behavior: genetic and voluntary factors; brain and biochemical processes |
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Term
| Define independent vs. dependent variable |
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Definition
Independent variable = manipulated variable (ex: exposure to violent video games)
Dependent variable = measured variable (ex: attitude towards violence) |
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Term
| What is the difference between the experimental group and the control group? |
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Definition
Experimental group receives a "treatment" level or manipulation of the I.V.
Control group is not exposed to the treatment or receives none of the I.V. |
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Term
| Define Independent groups design/Between subjects group design |
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Definition
| different participants in each condition - independent groups; typically involves random assignment of participants to conditions |
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Term
| Define repeated measure/within subjects design |
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Definition
each participant exposed to all of the experimental conditions; counterbalance the order of the conditions
*statistically better because it eliminates individual differences |
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Term
| List the 6 threats to research validity |
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Definition
1. internal validity
2. confounding variable
3. demand characteristics
4. placebo effects
5. expectancy effects
6. replication |
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Term
| What is internal validity? |
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Definition
| degree to which an experiment supports clear causal conclusions |
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Term
| What are confounding variables? |
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Definition
| can't tell which variable has influenced the dependent variable |
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Term
| What are demand characteristics? |
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Definition
| cues that research participants use to figure out the hypothesis or how to behave in a study |
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Term
| What are placebo effects? |
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Definition
| behavior changes because of expectation, not the treatment itself |
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Term
| what are experimenter expectancy effects? |
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Definition
unintentional ways that researchers influence participant behavior
- controlled through double blind procedures |
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Term
| what is replication as a threat to validity |
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Definition
| repeating a study to see if one can obtain the same results |
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Term
| what is external validity? |
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Definition
| the degree to which the results of a study can be generalized |
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Term
| what are descriptive statistics + example of descriptive research |
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Definition
used to summarize the characteristics of a set of data: mean, median, mode, range, stdev
ex: Hmong sudden death case study |
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Term
| What are inferential statistics? |
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Definition
| used to draw inferences from a set of data; help determine whether the results are statistically significant = it is very unlikely that our findings could have happened by chance |
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Term
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Definition
| basic building blocks of the nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| contains the nucleus, holds the genetic information |
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Term
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Definition
| specialized receiving locations |
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Term
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Definition
| connects the neuron to other neurons, muscles or glands |
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Term
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Definition
| end of the axon, actual connection location |
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Term
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Definition
| fatty insulating substance on the axon of some neurons that increases the speed of neural transmission |
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Term
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Definition
| a flow of ions through the cell membrane creating a different balance --> electrical charge |
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Term
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Definition
| balance between + and - charged chemical ions (Na+ and K+) |
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Term
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Definition
| connects nervous system to muscles |
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Term
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Definition
receive information from external world
i.e. retina, hearing, chemical receptors on tongue and nose, sense of touch, pressure and temperature receptors |
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Term
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Definition
| connect different types of neurons, duh. Largest group of neurons |
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Term
| briefly explain the process of communication between and within cells |
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Definition
| presynaptic neuron: storage in synaptic vesicles --> release into synaptic space --> bind to receptor sites: postsynaptic neuron --> deactivation |
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Term
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Definition
mimics neurotransmitters, increasing its action and synthesis by:
- providing more building blocks
- binding to receptors of post-synaptic cells causing action
- preventing reuptake |
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Term
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Definition
inhibits or decreases the action of a neurotransmitter
- binds to receptors --> does NOT cause action |
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Term
| What's the deal with Acetylcholine (Ach)? |
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Definition
- excitatory
- muscular movement and memory
- paralysis if not present, Alzheimers
- muscle contractions if over-supplied |
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Term
| What's the deal with Norepinephrine? |
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Definition
