Quicksheet: behavioral sciences

Habituation

process of becoming used to a stimulus

dishabitutation

second stimulus intervenes, causing a resensitization to the origional stimulus

associative learning

way of pairing together stimuli and repsonses, or behaviors and consequences

calssical conditioning

an US that produces an instinctive, UR is paired with a NS. With repetition, the NS becomes a CS that produces and CR

operant conditioning; two aspects

(repeated) behavior is changed through the use of consequences; reinforcement and punishment

reinforcement

increases likelihood of behavior

punishment

decreases the likelihood of a behavior

positive reinfircmente

added stimulus; behavior continues

negative reingforcement

removed stimulus; behavior continues

positive punishment

added stimulus; behavior stops

negative punishment

stimulus removed; behavior stops

depressants; function

• alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines

• sense of relaxation and reduced anxiety

stimulants

• amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy

• increased arousal

opiates/opioids

• heroin, morphine, opium, pain pills

• decreased reaction to pain; euphoria

hallucigens

• LSD, peyote, mescaline, ketamine, psilocybin containing mushrooms

• distortions of reality and fantasy introspection

marijuana

has some features of depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens (in very high doses)

Piaget’s stages of congnitive development

• sensorimotor: object permanence

• preoperational: symbolic thinking, egocentrism, centration

• concrete operational: understand others feelings, manipulating physical objects

• formal operational: abstract through/problem solving

selective attention

allows one to pay attention to a particular stimulus while determining if additional stimuli require attention in the background

divided attention

automatic processings to pay attention to multiple activities at one time

Wernicke’s area

language comprehension; speak fluently but have difficulty understanding language

• word salad

Borca’s area

motor function of speech; speak comprehensibly in short sentences with great effort

• bad speech

social facilitation

tendency to perform at a different level (better or worse) when others are around

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness in a large groups

can lead to drastic changes in behavior

bystander effect

in groups, individuals are less likely to respond to a person in need

peer preesure

social influence placed on an individual by another individuals they consider equals

group polarization

tendency towards making decisions in a group that are more extreme than thoughts of individual members

groupthink

tendency to make decisions based on ideas and solutions that arise within the group without considering outside ideas

assimilation

one culture begins to melt into another

multiculturalism

encouragement of multiple cultures within a community to enhance diversity

subculture

a groups that distinguishes itself from the primary culture to which it belongs

socialization

process of developing and spreading norms, customs and beliefs

norms

boundaries of acceptable behavior within society

stigma

extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences

deviance

any violation of norms, rules, or expectations within a society

conformity

changing beliefs or behaviors in order to fit into a group or society

compliance; techniques

individual change behavior based on the request of others

• foot in the door, door in the face, lowball, that’s not all

obedience

change in behavior based on a command from someone seen as an authority figure

stereotypes

cognitive belief made based on limited and superficial information

self-fulfilling prophecy

stereotype creating the expectation of a particular group, which creates conditions that lead to confirmation of the stereotype

stereotype threat

a feeling of anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype

prejudice

irrationally based attitude prior to actual experience

ethnocentrism

practice of making judgments about others cultures based on the values and beliefs of one’s own culture (in-group vs out-group)

cultural relativism

studying the social groups and cultures on their own terms

discrimination

differences in behavior (treatment) of a group

three types of neurons in NS

motor (efferent)

interneurons

sensory (afferent)

parasympathetic

“rest-and-digest” (peaceful) ; part of autonomic system

symptoms of parasympathetic response

constricted pupils, flow saliva, constricts bronchi, slow heartbeat, inhibit release glucose, stimulates bile release, inhibits adrenaline production, stimulates peristalsis and secretion, contracts bladder

sympathetic

“fight-or-flight” (stressed); part of autonomic system

symptoms of sympathetic response

dilated pupils, inhibits salivation, relaxes bronchi, acc. heartbeat, stimulates glucose production and release, inhibits peristalsis and secretion, secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, inhibits bladder contraction

