Gen Psych Exam #2

Exam Date: 10/24

frontal lobes

-at front of brain

-planning, creative thinking, personality

-contains motor cortex, broca’s area

motor cortex

voluntary movement (located in frontal lobe)

homunculus

map of motor (sensory) cortex

Broca’s area

speech production (left frontal lobe)

Broca’s aphasia

condition in which there is loss of the ability to produce language in either speech or writing

mirror neurons

fire when observing another person doing something

parietal lobes

-top of brain

-contain somatosensory cortex

sensory/somatosensory cortex

receives information about touch sensation (located in parietal lobe)

occipital lobes

-back of head

-contains visual cortex

visual cortex

processes visual signals

temporal lobes

-sides of head

-contains auditory cortex, wernicke’s area

auditory cortex

processes sound

Wernicke’s area

language comprehension (left side in most people)

Wernicke’s aphasia

language disorder that makes it hard for you to understand words and communicate

Plasticity

flexibility of brain structures

1. can shift functions from damaged to undamaged brian areas
   damage —> brain can form new synapses, reorganize

2. can physically change structure in response to learning

Neurogenesis

growth of new neurons

selective attention

focusing on specific information while ignoring other information

inattentional blindness

failing to detect available stimuli due to selective attention

change blindness

failing to detect changes in stimuli due to selective attention

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

in hypothalamus, sensitive to changes in light

how does light affect the SCN?

in the dark, SCN directs pineal gland to secrete

melatonin

in the light, SCN directs pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin

how are the pineal gland and melatonin involved in our sleep-wake cycle?

the pineal gland secretes melatonin, melatonin is a hormone that causes sleepiness. melatonin syncs with your body’s internal clock and darkness levels

what is the effect of artificial lighting on our melatonin production?

interferes with circadian rhythm, suppresses the production of melatonin

N-REM sleep

non-rapid eye movement

N1

light sleep

hypnagogic jerk

a sudden and strong involuntary twitch or muscle contraction, that occurs while an individual is beginning to fall asleep

hypnagogic hallucination

imaginary events that seem real as you’re on the cusp of falling asleep. they are different from dreams, because dreams are experienced when you are fully asleep

N2

true sleep- brain activity slows, reductions in heart rate and muscle tension

N3

deep sleep- further slowing of brain activity, hard to awaken/disoriented when awakened, growth hormones released from pituitary gland

REM sleep

Rapid eye movement- brain waves resemble wakefulness

eyes move back and forth

heart rate, blood pressure, breathing- rapid or irregular

sleep paralysis

paradoxical sleep

dreams

paradoxical sleep

refers to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

sleep paralysis

The feeling of being awake but not being able to move or speak while waking up or falling asleep

evolutionary/adaptive theory

protection- not out and vulnerable to predators in the dark

restorative theory

sleep supports growth and healing

-production of growth hormone

-supports immune functioning

(sleep deprivation- slower healing, reduced immune system activity)

information processing theory

sleep supports cognitive processes

-supports learning

-restores and rebuilds memories

-supports creative thinking

(sleep deprivation- impairment of memory formation)

effects of sleep deprivation on mood

irritability, mood disruption, increased risk of depression, also an increased risk of obesity

Freudian theory

dreams stem from unconscious thoughts

manifest content

the actual images in the dream

activation synthesis

brain’s internally generated signals form dreams

information processing

memories of events form dreams

preserving neural pathways

purpose of dreaming is to provide brain stimulation

adoption studies

compare adopted children to adopted families and biological families

twin studies

compare pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins

(monozygotic twins share 100% of genes, dizygotic twins share 50% of genes on average)

adoption twin studies

compare MZ twins separated in infancy and MZ twins reared together

primitive reflexes

sucking/rooting (something touches the baby's cheek, then the baby turns and starts sucking. Helps to find the food source)

moro (startle relfex. in response to sound, baby throws back his or her head, extends out arms and legs, cries, then pulls arms and legs back in)

grasping (instinctively grasping things, like your finger)

babinksi (foot reflex that happens when the sole of the foot is stroked from heel to toe. big toe bends up and back and the other toes spread out)

Piaget’s approach to cognitive development

How does the mind structure its content and adapt to the environment?

