Psychology

The main goals of psychology and psychological research are:

• To describe behavior: through observation
• To predict behavior: after observation you make predictions
• To explain behavior: what caused the behavior
• To control or change behavior: once the above are understood you can control
or change behavior

The scientific method

is a set of rules for gathering and analyzing information to
test an idea or hypothesis.
1. Define and describe the issue to be studied.
2. Form a testable research hypothesis that states the relationship between the
variables.
3. Choose an appropriate research strategy.
4. Conduct the study to test your hypothesis.
5. Analyze the data to support or reject your hypothesis.

To think like a psychologist, you must:

Think critically, analyzing and evaluating information to apply to other
situations.
Examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases,
evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

positive correlation

is a relationship in which increases on one variable correspond to increases in the other variable.

Negative correlation

is a relationship in which increases in one variable correspond to decreases in the other variable

Functionalism

-Coined by William James
Proposed to focus on the wholeness of an event and the impact of the
environment on the behavior
− Functions of our thoughts and feelings/purposes of the mind

Structuralism

the structure of thought or basic elements is created by our
mental experiences (according to Wilhelm Wundt).
• Wundt: the birth of psychology is often attributed to Wilhelm Wundt because
he pioneered the investigation of mental processes (1st psychology lab)
using scientific methods

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Regulates involuntary physiological processes such as heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration, and digestion
-branch of the peripheral nervous system that primarily governs involuntary organ functioning and actions in the body.
• Sympathetic nervous system
• Parasympathetic nervous system

Sympathetic subdivision

arouses and expends energy and enables voluntary control of skeletal muscles.

Parasympathetic subdivision

calms and conserves energy, allowing routine maintenance activity, and controls involuntary muscles and glands

long and short term memory are formed in which parts of the brain?

(honestly couldn’t find the answers on the slide for this one)
short: prefrontal cortex (holds temporary information), hippocampus (holds moment to moment experiences before choosing to discard or pass them along)
long: hippocampus (coverts short term memories to long term memories), cerebral cortex (permanent long term memories are stored here), Amygdala (adds emotional meaning to memories e.g. fear or joy)

Myelin:

(or myelin sheath) a fatty, waxy substance that insulates portions of some neurons in the nervous system.
-enables faster transmission of the signal

A neuron receives signals through branching dendrites and sends signals through its _____

axons (passes messages away from cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands)

Reuptake

the process through which neurotransmitters are recycled back into the presynaptic neuron.

Neurotransmitters travel over designated pathways in the brain and may influence specific motions and emotions.

− Chemical messengers that carry messages between neurons or from
neurons to muscles and glands
▪ Acetylcholine (ACh) enables muscle action, learning, and memory.
▪ Endorphins are natural opiates released in response to pain and exercise. (natural pain killers)

Taste buds:

These tiny clusters of cells sit inside small bumps on your tongue called papillae

Cognitive

Mental Processes Involved in Knowing
• Information Processing how humans interpret incoming info, weigh it, store it, and apply it

Humanistic

An approach to personality that focuses on the self, subjective experience, and the capacity for fulfillment
• Positive Human Qualities
• Growth Potential
• Love and acceptance
• Free Will
• Notable Humanistic Theorists
− Carl Rogers
− Abraham Maslow

Evolutionary

Study of evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of
− Adaptation
− Reproduction
− Natural selection
• Notable Evolutionary Psychologist
− David Buss
− John Locke/mind as blank slate
− René Descartes/some ideas innate
− Charles Darwin/diversity through evolutionary process of natural selection

most common type of Color Blindness

Red-green color blindness is the most common and results from a lack of
red or green cones in the retina. 8% males in U.S.

The Auditory Pathways of the Brain

• Hair cells are neurons that grow out of the basilar membrane and convert sound waves into neural impulses.
• Auditory nerve carries information from the cochlea of the inner ear to the brain.
• The auditory cortex decodes the meanings of the sounds we hear.

Research indicates that hypnosis:

• Reduces a person’s awareness of physical pain.
• Can help people to relax, decrease stress, and facilitate greater progress in
psychotherapy.

Insomnia

Most common sleep disorder; inability to get to sleep and/or stay asleep.

anatomy of outer eye

anatomy of ear

why do children need sleep?

-Sleep helps restore and repair damaged neurons.
-During deep sleep, the pituitary gland secretes a growth hormone necessary for muscle development.

Stages III and IV sleep

Slow-wave sleep.
• Stage III, includes delta brain-wave patterns.
• Consistent pattern of delta waves indicate stage IV sleep, or deep sleep

Psychodynamic Approach

-How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
-Sigmund Freud
• Psychoanalysis
− Unconscious thought
− Conflict between biological drives and
demands of society
− Early childhood family experiences affect
our behavior
− Theory of personality; (Id, Ego, Super Ego)
▪ Mind’s defenses against its own wishes
and impulses

Bottom-up perceptual processing

is perception that is not guided by prior knowledge or expectations.

Top-down perceptual processing

is perception that is guided by prior knowledge or expectations.

Caffeine:

-Can lead to dependence.
• Withdrawal may include headaches, irritability, tiredness, and flu-like symptoms.
• Increases risk of high blood pressure, fibroid cysts in women’s breasts.
• High amounts of caffeine are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

Chemical senses taste and smell

Taste and smell are called chemical senses as they require chemicals come
into direct contact with our sense organs.
Gustation is the sense of taste.
Olfaction is the sense of smell

Kinesthesis

is the ability to sense the position of our body parts in relation to one another and in relation to space

Sleep apnea

Disorder where person stops breathing while sleeping.