Psych 2001 Exam 1

Ch 1-3

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

behavior

anything an organism does, can be observed or measured

mental process

inferences can be made

hypothesis

educated guess to explain something; needs to be tested

critical thinking

does not blindly accept conclusions. Examines assumptions, considers source, looks for biases, evaluates evidence, assess conclusions.

Three Main Characteristics for Critical Thinking

curiosity, skepticism, humility

structuralism

tried to explain the structure of thought

introspection

trained observers described thoughts, feelings, memories, etc., when exposed to stimuli

limitations

Too subjective, every person's answers would reflect their experience. Too concerned with internal behavior , can't be directly observed/measured; that's not good for science.

functionalism

adaptive value of behaviors/mental processes

psychoanalytic theory

early childhood experiences are important; we don't have access to a lot of who we are

eros

life instinct; procreation, social cooperation, survival

thanatos

death instinct; aggression, risky behavior, reliving trauma

D. Gestalt Psychology

central principle- Kurt Koffka: "The whole is other than the sum of the parts."

The human eye and brain perceive a unified shape in a different way to how they perceive individual parts.

behaviorism

believed psychology should focus on observable behavior (most scientist agree with this objective)

humanism

focused on individual potential, growth, and need for love and acceptance

cognitive psychology

how we perceive, process, and remember information

cognitive neuroscience

how observative brain activity is linked with thought processes

culture

distinctive customs, values, beliefs, knowledge, art, and language of a society

biopsychology

biological basis of behavior, emotions, thoughts, and reciprocal relations between biological/psychological processes

natural selection

individuals with specific adaptations survive and outbreed individuals without them

evolutionary psychology

theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective

developmental psychology

study of how and why human beings change over course of their life

personality psychology

how personality develops/influences the way we think and behave

personality traits

most consistent patterns of thoughts and behaviors

social psychology

how we are influenced by actual, imagined, and implied presence of others

industrial psychology

organizational psychology, study of human behavior in organizations and work place

health psycholgy

factors that allow people to be healthy, recover from an illness or cope with a chronic condition

sport and exercise psychology

psychological/mental factors that influence participation in sport, exercise and physical activity

forensic psychology

application of psychology to legal settings

counseling psychology

focuses on personal growth, wellness, mental health, and interpersonal functioning across a person's lifespan

Observer Bias

observers closely involved in a research project; may unconsciously skew observations to fit expectations.

Inter-rater reliability

assesses consistency of observations by different observers.

survey research

answering questions; in person, over phone, electronically, pencil and paper

population

everyone in the group being studied. Everyone you want to apply

sample

subset of population

archival research

use of existing records; newspapers, diaries, etc.

longitudinal design

study the same group of participants (Ps) for a long period of time.

cross-sectional design

compare several age groups to each other at the same time.

sequential design

study individuals of different ages over an extended period of time (combination design of the longitudinal and cross-sectional design)

correlation

there is a relationship among 2 or more variables

correlation coefficient

a number from -1 to +1; strength/direction of relationship between variables.

negative correlation

variables change in opposite directions; as one increases, other decreases

positive correlation

variables change in same direction; both increase/decrease together

confounding variable

something other than variable of interest that causes changes

illusory correlations

people believe that relationships exist between two things when there is no relationship

confirmation bias

we accept evidence that fits our beliefs and ignore that which does not

independent variable

variable manipulated by experimenter

dependent variable

shows any effects of IV

operational definition

describes different variables and how they are measured

experimental group

exposed to IV

control group

not exposed to IV

placebo effect

changes in results caused by expectations, not IV

double-blind study

neither P nor experimenter knows which group P is in

single-blind study

Ps don't know, but the researcher does.

reliablity

measure gives consistent results

validity

measure measures what it claims to measure

informed consent

told enough to decide if they want to participate

consent form

procedures, risks, benefits, purpose, etc.

may require deception

participants are misled about purpose/aims/etc., of research

debriefing

at the end of study, review experiment, answer questions

protection of participants

physical/mental harm

institutional review board

reviews proposals for research that involves human participants

chromosomes

collections of genes

DNA

contain genetic code; make up genes

genes

segments of DNA that enncode specific traits/characteristics

Alleles

different versions of genes

genotype

genetic material

phentotype

observable traits

Dominant-recessive gene

A single dominant gene will "win" when paired with recessive gene

polygenic

characteristic is product of interaction of many different genes

mutation

sudden, permanent change in gene

range of reaction

genes set up a range of possibilities; environment determine outcome within that range

genetic environmental correlation

genes influence environment, and environment influences expression of genes

passive-gene correlation

refers to the association between the genotype a child inherits from their parents and the environment in which the child is raised

evocative-gene correlation

happens when an individual's (heritable) behavior evokes an environmental response

active-gene correlation

occurs when an individual possesses a heritable inclination to select environmental exposure

epigenetics

how environment, other factors, can change way genes are expressed

nervous system

allows for communication in brain and rest of body

neuron

basic unit of nervous system. Receives/sends messages

glial cells

scaffolding for neurons; may aid in memory; clear debris

semi-permeable membrane

small and uncharged molecules can pass through

dendrites

receives information; transport to cell body

cell body

keeps neuron alive; decides if it will fire action potential threshold

axon

carries impulse away from cell body

synaptic vescicles

sacs of neurotransmitters

neurotransmitters

released by transmitting neuron; cause changes in receiving neuron

myelin sheath

fatty insulation on axons

Nodes of Ranvier

There will be sections of the axon where the myelin sheath is very thin or absent

neural impulse

chemical and electrical signal

synaptic cleft

tiny space between neurons

receptors

molecules in membrane of receiving neuron

excitatory

makes next neuron more likely to fire action potential

inhibitory

makes next neuron less likely to fire action potential

all-or-none response

neuron either fires or it doesn't—no partial fire

reuptake

extra neurotransmitters reabsorbed by releasing neuron

refractory period

it cannot fire another action potential until it undoes the physical changes caused by the previous action potential

psychotropic medications

effects behavior, mood, thoughts, or perception

acetylcholine

muscle action/memory; increased arousal/cognition

dopapmine

mood/sleeping/learning; pleasure/suppressed appetite