College Psychology Chapters 1-3

Mr. Charron - FVL

What is psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and natural processes. It’s goal is to describe, predict, and explain behaviors.

Empiricism

Our knowledge originates in experience

Structuralism

What exists

Introspection

To sit down and think

Functionalism

How we function

Neuroplasticity

How the brain changes/adjusts to experiences

Neurons

Building blocks of neural information center

Cell body

Each has one

Dendrite

Receive and integrate information

Axon

Passes message to other axons

Glial cells

Spidery “glue cells”

Threshold

Signals by a minimum intensity

Refractory period

Resting pause

All-or-none response

The level of stimulation will not affect it. It will either respond or it won’t.

Myelin sheath

Fatty tissue that insulates and speeds up the impules of axons

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Communication to muscles and brain regions is slow, with diminished muscle control and impaired cognition.

Synapse

Meeting point between neurons

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers

Reuptake

Excess neurotransmitters finally drift away and are broken down by enzymes or reabsorbed by the sending neuron.

Acetylcholine

Enables muscle function, learning and memory

Dopamine

Influences mood/emotion

Seratonin

Affects mood

Norepinephrine

Helps control alertness and arousal

GABA

Major inhibitory transmitter

Glutamate

Exitory and memorial

Endorphins

Inhibity

Endorphin

Natural chemicals produced by the body that act as painkillers and mood enhancers. They help reduce pain, improve mood, and promote a sense of well-being.

Agonist

Increases a neurotransmitter’s action

Antagonist

Decreases a neurotransmitter’s action

Sensory neurons

Transmit sensory information from the body's sensory organs to the central nervous system (CNS)

Motor neurons

Transmit signals from the central nervous system to muscles and glands, allowing for voluntary and involuntary movements

Sympathetic mode

Fight or flight response

Parasympathetic mode

Rest and digest

Endocrine system

Sends molecules as messages through bloodstream (hormones) that go to various glands

Label these!

1. Cell body

2. Nucleus

3. Dendrites

4. Axon

5. Terminal of the axon

6. Myelin sheath

Cerebellum

“Little brain” helps coordinate voluntary movement, also enables nonverbal learning, judgement of time, memory

Medulla

Controls the most basic functions such as breathing and heartbeat

Pons

Coordinate automatic and unconscious movements

Reticular Formation

Nerve network in the brainstem that enables alertness, arousal from coma to wide awake

Thalamus

“inner chamber” all sensory messages go through this

Hypothalamus

Governs bodily maitnence

Amygdala

Neuron clusters that enable aggression and fear

Hippocampus

Holds conscious, explicit memories

Corpus collosum

Axon fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

Motor cortex

Stimulating this region in the right or left will cause movement on the opposite

Somatosensory

Recieves information from skin senses

Visual cortex

Recieve. segement, and integrate visual info.

Auditory cortex

Processing auditory information

Lobes of the brain

1. Frontal

2. Parietal

3. Temporal

4. Occipital

Functions of frontal lobe

Speaking, problem solving, muscle movements, making plans and judgement

Functions of parietal lobe

Includes the sensory cortex, controls touch, sensory and perception

Functions of the temporal lobe

The auditory processing areas

Functions of the occipital lobe

Visual areas, recieve visual information from the opposite visual field

What the Phineas Gage incident helps us understand:

Frontal lobe damage changes personality completely

What happens if the motor cortex is damaged?

Paralysis of some kind

What parts of the brain, if injured would cause death?

Medulla - we would be incapable of basic human functions

Consciousness

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

What 2 things make up consciousness

1. Awareness of self

2. Awareness of environment

Hypnosis

Altered state of consciousness

Cognitive neuroscience

Brain activity linked with mental processes

Etymology

The study of the origin and history of words, including their meanings and changes over time.

Selective attention

Where our awareness focuses

Inattentional blindness

Focusing on only one thing

Change blindness

Phenomenon where individuals fail to notice significant changes in their visual environment

Parallel processing

Your mind taking care of routine business

Sequential processing

A cognitive process that involves completing tasks in a step-by-step manner, following a specific order.

Flashcard: Brain Plasticity

The brain's ability to change and adapt by forming new neural connections throughout life, allowing for learning, memory, and recovery from injury.