PS101 Exam 1

biological

Methods of Acquiring Knowledge

Tenacity
• Intuition
• Reference to Authority
• Rationalism
• Empiricism
• Science

Four Core Values of Science

Accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, open-mindedness

Structuralism

Coined by Wilhelm Wundt

An approach to psychology that attempted to isolate and analyze the minds basic elements

Introspection

Est by Titchener

Analysis of subjective experience by trained observers

Structuralists: General

Wundt, Titchener, introspection is part of this, analyze cultures into discrete elements

Functionalism

Est by William James

Approach to psychology that emphasized the adaptive significance of mental processes

Cared about the function of cultures not just compartmentalizing their elements?

Psychoanalytic Theory

Est. by Freud

General theory that emphasized the influene of the unconscious on feelings, thoughts, and behaviors

Developmental psychology

The study of the ways in which psychological phenomena change over the lifespan

est. by Piaget

Gestalt Psychology

Approach to psychology that emphasized the way in which the mind creates perceptual experience

Sigmund Freud

Established:

The “unconscious”

Psychoanalytic Theory

Psychoanalysis

Therapy that aims to give people insight into the content of their unconscious minds

Behaviorism

Coined by John Watson

Approach to psychology that restrict scientific inquiry to observable behavior

Ivan Pavlov

Studied behaviorism-classical conditioning with his dogs

Stimulus

Something that elicits a response

(ie pavlovs dogs hearing a tone before salivating (the response) )

Response

The reaction to a stimulus

(ie pavlovs dogs salivating from hearing a tone (the stimulus) )

Watsons Black Box

In behaviorism he viewed it as an input → black box → output; with the black box being what happens internally to elicit a response/output

Types of conditioning in behaviorism

Classical and Operant

Principle of Reinforcement

Coined by skinner

any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated and any behavior that isnt rewarded wont be repeated

BF Skinner

Behaviorism - operant conditioning

Studied operant cond with the skinner box (rats in box could press lever to be rewarded w food)

believed free will is an illusion bc behavior is nothing more than sum of consequences

Humanistic Psychology

Emphasizes tje inherent goodness of individuals, free will and innate drive toward self-actualization and growth

was a reaction to psychoanalysis and behavioris.

maslows hierarchy of needs (growth toward self-actualization)

Carl Rogers: self-concept

Applied Psychology Types

Clinical

Developmental

School

Industrial-organizational

Counseling

Forensic

Behavioral

Gestalt

Social

Cognitive Psychology

Study of human information processing

Chomsky

Argued against Skinners behaviorism by establishing its principles couldnt apply to how children learn language

Evolutionary Psychology

how the human mind has been shaped by natural selection

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human strengths, well-being, and what helps people thrive and live fulfilling lives.

Sociocultural/Bioecological Model

Considers childs environement a nested series of interconnected systems

Good Samaritan Study

Darley and Latane ‘68

A seizure victim will get help more quickly the fewer people around

the fewer the number of ppl the more likely someone would stop and help

Research process

Form Hypothesis » make observation » refine theory » develop theory

A systematic (objective and unbiased) way of asking questions/process of inquiry

Scientofoc Method

Procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts

Empiricism

the conviction that accurate knowledge of the world can be acquired by observing it

Theory

explanation of natural phenomena

Hypothesis

falsifiable prediction made by a theory

Empirical Method

Set of rules and techniques for observation

What makes people difficult to study (3 things)

Variable, Complex, Reactive

Independent Variable

Variable that is manipulated in an experiment

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment and depends on the independent variable

3 key parts of experimentation

Manipulate » Measure » Compare

Self-selection

problem that occurs when anything abt a participant determines the value of the IV to which the participant was exposed

Null Hypothesis

Assumption that will find nothing significant

Internal validity

attribute of experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships

External validity

an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a representative way

Sample

Part of the population being studiedP

Population

the entirety of a subject

Representative sampling / random sampling

random selection and assignment

Hawthorne Effect

Nearly impossible to study ppl w/o them knowing

Ethical rules in research on ppl

Informed Consent, Protection from harm/confidentiality, voluntary participation

Other ethical rules in research

respect animals

respect the truth

Types of Variables (catoegorizing variables)

Nominal: Name/Category

Ordinal: Ranked

Interval: Numeric, scale

Ratio: Real-life measurements (height weight etc)

