General Psychology Review Quizlet on Science, History, and Biological Perspective

What is psychology?

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Who was Wilhelm Wundt, and what did he do?

"Father of Psychology"; first to establish a psychological laboratory

What psychological approach is Sigmund Freud known for?

psychoanalysis theory; the unconscious mind is the root of all behavior

What did Sigmund Freud believe was the root of all behavior?

the unconscious mind

What was John B. Watson?

a behaviorist (remember that John Be Watchin' Your Behavior)

What did John B. Watson believe?

psychology should only involve what is observable (i.e. behavior)

What does the humanistic perspective focus on?

choices, free will and self-actualization

What are psychiatrists?

medical doctors who specialize in mental health disorders and who can prescribe medication

What are psychologists?

professionals who hold doctoral degrees, did not attend medical school, and do not prescribe medication

What is the Scientific Method?

a system used for reducing bias and error in the measurement of data.

What are the goals of psychology?

description, explanation, prediction, and control

What is a correlation?

a measure of how strongly two variables are related​

What does an experiment do?

determines cause and effect relationships

What does the nervous system do?

carries information to and from all parts of the body

What is a neuron?

a specialized cell that makes up the nervous system that receives and sends information

What is a neurotransmitter?

a chemical found in the synaptic vesicles which has an effect on the next cell

What do excitatory synapses do?

influence a neuron to send its message to other neurons

What do inhibitory synapses do?

influence a neuron to not send its message to other neurons

What are the two nervous systems?

the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system

What is the central nervous system made up of?

the brain and spinal cord

What is the cortex of the brain divided into?

cerebral hemispheres

What are hormones?

chemicals released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands

What is the pituitary gland called and why?

the "Master Gland" because it controls all of the other endocrine glands

What does the hypothalamus control?

the pituitary gland

What is a laboratory observation?

when you observe and record behavior in an non-natural setting

What is a case study?

extensive study of an individual or small group of people with unique experiences (observations, interviews, & assessments).

What is a survey?

researchers ask a series of questions about the topic under study (interviews or questionnaires) to a sample of the population

What does a correlation do?

tells us about association (whether one variable is related to another), but not causation

What is an experiment?

a deliberate manipulation of a variable

to determine cause-and-effect

relationships

a research technique used to test hypotheses to identify cause and effect relationships

Does X cause Y to happen? Ex. Does watching aggressive cartoons cause aggressive behavior?

What is operant conditioning?

the learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to responses

Response happens, consequence follows

Behavior ----> Consequence

• Consequences will either reinforce (strengthen) the behavior or punish (weaken) the behavior.

What is the psychodynamic perspective?

Focuses on the unconscious mind & its influence on conscious behavior

• Emphasizes the childhood experience: the sense of self and discovery of other motivations behind a person's behavior

What is the behavioral perspective?

Focuses on ways we learn behavior through our environment

Classical conditioning (Pavlov & Watson)

Operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner)

What is the humanistic perspective?

Focuses on the person's own ability to direct their own lives

• Emphasizes self-understanding and self-improvement

• Believes in the uniqueness of the individual

What is the perspective behind cognitive psychology?

• Focuses on reasoning, making decisions, problem solving, concept formation, perception, language and memory

• Emphasizes we can actively seek out certain experiences and mental processes interpret our environment.

What is the sociocultural perspective?

• Focuses on the relationship of social behavior and culture

• Emphasizes behavior is influenced by environmental factors and within the particular culture we live in.

What is the evolutionary perspective?

• Focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share

What is the placebo effect?

something that can cause problems with experimental results - when the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior

What is the experimenter effect?

something that can cause problems with experimental results - when the experimenter's expectations for a study unintentionally influence the results of the study

What are single-blind studies?

when subjects do not know whether they are in the experimental or the control group

What are double-blind studies?

when neither the experimenter nor the subjects know which subjects are in the experimental or control group

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does no harm mean?

The rights and well-being of participants must be weighed against the value to science. People come first.

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does informed consent mean?

Participants have to be informed of the study and potential factors or risks have to be informed that they can withdraw their consent at any time.

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does deception mean?

This is only acceptable when there are no other means of testing the hypothesis and it is necessary and justified. Participants have to be told about the deception afterwards (debriefing).

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does protection from risks mean?

Participants must be protected from risks and told explicitly of risks involved

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does debriefing mean?

After the research is complete, participants have to be told of the deception if there was any and any other information regarding the study.

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does confidentiality mean?

Results are reported in groups rather than individually. Information of the participant cannot harm the participant in any way.

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what do payments involve?

Participants have to be fully informed of what is expected of them if they are paid for their participation. (Payments have to be justified and reasonable)

Under the American Psychological Association (APA)'s ethical guidelines, what does publication involve?

Results of the study must be published and communicated to others, even if no findings were reported. Participants have a right to see the results.

What ethics are specific to animals only?

1. Supervision - Experienced personnel has to train all subordinates how to properly care for the animals.

2. Minimization of discomfort - Avoid exposure to unnecessary pain or suffering. This includes to put to death lab animals in a humane way.

