Psychology 2010 Exam #1 Clemson

psychology

scientific study of behavior and mental processes

behavior

something we can "see" (body language)

mental process

something we can't see (thinking, feeling, remembering)

Four generic goals of psychology

describe, understand, predict, control

describe

illustrating what behavior or mental process is occurring

understand

looking at why the behavior or mental process occurs (theories)

predict

investigating whether the theory is the cause of the behavior by conducting experiments or surveys

control

using the theory to control these behaviors

Plato and Descartes

believed knowledge was innate (nature)

Aristotle and Locke

believed knowledge was acquired through experience (nurture)

Wilhelm Wundt

Father of modern psychology

Developed structuralism

structuralism

studies elements of consciousness

focuses on the structure and organization of the mind

Titchener

Structuralism and introspection

asked people how they thought/felt

introspection

examination of one's own thoughts and feelings

flaw: individual might not have access to everything he/she is feeling

William James

studied functionalism

functionalism

studied the purpose of mental processes in adaptive behavior

studied functions of conciousness

Freud

studied psychoanalysis

lots of his studies were controversial, but he was highly influential

psychoanalysis

studied importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior

Watson

studied behaviorism

behaviorism

only focuses on behaviors (what one can see) and not on mental processes

cognitive revolution

1960s to present

uses the concept that the brain is similar to a computer

hindsight bias

after learning an outcome of an event, many people believe that they could have predicted that very outcome

"I knew it all along"

examples: 9/11, Iraq War

overconfience

individual thinks he/she knows more than they actually know

example: anagram experiment

theory

possible explanation that can predict behavior or events

hypothesis

testable prediction, often prompted by a theory, to enable us to accept, reject, or revise theory

research

requires us to administer tests (manipulate variables)

variables

specific factors that are manipulated and measured in research

operational definitions

hypothesis must be stated in terms of operations and methods which will be used to measure it

examples: people "college students"

low self-esteem "less than average"

depressed "higher than average"

naturalistic observation (including advantages/disadvantages)

process of watching without interfering as behavior occurs in the natural environment

example: observing gorillas

advantages: lots of rich data, difficult to replicate in lab

disadvantages: people act differently if know they are being watched, distorted if observers expect certain beahviors

case study (including advantages/disadvantages)

intensive study of a behavior or mental process in a particular individual, group, or situation

advantage: study new, complex, or rare phenomenon

disadvantage: not necessarily representative (since such few cases)

survey (including advantages/disadvantages)

asks about behavior, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and/or intentions through interviews or questionnaires

advantages: low cost, lots of data, quick

disadvantages: question phrasing (bleeding question), representative of population difficult, reluctant to admit undesirable things, return rate low

Which way to gather evidence is the only one to confirm causality?

experiment

experiment

change one variable, then measure effect change has on another variable

descriptive statistics

summary of data, describes data

inferential statistics

procedures allow you to make inferences, measure show likely results were due to chance

statistically significant

likelihood of getting a certain result by random chance has low probability (p< .05 meaning 5% chance likelihood due to chance)

correlation

how strongly one variable is related to one another (CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSALITY)

denoted by "r"

value represents strength while sign represents if positive or negative

biological psychology

branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

three functions of the nervous system

input, processing, output

central nervous system (CNS)

spinal cord and brain

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

all the nerves that don't compose the brain or spinal cord

divided into two parts: somatic and autonomic

somatic

sends sensory information TO CNS for processing

sends messages FROM CNS to muscles to direct motion (VOLUNTARY motor movement)

autonomic

controls activities that are generally independent of one's control

example: heartbeat, digestion, eye blinking, breathing

composed of two parts: sympathetic and parasympathetic

sympathetic

hypes up

mobilizes body for action in face of stress

increases blood pressure/ breathing and decreases digestion

parasympathetic

calms down

regulates body's functions to conserve energy

decreases blood pressure/breathing

medulla

base of brain stem- controls heart rate and breathing

reticular formation

nerve network in brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal and "awakeness"

thalamus

sensory switchboard: directs messages to sensory areas in cortex and transmits replies to cerebellum and medulla

cerebellum

little brain attached to brainstem

helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance

hypothalamus

maintenance activities

eating, drinking, body temp, control of emotions, controls endocrine system via the pituitary glands (hormones)

hippocampus

new memory formation

brain lesion

experimentally destroys brain tissue to study animal behavior after destruction

example: Phineas Gabe had frontal lobe obliteration and made bad choices (gambled, prostitution)

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

amplified recording of the electrical waves sweeping across brain's surface, measured by electrodes placed on scalp

high temporal resolution (quick reaction)

low spatial resolution (where they came from)

PET (CT/CAT)

position emission tomography scan

detects radioactive form of glucose while the brain performs a given task

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging

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

neuron

cell; basic unit of nervous system

sensory, interneuron, and motor

sensory neuron

send info from sense organs to CNS (optical, auditory, etc.)

inter-neruron

only exist in brain and spinal cord

talk to other neurons

motor neuron

sends info from brain and spinal cord out

axon

sends messages AWAY

myelin sheath

covers axon, helps neural impulses travel

neural impulse

action potential, electrical signaling traveling along axon

dendrites

receives messages from other cells

terminal branches of axon

form junction with other cells

Neuron at rest

Polarized; -70 mV so more negative on the inside of the neuron than on the outside

action potential process

depolarized:

Na+ channel opens

Rushes into cell making that section positive

Pumps start removing Na+ to restore negative charge

Moves down axon

ALL OR NONE

synapse

space between neurons

neurotransmitters

flood synaptic gap to send message to next neuron

getting rid of neurotransmitters

reabsorbing NT

breaking down of NT

acetlycholine

NT; muscle actions, learning, memory

dopamine

NT;MOVEMENT, learning, attention, emotion

serotonin

NT;mood regulation, sleep

glutamate

NT;memory (excitatory)

GABA

inhibitory NT (calms activity in brain)

norepinephrine

NT;alertness, arousal

agonists

mimics (fits lock, but it's not the actual key)

example: opiates like morphine and heroine

antagonists

blocks NT from attaching to receptor-don't actually activate it

neural networks

interconnected neurons form network

complex

modify with grown and experience

cortex

organized by structure and function

divided into four lobes

motor cortex

area at rear of the frontal lobe that control voluntary movement

sensory cortex (parietal cortex)

receives info from skin surface and sense organs

occipital lobe

vision processing

temporal lobe

auditory processing

parietal lobe

processing of sensory information (touch, space, etc)

frontal lobe

abstract thinking, planning, social skills, executive control (focusing)

Broca's area

in frontal lobe

speech, grammar (hand or mouth)

SPEAKING

Wernicke's area

in temporal lobe

speech comprehension (also written text)

HEARING

association areas

"uncommitted" or association areas of the cortex

affects ability to learn and adapt

more with more intelligent animals

angular gyrus

transforms visual representations int auditory code (reading to yourself)

corpus callosum

divides the right and left hemispheres, allows them to communicate with one another

lateralization

functions for one side of the brain

central fissure

separates motor cortex from sensory cortex

consciousness

awareness of the outside world and of one's mental processes, thoughts feelings, and perceptions

party effect

example of consciousness; loud room, your name is called, and you turn in that direction; your brain was processing what was important/ not important and your name being called brought some of the outside noise into your consciousness

dual-processing

process perceptual information on two levels: conscious and unconscious

selective attention

focusing your consciousness/attention on a single thing

inattention blindess

"blind" to information you're not actively paying attention to

sleep

altered state of consciousness

circadian rhythms

occur on a 24-hour cycle and include sleep and wakefulness

melatonin

hormone released from pineal gland to trigger sleep