ap psych review

structuralism

study of what mind is made of using introspection

introspection

examine own mental processes

functionalism

studying what the mind does in terms of mental and behavioral processes

7 approaches

1. psychodynamic

2. cognitive

3. behavioral

4. humanistic

5. socio-cultural

6. evolutionary

7. biological

psychodynamic perspective

repressed childhood experiences (unconscious)

cognitive perspective

decision making, thoughts, perceptions

behavioral perspective

learned, reinforced or rewarded, punishments

humanistic perspective

choice, free will, growth and love, actualization

sociocultural perspective

cultural values and society

evolutionary perspective

genes, survival

biological perspective

brain structures, chemicals, hormones

charles darwin

nat selection and evolution

william james

father of american psych - functionalist

wilhem wundt

father of modern psych - structuralist

experiment

researcher controls variables to find cause and effect

inependent variable

variable that is manipulated

dependent variable

variable that is measured

experimental group

group that is exposed to the treatment

ex. in a clinical trial these are the people who are actually given the drug/medicine

control group

group that is not given treatment and is used to compare the effects of the treatment

ex. in a clinical trial these are the people who are given a placebo (not the drug/meds)

placebo effect

show behaviors associated with experimental group even though given the placebo

double-blind procedure

where experimenter and participant do not know if given drug or placebo

operational definition

exact procedure that is very clearly worded so others are able to replicate it

ex. carrying out the procedure to create a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; needs to be so specific that another one can be created

confound variable

factor other than the independent variable that could cause the effect

ex. you can't say the drug is causing the weight gain as an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise can also cause weight gain

random assignment

each participant has an equal chance in being in experimental or placebo group

ex. making sure groups are totally random by spinning a wheel to decide which group so they are equal at beginning of study

random sample

each person in population has an equal chance of being included in the study

ex. choosing 100 names out of 500 names of employees out of a hat; this sample is random because each employee had an equal chance of being chosen out of hat (bigger sample=better)

validity

measures content accuracy

reliability

consistent results

naturalistic observation

when you observe/record something in their natural habitat without interference

ex. hidden cameras; jane goodall; if people know they are being watched, their behavior may change so you don't want them to know to get the most accurate behavior (hawthorne effect)

correlational research

a non-experimental research method that studies the relationship between two variables using statistical analysis

ex. asking if there is a correlation between technology and mental health (can say if theres relationship but not if technology causes mental health problems) (correlation not equal causation)

case study

when one group or an individual is studied in depth in hope of creating new questions that may benefit us

ex. conjoined twins; special case so info can be used to have more knowledge on organs and how they work together

correlation

statistical measure that shows how two variables are related linearly and related to the other

ex. height & weight; (taller=heavier & shorter=lighter)- positive = rise and fall together- negative = one going up and one going down (opp.)

correlation coefficient

tells you strength and direction of relationship between variables

ex. -1.00=variables are not associated and +1.00=variables have strong association

mean

average

-used in normal distribution

median

middle #

-used in skewed distribution

mode

occurs most often

normal distribution

most data is in the mean

positive skew

data is below mean/average

negative skew

data is above mean/average

ethical guidelines

-confidentiality

-informed consent

-debriefing

-no deception

dendrites

receives messages from neurotransmitters

cell body (soma)

cells life support system; has nucleus and connects dendrites to axon

axon

long cable from cell body that transmits electrical impulse

myelin sheath

fat layer that surrounds axons and speeds electrical impulse

terminal

ends of axon that has small fluid filled sacs with neurotransmitters

synapse

gap between axon of sending neuron and dendrites of receiving

action potential

a neural impulse (brief electrical pulse that travels down axon)

all or none response

neurons reaction of firing at full strength or not firing at all

refractory period

time when neuron is unable to generate another impulse

dopamine

reward and movement

-over: schizophrenia, drug addiction

-under: parkinsons

serotonin

moods and emotion

-over: hallucinations

-under: depression and mood disorders

acetylcholine

memory

-over: muscle spasms

-under: alzhiemer's

epinephrine

sympathetic NS arousal

-over: increased energy

-under: depression

endorphins

pain control and happiness

-over: artificial highs, inadequate response to pain

-under: potential involvement in addiction (opiates)

agonist

drug that mimics neurotransmitter

antagonist

drug that blocks a neurotransmitter

reuptake

unused NT are taken back by sending neuron

sensory neurons

receives signals