What is the reticular formation?

it's located in the center of brain stem in the hindbrain; it's the part that controls arousal, attention, & alertness

What is the medulla?

it's located in the hindbrain; it's the first swelling at the top of the spinal cord; the lowest part of the brain; controls heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing

What is the pons?

it's above the medulla; it connects the lower part of the brain with the highest parts; plays role in left-right body coordination, & sleep and dreaming

What is the thalamus?

it's located under the cortex; it's located in the center of the brain; relays sensory info from the lower part of the brain to proper areas of the cortex

• (the only sensation it doesn't regulate is smell - neurons send info directly to olfactory bulbs)

What is the hypothalamus?

it's located under the cortex; it's a small but influential brain structure that controls the pituitary gland and regulates hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, body temperature, and a wide variety of emotional behaviors

What is the hippocampus?

it's located under the cortex and plays a central role in the formation of long-term memories

What is the amygdala?

it's located under the cortex; plays important role in emotion, particularly in response to aversive stimuli, fears and memories of fears

What are the cerebral hemispheres?

the cortex is divided into two sections referred to as the right and left hemispheres

What is the corpus callosum?

thick band of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres (right and left hemispheres of the brain)

What are the occipital lobes?

lie behind the parietal lobes at the rear of the brain; interprets visual information

Primary visual cortex - The area at the rear of the occipital lobes where vision registers in the cerebral cortex

Each eye is connected to the primary visual cortex in both right and left occipital lobes

What are the parietal lobes?

lie at the top and back of the brain; responsible for body awareness and spatial orientation

Somatosensory cortex - The strip of tissue at the front of the parietal lobe where touch, tastes, pressure, temperature, and pain register in the cerebral cortex

What are the temporal lobes?

Located slightly above the ears

Primary auditory cortex - The part of the temporal lobes where hearing registers in the cerebral cortex

Auditory association area- House memories and are involved in the interpretation of auditory stimuli- There is a special association area where familiar melodies are stored

What are the frontal lobes?

Motor cortex- The strip of tissue at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary body movement

Frontal association areas- Consists of association areas involved in thinking, motivation, planning for the future, impulse control, and emotional responses

What is the cerebellum?

it's in the hindbrain; it's located at the base of the skull; it coordinates voluntary movements that have to happen in rapid succession; executes smooth, skilled body movements and regulates muscle tone and posture

What is the pineal gland?

it's located near the back of the brain; secretes melatonin which regulates the sleep-wake cycle; it's part of the endocrine system

What are endocrine glands?

ductless glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream

What are hormones?

a chemical manufactured and released into the blood stream to affect other parts of the body; bind to receptor sites on other organs & affect behavior

What is the pituitary gland?

it's part of the endocrine system; it's located in the brain and often called the "master gland," releases hormones that control other endocrine glands and also releases a growth hormone (GH)

What is the thyroid gland?

produces the important hormone thyroxin, which regulates the rate at which food is metabolized

What is the pancreas?

it's part of the endocrine system; it regulates the body's blood sugar levels by releasing the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream

What are the adrenal glands?

it's part of the endocrine system; it's a pair of endocrine glands that release hormones that prepare the body for emergencies and stressful situations (ex. norepinephrine, ephinephrine, cortisol) and also release small amounts of the sex hormones

What are gonads?

sex glands; the ovaries in females and the testes in males; release the sex hormones that make reproduction possible and that are responsible for the secondary sex characteristics

What is a neurotransmitter?

chemical found in the synaptic vesicles that has an effect on the next cell when released

What is action potential?

the release of the neural impulse consisting of a reversal of the electrical charge within the axon (the axon is firing).

*The neural impulse travels down the axon, segment by segment, by means of positive ions

What is resting potential?

the state of a neuron when it's not firing; there is a negative charge within the axon

What is the axon?

the slender, tail-like extension of the neuron that transmits messages to other cells

What are the dendrites?

the branchlike extensions of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons

What is the synapse (synaptic gap)?

microscopic fluid-filled space between the synaptic knob of one cell and the dendrites or surface of the next cell

What is the synaptic knob?

rounded areas on the end for the axon terminals

What are the axon terminals?

branches at the end of the axon where the neurotransmitters are released

What is the "all-or-none" law?

the fact that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all

• The strength of the stimulus influences how many neurons fire

.- A weak stimulus may cause few neurons to fire

- A strong stimulus may cause thousands of neurons to fire at the same time and at hundreds of times per second

What are receptor sites?

holes in the surface of the dendrites or certain cells of the muscles and glands, which are shaped to fit only certain neurotransmitters

Under the umbrella of the Peripheral Nervous System, what is the Autonomic Nervous System?

consists of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles, organs and glands.

Consists of two divisions:

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

What is the Sympathetic Division?

"Fight or Flight" system; it activates the body, gets it ready to handle stress

Part of the Autonomic Nervous System which is part of the Peripheral Nervous System

What is the Parasympathetic Division?

"Eat, sleep, rest" system; it returns the body back to a normal state after stressed, associated with relaxation and the conservation of energy

Part of the Autonomic Nervous System which is part of the Peripheral Nervous System

What do we know about the brain?

Divided into three regions: the hindbrain, the midbrain and the forebrain; part of the central nervous system

What do we know about the spinal cord?

a long bundle of neurons that carries messages between the body and the brain and is responsible for very fast, lifesaving reflexes; part of the central nervous system

What is the peripheral nervous system?

all nerves and neurons that are not contained in the brain and spinal cord but run through the body itself; allows the brain and spinal cord to communicate with the sensory systems and allows control of the muscles and glands of the body

Contains two major systems: Somatic and Autonomic

What is the somatic nervous system?

part of the peripheral nervous system; consists of sensory nerves (afferent neurons) that transmit information from sense receptors to the CNS and all motor nerves (efferent neurons) which relay messages from the CNS to all voluntary muscles of the body

• Sensory pathway and Motor pathway

What is the autonomic nervous system?

part of the peripheral nervous system; consists of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles, organs and glands.

Consists of two divisions: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

Sympathetic Division - "Fight or Flight" system; it activates the body, gets it ready to handle stress

Parasympathetic Division - "Eat, sleep, rest" system; it returns the body back to a normal state after stressed, associated with relaxation and the conservation of energy

biological perspective

Focuses on the events in the body

• Links hormones, heredity, brain chemicals, tumors, & diseases as some causes of behavior and mental events

What is naturalistic observation?

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation