OPEN STAX Psychology FINAL

Biopsychology

Study of how genetics and the brain affect behavior

Evolutionary Psychologist

Study how genetics have adapted over time (curvy women more attractive back in the day)

DNA Blueprints

DNA from our generations

Heredity

Inheritance of genetic characteristics

DNA

(deoxyribonucleic acid)

Determines nature of cell

Chromosomes

Where DNA is located

Allele

Versions of a gene

Skin tone, eye color, etc

How many pairs of chromosomes makes up a healthy human

23 pairs/46 total chromosomes

Mendel's law of heredity

One dominant chromosome

Polygenetic Inheritance

Blending of chromosomes

Height, Skin color (black and white parents create a light skin black baby)

Genotype

Genetic Makeup (natural)

Phenotype

Genetics and environment (what we see, not necessarily natural)

Central nervous system

Brain and spinal cord

Peripheral system

Motor (runs through body)

Neuron

Communication to the brain about activity

Creates our movement

Ex: doesn't allow 3rd degree burns because it tells the brain to move body part

Dendrites

Receive

Axon

Carries

Synapse

Space between two neurons (junction between neurons)

Transfers neurons

Myelin Sheath

increases the speed the information travels through the neuron

Pons

Responsible for sleep and wake problems

Neurogenesis

Grow new neurons

Axon terminal

Decide WHERE info is going

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers

Spinal Cord

Acts like a cable, connecting brain to other parts of the body

Neurological Communication goes through the ________

spine

Bottom of neck controls _________

digestion

Torso controls ______

balance

Top of neck controls _______

lungs, heart

Neck controls ________

vital organs

Endocrine System

Body communication that uses horses as messengers instead of neurons

Controls: growth- skin, hair, height

The _______ system helps with growth, regulates eating, sleepiness, elicits adrenaline

endocrine (if system becomes unstable we can gain/lose weight, get sick, insomnia)

Thalamus

Interpret our senses (touch, hear, sight, smell, taste)

Midbrain

Info server

Cerebral Cortex

responsible for thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language.

Divided into four lobes that each have a specific function

Cerebellum

Movement- posture, balance, coordination, and speech, resulting in smooth and balanced muscular activity

Medulla

Vital reflexes (breathing, digestive rate)

Hippocampus

associated mainly with memory

Amygdala

Fear/Aggression

Pituitary Gland

(looks like testicles)

Growth- puberty, regulates the hormones

Hypothalamus

govern physiologic functions such as temperature regulation, thirst, hunger, sleep, mood, sex drive

Keeps us level

Septum

Pleasure/pain center

Heart rate increases when triggered

Corpus Collosum

Connects the lobes together (typically formed around 8-years-old)

Frontal Lobe

Front

Human thinking (cognitive)

Futuristic planning (plan next 5 years)

Language

Typically developed by 20 years old

Parietal Lobe

Top of head

Touch (physical feeling)

Occipital Lobe

Back of head

Take what we see

Temporal Lobe

Between ears

Hearing

Nature

Our genetics

Nurture

Our environment

Interactionism

Both nature and nurture

What stage of sleep are you in if you are in the deepest sleep

Deep sleep

Which neurotransmitter's function is based on sleeping, eating, mood, pain, and depression?

Serotonin

What part of the brain controls fear and aggression?

Amygdala

Monozygotic twins share ______ of their DNA.

100%

Which theory believed that dreams are a way to express our desires with out censorship?

Freud's interpretation of Dreams

What is the term used when a person stops breathing in their sleep?

Sleep Apnea

True/False: The more active you are in the day the less sleep you need.

True

Insomnia is when...

People have a hard time going/staying asleep

archival research

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

attrition

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

cause-and-effect relationship

changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be

determined only through an experimental research design

clinical or case study

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

confirmation bias

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

confounding variable

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

control group

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

correlation coefficient

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by "r"

correlation

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

cross-sectional research

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

debriefing

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful

information about the experiment at its conclusion

deception

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

deductive reasoning

results are predicted based on a general premise

dependent variable

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent

variable had

dependent variable

measures the change produced

double-blind study

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

empirical

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing

experimental group

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance

experimenter bias

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

fact

objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research

falsifiable

able to be disproven by experimental results

generalize

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

hypothesis (plural: hypotheses)

tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or

more variables

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving animal participants

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants

illusory correlation

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

independent variable

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter;

inductive reasoning

conclusions are drawn from observations

informed consent

process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person's consent to participate

inter-rater reliability

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

longitudinal research

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

naturalistic observation

observation of behavior in its natural setting

negative correlation

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other

becomes smaller;

observer bias

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

operational definition

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

opinion

personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate

participants

subjects of psychological research

peer-reviewed journal article

article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication

placebo effect

people's expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

population

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

positive correlation

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

random assignment

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group

random sample

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected