psych 1010

behaviour

the totality of observable actions

psychobiology

understanding the biological basis of mental process/behvaiour( goes beyond brain and NS)

cognitive psychology

the scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning

Cultural psychology

the study of how culture influences mental life and behviour

developmental psychology

the study of continuity and change across the life span

mind-body dualisnm

seperate but interconnected identities

Rene Descartes

17th century French philosopher; "i think therefore i am"; believed mind and matter were completly seperate; known as father of modern rationalism

structuralism

breaking down mental processes/consciousness into basic components

functionalism

focuses on understanding the adaptive function of the mind/behaviour

phsyiology

examines bodily functions, created neuroscience and psychiatry

Gestalt Psychology

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts( replaced by behaviourism)

behaviourism psychology

External factors influence on learning (replaced by cognitive perspective)

Cognitive Perspective

A psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior

biological perspective

the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior/ mental

sociocultural perspective

perspective that focuses on the relationship between social behavior and culture

Biopsychosocial Model

consists of cognitive, biological, sociocultural

the scientific method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

theory

A research question that explain how and why events/phenomena have relations ( needs to testable, falsifiable, supported and organized)

Hypothesis

A specific, testable prediction often implied by a theory

correlation coefficient

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

variables used in experimental research

confounding, manipulated, dependent, independent

dependent variable

A dependent variable is the measured outcome in a study that is hypothesized to be affected by an independent variable

independent variable

a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to measure

control group vs experimental group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

descriptive method

seeks to explain behaviour/phenomena in context; could be used when no hypothesis/theory is present.

observational studies

studies in which the researcher observes and statistically analyzes certain phenomena in order to assist in establishing new principles or discoveries (does not alter or change behaviour)

Self-reports

people's answers to questions about the topic of interest (lots of info, short time period)

case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth

Correlational Research

the study of the naturally occurring relationships among variables

research ethics

Standards of conduct that investigators are ethically bound to honor to protect their research participants from physical or psychological harm.

Nuremburg code

10 guidelines for ethical treatment of human participants in research

studying the brain

live humans, surgical, postmortem, animal models, brain imaging

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Measures electrical activity in the brain. can be measured in ms but we don't know where activty happens

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

a technique that uses a magnetic field to create a computerized image of the brain

fMRI

measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, providing insights into brain function during tasks.

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)

the use of strong magnets to briefly interrupt normal brain activity as a way to study brain regions

Live human studies

surgical techniques suhc as surgery or mapping

postmortem studies

studies a person during their life, connect damage to observations, used to study and understand what we can't study via brain imaging

cerebrum

Largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory.

cerebellum

Balance and coordination

brain stem

Connects the brain and spinal cord (keeps us alive)

insula

regions of cortex located at the junction of the frontal and temporal lobes

Sulci

shallow grooves that separate gyri

Gyri

elevated ridges

white matter

myelinated axons

grey matter

unmyelinated axons, outer layer

corpus callostomy

surgery to cut all or part of the corpus callosum, the nerve band connecting the two brain hemispheres,

4 lobes of the brain

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

right hemisphere

controls the left side of the body; creative, intuitive, spacial

left hemisphere

controls the right side of the body; analytical, language, math

thalamus

the gateway to the brain; it receives almost all incoming sensory information

hypothalamus

regulates functioning of the nervous system, hormones, and bodily function

hippocampus

associated with memories, DOES NOT connect the hemispheres

amygdala

emotional responses and information

basal ganglia

a set of subcortical structures that directs intentional movements (connected to the frontal lobe)

medulla oblongata

Part of the brainstem that controls vital life-sustaining functions such as heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, and digestion.

pons

A brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain

mid brain

connects brain stem to cerebral cortex, controls eyeball movement, pupil size,turning head

reticular formation

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

neurons

Individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information.

dendrites

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

myelin sheath

A layer of fatty tissue resulting in faster transmission

action potential stages

resting state, depolarization, repolarization, hyperpolarization, return to resting

serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal/ is inhibitory/ functions at amygdala

dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention and learning and the brain's pleasure and reward system./ functions at basal ganglia or frontal cortex

acetlycholine

enables muscle action, learning, and memory/ excitatory

norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal/ pons and adrenal glands

glutamate and gaba

both control behaviours, differ in type of neurotransmitter

synapse

Gap between neurons, consists of pre and post synaptic neurons

agonists and antagonists

enchance/inhibits actions of neurotransmitters

neuroplasticity

the ability of the brain to change/reorganize in response to experiences or injury