Ap pyschology

experimental methodogy

Involves the use of independenet variablbes and random assignment to groups

Non experimental methodogy

correlation, meta-analysis, case study, naturalistic observation

Theory

Explanation of data used to predict future behavior

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.

operational definiton

specifically how the variable is to be measured

control group

group that is not exposed to the treatment

Experimental group

group exposed to the treatment

random assignment

assigning participants to groups by chance to minimize pre-existing differences between groups

Single-blind

Participants don't know about treatment/placebo

Double-blind

Particioants and staff don't know about treatment/placebo

Placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone;any effect caused by administration of an inert substance or condition

Correlational study

A researcher is trying to determine the relationship between 2 variables

Correlation coefficiant

a value between -1 and 1 that indicates the strength of relationship between the two variables and direction

Confounding variable

a variable that influences both independent variable and dependent variable

Meta-analysis

using statistical analysis of multiple studies on similar topic to summarize findings into one conclusion

Descriptive method

oberave and record behavior of others and no varibles manipulated

Naturalistic Method

observe others in a natural setting

hawthorne effect

people change behavior when observed

Case study

one or few participants are measured in close detail

Social desirability bias

Tendency for research participants to give answers that are percieved to be acceptable

Bias of selection

People are selected from a physical space

Self-selection bias

People being studied have some control over whether or not they participate

Advertising bias

volunteers screened where ads are placed might skew the sample

Standard deviation

how spread out the data is from the mean

Statistical significance

probability that the difference between 2 groups is not due to randomness

p-value

probability that null hypothesis is true

Adoption studies

confirms how personality can reflect that of biological parents

Identical Twin Studies

special technique to tease apart and identify genetic and environmental influences on

behavior

Neurotransmitters

chemical messages used by neurons for communication

dendrites

recieve messages and conduct impulses toward soma

soma

cell body;life support, interprets messages, contains nucleus

axon

extension that passes messages through branches to other neurons/muscles/glands

terminal buttoms

store neurotransmitters till firings

myelin sheath

fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing axons of some neurons

multiple sclerosis

A chronic disease of the central nervous system marked by damage to the myelin sheath. Plaques occur in the brain and spinal cord causing tremor, weakness, incoordination, paresthesia, and disturbances in vision and speech

Schwann cells

make myelin sheath

synapse

space between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite of recieving neuron

Dopamine

pleasure reward system also gives motivation (Inhibitory and excitatory)

Serotonin

Regulates behavior, mood, and memory (inhibitory)

Norepinephrine

Increases attention, alertness, and arousal (excitatory)

Glutamate

learning and memory (excitatory)

GABA

Inhibits pancreatic alpha cells and stimulates beta cell growth (inhibitory)

Endorphins

relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve mood (inhibitory)

Substance P

A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain. (both inhibitory and excitatory)

Acetylecholine

memory, motivation, excitement, attention, and muscle contraction (excitatory)

excitatory neurotransmitters

excites neuron; increases chances of neuron firing off an action potential

inhibitory

decreases chances of neuron firing

Action potential

When electrical impluse passes through axon of communicating neuron

reuptake

neurotransmitters reabsorbtion by sending neuron

agonists

drugs which mimic the activity of neurotransmitters

antagonists

drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

glial cells

provide structure, insulation, communication and waste transport

sympathetic nervous system

fight or flight

parasympathetic nervous system

rest and digest

Endocrine system

sends signals by passing hormones through bloodstream

hormones

chemicals secreted from various glands throughout the body and select parts of the brain

Pituitary gland

regulates stress, growth, and reproduction aand sends signals to other glands to release own hormones

Hypothalamus

part of brain that controls pituitary gland

adrenaline

from adrenal glands and activates sympathetic nervous system

leptin

regualtes fullness

Ghrelin

regulates appetite

melatonin

regulates circadian rhythm

oxytocin

made by hypothalamus, stored and released by pituitary gland "love hormone"

Thyroid gland

affects metabolism

parathyroids

regulate level of calcium

pancreas

regulates level of blood sugar and releases insulin

testes and ovaries

reproductive hormones

(endocrine system)

Psychoactive drugs

substances that change perception and moods

tolerance

bodies adapt to drugs and require greater amounts each time to achieve desired altered state, or maintain a "normal" state

withdrawl

metal/physical discomfort when drug use is stopped

addiction

continues use of substance despite risk or maladaption

dependence

tolerance and withdrawl

Depressants

reduces neural activity, slow body functions

opioids

mimick endorphins, often used for pain-meds, and similar to depressents

Stimulants

drugs that excite neural activity, accelerate body functions, increase breathing rate, increase heartbeat, energy and confidence

Hallucinogens

distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in absence of sensory input

Brainstem

oldest region, responsible for automatic survival functions

medulla

base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

links brain to spinal cord: controls sleep/wake cycle and helps manage pain signals

thalamus

reecieves information from all senses (except smell) and routes it to higher brain regions that deal with all senses except smell

reticular formation

nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus plays role in controlling alertness/arousal

cerebellum

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills and balance and coordination.

limbic system

associated with basic emotions and basic motives

hippocampus

processes concious memories

amygdala

linked to emotion, big role in anger/rage and fear

hypothalamus

direct several maintenance activites, helps the endocrine system via pituitary gland

olfactory bulb

processes information about odors

Cerebral cortex

outer wrinkled layer, 80% of brain; ultimate control/ information-processing center divided into left and reight hemisphere and 4 lobes

Frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex

speaking, planning, judgement, problem solving, social interactions, impulse control, personality

motor cortex

voluntary movements

Phineas Case

case study that showcased the frontal lobe's impact on personality and impulse control

Parietal lobe

recieeve sensory input for touch and body position

somatosensory cortex

processes touch sensitivity

Association areas

percieve sensory and motor information with executive function which is how you decide to interact with the world

Occipital lobes

deals with visual input, and information processing and assessing size,depth,distance,colors,reading

Temporal

deal with auditory and linguistic processing like hearing, speech productions/comprehension, recognize language

Lateralization

brain divided into left and right hemispheres