- excitatory and inhibitory, depending on site
- stress hormone, controls attention
- fight or flight
- learning, memory, wakefulness and eating
- Undersupply (eating): depression
- Oversupply: stress and panic disorder |
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Term
| What's the deal with Serotonin? |
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Definition
- Excitatory/Inhibitory
- Mood, sleep, eating, and arousal
- Depression - sleeping and eating disorders
- SSRI inhibits serotonin binding
- Oversupply: OCD
- regulates aggressive behaviors |
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Term
| What's the deal with Dopamine? |
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Definition
- Excitatory
- voluntary movement control, emotional arousal, learning, memory, sleep, mood, motivation, reward
- Undersupply: Parkinson's
- Oversupply: Schizophrenia |
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Term
| What's the deal with GABA (ABBA??????)? |
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Definition
- Inhibitory
- motor system
- important in the connection between nerve and tissue
- Undersupply: seizures, tremors and insomnia |
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Term
| What's the deal with Glutamate? |
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Definition
- Excitatory
- used mainly by interneurons
- learning and memory
- Oversupply: overstimulation and migranes |
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Term
| What are the three "older, less popular" brain-imaging methods? |
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Definition
MRI, CAT = structure
PET = activity |
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Term
| What are the two main brain-imaging methods used today? |
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Definition
EEG/ERP: measures electrical activity on scalp: TIMING of activity
fMRI: measures changes in the magnetism of blood: LOCATION of activity |
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Term
| What are three brain-imaging methods on the horizon? |
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Definition
TMS: magnets temporarily disable neurons or groups of neurons in your brain; seems to balance or improve mood based on increased or decreased neuron activity
MEG: measures brain activity with helmet: better for chilluns
DOT: uses infrared light to generate images, measuring optical absorption of haemoglobin |
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Term
| What are the two elements of the peripheral nervous system and what do they control? |
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Definition
1. Somatic system = voluntary muscle activation
2. Autonomic system = involuntary muscles |
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Term
| What are the two subdivisions of the autonomic system (PNS) and what do they regulate? |
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Definition
1. Sympathetic = activates or increases arousal
2. Parsympathetic = inhibits or decreases arousal |
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Term
| What are the two main components of the CNS? |
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Definition
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Term
| medulla + where is it found |
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Definition
breathing, heart rate, cross-over location for motorneuron and sensory information
HINDBRAIN |
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Term
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Definition
| sleep and activity during sleep |
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Term
| Cerebellum + where's it at |
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Definition
HINDBRAIN
"little brain" - muscle movement coordination, learning and memory |
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Term
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Definition
| connects incoming sensory and motor neurons |
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Term
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Definition
intermediary between senses and consciousness
in charge of sleep, consciousness and attention, information overload & overstimulation |
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Term
| thalamus + where it is found |
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Definition
FOREBRAIN:
- sends sensory input to appropriate region
- schizophrenia
- after RF for a reason... |
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Term
| hypothalamus + where it is found |
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Definition
FOREBRAIN:
- blood chemistry regulation
- motivation and emotion
- connections to hormonal system
- dopamine based pleasure |
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Term
| hippocampus + where it is found |
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Definition
FOREBRAIN:
- FORMING AND RETRIEVING MEMORIES
- AMNESIA |
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Term
| amygdala + where it is found |
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Definition
FOREBRAIN: lymbic system
- involved in emotion and aggression |
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Term
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Definition
| reward and punishment - dopaminergic |
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Term
| List the four lobes of the cerebral cortex |
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Definition
| occipital, temporal, parietal, frontal |
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Term
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Definition
visual processing
directly connected to retina --> optic nerve |
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Term
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Definition
visual memories
- identification of objects and naming things
- auditory input, perceiving speech
--> WERNICKES AREA (left posterior)
- anterior portion: storage of memories and new info |
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Term
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Definition
| the "WHERE" pathway: connection between occipital and parietal lobes: identification of where items are and how to act upon them |
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Term
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Definition
| the "WHAT" pathway: connection between occipital and temporal lobes: recognition and identification of people, objects: info processed separately and integrated later on |
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Term
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Definition
| responsible for sensory movement |
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Term
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Definition
| controls motor movement: speech area close to motor movements for tongue (ex) |
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Term
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Definition
space and somatic sensory cortex
- mathematical thinking, consciousness, attention |
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Term
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Definition
