UW Madison Psych 202 Exam One

Psychology

The scientific study of the mind and behavior

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Scans which parts of brain are active

Nativism

Certain kinds of knowledge are inborn

Empiricism

Knowledge is acquired through experience

Dualism

Mind and body are different things

Wilhelm Wundt

Taught 1st psych class, studying the consciousness, empiricism

Structuralism

Analysis of basic elements that constitute the mind

Introspection

Has subjects report feelings about subjective experience

Functionalism

Study of the function of the mind

William James

Disagreed that consciousness could be analyzed part by part

Natural Selection

Features of an organism that help it survive

James' conclusion

Functions of psychological processes must be to survive

Sigmund Freud

Thought we develop from our childhood experience

Psychoanalytic Theory

Importance of unconscious mental processes

Psychoanalysis

Bringing unconscious material into the conscious to understand psychological disorders

Humanistic Psychology

Approach to understand human nature that emphasizes the positive

Behaviorism

Studying observable behavior

John Watson

Supported behaviorism

Stimulus

Sensory input from the environment

Response

Reaction to stimulus

B.F Skinner

Wanted to develop behaviorist principles that explained how animals learned how to do things, behaviorism

Gestalt Psychology

Approach that emphasizes active role in generating perceptual experience, "whole"

Cognitive Psychology

Scientific study of mental processes

Behavioral Neuroscience

Approach that links psychological processes to activities in nervous system

Cognitive Neuroscience

Understand the link between cognitive processes and brain activity

Cross-Cultural Approaches

Behavior is only understood in the context of culture

Theory

A hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon

Hypothesis

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory

Empirical Method

A set of rules and techniques for observation

What three things make studying humans complex?

Variability, complexity, reactivity

Validity

The goodness with which a concrete event defines a property

Reliability

The tendency for an instrument to produce the same measurement whenever it is is used to measure the same thing

Operational Definition

A description of a property in concrete, measurable terms

Power

An instrument's ability to detect differences or changes in the property

Demand Characteristics

Aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

Naturalistic Observation

A technique for gathering scientific information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments

Double Blind

An observation whose true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed

Correlation

Variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other

Negative Correlation

The variables move in opposite directions

Positive Correlation

The variables move in the same direction

Natural Correlation

The correlations observed in the world around us

Third Variable Correlation

Two variables are correlated only because each is causally related to a third variable

Independent Variable

The variable that was manipulated, thus it is under the researcher's control

To which does the control/experimental group belong to?

Independent variable

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured depending what the subject says or does

Self-Selection

A problem that occurs when anything about a person determines whether he or she will be included in the experimental or control group

Random Assignment

A procedure that lets chance assign people to the experimental or control group

Internal Validity

An attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships

External Validity

An attribute of an experiment in which variables have been defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way

Sample

A partial collection of people drawn from a population

Case Method

A procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual

Random Sampling

A technique for choosing participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample

Informed Consent

Written agreement from the subject, with them being fully aware of all the sides of the experiment

Correlation Coefficient (r)

Ranges between -1.00 and +1.00

What number equals no correlation (no relationship)?

0

Hawthorne Effect

Type of reactivity where people temporarily improve their behavior whilst being observed

Confirmation Bias

Searching for data that confirms theory

Selective Attrition

Studying people over time and the people are different than those studied at first

Confounding Variables

Random variables and this could factor into the behavior of the subjects

Case Study

Analyzing a real life situation and offering solutions

Ifferential Statistics

Allows us to draw conclusions

Neurons Are Composed of 3 parts...

Cell body, axon, dendrites

Cell Body (Soma)

The largest component of the neuron that coordinates the information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive

Dendrites

Receive information from other neurons and relay it to the cell body

Axon

Carries information to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Synapse

The junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another

Sensory Neurons

Receive information from the external world and convey this information to the brain via the spinal cord

Interneurons

Connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons

Resting Potential

The difference in electric charge between the inside and the outside of neuron's cell membrane

Action Potential

An electric signal that is conducted along the length of a neuron's axon to a synapse

Refractory Period

The time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

Glial Cells

Support cells found in the nervous system, composes myelin sheath

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Voluntary motor control, regulation of attention/learning/sleeping/dreaming/memory

Alzheimer's Disease

Deterioration of ACh producing neurons

Dopamine

Motor behavior/motivation/pleasure/emotional arousal, plays a role in drug addiction (reward system)

Parkinsons' Disease

Caused by low levels of dopamine

Norepinephrine

Heightened awareness of dangers in environment

Serotonin

Sleep/wakefulness/eating/aggressive behavior

Which 2 neurotransmitters are linked with mood disorders if they get too low?

Serotonin and norepinephrine

Endorphins

Helps dull pain and elevate moods

Agonists

Drugs that increase the action of the neurotransmitter

Antagonists

Drugs that block the action of the neurotransmitter

What 2 parts is the nervous system divided into?

The central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

Central Nervous System

Composed of the brain and the spinal cord

What 2 parts is the peripheral nervous system divided into?

Somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system

Somatic Nervous System

A set of nerves that conveys information between voluntary muscles and the central nervous system, we can control this, coordinate behaviors and think

Autonomic Nervous System

A set of nerves that carries involuntary and automatic commands that control vessels, body organs,and glands

What 2 parts is the autonomic nervous system divided into?

The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system

Sympathetic Nervous System

A set of nerves that prepares the body for action in challenging or threatening situations

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Helps the body return to the normal resting state

What is the hindbrain made of?

The pons, medulla, cerebellum, and reticular formation

Medulla

An extension of the spinal cord into the skull that coordinates heart rate, circulation, and respiration

Reticular Formation

Located within the medulla, a small cluster of neurons that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and levels of arousal

What causes an irreversible coma?

When the reticular formation is cut off from the rest of the brain

Cerebellum

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills

Pons

A structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain

Midbrain

Contains two structures: tectum and the tegmentum, help direct someone to or away from a stimuli

Forebrain

The highest level of the brain, controls complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions

Subcortical Structure

Areas of the forebrain housed under cerebral cortex near the center of the brain

What does the subcortical structure include?

Thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia