psych fall review

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

B. F. Skinner

behaviorism; pioneer in operant conditioning; behavior is based on an organism's reinforcement history; worked with pigeons

Wilhelm Wundt

german physiologist who founded psychology as a formal science; opened first psychology research laboratory in 1879

William James

founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment

Edward Thorndike

behaviorism; Law of Effect-relationship between behavior and consequence

Sigmund Freud

Austrian neurologist known for his work on the unconscious mind. Father of psychoanalysis.

Ivan Pavlov

discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell

Schools of Psychology

structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism

Structuralism

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

Functionalism

A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

Major issues in psychology

Nature vs Nurture. Mind vs Brain. Stability vs Change

Nature vs. Nurture

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

Mind vs. Body

Are the mind and body separate and distinct or is the mind simply the brain's subjective experience?

Stability vs. Change

the debate about which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change

Nature vs nurture theorists

John Locke, Descartes, Charles Darwin

levels of analysis

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

Perspectives of Psychology

behavioral

behavior genetics

cognitive

evolutionary

neuroscience

psychodynamic

social-cultural

neuroscience perspective

how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences

Behavioral Perspective

An approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior.

behavior genetics perspective

How much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences

cognitive perspective

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

evolutionary perspective

perspective that focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share

psychodynamic perspective

how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

social-cultural perspective

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

Subfields of Psychology

1) Biological

2) Clinical

3) Cognitive

4) Developmental

5) Personality

6) Social

biological psychology

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

clinical psychology

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

Cognitive Psychology

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

developmental psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

personality psychology

the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Careers in Psychology

-Clinical

-Counseling

-Cognitive

-Educational

-Experimental

-Forensic

-Industrial

-School

-Social

-Sports

hindsight bias

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

Overconfidence

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

scientific attitude

curiosity, skepticism, humility

Scientific Method

A logical, systematic approach to the solution of a scientific problem

Steps of the Scientific Method

observation, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion

case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

surveys

Questionnaires and interviews that ask people directly about their experiences, attitudes, or opinions.

naturalistic observation

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

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

illusory correlation

the perception of a relationship where none exists

double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Placebo

something which has a positive mental effect, but no physical effect

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

measures of central tendency

mean, median, mode

Measures of Variance

range and standard deviation

inferential statistics

numerical data that allow one to generalize- to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

Ethical Issues

Points of concern about what is morally right

Neuron Anatomy

cell body, dendrites, axon

cell body

Largest part of a typical neuron; contains the nucleus and much of the cytoplasm

Dendrites

Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information.

axon

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Neuron Communication

Transmission~ When enough stimulation in presynaptic neuron to create action potential travels quickly down myelinated axon to terminal button

Reception~ Action potential causes neurotransmitters to be released from terminal buttons at end of the axon. Neurotransmitters cross synapse and fit into receptors in dendrites of postsynaptic neuron

Integration~ Each neurotransmitter has either excitatory or inhibitory effects on post synaptic neuron that's summed up in cell body. If enough action it'll lead to another action potential

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Nuerotransmitter

refers to the chemical substance released from nerve endings which exerts effects on an adjacent nerve cell across a short synapse

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

resting potential

The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane

types of nuerotransmitters

excitatory and inhibitory

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction

Endorphins

"morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

antagonist neurotransmitters

These neurotransmitters block / inhibit the dendrite receptor site.

Ex: GABA

agonist neurotransmitters

Increases amount of neurotransmitters / effects of the neurotransmitters

nervous system

the network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body.

central nervous system

consists of the brain and spinal cord

periphal nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

symapthetic nervous system

coordinates arousal; activates fight or flight

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

endocrine system

Glands secrete hormones that regulate processes such as growth, reproduction, and nutrient use (metabolism) by body cells.