Beh Sci 110 USAFA GR 1

critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions

Steps of critical thinking

examines assumptions,

appraise sources,

discerns hidden values,

evaluates evidence,

assesses conclusions.

scientific attitude

curiosity, skepticism, humility

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

behavior

actions, external/observable

mental processes

The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly

Nature vs. Nurture

the long-standing controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

biopsychosocial approach

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

Bio approach

genetics

mutations

natural selection

genes responding to genes

Psycho approach

learned fears & expectations

emotional responses

cognitive processing

perceptual interpretations

social approach

presence of others

culture

societal

family expectations and norms

peer and other group influences

compelling models (famous people/media)

Psychology sub-fields

biological

cognitive

clinical

developmental

social

personality

legal/forensic

counseling

industrial-organizational

cognitive neuroscience

Psychology Perspectives

neuroscience,

evolutionary,

behavior genetics,

psychodynamic,

behavioral,

cognitive,

social-cultural

three roadblocks to critical thinking

hindsight bias

overconfidence

perceived order of random events

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.

perceived order of random events

When one will believe that there is a pattern where there is none.

Theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Theory functions

organizes observations

implies predictions

stimulate further research that leads to revised theory that better organizes/predicts

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

operational definition

a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables.

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

Correlation

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

Causation

A cause and effect relationship in which one variable controls the changes in another variable.

descriptive designs

study designs in which the researcher defines a problem and variable of interest but makes no prediction and does not control or manipulate anything

correlational design

A research design in which the investigator gathers information on individuals without altering their experiences and then examines relationships between participants' characteristics and their behavior or development. Does not permit inferences about cause and effect.

experimental designs

designs involving random assignment to groups and manipulation of the independent variable

independent variable

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

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

mean

average

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

normal curve

the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

can observed difference be generalized to population?

representative samples

less variable observations

more cases

ethics in research

informed consent

protection from harm/discomfort

maintain confidentiality

debriefing

debriefing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Confidentiality

the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals

Minimizing harm

Balance consideration of harm against telling the full truth

Be vigilant when dealing with juveniles, victims of sex crimes and those who are inexperienced with the media

Weigh whether the information is truly necessary or just panders to curiosity.

perspective taking

viewing the world from something other than one's habitual vantage point. Covers a broad range from the literal to metaphorical.

SOAR

self-assessment

objective analysis

awareness of another/alternative perspective

reflect & apply perspective taking

self-assessment

examine biases, pre-conceived ideas and their sources

Objective Analysis

seeking to evaluate based upon relevant facts, regardless of feelings in order to broaden perspective of a topic

awareness of another/alternative perspective

the way other people think, and why

reflect and apply perspective taking

how is this useful? what value is there in this process? Apply to specific instances.

biological psychology

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

How biology and experience interact

adaptive brain is wired by out experience

nerve cells conduct electricity and talk to one another by sending chemical messages

parts of the brain have different jobs

we integrate information processes in different brain systems to construct experience with sights, sounds, meanings, memories, pain, and passion

Neuron

a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell.

86 million in an adult brain

if you don't use it, you lose it (fire together, wire together)

neurons can be reassigned

lots of neural connections occur while sleeping

cell body of neuron

the cell's life support center

Dendrites

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

axon

A threadlike extension of a neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body to other neurons

neural impulse

a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

action potential

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

myelin sheath

covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

terminal branches of axon

Branched endings of an axon that transmit messages to other neurons

Synapse

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

presynaptic neuron

neuron that sends the signal

leftover neurotransmitters are re-used in this stage

postsynaptic neuron

the neuron on the receiving end of the synapse

all-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter (like a brake in a car)

Glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory. Like gas in a car

Endorphins

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

nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor (efferent) neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

somatic nervous system

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system. Enables voluntary actions to be undertaken due to its control of skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system. Controls involuntary activity of visceral muscles and internal organs and glands.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

parasympathetic nervous system

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

sensory input

Information gathered by sensory receptors about internal and external changes (hot stove)

motor output

controls skeletal muscles

endocrine system

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

brain to pituitary to other glands to hormones to body and brain

the nervous system directs endocrine secretions, which then affect the nervous system.

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

movement and sleep control

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Thalamus

all senses except smell

Cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance, enables nonverbal learning and skill memory judge time, modulate emotions, discriminate sounds/textures, and coordinates voluntary movement with the pons

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

frontal lobe

speaking and muscle movements and in making plans/judgments

prefrontal cortex

planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, moderating social behavior

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

parietal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include processing information about touch.

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

touch, temperature, body in space, pain

Occipital lobe

visual processing, where the visual cortex is

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language. -- where the auditory cortex is

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

How consciousness is studied

cognitive neuroscience -- the interdisciplinary state of the brain activity linked with mental processes (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)