HSP3U1 Psychology Lessons 13–21: Perspectives, Research, Brain & Disorders

What is psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes, including feelings, motives, and thoughts.

What are the Greek origins of the word 'psychology'?

Psyche (soul, self, spirit) and Logos (study).

What does behavior refer to?

The actions, reactions, or responses of an individual or group to external or internal stimuli.

What are the four goals of psychology?

Describe, predict, explain & understand, and influence or control behavior.

What does the Monkey Business Experiment demonstrate?

It shows how attention is selective and how the mind can overlook things when focused on a specific task.

What are the three major psychological perspectives?

Biological, Cognitive, and Sociocultural.

What does the Biological Perspective focus on?

Physical processes within the body, including brain activity, hormones, genetic inheritance, and neurochemistry.

What key question does the Biological Perspective ask?

What is happening in the body that may lead to this behavior?

What does the Cognitive Perspective examine?

How internal mental processes shape behavior, focusing on perception, memory, attention, and decision-making.

What key question does the Cognitive Perspective ask?

How is an individual processing the situation?

What does the Sociocultural Perspective emphasize?

The influence of culture and social environments on human behavior.

What key question does the Sociocultural Perspective ask?

What social or cultural forces are influencing this behavior?

What is the focus of Indigenous Perspectives in psychology?

Unique cultural worldviews, practices, and traditions that shape human behavior and the mind.

What does the Medicine Wheel represent in Indigenous Perspectives?

Interconnectedness, continuity and progression of life, and internal balance/external harmony.

What do Holistic Perspectives examine?

The complete unity of the mind, internal organs, and external environment in shaping behavior.

What do Ethical Perspectives emphasize?

How a person's inner moral mindset and community duties shape behavior.

What is the Biopsychosocial perspective?

A way of looking at and considering the way we think and behave, integrating biological, psychological, and social factors.

Who is John Ridley Stroop?

An American psychologist known for the Stroop Test, which demonstrates the interference of automatic processes in cognitive tasks.

What is the Stroop Effect?

The delay in reaction time and increased difficulty participants experience when the word's meaning conflicts with the ink color.

Who is Sigmund Freud?

An Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, known for his theory of personality.

What are the three psychic structures in Freud's Theory of Personality?

The Id (pleasure principle), the Ego (reality principle), and the Superego (conscience).

Who is Carl Jung?

A psychologist who founded analytical psychology, emphasizing the balance of the psyche.

What are the two layers of the unconscious according to Jung?

Personal Unconscious (individual hidden memories) and Collective Unconscious (shared, inherited memories).

What are archetypes in Jungian psychology?

Universal mental patterns in the collective unconscious that shape human behavior and appear in myths and dreams.

What does the Anima represent in Jung's theory?

The feminine aspect in men.

What does the Animus represent in Jung's theory?

The masculine aspect in women.

Who is Lisa Feldman Barrett?

A Canadian-American psychologist known for developing the theory of constructed emotion.

What does the Theory of Constructed Emotion reject?

The Classical View that emotions are hardwired reflexes.

What is the brain's primary job according to the Theory of Constructed Emotion?

To manage allostasis, maintaining stability through change.

What are the three ingredients of emotion as per the Theory of Constructed Emotion?

Interoception, past experience, and context.

Who is Jean Piaget?

A founding cognitive psychologist known for his studies on child development stages.

What is the focus of Jean Piaget's theory?

How children actively construct their understanding of the world through interaction.

What is Albert Bandura known for?

His social learning theory, predicting and changing individual and group behavior.

What does social learning theory propose?

People learn behavior by observing, processing, and imitating others.

What is Elizabeth Loftus known for studying?

The unreliability of human memory, including false memories.

What was the Lost in the Mall experiment?

An experiment where participants recalled a fictional event about being lost in a mall.

What did Mamie Phipps Clark's Doll Experiment reveal?

The influence of societal structures on self-esteem and racial identity in children.

What is stereotype threat?

The fear of confirming a negative stereotype, which can impair performance.

What did Robert Lee Williams II create?

The Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity, highlighting biases in IQ testing.

What is hindsight bias?

Believing one would have predicted an event after it has occurred.

What is overconfidence in psychology?

Overestimating the accuracy of one's own beliefs and judgments.

What does operationalization refer to?

Turning abstract concepts into concrete, testable, and measurable parameters.

What is a hypothesis?

A clear, testable prediction derived from a theory.

What is a case study?

An in-depth investigation of a single individual or small group.

What is naturalistic observation?

Observing and recording behavior in natural settings without manipulation.

What is sampling bias?

A flawed sampling method that results in an unrepresentative sample of a population.

What is random assignment in experiments?

Placing participants into experimental or control groups by chance to minimize bias.

What is a confounding variable?

An outside factor that might affect the study outcome other than the independent variable.

What does informed consent require?

