Year 10 Psychology

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What is Psychology

the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes

What do psychologists do

psychologists focus on understanding mental processes to diagnose mental health issues using assessment processes

What do psychiatrists do

psychiatrists are medical doctors who focus on prescribing treatments for mental health disorders

What do social workers do

social workers help people manage everyday challenges and navigate the social system

Describe the mind-body problem

the mind-body problem aims to understand the relationship between the body and the mind. it questions whether the brain is the same thing as the mind- monism, or whether the mind is a seperate entity to the body, and conscious awareness is not physical- dualism.

Who thought of the mind and body as two separate systems

Rene Descartes viewed the mind body as two separate systems- dualism

What is the nature vs nurture debate

the nature vs nurture debate questions whether behaviours and characteristics are greater shaped by genetics- nature, or by through the environment and external factors- nurture

What are twin studies

investigating the effect of nurture and upbringing on identical twins who are raised seperately, to better understand the influence of genetics and environment on behaviour

What did charles darwin propose?

charles darwin proposed that all animals and humans are programmed by nature to behave in ways to help their species survive

What is the basic relationship between memory, the brain and learning?

the brain is responsible for memory and learning, which are central to understanding how we acquire and retain information and how we behave

What are the early brain investigative techniques

trephination, phrenology, experimental neurosurgery and case studies

What is trephination

the surgical procedure involving the drilling of a hole into a patient's skull while awake. this was the first archeological evidence of treating brain-related ailments and mental illness- 6000BC

What is phrenology

a pseudoscience invented by franz gall in 1796 that suggests all mental abilities and personality are controlled by 57 areas of the skull that can be measured to determine a person's character

What is experimental neurosurgery

a technique which applies neurosurgical techniqes to animal models or laboratory conditions to conduct research and measure results

What was pierre flouren's experimental neurosurgery

pierre flourens discovered a technique which localised areas of the brain in animals- mostly rabbits and pigeons, and observe effects on behaviour and cognition, and found that the main areas of the brain were responsible for different functions- 1794-1867

What was Wilder penfield's experimental neurosurgery

wilder penfield invented a technique, the electrical stimulation of the brain, which send mild electrical signals through a probe to map the functions of various brain regions- 1861-1976

What are case studies

an indepth study of a behaviour or event through observation, diagnostic testing, interviews and an analysis of medical autopsies

What was the case study of phineas gage

phineas gage was involved in an accident which resulted in a metal rod being thrust through his brain. the case study revealed that while his intelligence and memory remained the same after his accident, his personality changed dramatically, suggesting a certian brain region was impacted- 1841

What is quantiative data

data that can be counted or measured, such as time, scores or numbers

What is qualiative data

data that cannot be measured numerically, such as survey responses or interviews

What are descriptive statistics

methods which summarise and describe the characteristics of a sample focusing only on the data collected and not making any inferences about a wider population including central tendency (mean, median, mode), measures of variability (variance, range, frequency) and percentages (absolute, relative, cumulative) providing a clear overview of the distribution of the data

What are inferential statistics

methods that use sample data to make conclusions about a wider population, testing hypothesis and estimating population parameters using analytical texts such as statistical tests (t-tests, chi-square, ANOVA) correlation and regression analysis, P-values to assess statistical significance, and confidence intervals to estimate population values

Why are statistics crucial for psychological research

as a tool for organising, interpreting and presenting data in a meaningful way, statistics are crucial for psychological research as they help make sense of large amounts of data collected, and help psychologists make accurate conclusions about human behaviour, and determine if observed patterns are due to chance or represent real relationships

What is the structure of the nervous system

the nervous system is composed of the central nervous system- the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system- the nerves

What is the central nervous system

comprimised of the brain and spinal cord, the cns communicates information from the brain to the rest of the body

What is the peripheral nervous system

comprimised of all the neural pathways outside the brain and spine, the pns relays information from sensory neurons in the body to the cns, and back to the body's muscles, organs and glands

What is the peripheral nervous system divided into

somatic and autonomic nervous system

What is the somatic nervous system

the somatic nervous system controls all voluntary movement, occuring through motor neurons which communicate information between the cns and skeletal muscles

What is the autonomic nervous system

the autonomic nervous system communicates information between the cns and non-skeletal muscles, controlling generally involuntary movement.

What is the autonomic nervous system divided into

sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

What is the sympatheric nervous system

prepares the body for a flight or fight response

What is the parasympathetic nervous system

the body remains stable at a rest and digest homeostatic phase

What are the parts of a neuron

dentrites, soma, nucleus, axon, myelin sheath, nodes of ranvier, schwann cells, axon terminals

What are the dendrites and their function

the dendrites are the branches attatched to the soma which recieve information from communicating neurons

What is the soma and its function

the soma, or cell body controlls the metabolism and maintenance of the neuron.

