Psych 101 chapters 2,3,8

What is the nature vs. nurture debate?

The discussion about the relative contributions of genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) to human development.

What is the Range of Reaction?

The concept that genes set boundaries within which individuals can operate, and the environment interacts with the genes to determine where in that range they will fall.

What role do neurotransmitters play?

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that facilitate communication between neurons and influence behavior and mood

What is GABA?

An inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps regulate the transmission of information and reduces anxiety and aggression.

What is genetic environmental correlation?

The idea that our genes can influence the environments we seek, leading to self-reinforcing cycles.

What is psychophysics

The study of the relationship between features of physical stimuli and the sensations we experience in response to these stimuli.

What is the difference threshold?

The minimal difference in the magnitude of energy needed for people to detect a difference between two stimuli.

What does Weber's law state?

The amount of change in a stimulus needed to detect a difference is a constant ratio of the original stimulus

What is selective attention?

The process by which we attend to meaningful stimuli and filter out irrelevant or extraneous stimuli

What are Gestalt principles of perceptual organization?

Principles that describe how the brain groups bits of sensory stimulation into meaningful wholes or patterns.

What are primary drives?

Drives related to biological needs of the body or species, such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and sex.

What are secondary drives?

Drives related to behavior that fulfills no obvious biological need, such as the need for achievement, affiliation, and power.

What is the arousal approach to motivation?

The belief that people try to maintain a steady level of stimulation and activity, seeking out stimulation when levels are too low.

How do external factors influence eating behavior?

Social factors, such as meal schedules and cultural preferences, can significantly impact when and what we eat.

What is the role of the Central Nervous System (CNS)?

The CNS, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, processes information and coordinates responses throughout the body.

What is the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)?

A component of the Peripheral Nervous System that regulates involuntary functions, such as heart rate and digestion.

What is the significance of serotonin in the brain?

Serotonin regulates mood, and low levels are associated with conditions like depression and anxiety.

How do genes and environment interact in human development?

Genes set the boundaries for development, while environmental influences determine where individuals fall within those boundaries.

What is glutamate?

An excitatory neurotransmitter that activates many different neurons, leading to action.

What is dopamine?

A neurotransmitter associated with exploratory, outgoing, and pleasure-seeking behaviors; implicated in disorders like schizophrenia and addiction.

How do excitatory neurotransmitters function?

They increase nerve impulses, activating neurons and facilitating communication in the nervous system.

What happens when there is an imbalance in neurotransmitter levels?

Excess or insufficiencies in neurotransmitters can be associated with various psychological disorders.

What is the function of inhibitory neurotransmitters?

They suppress and reduce nerve impulses, calming neuronal activity and regulating emotional responses.

What is Genetic Enviornmental Correlation?

our genes influence out environment (Ex. chaotic personality type seeking relationships that are chaotic). the environment doesn’t change our DNA, but can change how our DNA is expressed

What is the Sympathetic nervous system?

its responsible for mobilizing the body during times of stress or danger (fight or flight, adrenalin, increases heartbeat blood flow breathing)

Somatic Nervous system

controls muscles

What is the signal detection theory?

he belief that the detection of a stimulus depends on
factors involving the intensity of the stimulus, the level of background stimulation,
and the biological and psychological characteristics of the perceiver

Sensory adaptation

process by which sensory receptors adapt to constant stimuli by becoming less sensitive to them (Ex. new ring will be noticed at first, but not after a while)

What is perceptual set?

the tendency for perceptions to be influenced by expectations or preconceptions

Bottom-up processing

brain assembles specific features of shapes, such as
angles and lines, to form patterns that we can compare with stored images we have
seen before (taking in new information from the bottom up to our brain)

Top-Down processing

the brain identifies patterns as meaningful wholes rather than piecemeal constructions based on acquired experience and knowledge with patterns (from the top of our brain where we already have the stored information down to our feet)

Proximity (Gestalt Laws of Grouping)

using relative closeness as a perceptual cue for organizing things into groups

Similarity (Gestalt Laws of Grouping)

grouping figures that are similar to one another

Continuity (Gestalt Laws of Grouping)

tendency to perceive a series of stimuli as representing a continuous pattern

Closure (Gestalt Laws of Grouping)

grouping disconnected pieces of information into a meaningful whole

Connectedness (Gestalt Laws of Grouping)

the tendency to perceive objects as belonging together when they are positioned together or are moving together

What is the incentive approach to motivation?

Suggest that motivation stems from the desire to attain external rewards,
known as incentives

What is the cognitive approach to motivation?

Suggest that motivation is a result of people’s thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and goals

intrinsic motivation

Causes individuals to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment rather than for any actual or concrete reward. We work harder and produce higher quality when we are intrinsically motivated. Providing rewards at times may decrease intrinsic motivation

extrinsic motivation

causes individuals to do something for money, a grade, or some other actual, concrete reward

hunger

primary drive that has received the most attention and then we will look at why people strive to achieve, affiliate with others, and to seek power over others.

Obesity

Body weight that is more than 20% above the average weight for a person of a certain
height

Anorexia nervosa

a severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading individuals to restrict their food intake significantly. people feel like they are in control, successful in weightless, food choices are healthier than bulimia, busy themselves with talking about food collecting cookbooks and grocery shopping, inpatient treatment is best so theirs’s a continuity of care

Bulimia

people binge on large quantities of food, followed by efforts
to purge the food through vomiting or other means; lack of control while binge eating, more unhealthy foods, guilt is a big emotion that causes compensatory behavior, desire to be thin, can lead to heart failure

Masturbation: Sexual self-stimulation

One of the most frequently practiced sexual activities: 94% Males and 63 % Females. Some think that masturbation occurs because a person is not able to participate in sex, but close to ¾ of married men age 20-40 report masturbating at avg. 24 times per year.
Married women masturbate on average 10 times per year. Has negative views and people are very embarrassed. harmless, good way to discover bodily changes (ex-lumps in breast)

Heterosexuality

sexual attraction and behavior directed to the other sex

Marital sex

Couples are often concerned that they are having too little sex, too much sex, and the wrong kind of sex

Extramarital sex

married person and someone else; according to surveys 85% of married women and 75% of married men are faithful

Homosexuality and Bisexuality

Individuals who are sexually attracted to members of their own sex; gay and lesbian

Causes of sexual orientation

• Genetic causes-twin studies show that it is genetic

• Hormones-research shows that women exposed to a certain drug that their mothers took to avoid miscarriages were more likely to be gay or bisexual.

• Biological factors-differences in brain structure.
  - ***Research about biological causes is not conclusive. It may just be a predisposition.

• Child-rearing or family dynamics-little evidence suggests that orientation is brought about by child-rearing practices or family dynamics.

• Learning theory - Sexual orientation learned through rewards and punishments. Ex: a bad breakup with the opposite sex, etc.

• Limitations of learning theory-children that have homosexual parents are not
  always homosexual

transgenderism

An umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior
does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth

Intersex/Hermaphrodite -

Individual who is born with an atypical combination of sexual organs or chromosomal or gene patterns

What kind of psychologist’s studies how the nervous system generates behavior?

Biological

Are serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters? True/False

True

You are walking along at night and hear a scream and then footsteps behind you. Your hearts begin to race, and you want to run. What system is responsible for this?

Autonomic system

Jenine has trouble telling the difference between a drop of water and a drop of honey in the palm of her hand. This example demonstrates the example of difference threshold

difference threshold

Abraham is sitting next to an air conditioner and the noise is loud at first but dissipates with time. this is an example of

sensory adaptation