MIDYEAR REVIEW PSYCH

Psychology

the scientific study of behaviors and mental processing 

Research Psychologist

Those who study the origin, cause, or result of certain behaviors

 

Applies psychologist

Intends to solve practical problems

Theory

systems of ideas that can explain certain aspects of human thoughts, behaviors and emotion

Introspection

The process of looking into yourself

Eclectism

The process of making your system to borrow from 2 or more systems

Neurobiological approach

Views behaviors as a result of the nervous system

Behavioral approach

(B.F Skinner) the theory that psychologists should only study observable behaviors, actions, and rewards

Humanistic approach

(Carl Rogers) People who believe that people are good and capable of helping themselves

Psychoanalytical

 (Sigmund Freud) a system of viewing the individual as a product of unconscious force

Cognitive approach

Focuses on how people think

Sociocultural approach

Those who view behavior as strongly influenced by the rules and expectations of specific groups or cultures 

Psychologist

one who talks to people about problems

Psychiatrist

Gives the medicine

Positive psychology

 the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning

Empirical Approach

gathers observable data and sets out a repeatable process to produce verifiable results

Bias

Having a strong opinion about something

Hypothesis

statement of the results the experimenter expects

Scientific method

a method of procedure that has characterized natural science

Naturalistic observation

studying subjects without their being aware that they are being watched

Random sampling

part of the sampling technique in which each sample has an equal probability of being chosen

Placebo effect

a “medicine’ that has no active ingredients and works by the power of suggestion

Independent variable

 the factor of the experimenter manipulates or changes 

Dependent variable

the factor in the study that changes or varies as a result of change in the other variables 6

6 Ethical Guidelines

1. Patients must be able to give consent and can back down at any times 

2. Experimenters must make sure that it leaves as little trauma as possible

3. Participants cannot be coerced in any way to give consent for the study 

4. The identity of patients may not be revealed by researchers

5. Patients may not be played in a significant mental or physical risk 

6. Participants must be told the purpose of the study and be provided with ways to contact researchers about the response

Nature vs Nurture

How you were born/ Genetics - how you were raised and where you were raised 

Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmittersallow neurons to communicate with each other throughout the body

CAT Scan

a series of X-rays taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body 

MRI

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue

EEG

Am amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity swept across the brain surface 

PET scan

a visual display of brain activity

fMRI

measures the small changes in blood flow that occur with brain activity

Lesion

a region in an organ or tissue that has suffered damage through injury or diseas

Brain Stem

the oldest and center core of your brain; begins when the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull

Medulla

controls basic life support functions;, breathing and heartbeat 

Reticular Formation

 a nerve network in the brainstem that plays a role in controlling wakefulness and arousal 

Thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard; on top of the brain; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas

cerebellum

the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brain stem, helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance 

Limbic System

a ring of structures at the border of the brainstem; helps with memory, fear, aggression, and hunger

Hippocampus

a neutral center located in the limbic system that wraps back around the thalamus 

Amygdala

almond-shaped neural cluster in the limbic system that controls emotional responses

Hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; regulates eating and drinking

Cerebral Cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neurons that form the body’s ultimate control and information processing center 

Longitudinal fissure

 the long crevice that divides the cerebral cortex into a leftand right hemisphere 

Corpus callosum

the large band of neural tissues that connects the 2 brain hemispheres and allows them to communicate with each other

Frontal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just being the forehead which is involved in planning and judgement 

Parietal lobes

the portion lying at the top of the head; used to process information

Occipital lobes

the portion lying at the back of the head “ helps with vision

Temporal lobes

the portion lying roughly above the ear; helps with hearing areas of the brain

Motor Cortex

a strip of brain tissue at the rear of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements

Somatosensory cortex

a strip of brain tissue at the front of the parietal lobe that registers and processes body sensations 

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change during childhood by reorganizing after damage 

Dopamine

 influences movement learning attention and emotions

Serotonin

affects mood hunger sleep and arousal  

Acetylcholine

enables musclesto action learning and memory

Split brain

patients in whom the corpus callosum has been cut for the alleviation of medically intractable epilepsy

Genes

the biochemical units of heredity that makeup chromosomes

Embryo

a developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization, through the end of the eighth week

Teratogens

substances that cross the placental barrier and prevent the fetus from developing normally

Fetal alcohol syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities that appear in children whose mothers consume large amounts of alcohol while pregnant

Rooting reflex

 a baby's tendency when touched on the cheek, to open the mouth and search for the nipple

Temperament

a person's characteristic emotional excitability 

Maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly change in Behavior

Developmental psychology

 A subfield of psychology that studies physical cognitive and social changes throughout the lifespan

Sensory motor stage

Experiencing the world through senses and actions :  from birth to 2 years old

Object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when you cannot see or hear things

Preoperational stage

representing things with words and images but lacking logical reasoning:  from about  2 years old to 6 or 7 years old

Conservation

the principle that properties such as mass volume and numbers remain the same despite changes in the form of objects

Egocentrism

  the inability of the preoperational child to take another person's point of view or to understand the symbols that represent other objects

Concrete operational stage

thinking logically about concrete events :  from the age of 7 to the age of 11

Formal operational stage

  abstract reasoning:  from about 12 years old to adulthood

Stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants start to display beginning by 8 months of age

Critical period

the optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain experiences produces proper development

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form attachments during the critical period

 Authoritarian parenting

 we have a style of parenting marked by imposing rules and expecting obedience

Permissive parenting

 style of parenting marked by submitting to a child's desires making few demands and having no punishment

Authoritative parenting

a style of parenting marked by making demands on the child to be responsive and enforcing rules but discussing reasons behind rules:  the perfect approach

 Principles of development

1. The development follows a predicted plan pattern

2.  the individual first develops General responses and then proceeds to specific responses

3.  continuous processing

4.  each phase has unique features

5.  early development is more important than later development

 Babinski reflex

toes flare out and curl back in when the bottom of the foot is stroked

 Moro reflex

arms Thrust out and backwards in response to sudden noise or movement

the plantar reflex

toes curl when a ball of the foot is touched

swimming reflex

when submerged in H2O babies can hold their breath and pump their arms and legs

stepping reflex

feet move up and down as if walking when held up by something

Early adolescents

11-14

Middle adolescents

14-16

Late adolescents

16-19

puberty

the period of sexual maturation doing what your person becomes capable of reproduction

Eating disorders

 When kids don't eat to give a better body image, A bad relationship with food

Rite of passage

 An important stage in someone's life such as puberty

Crowds

A crowd of people close to you and not as close to you

Cliques

When you are closer to a group and don’t allow anyone else in

Gang

An organized group of criminals

Erik Erikson

 Did God-breaking work on identity and psychosocial development

James Marcia

proposed identity status of psychological identity development

Identity Diffusion

When Adolescents do not have a sense of having choices, they can be angry or rebellious

Identity Foreclosure 

When the Adolescent seems willing to commit to some relevant rules or goals for the future, has not experienced an identity crisis

Identity Moratorium

when adolescents are currently in a crisis exploring various Commandments but haven't made a choice yet

Identity Achievement 

the status where adolescents have gone through an identity crisis and have made a commitment to a sense of identity 

Early Adulthood

20-35

Middle Adulthood

36-64