PSYC Exam 2

3 stages of brain evolution - Reptilian

Brainstem, cerebellum

• Basic life requirements like breathing, temp regulation, motor processes

• EX: being reactive to avoid hazards

3 stages of brain evolution - Mammalian or Paleomammalian

Limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus)

• ”Common denominator” of all mammals

• Helps animals navigate more complex environments and form emotional connections

• EX: Memory, emotion, social behavior

3 stages of brain evolution - Human or neomammalian

Massive cerebral cortex

• More influenced by socio-culture processes

• Handles higher-order thinking

• EX: language, logic, planning, creativity

Stress Response Order (Apples Hang Around As Elephants Charge)

amygdala → hypothalamus → autonomic nervous system → adrenal glands → epinephrine and cortisol

What are the negative consequences for prolonged stress?

• A lot of release epinephrine can damage the blood vessels and arteries which can lead to high blood pressure

• High cortisol levels could cause an increased build up of fat tissue

Flight or Flight

Heightens our attention to threat

• Epinephrine improves breathing by stimulating the heart in order to raise a dropping blood pressure

• Cortisol helps control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation

Neuropsychologist

Psychologist who specializes in understanding the relationship between the brain and behavior.

• EX: How injuries, illnesses, or disorders of the brain affect cognitive functions and behaviors

Clinical Neuropsychologists

Specialized type of neuropsychologist who focus on assessing/treating patients with brain-based conditions that affect behavior and cognition

• EX: Traumatic brain injury or dementia

Neuron

Nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system

• Sends and receives electrical and chemical signals throughout the body

Neurotransmitters

The brains chemical messengers and they’re released by neurons

Sensory neurons (afferent neurons)

They carry information from your senses to your brain and spinal cord.

Motor neurons (efferent neurons)

They carry neural impulses away from the central nervous system/brain and towards muscles to cause movement.

Interneurons

Located in the central nervous system/brain. Between the sensory and motor neurons and they help transmit signals back and forth.

fMRI’s

When neurons activate, there is change in blood flow and the change can be mapped on the brain through fMRI’s

Addiction

Dopamine (chemical) is released.

Moral panic

When a group or behavior is perceived as a major threat to society’s values or safety (could be exaggerated)

• EX: Violent video games

Neurological perspective

Anything fun results in the release of dopamine. So dopamine is about learning that rewards feel good. so we can do them again.

• EX: Having sex and riding roller coasters

Bad > Good

We feel fear and helplessness stronger than excitement or joy. Bad info carries more weight than good info.

Loss aversion

People have a tendency to prefer avoiding losses over the pleasure of acquiring equivalent gains. Basically losing something feels worse than the feeling of gaining something of the same value

• EX: Loosing $100 feels worse than gain $100

Risk aversion

Tendency of people to prefer certainty over uncertainty especially when it comes to making decisions involving potential losses.

• EX - Option A: you are guaranteed $100 Option B: you have a 50% chance to win $200 but a 50% chance to win nothing.

• Many people would choose Option A because they’re risk-averse

Proximity

People are more likely to form relationships with others who are physically close to them

• EX: forming connections with classmates cause you see them everyday

Functional distance

Tendency of an architectural layout to encourage or inhibit certain activities, including contact between people.

Mere Exposure Effect

Finding that repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to greater liking of the stimulus’ images of others

• EX: People prefer mirror-image image of themselves, but “true

Physical Attractiveness

Often leads to biases

• Halo effect: good looking people are overall better

Facial Beauty

Physical features of the face influence people’s perceptions, judgments, and interactions

• EX: symmetry

Self-Disclosing Different Types of Personal Information - Stimulus Stage

First meeting, superficial conversations. Attractions is based on visible attributes such as age/physical appearance.

Self-Disclosing Different Types of Personal Information - Value Stage

Share attitude and beliefs. Decide whether compatible.

Self-Disclosing Different Types of Personal Information - Role Stage

Communicate major life plans, attitudes toward major life tasks (e.g. parenting, career)

Adjusting to interdependency

The process of adapting to the idea that individuals often rely on and influence other in relationships

• Relationship satisfaction changes with level of involvement

  • If the relationship survives this turbulent period and the partners accommodate to each other’s needs and lives, the couple enjoys even more satisfaction

Relationship Turbulence Model

Explains how relationship transitions can cause uncertainty and emotional upheavel thus causing turbulence.

