FINAL PHYCOLOGY

Definition of Psychology

Definition of Psychology

The scientific study of mental activity (MIND) and behavior, which depend on the processing in the brain.

Biological

– Our genes, DNA, and physical makeup influence our personality and behavior. Twin studies show strong evidence that personality has a biological component.

Cognitive

– Jean Piaget

How we process, store, and use information influences our behavior. Thinking is another form of behavior, language, problem-solving, memory. 

Humanistic

– Carl Rogers

You have the freedom to choose your destiny. Emphasizes FREE WILL 

• Person-Centered - people that are inherently motivated toward achieving positive psychological functioning

• Unconditional Positive Regard - Loved regardless of his or her actions 

Behaviorism

– John Watson

A person’s behavior is determined by the rewards and consequences they get from the environment. 

You are a product of your environment observable behavior

The trait theory

– OCEAN (online test you did for me on the Big Five Traits) 

Personality traits are stable across time, especially after age 30

Help to predict all kinds of different behaviors 

Openness, Conscientious, Extraverted, Agreeable, and Neurotic personality

Projective measures: personality tests that examine unconscious processes 

by having people interpret ambiguous stimuli

• Inkblot tests

• Self-Report Measures: personality tests that use questionnaires to let people respond to items that reveal traits and behaviors (NEO Personality Inventory)

• Twin Studies

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

- Abraham Maslow 

Lower needs to be met first 

• Self-Actualization - reaching your maximum potential 

Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytical

– Sigmund Freud believed hidden motives influenced personality

Unconscious

- contains material the mind cannot easily retrieve  

The conscious level of our mental activity consists of the thoughts that we are aware of (ego)

The preconscious level consists of content that is not currently in our awareness but that could be brought to awareness. (superego)

3 Divisions of mind

Id

Ego

Superego

Id

(pleasure principle) selfish. Its goal are to avoid pain and get pleasure

Ego

(reality principle) its goals are to satisfy the id’s demands and superego’s wishes

Superego

the conscience. Controls morals and guilty feelings

Defense Mechanisms

repression

Denial

rationalization

Reaction formation

Sublimation

Defense Mechanisms

the processes used to get rid of ego anxiety or stress

Repression

Motivated forgetting of memories or impulses. Excluding sources of anxiety from awarness.

Denial

Motivated forgetting of current distressing experiences. Refusing acknowledge the source of anxiety.

Rationalization

Providing reasonable-sounding explanations for unreasonable behaviors or failures. Creating a seemingly logical reason or excuse for behavior that might otherwise be shameful

Reaction formation

Transforming an anxiety-producing experience into its opposite. Warding off an uncomfortable thoughts by overemphasizing its opposite. Love-hate.

Sublimation

Transforming a socially unacceptable impulse into an admired and socially valued goal. Channelling socially unacceptable impulses into constructive, even admirable behavior.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Oral

Anal

Phallic

Latency

Genital

Locus of Control

Internal Locus

External Locus

Internal Locus

own actions influnce the events and outcomes

External Locus

other forces (outside of your control) influence the events and outcomes

Methods of Research

Survey

Case Study

Correlation

Experiment

Survey (Self Report Questionnaires)

A descriptive method that consists of obtaining self-reports from research participants

Case Study

Involve intensive examination of a few unique people or organization

Correlation

Examine how variables are naturally related in the real world

Positive Correlation

Negative Correlation

Zero Correlation

Positive Correlation

as one increases, so does the other

Negative Correlation

as one increases, the other decreases

Zero Correlation

no relationship between variables

Experiment

Research methods that test a causal hypothesis by manipulating independent variables and measuring the effects of dependent variables

Hypothesis, dependent variable, Independent variable, placebo, placebo effect

Hypothesis

educates guess

Independent Variable

manipulates (cause)

Dependent Variable

affected by the manipulation (effect)

Placebo

A treatment that appears real, but is designed to have no therapeutic benefit.

Placebo effect

when a person’s physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo or “dummy” treatment

Medulla

located at the top of the spinal cord, control survival functions such as heart rate and breathing

Hypothalamus

regulates bodily functions

Motor Cortex

the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements

Parietal Lobe

A network of nerves that relax your body after a period of stress or danger

Central Nervous System

Brain and spinal cord

Sympathetic Nervous System

fight or flight adrenaline, breathing

Endorphins

help with pain management

Dopamine

acts on areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation

Hippocampus

associated with formations of memories

Frontal Lobe

front part of brain responsible for the way you think, move, and memory

Occipital Lobe

smallest lobe locates in the back it is the visual processing of the brain

Peripheral Nervous System

somatic and autonomic

Parasympathetic Nervous System

digestions

Serotonin

emotional state and dreams

Alzheimer’s Disease

common type of dementia

REM sleep

dream stage

Stage 1 , Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4

Stage 1 - theta waves (drifting off) light sleep

Stage 2 - k-complex regular sleep

Stage 3 - delta waves

Stage 4 - deep sleep

Insomnia

the repeated inability to sleep

Sleep Apnea

snore a lot

Narcolepsy

can’t stay awake during normal waking hours

Night Terrors

sudden waken episodes characterized by screaming

Addictions

is a state of psychological and/ or physical dependence on the use of drugs or other substances

Withdrawal Symptoms

depression, anxiety, reduced motivation, difficulties experiencing pleasure, apathy, even more serious symptoms, such as the development of hallucinations and delusions

Tolerance

To have a fair and objective attitude towards others and is usually a conscious effort for individuals

Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov

type of learning response in which a neutral object comes to elicit a response when it is associated with a stimulus that already produces a response

Neutral Stimulus (NS), Unconditioned Stimulus (US), Unconditioned Response (UR), Conditioned Stimulus (CS), Conditioned Response (CR)

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

anything not previously associated with the unconditional response (metronome)

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally elicits a response without any prior learning (food)

Unconditioned Response (UR)

a response that does not have to be learned such as a reflex (salivation)

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place

Conditioned Response (CR)

a response to a conditioned stimulus; a response that has been learned

Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner

how animals operate on their environment to produce effects

Reinforcement

makes a behavior more likely to be repeated

Positive , Negative Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement

add stimulus, increases behavior

Negative Reinforcement

removes stimulus, increases behavior

Punishment

makes a behavior less likely to occur again

DSM-5

A person must meet specific criteria to receive a particular diagnosis

Major Depression

lasting for two weeks

Bipolar Disorder

1: moods during manic episodes 2: mildly mood for at least four days

2: mildly mood for at least four days

Hallucinations

false sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external source

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Frequent intrusive thoughts that create anxiety and compulsive actions that temporarily reduce the anxiety

Paranoid Personality Disorder

does not trust anyone, suspicious, has few close friends

Dissociative Identity Disorder

two or more distant identities in the same individual

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Constant anxiety not associated with a specific object or situation

Dysthymia

Delusions

False beliefs based on incorrect inferences about reality

Attention Deficit w/ Hyperactivity

hyperactive and inattentive

Anti-Social Personality Disorder

psychopaths, who don’t care about people

Paranoid Schizophrenia

extreme altercations in thought, in perceptions, break from reality

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

frequent nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks

related to an earlier trauma

Mania Symptoms

increase self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, talking excessively and faster, reckless behavior, and flight of ideas, can include delusions

Psychopathology

sickness or disorder of the mind