hindbrain

cerebellum, medulla, oblongata, reticular formation

midbrain

inferior and superior colliculi

forebrain

thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, cerebral cortex

thalamus

relay station for sensory information

hypothalamus

maintains homeostasis and integrates endocrine system through hypophyseal portal system that connects it to the anterior pituitary

basal ganglia

smoothens movements and helps maintain postural stability

limbic system

controls emotion and memory

• septal nuclei = pleasure seeking

• amygdala = fear/aggression

• hippocampus = memory

• fornix = communication w/in limbic system

frontal lobe

executive functions, impulse control, long term planning, motor function, speech production

parietal lobe

sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and pain; spatial processing, orientation and manipulation

occipital lobe

visual processing

temporal lobe

sound processing, speech perception (Wernicke’s area), memory and emotion (limbic system)

EEG (electroencephalography)

map real-time brain electrical activity (brainwaves)

• consciousness, sleep stages, attention, cognition processes

PET (positron emission tomography)

visualizes brain activity and metabolism using radioactive tracers

• map metabolic activity and NT systems

rCBF (regional cerebral blood flow)

measure blood flow w/in specific, localized region of brain

• neural and metabolic activity

MRI (Magnetic Resonance imaging)

use strong magnetic and radio waves to create detailed structural images of brain

• body’s response to powerful magnetic fields/radio waves

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

map brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow during cognitive tasks

• thinking, feeling, learning, mental processes, disorders

CT (computed tomography)

x-ray technique; detailed cross-sectional images

• reveal structure of tumors, ID bleeding, injuries, atrophy

acetylcholine

voluntary muscle control, parasympathetic nervous system, attention, alertness

epinephrine and norepinephrine

fight-or-flight reponses, wakefulness, alertness

dopamine

smooth movements, postural stability

serotonin

mood, sleep, eating, dreaming

GABA, Glycine

brain “stabilization”

Glutamate

brain “excitation”

endporphins

natural painkillers

Cluster A

odd, eccentric (weird)

• paranoid, schizotypal, schizoid

Cluster B

dramatic, emotional, erratic (wild)

• antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic

Cluster C

anxious, fearful (worried)

• avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive

motivation

purpose or driving force behind our actions

extrinsic motivation

based on external circumstances

intrinsic motivation

based on internal drive or perception

stress

physiological and cognitive response to challenges or life changes

primary appraisal

classifying a potential stressor as irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful

secondary appraisal

directed at evaluating whether the orgnaism can cope with the stress, based on harm, threat, and challenge

stressor (distress or eustress)

anything that leads to a stress response; can include environmental, social, psychological, chemical and biological stressors

three stages of general adaption syndrom

1. alarm

2. resistance

3. exhaustion

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

the guide by which most psychological disorders are characterized, described and diagnosed

schizophrenia

psychotic disorder characterized by distortion of reality and disturbances in content and form of thought, perception, and behavior

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thought and behavior

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

disturbance of affect and avolition

major depressive disorder

contains at least one major depressive episode

persistent depressive disorder

a depressed mood (either dysthymia or major depression) for at least two years

seasonal affective disorder

the colloquial name for major depressive disorder with seasonal onset, with depression occurring during winter months

bipolar I disorder

contains at least one manic episode

bipolar II disorder

at least one hypomanic episode + at least one major depressive episode

cyclothymic disorder

contains hypomanic episodes + dysthymia

generalized anxiety disorder

constant disproportionate and persistent worry

specific phobias

irrational fears of specific objects

social anxiety disorder

anxiety due to social or performance situations

agoraphobia

fear of places or situations where it is hard for an individual to escape

panic disorder

recurrent attacks of intense, overwhelming fear and sympathetic nervous system activity with no clear stimulus. it may lead to agoraphobia

obsessive-compulsive disorder

obsession (persistent, intrusive thoughts and impulses) and compulsion (repetitive tasks that relieve tension but cause significant impairment)