PSYC1001 - Quiz 1

What subjects are psychology's intellectual parents?

philosophy + physiology

Who was psychology's founder?

Wilhelm Wundt

When was the first research lab set up?

1879

What did advocates of functionalism argue?

Psychology should investigate the purposes of consciousness

What did advocates of structuralism argue?

Psychology should use introspection to analyze consciousness into its basic elements

What is psychoanalytic theory?

Emphasizes unconscious determinants of behavior and the importance of sexuality

According to Freud, what is the unconscious?

Thoughts that one is not aware of but that still influence one's behavior

What does Behaviorism promote?

Psychology should study only observable behavior

How did behaviorism impact psychology?

Psychology became the scientific study of behavior

When did behaviorism reach its peak, and thanks to who?

1950s, B.F. Skinner

How did Skinner generate controversy?

Arguing that free will is an illusion

What do humanists emphasize?

The unique qualities of human behavior and the irrelevance of animal research

What is the premise of evolutionary psychology?

Behavior patters in a species are the product of evolution, just like anatomical characteristics

What is positive psychology?

Uses theory and research to understand the adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human experience

What is psychology the study of?

Out thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

What are the 9 research areas of psychology?

developmental, forensic, cognitive, health, personality, social, organizational, educational, behavioral, neuroscience

What is clinical psychology?

Education, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with psychological disorders

What is counselling psychology?

Providing assistance with everyday problems (family, marital, career)

What are the goals of the scientific approach?

Measurement and description, understanding and prediction, application and control

What are the common flaws in research?

Sampling bias, placebo effect, distortions in self-report data, experimenter bias

What is a representative sample?

Same proportions as population

What is random sampling?

Everyone has the same chance of being selected

What is a convenience sample?

Just want as much data as possible

What is reliability?

The measurement of the consistency of a test

What is internal validity?

The degree to which changes in the DV are brought about by changes in the IV

What is external validity?

The degree to which results of the study can be generalized beyond specifics of the study

What is a response set?

The tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the contents of the question

What is a positive correlation?

Both variables move in the same direction

What is a negative correlation?

Variables move in opposite directions

What does the method of testing depend on?

The question you're asking, and who/what you're working with

What is a hypothesis?

An explanation or prediction about some phenomenon

Why do we communicate results from our studies?

To grow the knowledge base in the field

What is in the abstract of a research article?

A summary paragraph (gives an idea of the topic)

What is in the introduction of a research article?

Introduce the problem, review what current research says about the problem, state the hypothesis

What is in the method of a research article?

Study design, stats, materials, procedure

What is in the results of a research article?

What was found, statistical analysis, data presentation

What is in the discussion of a research article?

What the results mean, limitations, recommendations

What is in the references of a research article?

Studies that were cited

What are glia?

Cells that provide support for neurons and contribute to signaling in the nervous system

What is the all-or-nothing law?

A neuron either fires or it doesn't fire

What is the endocrine system?

Consists of glands that secrete hormones

What are the 5 ways to study heredity and behavior?

Family studies, twin studies, adoption studies, genetic mapping, CRISPRs

What does the prefrontal cortex do?

Social rules, impulse control, personality, intelligence, humor

What does the primary motor cortex do?

Movement of muscles

What does the primary somatosensory cortex do?

Perception of pain, temperature, etc

What does the primary visual cortex do?

Visual processing

What does TMS do?

Administer magnetic pulses into specific regions of the brain to observe the results

What does an EEG do?

Pick up and amplify electrical activity in certain areas of the brain

What does a PET scan do?

Look for evidence of where brain activity is occuring

What does a CT scan do?

Find brain structure (like a really sensitive x-ray)

What does an MRI do?

Generate magnetic pulses, and pick up on the voltages released by the body

What does the pons do?

Sleep and dreams

What does the medulla oblangata do?

Keep your heart beating, keeps you breathing

What does the reticular formation do?

Decides what to pay attention to (ignores constant sounds)

What does the cerebellum do?

Muscle memory and muscle coordination (affected by alcohol)

What does the basal ganglia do?

Reward/pleasure (5 separate structures)

What does the thalamus do?

Relay station: sends different stimulus to the right processing centre

What does the hippocampus do?

Memory (short-term to long-term transfers)

What does the amygdala do?

Perception of and response to threat, agressive behavior, sexual behavior, processing of and response to emotions

What does the hypothalamus do?

Drives you to regulate yourself

What does Serotonin do?

Sleeping, eating, arousal, mood

What does Norepinephrine do?

Attention, arousal, mood

What is GABA?

A major inhibitor neurotransmitter

what does Glutamate do?

Learning, memory

What do Endorphins do?

Pain, feelings of well-being

What are the components of the central nervous system?

Brain and spinal cord

What are the components of the peripheral nervous system, and what do they do?

Autonomic (react to stressors) and somatic (senses)

What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?

Sympathetic (elevates pulse and breathing) and Parasympathetic (slows pulse and breathing)

What kind of matter are myelinated axons?

White matter

What kind of matter are unmyelinated axons?

Gray matter

What is an action potential?

A change in electrical potential that spreads down the axon during a nerve impulse

What is the period after the action potential?

Refractory period

What voltages are reached in an action potential?

Resting potential = -70

Action potential = +40

Refractory period = less than -70

Action potential = -70

What do excitatory neurotransmitters do?

Increase the likelihood of an action potential

What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do?

Decrease the likelihood of an action potential

What does Acetylcholine do?

Memory, attention, arousal

What does Dopamine do?

Voluntary movement. pleasurable emotions, reward

What is Neurogenesis?

The generation of new neurons

What is unique about stem cells?

Ability to regenerate themselves, capacity to develop into any type of tissue