psychology exam 1

What is psychology?

What is psychology?

The science that seeks to understand behavior and mental processes and to apply that understanding in the service of human welfare

What are the features, strengths, and pitfalls of naturalistic behavior?

Features: observe behavior in the environment in which it typically occurs

Strengths: provides uncontaminated descriptive data about behavior

pitfalls: observer bias, and participant self - consciousness

What are the features, strengths, and pitfalls of case studies?

Features: intensive examination of a specific person or situation

Strengths: provides detailed descriptive analysis of new complex, or rare phenomena

Pitfalls: may not provide representative picture of phenomena

What are the features, strengths, and pitfalls of surveys?

features: standard set of questions asked of a large number of participants

strengths: gather large amounts of data relatively quickly and inexpensively

Pitfalls:

-sampling errors

-poorly phrased questions

-response biases

What are the features, strengths, and pitfalls of correlational studies?

features: examine relationships between variables

strengths: test predictions, evaluate theories, suggest new hypotheses

Pitfalls: cannot confirm casual relationships

What are the features, strengths, and pitfalls of experiments?

features: manipulation of an independent variable to see its effects on a dependent variable

Strengths: can establish a cause-effect relationship

Pitfalls: confounding variables (affect other variables in a way that produces spurious or distorted associations between two variables)

What are the three functions of the nervous system?

Input, processing, output

What are the cells of the nervous system?

Glial cells and neurons

What are the two types of nervous systems?

Somatic and autonomic

What are the characteristics of the somatic nervous system?

-sends sensory information to central nervous system for processing

-sends messages from central nervous system to muscles to direct motion

What are the characteristics of the autonomic nervous system?

-controls activities normally outside of conscious control (increased heart rate, pupil dilation, sweating)

-two sub systems: sympathetic nervous system “spends energy” and parasympathetic nervous system “preserves energy”

What are the three major subdivisions of the brain?

-Hindbrain

-Midbrain

-Forebrain

What is the bundle of fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain?

corpus callosum

What is the main function of the Corpus callosum?

allow the two hemispheres to work closely together

axons

Fibers that carry signals from the body of a neuron out to where communication occurs with other neurons

dendrites

nerve fibers that receive signals from the axons of other neurons and carry those signals to the cell body

What are the four steps of communicating with neurons?

1.) An action potential shoots down the axon, away from the cell body

2.) A neurotransmitter is released into the synapse, where the dendrites of neighboring neurons detect it

3.) If there is a receptor for this neurotransmitter on the dendrites, the neurotransmitter and receptor bind, creating an electrical signal

4.) If that signal is strong enough, it spreads down the dendrites and across the cell body of the next neuron and begins another action potential

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemical signals that travel across the synapse to another cell

synapses

the tiny gaps between neurons across which they communicate

Central nervous system

the parts of the nervous system encased in bone; specifically, the brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

the parts of the nervous system not housed in bone (somatic, autonomic, sensory, sympathetic, motor, and parasympathetic

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

The subsystem of the autonomic nervous system that readies the body for vigorous activity; readies your body for the action in the face of stress

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

The subsystem of the autonomic nervous system that typically influences activity related to the protection, nourishment, and growth of the body; calms you down once the crisis has passed

What is the hindbrain?

an extension of the spinal cord contained inside the skull where nuclei control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vital functions

What is the reticular formation?

a network of cells and fibers threaded through the hindbrain and midbrain that gives alertness and arousal to the rest of the brain

What are some functions of the reticular formation?

-natural alarm clock

-alertness

-arousal

-motor control

-primitive emotions

-regulates sleep/wake cycle

-damage produces coma like state

What is the medulla and what are its functions?

an area in the hindbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vital functions. If damage to the medulla, it is life threatening.

Where is the cerebellum located and what are its functions?

-located in the hindbrain (largest brain structure)

-controlling finely coordinated movements

-storing memory about movements

-maintaining balance

-gross motor behavior (running)

-damage to this area can cause slurring, loss of balance, and tremors

Where is pons located and what are its functions?

-Located underneath the medulla

-motor control between the right and left side of your brain

-respiration

-ability to swallow

-help us get into sleep state

What is the midbrain?

A small structure between the hindbrain and forebrain that relays information from the eyes, ears, and skin that control certain types of automatic behaviors.

What is the forebrain?

The most highly developed part of the brain; it is responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life.

what is the thalamus?

The grand central station of the brain; forebrain structure that relays signals from the most sense organs to higher levels of the brain (cerebral cortex)

What are the functions of the thalamus?

-information is relayed from one part of the brain to another

-regulates all activity of the brain except for smell

-sensory motor information

Where is the hypothalamus and what are its functions?

-structure in the forebrain

-temperature regulation

-helps maintain homeostasis

-regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drive

What is the amygdala?

a structure in the forebrain that is the primitive emotional center of the brain.

What are the functions of the amygdala?

• links emotional and certain kinds of sensory information in memory (can be triggered by songs or scents)

• defensive/ aggressive behaviors come from here

• important for overreactive emotional irrational behavior

What is the hippocampus?

A structure in the forebrain associated with the formation of new memories

What brain structure is smaller with individuals with schizophrenia?

hippocampus

What brain structure is effected in individual with post traumatic stress disorder?

amygdala pg

What research topic would lend itself best to naturalistic observation?

Behavior

What is not apart of the peripheral nervous system?

Spinal Cord

The nervous system has two major components

Central and peripheral

1. Aileen notices an attractive guy that she met the evening before. Her heart beats faster and her palms become sweaty. Apparently, the ____________ division of Aileen’s _____________ nervous system has become activated.

sympathetic and peripheral

What is the most highly developed portion of the brain?

cerebral cortex

experiments are important for examining _____ relationships between or among variables

cause and effect

What is Alzhimers’s disease?

A major cause of dementia

As a signal travels from one neuron to another, it is received by the and carried to the cell body. From here the signal is carried through the ___.

dendrites; axon

What contains the neurotransmitters that are released into the synapse?

synaptic knob

Both Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease have been linked to the neurotransmitter

dopamine

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system mistakenly destroys some of the myelin wrapped around nerve cell fibers. Which nerve cell fibers are being attacked by this process?

Axons

If your reticular formation was constantly stimulated, you would most likely experience what?

difficulty sleeping

Psychologist who focus their research on processes like decision making, problem solving, and imagination would most likely be considered?

Cognitive

According to the humanistic approach to psychology, a person’s behavior is determined by:

our capacity to act and think

1. Steven has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Steven most likely has a problem with his __________ neurotransmitter system.

Acetylcholine

What is the cerebral cortex?

The outer bark that covers the forebrain and is responsible for processing complex information

Function of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine

memory, movement

Function of the neurotransmitter, Norepinephrine

Mood, sleep, learning

Function of the neurotransmitter, Serotonin

Mood, appetite, impulsivity

Function of the neurotransmitter, dopamine

Movement, reward

Function of the neurotransmitter, GABA

Sleep, movement

Function of the neurotransmitter, Glutamate

memory

Function of the neurotransmitter, endorphin

pain control

Which of the following people is most likely experiencing REM sleep?

Overweight, congested, taking drugs, breathing issues, someone with changes in sleep patterns

Cognitive Approach

emphasizes mechanisms through which people receive, store, retrieve, and process information

humanistic approach

emphasizes individual potential for growth and the role of unique perceptions in guiding behavior and mental processes

behavioral approach

emphasizes learning, especially each person’s experience with rewards and punishments

Psychodynamic approach

emphasizes internal conflicts, mostly unconscious, which usually pit sexual or aggressive instincts against environmental obstacles to their expression.

Evolutionary approach

emphasizes the ways in which behavior and mental processes are adaptive for survival

Biological approach

emphasizes activity of the nervous system, especially of the brain; the action of horomones and other chemicals; and genetics

sensation

the gathering of sensory information through our various sense receptors,

perception

making sense of sensations (having an understanding)

Smell appear to be particularly effective retrieval cues for memory. This relationship is most likely due to direct neuronal connections between which two brain areas?

Olfactory cortex and amygdala

What type of conditions are treated with marijuana?

mental health conditions (anxiety, depression)

Darrin had gradually increased his intake of opiates and amphetamines over a period of time to obtain the same effect. This is called

tolerance

Dissociative identity disorder is a rare mental disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct personalities. Psychologists studying this rare disorder would be most likely to use

naturalistic observation