Reliability vs Validity

Reliability = Consistency

Validity = Meaningfulness

Neuron

Building block of CNS

Parts of Neuron

Soma, dendrites, Axon, myelin sheath, terminal button

Neural impulses: Resting potential

Stable negative charge

Cell inactive

The diff in elec charge btwn inside and outside of neurons membrane

Neural Impulses: Action Potential

Shift in elec charge

positive charge

travels along axon to synapse

Refractory Period

Time btwn action potentials (1-2ms)

Synapse

Space where two neurons meet

All-or-none law

Nerve cell will fire max strength impulse if stimulus reaches specific threshold, but non if threshold not met

Acetylcholine (ACh)

motor functions, arousal, attention, memory {Alzheimer’s}

Dopamine (DA)

• voluntary movement, “reward pathway”, links w/ cocaine and amphetamines {Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, addiction}

Norepinephrine (NE)

mood and arousal, links with cocaine and amphetamines {depression}

Serotonin (5HT)

sleep/wakefulness, eating, aggression, links w/ Prozac and other antidepressants {depression, OCD, eating DO}

GABA

• inhibitory transmitter, anxiety, sleep, arousal, links with Valium and anti-anxiety meds {anxiety DO, alcoholism}

Endorphins

resemble opiates, pain relief, stress relief, eating beh {addiction}

Glutamate

major excitatory neurotransmitter in brain, enhances transmission of info btwn neurons - opposite of GABA

Brain Stem “Reptilian Brain”

Spinal Cord

Medulla

Pons

Cerebellum

Midbrain

Pituitary

Hypothalamus

Thalamus

Cerebral Hemisphere

Limbic System “Mammalian Brain”

• Amygdala

• Hypothalamus

• Thalamus

• Pituitary Gland

• Hippocampus

• Olfactory Lobe (not shown here)

  • Corpus Callosum

Amygdala

Emotions

Hypothalamus

Basic bodily fxns (hunger, temp, hormones)

Thalamus

relays sensory info to appropriate parts of brain

Pituitary

Releases hormones for growth reproduction and other fxns

Hippocampus

Forms and stores new memories and helps w spatial navigation

Olfactory Lobe

Processes info related to smell

Corpus Callosum

Connects brains left and right hemispheres

Cerebral Cortex (4 parts)

Frontal

Parietal

Temporal

Occipital

Frontal lobe

Decision Making, planning, personality, movement, speech

Parietal lobe

touch and other body sensations — spatial awareness

temporal lobe

hearing, language, memory, emotion

Occipital lobe

visual information

Motor Cortex

Voluntary muscle movements

Somatosensory cortex

processes sensory info from body

Roger Sperry

Split brain research (R/L hemisphere)

Left Hemisphere

Verbal processing

logical/sequential tasks

Right Hemisphere

Nonverbal processing

spatial, musical, artistic, emotional

Endocrine System

network of glands that produce and secrete into the bloodstream chemical messages known as hormones to influence bodily functions (metabolism, growth, sexual devel)

Hormones

Chemicals secreted by endocrine glands

Pituitary Gland

Primary Gland, directs functions of many other glands

Fight, flight, freeze, fornicate

Adrenal Gland

Releases adrenaline - stress response

Oxytocin

Nurturing/attachment

Reproduction, parenting, comforting

Polygenic Traits

A trait influenced by multiple genes, often resulting in a range of variations

(most psychological characteristics)

Hereditary Infleunce Research Methods

Family Studies, Twin Studies, Adoption Studies

3 Types of Conditioning/Learning

Classical Cond

Operant Cond

Observational Learning/Social Learning Theory

Classical Conditioning

AKA pavlovian cond

When a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that produces a natural response

Uncond Stim (US) Uncond Resp (UR)

Cond Stim (CS) Cond Resp (CR)

Acquisition

The phase of classical cond when CS and US are presented together

Extinction

Gradual elimination of a learned response when CS is repeatedly presented without US

Spontaneous Recovery

the tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period

Generalization

the CR is observed even when the CS is slightly different from the CS used during acquisition

Discrimination

the capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli

Higher Order Conditioning

When a previously used CS is used to conditioning a new neutral stimulus » creating a new CR without using the original US

Operant Conditioning

Organisms tend to repeat those responses that are followed by favorable consequences

BF skinner and his rats

Difference btwn Operant and Classical Conditioning

Operant cond focus on reinforcements AFTER the behavior and their effect on the behavior, voluntary behaviors emitted

Types of Reinforcement Contingencies

Continuous Reinforcement

Intermittent ReinforcementC