psych quiz 1

Definition of psychology

The science of mind and behaviour; from Greek logos (study) and psyche (soul)

Founding of experimental psychology

1879, Wilhelm Wundt

Method of experimental introspection

Trained subjects; controlled/repeatable stimulus isolation; immediacy of response

William James

Founder of functionalism

Freud vs. Pavlov & Watson

Freud: psychoanalysis (conscious life conditioned by the unconscious); Pavlov & Watson: behaviourism

Pavlov vs. Skinner

Pavlov: classical conditioning/learned behaviour; Skinner: rewards & punishment (operant conditioning)

Empathy

Understanding another's inner world without losing your own identity; three parts: affective, cognitive, motivational

Mirror neurons / theory of mind

Embodied simulation — observing another's action/experience activates the same neural pathways as performing it (monkey toy experiment)

Independent vs. dependent variable

IV is deliberately modified; DV is the variable that changes as a result

Lab vs. field vs. quasi-experiment

Lab: max control, high validity; field: natural setting, greater generalisability; quasi: naturally occurring groups stand in for experimental/control groups

Correlation coefficient (r)

-1 (perfect inverse) to +1 (perfect direct); describes two variables numerically — not causation

Survey method

Best for attitudes, opinions, self-reported behaviour; risk of leading questions or social desirability bias

Case study method

Best for a specific phenomenon or clinical case; doesn't generalise

Ethical principles of research

Voluntary participation, informed consent, beneficence & justice

Milgram's experiment (1961)

'Teachers' shocked a 'learner' (actor) up to 450V when ordered by an authority figure; 65% delivered the maximum shock

Locus of control

The perception that outcomes of actions depend solely on oneself (high internal control)

Lucifer effect / Stanford Prison Experiment

Normal people can turn into 'monsters' when given authority — evil is situational, not inherent to humans

Genotype vs. phenotype

Genotype is the encoded genetic makeup; phenotype is the physical expression of it

Darwin's theory of evolution (1859)

Random variation in populations, heritability of variation, and fitness as a repeated statistical process

Kin selection (Hamilton's rule)

rB > C (relatedness × benefit exceeds cost); e.g. honey bees sacrificing themselves for the hive

Reactive vs. proactive aggression

Reactive: defensive, protecting offspring/self (limbic-driven); proactive: planned, over territory or dominance (prefrontal-driven)

Intra-sexual vs. inter-sexual selection

Intra-sexual: competition within one sex for mates; inter-sexual: mate choice, traits evolve because they're preferred

Triune brain hypothesis

Reptilian/brain stem (survival); limbic/paleomammalian (emotion, memory); neocortex/neomammalian (reasoning, language, planning)

Spandrel

A trait that exists as a by-product of another adaptive trait, not itself a product of selection

Four parts of a neuron

Dendrites (receive messages), soma (nucleus/metabolic machinery), axon (carries signal), terminal buttons (release chemicals to next cell)

Action potential vs. neurotransmitter

Action potential is the electrical signal along the axon; neurotransmitter is the chemical signal released from synapse to receptor

CNS vs. PNS

CNS: brain and spinal cord, integrates information and decisions; PNS: nerves reaching the body, organs, and skin

Somatic branch of PNS

Sensory neurons (outside to in: touch, vision, hearing), motor neurons (inside to out: muscle control), and interneurons

Autonomic branch of PNS

Involuntary; sympathetic division mobilises (fight or flight), parasympathetic division calms (rest & digest)

Cranial and spinal nerves

12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves; spinal cord damage is lethal

Three main CNS structures

Cerebrum (voluntary action), cerebellum (movement/timing), brainstem (vital functions/spinal cord connection)

Neural tube defects

Anencephaly (absence of the brain) or spina bifida (pathology of the spinal cord), from incorrect closure of the neural tube

Prenatal brain development (vesicle stages)

Prosencephalon, mesencephalon, rhombencephalon (3 primary vesicles) split into telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, metencephalon, myelencephalon

Synaptic pruning

About half of neurons/axons/synapses are pruned in childhood, removing what isn't being used

Hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain

Hindbrain (survival), midbrain (voluntary & involuntary mechanisms), forebrain (autonomic functions)

Thalamus and hypothalamus

Forebrain structures; the hypothalamus controls the endocrine system

Frontal cortex regions

Motor cortex (action/control), somatosensory cortex (spatial attention), auditory cortex (comprehension/recognition), primary visual cortex (vision)