Informing participants about a study so they can choose whether to join.

What is the purpose of double-blind procedures?

To ensure neither participants nor researchers know who receives the treatment.

What is the independent variable in an experiment?

The variable that is intentionally manipulated by the experimenter.

What is the dependent variable in an experiment?

The outcome variable being measured, which changes in response to the independent variable.

What attitudes should researchers have?

Curiosity, skepticism, open-mindedness, and awareness.

What attitudes should researchers avoid?

Oversimplification, emotional reasoning, and unwillingness to understand other perspectives.

What was the focus of Solomon Asch's Experiment?

How group pressure affects conformity, even when individuals know the group is wrong.

What was the significance of Phineas Gage's case?

It was the first case to connect brain trauma with personality change, demonstrating the role of the prefrontal cortex in personality and social behavior.

What are the three main parts of the brain?

Cerebrum, Brain Stem, and Cerebellum.

What is the primary function of the cerebrum?

Responsible for thinking, decision making, voluntary actions, and emotional responses.

What does the cerebellum control?

Balance, coordination, and smooth movements.

What are the three parts of the brain stem?

Midbrain, Pons, and Medulla Oblongata.

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

Processes visual information and helps recognize objects.

Where is the parietal lobe located and what are its main functions?

Located at the top middle part of the brain; it processes sensory information and supports spatial awareness.

What is the main function of the temporal lobe?

Auditory processing and memory.

What are the two parts of the temporal lobe and their functions?

Hippocampus (creates and organizes long-term memories) and Amygdala (detects threats and processes core emotions).

What is aphasia?

A disorder that affects how a person communicates.

What is the role of the prefrontal cortex?

It serves as the command center for cognitive control, complex planning, and delaying short-term gratification for long-term goals.

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemical messengers that help neurons communicate.

What is dopamine and its function?

A neurotransmitter that releases 'feel good' vibes across the body.

What is neuroplasticity?

The brain's ability to change by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience.

How does the brain communicate through neurons?

Neurons send messages through electrical signals and chemical neurotransmitters across synapses.

What is the function of the myelin sheath?

It insulates axons and speeds up neural impulses.

What happens to neurons as we age?

Neuron mass and connectivity increase, forming new connections while learning.

What is the nervous system?

A system that connects neurons to all muscles in the body, allowing for movement.

What was the purpose of the Rorschach Ink Blots?

To study how people perceive visual stimuli and how perception varies among individuals.

What does the frontal lobe control?

Voluntary movement, decision-making, planning, and personality.

What is the role of hormones in behavior?

Hormones act as chemical messengers released into the bloodstream, influencing behavior.

How do genetics influence behavior?

Genes can affect brain development and biological predispositions related to behavior.

What is the function of the axon in a neuron?

It passes messages through its terminal branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

What is a synapse?

The small space between neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transmit messages.

What is the significance of the hippocampus in memory?

It creates and organizes long-term memories of events and links them to emotions.

What is the function of the amygdala?

It detects environmental threats and processes core emotions like fear and anxiety.

What is the primary role of the brain in the body?

It serves as the command system, controlling all bodily functions and responses.

What is personality psychology?

The branch of psychology that studies how personality is formed and how it influences thoughts and behaviors.

What do twin studies reveal about personality?

They suggest that personality may be partly formed through genetics.

Who were the Jim Twins?

Identical twins separated at birth who exhibited striking similarities despite being raised in different environments.

What is Erikson's theory of psychosocial development?

A theory that suggests each stage of life presents a developmental crisis that influences personality.

What does the Big 5 Theory of personality encompass?

Five core factors: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Neuroticism, and Openness.

What does agreeableness in personality refer to?

Traits such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors.

What is conscientiousness in the Big 5 Theory?

High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors.

Define extroversion in personality psychology.

Traits related to sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and excitability.

What does neuroticism indicate in an individual?

Tendencies toward sadness, moodiness, emotional instability, and excessive worrying.

What is openness in the context of personality?

A trait characterized by creativity, willingness to try new things, and interest in abstract concepts.

What are the pros and cons of personality tests?

They may provide insights into behavior but can also box individuals and may lack accuracy.

What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

A self-inventory assessment designed to categorize personality into 16 types.

What does 'nature' refer to in the nature vs. nurture debate?

Genetics and biological traits inherited from parents.

What does 'nurture' encompass in psychology?

Environmental influences and life experiences that shape an individual.

How do nature and nurture interact?

Nature provides potential while nurture shapes the expression of traits.

What is the significance of twin studies in nature vs. nurture research?

They compare identical twins to fraternal twins to assess genetic vs. environmental influences.

What do adoption studies reveal about traits?

They compare adopted children to biological and adoptive parents to assess genetic and environmental influences.

What are the four criteria for evaluating abnormal behavior?

Maladaptive behavior, personal distress, statistical rarity, and violation of social norms.