What is the nucleus and its function

the nucleus contains all the genetic material of the cell including information necessary for development and protein synthesis

What is the axon and its function

the axon is the long nerve fibre which transmits information as an electrical impulse to the axon terminals

What is the myelin sheath and its function

a fatty coating which protects and insulates the axon, enhancing the transmission of electric impulses

What are Schwann cells and their function

glia cells along the axon which produce myelin through the process of myelination

What are Nodes of Ranvier and their function

a periodic gap in the myelin sheath of an axon in certian neurons which speeds up the rapid conduction of electrical impulses along the axon

What are axon terminals and their function

the end of axon branches, which contains a sac that secretes neurotransmitters that transmit information chemically across the synapse

How do neurons communicate and relay sensory information

dendrites receive a chemical message from a communicating neuron, which is transformed into an electrical signal which is propagated along the axon as an impulse. the message reaches the axon terminals, where neurotransmitters are secreted and released into the synapse as a chemical message, which is picked up by the next neuron.

What is the relationship between learning and neural pathways

As information are relearned and recalled, messages are continually sent along a specific neural pathway. the more this information is rehersed, the stronger the neural pathways become, allowing more dendrites to grow and meaning information is transferred faster, improving the communication between neurons and neuron networks

What is the hindbrain

the rear area of the brain, which links to the spinal cord, helping to control all vital functions, and important for movement and balance

What is the midbrain

the middle area of the brain, which coordinates movement, sleep and arousal

What is the forebrain

the frontal area of the brain, which recieves and processes sensory info, and is responsible for higher order thinking, planning, memory, and emotions

What is the cerebral cortex

the outer layer of the brain, which controls and stores all conscious thoughts and memories. it has a large surface area due to gyri and sulci, increasing cognitive capacity

What is the brief structure of the brain (hemispheres and fissures)

the brain consists of the left hemisphere of the brain, divided by the longitudinal fissure. the lateral fissure also divides lobes of the brain sideways

What are the lobes of the brain

the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe and occipital lobe

What is the frontal lobe and its role

responsible for higher order thinking, including initiating body movement, learning, language, memory, decision making, judgement, planning, aspects of personality/emotion, and problem solving

What is the temporal lobe and its role

responsible for processing smells and auditory analysis- understanding sounds, music, language and location

What is the parietal lobe and its role

responsible for sensations, like touch, temperature, pressure and pain. it controls body and spacial awareness, such as the ability to perceive your body and where things are located

What is the occipital lobe and its role

responsible for processing and interpreting for visual stimuli, such as colour, size, distance and depth, face and object recognition

What happens when the frontal lobe is damaged

people may not be able to learn new things and might experience poor planning and loss of some motor control

What happens when the parietal lobe is damaged

people may not be able to process sensations, or specific areas of the body may feel numb

What happens when the temporal lobe is damaged

people may loose the ability to hear and may become deaf

What happens when the occipital lobe is damaged

people may experience lack of sight, or difficulty recognising shapes, colours, faces and objects.

Where are memories stored

memories are stored in the prefrontal cortex, at the front of the cerebral cortex

What is the role of the cerebral cortex in memory

the cerebral cortex is where all specific long term memories of experiences and facts are stored

What is the role of the hippocampus in memory

the hippocampus encodes memories by changing them into a form that can be stored by the cerebral cortex. it is involved in storing and forming memories especially those related to facts and events, and helps with spatial navigation

What is the role of the amygdala in memory

the amygdala processes and encodes memories linked to emotion. the right hemisphere of the amygdala deals with negative emotions, while the left hemisphere deals with positive emotion.

What is the role of cerebellum in memory

the cerebellum encodes and stores sequences of movements that have been previously learnt, coordinating and integrating information about movements from other areas of the brain to allow us to move smoothly

What happens if the cerebral cortex is damaged

people may loose the ability to not be able to learn new things or form new memories

What happens to memory if the hippocampus is damaged

people may not be able to recall previous moments or factual information, and may struggle with spacial navigation

What happens if the amygdala is damaged

people may have difficulty expressing and interpreting emotion, and not be able to remember emotional memories

What happens if the cerebellum is damaged

people may have difficulty remembering and coordinating movement sequences, leading to poor coordination and a lack of smooth and well sequenced movement