| manages long-term behaviors and mental activity - tied to motor and speech production --> behavior |
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Term
| what types of things does the left brain control |
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Definition
- verbal abilities and speech
- mathematics and logic
- positive emotions |
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Term
| what types of things does the right brain control? |
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Definition
- spatial relations
- recognition of objects, places, routes
- mental imagery
- music and art
- negative moods |
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Term
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Definition
lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time
i.e. testing for deafness |
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Term
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Definition
smallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time
i.e. Coke vs. Diet Coke |
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Term
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Definition
something below the absolute threshold, below awareness
ex: word identification/association experiment |
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Term
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Definition
| stimulus-detection process by which out sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain |
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Term
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Definition
making "sense" of what our senses tell us
- individual differences between people
i.e. are we seeing the same color? |
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Term
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Definition
the difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made
- i.e. if you can detect 10% decibels if the threshold of hearing is 30 db, you cannot tell the difference from anything between 27-33 db (10% of 30 = 3) |
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Term
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Definition
| the diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus, occurs in all senses |
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Term
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Definition
| the process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses |
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Term
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Definition
| a multilayered light-sensitive tissue at the rear of the flud-filled eyeball |
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Term
| what are rods and when do they function best |
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Definition
| primarily black-and-white brightness receptors; function best in dim light |
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Term
| what are cones and when do they function best |
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Definition
| color receptors; function best in bright illumination |
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Term
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Definition
| dense area of many cones (color receptors) allowing for high resolution eyesight - for reading |
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Term
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Definition
| the system takes in individual elements of the stimulus and then combines them into a unified perception |
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Term
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Definition
| sensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge, concepts, ideas, and expectations |
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Term
| what 2 processes does the role of attention involve? |
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Definition
| focusing on certain stimuli & filtering out other incoming information |
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Term
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Definition
| the failure of unattended stimuli to register consciousness |
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Term
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Definition
| the whole is more (and different from) the sum of its parts |
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Term
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Definition
| our tendency to organize stimuli into a central or foreground figure and a background |
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Term
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Definition
| readiness of brain to perceive stimuli in a particular way |
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Term
| perceptual constancies + 3 examples |
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Definition
allow us to recognize familiar stimuli under varying conditions
- shape constancy, brightness constancy, size constancy |
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Term
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Definition
compelling but incorrect perceptions
* most can be attributed to perceptual constancies that ordinarily help us perceive more accurately |
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Term
| critical period (in relation to development of hearing) |
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Definition
| period during which certain kinds of experiences must occur if perceptual abilities and the brain mechanisms that underlie them are to develop normally |
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Term
| define consciousness, generally |
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Definition
| awareness of ourselves and environment |
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Term
| Explain the three aspects of Freud's view of consciousness |
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Definition
LIKE AN ICEBERG:
1. Conscious = current thoughts and perceptions
2. Preconscious - things that are outside your awareness but that can be easily recalled (high/chronic accessibility)
3. Unconscious - not retrievable (i.e. unacceptable behaviors or urges, traumatic events) |
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Term
| automatic vs. controlled consciousness |
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Definition
| automatic (unconscious) processing can be performed without conscious awareness or effort ~ controlled (conscious) processing uses conscious attention and effort |
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Term
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Definition
| the capacity to attend to and perform more than one activity at the same time |
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Term
| basic vs. applied research |
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Definition
| basic research reflects the quest for knowledge purely for its own sake; applied research is designed to solve specific, practical problems |
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Term
| what are the five goals of psychology? |
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Definition
