Unit 1 Psychology Exam

psychology

study of behavior and mental processes

biological psychology

brain, nervous system, genetics, effects of medications on behavior

cognitive psychology

mental processes involved in thought

developmental psychology

changes over the lifespan

personality psychology

makes people who they are, consistencies over time

social psychology

interpersonal relationships

clinical/counseling psychology

psychological disorders (causes, treatment, prevention)

steps of the research method

1. develop a research question

2. use theory to generate plausible answers

3. state hypothesis

4. develop operation definitions

5. select participant(s)

6. test hypothesis

7. draw conclusions

operational definition

specify exactly how variables and parts of hypothesis are measured/quantified

naturalistic observation (non-experimental)

watch and record behavior in the natural environment (good for describing, not explaining)

case study (non-experimental)

study 1 (or a few) cases in depth, necessary when population is small

surveys (non-experimental)

question people via paper, computer, or interview

correlational studies (non-experimental)

measure 2+ variables to see how they’re relating by calculating a correlation coefficient

correlation

a number from -1 to +1

positive correlation

as one variable increases, so does the other

negative correlation

as one variable increases, the other decreases

independent variable (IV)

variable that’s manipulated (its effect on another variable is being studied)

dependent variable (DV)

variable that isn’t directly manipulated (expected to change in response to the IV manipulation)

experimental group

exposed to some manipulation of the IV

control group

receives no treatment; comparison group

confound

something other than the IV that causes the groups to differ from each other

IRB

includes scientists and community members, sets guidelines for ethical standards in experiments

behavior in the Stone Age (before 2000 BC(

believed behaviors were contorlled by spirits, led to practices like trephining

Hippocrates’ beliefs

believed imbalances in humours (body fluids) caused unusual behavior, led to blood-letting

behavior in the Middle Ages (1000-1400 AD)

church dictated education, thought; science is suppressed

behavior in the 19th century

dramatic changes in philosophy

Darwin

evolution

Marx

socialism

Freud

unconscious influences

behavior in the present

nature vs. nurture debate

nature

genetics, biology, evolution

nurture

environmental, social influences

heritability

degree to which variability in traits/behaviors in the population is explained by genetics

glial cells

provide physical support (nourishment), can regenerate

neurons

nerve cells, form connections w/ one another to transmit information, don’t regenerate

soma

cell body, basic life functions

dendrites

located on soma, receive information from other neurons

axon

projection coming off soma, send signals to other cells, very thin

myelin sheath

layer of fat that encases neurons and axons, helps information travel quickly down the axon

terminal buttons

located at end of axon, releases chemicals that send messages to the next neuron’s dendrites

synaptic gap/cleft

space between 1 neuron’s terminal buttons and the next neuron’s dendrites, fills w/ chemical messengers (neurotransmitters)

3 stages of neurotransmission

1. resting potential

2. action potential

3. refractory period

resting potential

neuron is at rest

action potential

neuron fires

refractory period

neuron goes back to resting potential state

neurotransmitters

carry messages through synaptic cleft

acetylcholine (ACh)

muscle control (involuntary), memory/attention

result of too much acetylcholine

muscle contractions (seizures)

result of too little acetylcholine

paralysis

dopamine (D)

motivation, movement (voluntary), perception

result of too much dopamine

psychosis (schizophrenia)

result of too little dopamine

muscle weakness (Parkinson's)

serotonin (5HT)

involved in sleep, moods, emotional states

result of too much serotonin

nausea, diarrhea, fever

result of too little serotonin

no energy, sadness, anxiety

nervous system

neurons connect to make pathways throughout the body

afferent pathway

sensory neurons (carry info to brain)

efferent pathway

motor neurons (carry info away from brain)

afferent neurons

communicate stimuli to the brain

efferent neurons

transmit decision from neurons to the muscles

peripheral nervous system

connects brain and spinal cord to rest of body

somatic branch

voluntary, controls muscles

autonomic branch

involuntary, controls glands/organs

sympathetic branch

triggers fight-or-flight response

parasympathetic branch

undoes sympathetic nervous system functions

hindbrain

top of spinal cord/base of brain

medulla

in hindbrain, controls vital functions, damage results in death

cerebellum

in hindbrain, controls balance and coordinated movements

reticular formation and Pons

in hindbrain, controls arousal, awareness and sleep

midbrain

small in humans, controls visual processing of movement, controls echolocation

forebrain

90% of human brain, mostly the cerebral cortex (cerebrum), controls complex thoughts and reasoning

amygdala

emotional responses

hippocampus

new memory formation

thalamus

focusing attention to sensory information

hypothalamus

feeding, fear, fighting, sex

temporal lobe

located near ears, registers auditory stimuli

occipital lobe

back of brain, registers visual stimuli

parietal lobe

top of head, registers tactile stimuli

frontal lobe

front of head, handles motor capabilities, emotional expression

corpus callosum

bundle of axons connecting 2 hemispheres