The Trajectory of Marital Satisfaction

Refers to how satisfaction in a marriage change over time. It often follows certain patterns or trajectories depending on life.

• Early years: High satisfaction due to excitement and novelty

• Middle years: Dip in satisfaction and communication may decline

• Late years: Rising satisfaction because after children leave home or careers settle, couples often reconnect

LGBTQ relationships

Self-Identification as LGBT has increased amongst the new generation.

Long-Term Relationships

About 40-50% of people get divorce and it increases for second marriages

• Stable and fulfilling marriages are associated with better physical and mental health and economic achievement

• Divorced people are at higher risk of early death

Gottman’s 4 Horsemen (Patterns of communication that are lethal to long-term relationships)

• Criticism

• Contempt (single best predictor of divorce)

• Defensiveness

• Stonewalling (emotionally shutting down)

Infidelity dilemma

For men sexual infidelity is worse but for women emotional infidelity is worse.

Short term mating

Behaviors that guide people toward casual, non-committed sexual encouters.

Sexual Double Standard

Men are often praise or seen as “studs” for being sexually active while women are often shamed or called “slut” for the same behavior.

Industrial Organizational Psychology

The study of human behavior in the workplace. It blends psychology and business to help organizations work better by improving things like hiring, motivation, performance, leadership, and overall employee well-being.

Areas of Study for IO Psych

• Training

• Selection

• DEI work/Culture Development

• Teams

• Leadership

Knowledge (KSAO’s)

What you know.

• Information that can be applied

• EX: knowledge of foreign languages or computer programming languages

Skils (KSAO’s)

What can you do.

• Capabilities required to perform tasks accurately

• EX: analyzing data or giving presentations

Abilities (KSAO’s)

Capabilities that influence performance, often more long-term or stable than skills

• EX: problem-solving ability, physical strength, verbal reasoning, memory capacity.

Other characterisitics (KSAO’s)

Traits that do not fit into the other categories

• EX: values, work styler, personality and degrees/certifications

ABC’s of Teamwork

Team’s overall success is not just about how skilled or talented each individual is on their own

• Affective States - how members feel

• Behavioral Processes - how members behave

• Cognitive Processes - thought processes of members

Team Cohesion

Forces exerted on a group or team that push its members closer together

• Group pride is more important than thought

Communication Patterns

Who talks to who within a network

• Does communication quality or frequency matter more? .36 quality, .19 frequency

Coordination and Back up Behaviors

Using systematic structures/processes to store knowledge

• EX: emails, notepads, texts

Shared Mental Model

Knowledge that is held in common with team members

Transactive Memory System

Knowledge of the distribution of information within teams

• EX: We know who to go to in order to get certain knowledge

Multi-team Systems (MTS)

A system of teams in which there are present overarching “superordinate” goals that require coordinated efforts of multiple specialized teams to address the goal

Subordinate Team Goals

Goals that are less important than the main goal but still contribute to the overall success

• EX: marketing team that creates an advertising campaign

Superordinate MTS Goals

Big, overarching goal that drives a Multi-Team System

Ingroup Prototypicality

Refers to the degree to which an individual is seen representing the typical characteristics of their in group (the group the belong to) compared to other members of that group

EX: If you are apart of a soccer team and you always practice and follow the team so you are a prototypical member. But if you don’t practice and don’t care about the teams values you are seen as less prototypical.

How to increases your prototypicality within a group

1. Identify and act on norms within the group

2. Establish relationship with highs status members

3. Bolster support from subgroup followers

4. Differentiate yourself from out group members

5. Take the lead in uncertain situations

How to be an effective leader

1. Be able to anticipate change in your area and not by myopic

2. Be comfortable developing relationships with others that are different from you

3. Be okay with being in uncomfortable situations in the short-term if it means being successful in the long-term.

Team Efficacy

Feeling that the team can accomplish the given task

• Related to goal setting

• The more team members rely on each other to succeed, the more important it is that they believe in the teams ability to succeed together

Amygdala

Processing emotions like especially fear, anger, and pleasure

Hypothalamus

Acts as the control center for many autonomic functions like maintaining homeostasis