| DUPIA: Describe, Understand, Predict, Influence, Apply |
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Term
| what are mind-body interactions? |
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Definition
| relations between mental processes in the brain and the functioning of other bodily systems |
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Term
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Definition
| all ideas and knowledge are gained empirically - through the senses |
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Term
| what is the operational definition of a variable? |
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Definition
| it defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it |
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Term
| absolute refractory period |
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Definition
| the period after the action potential drops and is returning to resting potential where the membrane is not excitable and cannot discharge another impulse |
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Term
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Definition
| a neural bridge consisting of white myelinated fibers that acts as a major communication link between the two hemispheres and allows them to function as a single unit |
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Term
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Definition
| the partial or total loss of the ability to communicate |
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Term
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Definition
concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgments
i.e. just having watched a horror movie |
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Term
| ganglion cells: location and function |
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Definition
| photoreceptor cells in the retina whose axons are collected into a bundle to form THE OPTIC NERVE |
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Term
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Definition
| can't determine visual orientation (i.e. card in slot) |
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Term
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Definition
| blindness in part of visual field yet in special tests can respond to stimuli in that field despite reporting that they can't see those stimuli |
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Term
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Definition
bringing ideas out of preconscious into conscious
ex: Bingo word association |
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Term
| Explain the roommate selection study in relation to conscious, immediate and unconscious choice |
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Definition
immediate = worst
conscious = middle
unconscious = best |
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Term
| what two main things are circadian rhythms regulated by? |
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Definition
1. suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) = biological clock
2. melatonin = relaxing hormone |
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Term
| how long is natural circadian rhythm? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Seasonal Affective Disorder: cyclic tendency to become psychologically depressed during certain seasons |
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Term
| Describe what takes place in each of the stages of sleep, generally |
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Definition
Awake and alert: beta waves
More drowsy: alpha waves
STAGE 1: Theta waves, easily awakened
STAGE 2: sleep spindles appear, more relaxed
STAGE 3/4: delta waves, slow wave sleep, longer periods
REM: high arousal, frequent dreaming |
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Term
| what is the general sequence of sleep stages? |
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Definition
| 1, 2, 3, 4, REM, 2, 3, 4, REM, 2, 3, REM 2, REM, 2, REM, awake |
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Term
| Restoration model of sleep |
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Definition
| recover from daily activity, both mental and physical fatigue |
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Term
| Evolved Adaptation model of sleep |
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Definition
| evolutionary function based on size, sleep position, predator/prey; allows us to deal with environmental demands, RIVER DOLPHINS |
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Term
| Memory Consolidation model of sleep |
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Definition
| thoughts and experiences transferred to long-term memory |
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Term
| what is the difference between nightmares and night terrors? |
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Definition
| nightmares are bad dreams (normal) that occur in REM sleep and night terrors are panic-state dreams that occur in state 3 or 4 |
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Term
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Definition
| repeatedly stop and restart breathing during sleep |
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Term
| activation-synthesis theory of dreaming |
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Definition
| dreams do not serve any particular function: they are merely a by-product of REM neural activity; an attempt of the cortex to interpret the random neural firing of the brain |
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Term
| cognitive view of dreaming |
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Definition
| dreams are constructed from the daily issues of the dreamer |
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Term
| Freud's Psychoanalytic view of dreams: latent vs. manifest content |
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Definition
dreams represent a window into the unconscious
latent content = disguised psychological meaning
manifest content = the surface story
i.e. train in tunnel :) |
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Term
| what areas of the brain are more active during dreaming? |
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Definition
| motor cortex (frontal lobe) and visual association area (occipital lobe) |
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Term
| general observations about hypnosis? |
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Definition
- involuntary control and behavior against one's will
- amazing feats
- pain tolerance
- hypnotic amnesia
- memory enhancement |
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Term
| Dissociaton theory of hypnosis |
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Definition
| hypnosis is an altered state involving a division of consciousness (hypnotized self and hidden observer) |
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Term
| Social-cognitive theory of hypnosis |
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Definition
| perform tasks while hypnotized based on what you think one who is hypnotized should do |
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