psych

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Charles Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)

criticisms of evolutionary psychology

include learning theorists, point to the broad range of behavior with which it deals, point to the difficulty of testing the theory in any significant manner

overconfidence

the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.

how random sequences are perceived

people tend to assign meaning or patterns to random sequences

Repetition

statements become more believable when repeated

how group identity affects misinformation

base info off of people that agree with us, or that we agree with

scientific attitude

curiosity, skepticism, humility

Scientific Method

a self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

benefits of random sampling

removes bias and improves validity

correlational research

investigate relationship between two variables, no control or manipulation, naturalistic way of observation in experiment

positive correlation

a relationship between two variables in which both variables either increase or decrease together

negative correlation

the relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other variable decreases

regression toward the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average.

relationship between correlation and causation

correlation does not equal causation

phrenology

studying bumps on the skull, could reveal a person's mental abilities and character traits

manipulating and controlling variables

enable researchers to isolate effects (I.V and D.V.)

benefits of random assignment

minimizes pre-existing differences between two groups called confounding variables

statistically significant

an observed effect so large that it would rarely occur by chance

dendrites

a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

how neurons generate electricity

through neural impulses, or action potential

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

process of opiate reception in the brain

opioids attach to and activate opioid receptors in brain nerve cells

nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

all-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

endocrine system

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream (hormones make big difference in emotional state)

Two Track Processing

two minds that operate at the same time inside our one brain. Namely, the conscious mind and the unconscious mind

thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

The limbic system

(Amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus) neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

corpus collosum

connects hemispheres

cerebral cortex

ultimate control and information processing center

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

pons

helps coordinate movement and control sleep

reticular formation

helps control arousal

brainstem

(Reticular formation, pons, medulla) responsible for automatic survival functions

peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body (autonomic and somatic)

autonomic PNS

sympathetic and parasympathetic

somatic PNS

sensory input and motor output (controls skeletal muscles)

CNS

central nervous system; brain and spinal cord

acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning, and memory, w/ Alzheimer's it deteriorates

dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion, oversupply linked to schizophrenia undersupply linked to Parkinson's

serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal, undersupply=depression

Norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, undersupply=seizures and insomnia

glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory, oversupply=seizures

endorphins

influence perception of pain or pleasure

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

parietal lobe

receives sensory input for touch and body position

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

association areas

involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

damage to frontal lobe

change in personality, impulsivity

functional connectivity

the extent to which multiple brain regions function at the same time, which improves during adolescence

neuroplasticity

nervous system's ability to change

view of behaviorists in influence of mental states

no knowable difference between two states of mind (beliefs, desires, etc.) unless there is a demonstrable difference in the behavior associated with each state.

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect

Cocktail party effect

focused on one thing, not on surroundings.

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

conscious attention

Effortful processing can only occur with

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language

right temporal lobe

location of association area that enables the recognition of faces

neurogenesis

the development of new neurons

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

sleep

periodic, natural loss of consciousness

rem sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.

alpha waves

slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

N1 sleep

first stage of NREM sleep - hallucinations, falling sense, weightless(hypnagogic)

N2 sleep

completely lose emotional awareness, theta waves, characterized by sleep spindles

N3 sleep

delta waves (slow brain waves) - deep sleep

step 4 of sleep

return to N2

step 5 of sleep

REM sleep -\> h.r rises, breathing irregular, eyes dart, genitals aroused, motor cortex active

suprachiasmatic nucleus

a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm

narcolepsy

uncontrollable sleep attacks

sleep apnea

struggle of breathing during sleep

night terrors

high arousal and appearance of being terrified (N3)

latent content

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

manifest content

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream

activation synthesis theory

dreams are caused by widespread, random activation of neural circuitry

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep)

Freud's wish-fulfillment theory

theory that explains dreams as a way to fulfill our wishes

information processing

dreams help us sort out the day's events and consolidate our memories

physiological function

regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways

activation synthesis

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories

cognitive development

the development of thinking, problem solving, and memory

addiction

A physiological or psychological dependence on a drug

attachment formation

The formation of a strong intimate emotional connection to a specific individual that persists across time and context.

temperament

basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin

disordered drug use

biological influences: genetic predispositions, variations in neurotransmitter systems

psychological influences: lacking sense of purpose, significant stress, psychological disorders, such as depression

social-cultural influences: difficult environment, cultural acceptance of drug use, negative peer influences

heredity

Passing of traits from parents to offspring

genes

threadlike coils of DNA

Genes, Chromosomes, DNA, least to most complex

Genes\>DNA\>Chromosomes

evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

selection effect

kids seek out peers with similar attitudes and interests

individualist

priority to own goals and defining identity in terms of personal attributes

collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly