Brynildsen Gen Psych Exam One

Psychology

the scientific study of thought, behavior, and emotion

Hindsight Bias

overestimation of the ability to have predicted an outcome

Scientific Method

tests ideas with the use of data - evidence (empiricism)

Hypothesis

(testable prediction) - variables need to be observable and measurable

Operational Defintion

statement about the procedures the researcher used to measure a variable → variables can be subjective, need to clarify how you obtained or tested a variable

Case Study

in depth analysis of one subject or more

personality, cognition, physical attributes, medical history - unique situation

Case Study Advantages and Disadvantages

adv: provide us with new information, ideas or concept

dis: cannot generalize b/c it is such a specific or unique situation - not representative of everyone, typically an unique situation, one that cannot be replicated or recreated

Observational Method

describe and measure people and/or animals behaviors systemically, researchers do not interfere, study in naturalistic setting or lab

Observational Method Advantages and Disadvantages

adv: easy to do, real world application

dis: cannot infer causation, no explanation - subject to observer bias or different interpretations or perspectives

Survey Method

asking people questions about their thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions and recording their answers

Survey Method Advantages and Disadvantages

adv: efficiency → a lot of data from many people in a short period of time (cheaper, easier, faster) - best or only way to get the data

dis: wording and response bias

Wording Effects

the way in which questions are worded may affect answers

Leading Questions

influences participants answers, push to a certain answers

Response Bias

pattern of response to questions that does not accurately reflect the content of the question

Correlational Method

measure strength and direction of relationship between two variables

Positive Correlation

variable change in the same direction

Negative Correlation

variable change in opposite direction

Correlation Coefficient

indicator of the strength of the relationship between two variables (ranges -1.00 to +1.00)

Correlation Advantages and Disadvantages

adv: identify relationship between two variables

dis: no cause and effect, correlation does not necessarily indicate causation

Third Variable in Correlation Method

Third variable, C, causes both A and B

Experimental Method

researcher changes (manipulates) one variable and measures the effects of that change of another variable

Independent Variable

manipulated by experimenter - the presumed cause

Dependent Variable

outcome variable - the presumed outcome

Experimental (treatment) Group

received treatment/stimulus

Control Group

does not receive treatment/stimulus (comparison group)

Confounding Variable

variable that is potentially responsible for the results, but is not the variable of interest (IV) - something else that is causing or effecting the DV that isn't the IV, makes IV unreliable

Random Assignment

how you place participants in the conditions of the experiment - equate groups before you manipulate the IV or begin the experiment

Placebo Effect

observed improvement following an inert treatment

Placebo Control Group

participants who receive placebo rather than actual treatment of nothing

Expectancy Effect

results when the experimenter's hypothesis (expectation) leads unintentionally to behavior toward the participants that then increases the likelihood of the participant's behaviors will confirm the hypothesis

Single-Blind Procedures

the participants do not know if they have been assigned to the experimental or control group

What does single-blind procedures prevent?

placebo effect

Double-Blind Procedures

neither the participants nor the researchers know who has been assigned to experimental or control group

What do double-blind procedures prevent?

expectancy effect

Generalizaibility

the ability to generalize findings about a sample to an entire poplation

Replication

the ability to be able to recreate the study or experiment

Biological/Neuroscientific Perspective

how physical systems (e.g the brain) affect behavior, brain, feelings, and thoughts

Evolutionary Perspective

natural selection of traits

Behavior Genetics

contribution of genes and environment to behavior

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Perspective

unconscious dynamics within the individual

Behavioral Perspective

learning via reinforcements and punishments

Cognitive Perspective

how people reason, remember and interpret

Socioculutral Perspective

how social and cultural shape individuals' behavior

Neuron

specialized cell that transmits neural messages to other neural messages to other neurons, glands and muscles

Dendrite

receives neural messages from other neurons

Cell Body

houses DNA

Axon

thin tube that transmits messages

Glial Cells

provide structure for neurons, form blood-brain barrier, form myelin sheath

Threshold

level of electrical charge needed to stimulate action potential

Action Potential

electrical impulse that travels from the cell body to the end of the axon (neural firing)

All-or-None Response

once the electric charge of the neuron reaches a certain threshold, it fires an action potential (either it fires or it doesn't)

Synapse

junction between 2 neurons (transmitted across synapses via neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that travel across synapse from sending neuron to receptors on receiving neuron

Reuptake

sending neuron reabsorbs excess neurotransmitters

Inhibitory Signal

decrease likelihood that neuron will fire

Excitatory Signal

increase likelihood that neuron will fire

Acetycholine (ACh)

involved in muscle action, learning, memory

Endorphins

reduce pain and promote pleasure

Dopamine

involved in voluntary movement, reward, learning, memory

Serotonin

involved in sleep, appetite, mood

Glutamate

excitatory - learning, memory, enhancement

GABA

inhibitory - calms

Agonists

increase normal activity of a neurotransmitter

Antagonists

decrease activity of neurotransmitter

Agonists Actions

Make more NT

Mimic or bind to NT receptors

Inhibit reuptake

Antagonists Actions

Blocks NT

Block receptor

Decrease production of NT

Motor Neurons

carry signals from brain or spinal cord to muscles, skin and glands

Sensory Neurons

carry messages from receptors to spinal cord and brain

Central Nervous System

brain and spinal cord

Spinal Reflexes

autonomic responses that occur without any brain involvement

Peripheral Nervous System

All our nervous system outside brain and spinal cord

Somatic Nervous System

sensory and motor pathways - voluntary

Autonomic Nervous System

automatic - made up of sympathetic and parasympathetic

Parasympathetic Nervous System

decrease arousal

Rest and digest (p for peace) - return HR, BP, respiration to normal

Sympathetic Nervous System

increase physiological arousal

Fight or flight response - increase HR, BP, respiration

Hormones

chemical secreted by endocrine glands into bloodstream

Hypothalamus

controls pituitary gland

Pituitary Gland

master gland - controls all other glands - tells other hormones when to release

Adrenal Gland

important in mood, energy level, stress response

Pineal Gland

regulates circadian rhythms

Electroencephalogram (ECG)

detects electrical activity of neurons in particular regions of brain (measure brain activity in forms of brain waves, no images - can show function)

PET Scan (position emission tomography)

records biomedical changes in brain as they are happening in different locations (radioactive injections of glucose, used to assed function and provide images of brain)

CAT scan (computerized axial tomography)

X-ray beams sent through head, picture of brain tissues (provides images of brain, cannot use to observe functions)

MRI

uses magnetic fields to measure activity of various brain areas (uses magnet to track oxygen flow, just an image cannot observe function)

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

uses MRI to measure relative activity of various brain during tasks (used to assed function - provides images of active and inactive parts of brain)

Medulla

controls life-sustain bodily functions - not conciously activated

Pons

involved in sleep, connected cortex to lower brain regions - bridge between different structures

Reticular Formation

controls alertness, attention - ignore other senses, filter out info you dont wanna pay attention to

Thalamus

relay station (directs incoming information from sensory receptors to cerebral cortex)

What sense does NOT travel through the thalamus?

Smell or Olfactory

Cerebellum

coordination of movement, balance, muscle coordination, memory of simple skills

Amgydala

emotions, aggression, fear - associated with depression and anxiety

Hypothalamus

regulates endocrine activity; controls hormone release, reward/pleasure

Hippocampus

"gateway to memory": critical in formation of new conscious memories

Cerebral Cortex

higher forms of thinking → degree of folding reflect complexity

Frontal Lobe

- Provide unique human characters, give rise to complex function

- Planning, creative thinking, personality, impulse control, judgment, goals

- Contains motor cortex

Motor Cortex

Located in Frontal Lobe - primary movement

Right Motor Cortex

controls left side of the body

Left Motor Cortex

controls right side of the body

Homunculus (motor)

map of motor cortex: maps out every body parts in cortex, can activate body part by activating its corresponding part in cortex (fine motor movement → larger area in cortex) - face and hands ⅔ of cortex