• Children understand the world with schemes/schema (mental categories)

assimilation

fitting new information into present system of knowledge (schema)

accommodation

as a result of new information, change existing schema

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

sensorimotor

birth-2 years

looking, sucking, touching

develop object permanence

object permanence

understanding that something continues to exist even when it cannot be seen

preoperational

age 2-7

egocentric, animistic thinking, cannot grasp concept of conservation

egocentrism

only use own frame of reference

animistic thinking

attribute life to objects

conservation

understanding that physical properties do not change when appearance changes

concrete operational

age 7-11

can understand conservation, reversibility, and transitivity

reversibility

idea that a stimulus that has been changed can return to its original state

transitivity

understanding how components in a series are related (if A > B and B > C, then A > C)

formal operational

age 11-adulthood

abstract and systematic reasoning, thinking about future possibilities

Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development/sociocultural influences

cognitive development results from guidance

zone of proximal development

level at which a child can almost perform a task independently

(difference between what the child can do alone and with assistance)

scaffolding

teacher adjusts amount of support to child’s level of development

theory of mind

understanding of how other people think

band-aid box study

kids shown a band-aid box and asked what was inside, kids were surprised to find pencils in the box

Erik Erikson’s stage theory of social developement

8 stages describing social development

(social development- changes in interpersonal thought, feeling, and behavior, lifelong process)

stage 1 trust vs mistrust

birth-1 year

trust- allows formation of intimate relationships

develops when caregiving is sensitive, responsive, and consistent

if needs are dependently met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

stage 2 autonomy vs shame and doubt

ages 1-3

autonomy- independence, self-control

toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things by themselves, or they doubt their abilities

stage 3 initiative vs guilt

ages 3-5

am i good or bad?

preschoolers learn to initiate tasks or carry out plans, or they feel guilty about their efforts to be independent

stage 4 industry (competence) vs inferiority

ages 6-11

sense of competence or inadequacy

children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or they feel inferior

Harlow’s studies of infant attachment (results)

soft contact is important

(rhesus monkeys study- cloth (no food) vs wire (food)- monkey chose the cloth)

how did mary ainsworth study attachment?

strange situation procedure

infants between 9 and 18 months

The procedure involves a series of eight episodes lasting approximately 3 minutes each, whereby a mother, child, and stranger are introduced, separated, and reunited.

mary ainsworth attachment styles

secure, insecure-anxious/ambivalent (resistant), insecure-avoidant

secure

visibly upset when their parents left, clearly happy when their parents returned

secure base

infants use the attachment figure as a secure base to explore the environment and seek the attachment figure in times of distress

insecure-anxious/ambivalent

upset when parents left, did not calm down when their parents returned, might even turn to a stranger

insecure-avoidant

show little reaction to their parents coming and going

what contributes to attachment styles

temperament, stressful home life, parenting (these cause insecure attachment)

long term effects of attachment

affects emotional, social, and cognitive competence, size of vocabulary, interpersonal interactions, emotions

what was Langlois et al’s study

infants rated for attractiveness

mothers observed interacting with infants and behaviors rated

results: attractiveness —> affection, attention

Baumrind’s 2 dimensions of parenting

warmth (responsiveness) and control (demandingness)

parenting styles

authoritarian, permissive, uninvolved (neglectful), authoritative

authoritative

high warmth, high control

not overly demanding or hostile, child-centered

authoritarian

low warmth, high control

controlling, demanding, high emphasis on obedience, very restrictive, lots of rules

permissive

high warmth, low control

very few rules or restrictions

uninvolved (neglectful)

low warmth, low control

least effective, most detrimental

how parenting styles are associated with later outcomes

authoritative- most optimal, higher grades, cooperative

authoritarian- lower grades, lower self esteem

permissive- easily frustrated, low self esteem

uninvolved (neglectful)- low self esteem, emotionally detached

Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

cognitive capabilities determine development of moral reasoning

Kohlberg’s 3 stages of moral development

preconventional morality, conventional morality, postconventional morality

preconventional

ages 4-10

avoid punishment or gain reward

conventional

after age 10

“law and order”

postconventional

early adolescence/young adulthood

individual principles and conscience

Heinz dilemma

Heinz needs a particular expensive drug to help his dying wife. The pharmacist who discovered and controls the supply of the drug has refused Heinz’s offer to give him all the money he now has, which would be about half the necessary sum, and to pay the rest later. Heinz must now decide whether or not to steal the drug to save his wife; that is, whether to obey the rules and laws of society or to violate them to respond to the needs of his wife. What should Heinz do, and why?

delay of gratification

ability to forego smaller, immediate rewards for greater rewards later

marshmallow test

choice of one marshmallow now or two marshmallows in a few minutes

ability to delay gratification- positive social and academic outcomes

stage 5 identity vs confusion (role confusion)

adolescence

stable sense of who one is and what one’s values are or identify confusion

identity- who am i? where do i belong?

teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are

stage 6 intimacy vs isolation

early adulthood

establish enduring, committed relationships

young adults struggle to form close relationships and to gain the capacity of intimate love, or they feel socially isolated

stage 7 generativity vs stagnation

midlife

generativity- generate things that contribute to the future of society

stagnation- see life as meaningless

middle-aged people discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family and work, or they may feel a lack of purpose

stage 8 integrity vs despair

late life

ego integrity- feeling that one’s life has coherence and purpose

despair- disappointment, regret

reflecting on their lives, older adults may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure

socioemotional selectivity theory

model of social activity

old age- smaller social network

very close relationships maintained, superficial relationships filtered out

sensation

process by which sensory organs obtain information about the environment and transmit it to the brain