What are the biological impacts of brain damage

the physical impacts which occur in the body as a result of brain damage. brain damage may result in the changes of structure and function to specific areas of the brain

What are the psychological impacts of brain damage

the emotional, cognitive and behavioural consequences of brain damage, including changes to a persons behaviour, thoughts and personality

What are the social impacts of brain damage

the impact of brain damage on a persons ability to function in social, familial and professional settings, including changes to relationships, employment and interactions with society

What is neuroimaging

the process of creating images of brain structures or brain activity

What is a CT scan

computerised tomography- an older neuroimaging technique producing an image of the internal brain structure

What is an MRI

magnetic resonance imaging- a technique which uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the internal structure of the brain, which helps to distinguish between normal and abnormal brain structures

What is an fMRI

functional MRI- a technique which shows the oxygen flow and usage of areas around the brain

What is a PET scan

positron emission tomography- a technique involving the injection of radioactive glucose into the patient, and neurons which use the glucose energy are detected- showing what areas are most active

What is an EEG

a technique which involves placing electrodes on the scalp, which measure and present brain activity

How does neuroimaging help scientists understand how memory and learning work

neuroimaging techniques assist scientists in understanding how memory and learning occur, by providing detailed images on cross sections of the brain, allowing scientists t to map brain regions and distinguish between normal and abnormal brain structures and show how specific regions of the brain become active through using oxygen and glucose energy when specific tasks are performed

What is behaviour

the actions, reactions and responses of an organism to the environment

Explain how behaviours may be innate or learned

an animal's behaviour may be innate, meaning it is automatic and genetically programmed, or learned, meaning it has developed through interactions with the environment

What is innate behaviour

behaviours which are genetically programmed and do not need to be learnt. they are instinctive and automatic, and occur naturally in an organism to increase chances of survival

What is learnt behaviour

behaviours which organisms acquire or modify based on experiences and interactions with the environment

What are the three types of innate behaviour

imprinting, species specific behaviour and maturation

What is imprinting

a form of learning when a baby rapidly encodes a memory that identifies a parent or parental object,

Who discovered imprinting

Konrad Lorenz found that geese followed the first animal or object they saw, which is the process of imprinting

What is species specific behaviour

behaviours which are unique to a certain species, typically performed to increase chances of survival and reproduction

What is maturation

the process where an organism becomes and adult physically and mentally, and reaches full potential

What is learning

a change in the way an organism behaves as a result of previous experience and interactions with the environment

How is learning demonstrated as a behavioural change

organisms learn through observing or training, which leads to behavioural change

What is operant conditioning

a form of learning where desired behaviours result in a reward, and undesired behaviours result in a punishment

What was the investigation in operant conditioning

Skinner investigated operant conditioning in pigeons, which were placed in a small cage with a button. when pecking the button led to the reward of bird seed, the pigeons were more likely to press the button, while when pecking the button led to an electrical shock, the pigeons were less likely to press the button

What is classical conditioning

a form of learning where a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned naturally occurring stimulus, causing an organism to show a reflex response to the now conditioned stimulus

What was the investigation in classical conditioning

Pavlov investigated classical conditioning in dogs by teaching the dogs to salivate- a natural reflex, when a bell was rung- previously neutral but now conditioned stimulus, after trials of sounding the bell just before the presentation of food- unconditioned stimulus

What is observational learning

a form of learning where an animal learns through watching others

What was the investigation in observational learning

Bandura investigated observational learning on young children, who first sat in a room and observed an adult punching a large bobo doll. The children were then taken into another room, where all their other toys were taken away. When brought back into the original room with the bobo doll, many kids imitated adults, copying their behavior and punching the bobo doll.

What is sensory memory

the ability of the senses to store a specific memory for a short amount of time

How does sensory memory occur, and what is its duration and capacity

sensory memory only occurs when the stimulus is paid attention to. sensory memories last for a duration of 0.5 seconds, but have unlimited capacity

What is echoic memory + its duration

sensory memory linked to the auditory systems. echoic memory has a duration of 0.3 seconds

What is iconic memory + its duration

sensory memory linked to the visual systems. iconic memory has a duration of 3-4 seconds

What is short term memory

a type of memory where we can hold information while it is used or before it is transferred to long term memory. stm receives information from both the sensory and ltm memory stores

What is the capacity + duration of STM

short term memory has a capacity of 5-9 items, and lasts for a duration of 12-30 seconds before it is forgotten

What is long term memory

a type of memory which stores information for a long period of time. memories are stored throughout the cerebral cortex in semantic networks, and can be strengthened when retrieved often