Gen psych Exam 2

Parietal lobes

Parietal lobes

 at the top of the brain

Contain somatosensory cortex

 somatosensory cortex

•  receives information about touch sensation

Occipital lobes

in the back of the head

Contain visual cortex-

Temporal lobes

 flexibility of brain structures

• Can shift functions from damaged to undamaged brain areas

• Damage -> The brain can form new synapses, reorganize

• Can physically change the structure in response to learning

Neurogenesis

 growth of new neurons 

Attention

• Focusing consciousness on specific stimuli or aspects of stimuli

Selective attention

focusing on specific information while ignoring other information

Inattentional blindness

 failing to detect available stimuli due to selective attention

Change blindness-

 failing to detect changes in stimuli due to selective attention

Circadian rhythm-

 biological clock controlled by the hypothalamus

• Provides an approximate schedule for physical processes

• The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

• Controls pineal gland

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN

• in the hypothalamus- sensitive to changes in light

Pineal gland

 secretes melatonin

Melatonin

 a hormone that causes sleepiness 

Darkness

SCN directs pineal gland to secret melatonin

Lightness

SCN directs the pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin

Sleep stages

 ~ 90-minute cycles of sleep stages

N1

NON-rapid eye movement (in REM)-

• Hypnic or hypgnagogic jerk

• Hypnagogic hallucinations

N2

• True sleep

• Brain activity slows

• Reductions in heart rate and muscle tension

N3

•  deep sleep

• Further showing of brain activity

• Hard to awaken, disoriented when awakened 

• Growth hormones released from the pituitary

REM-

brain waves resemble wakefulness

• Eyes move back and forth

• Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing- rapid or irregular

• Sleep paralysis- not being able to move 

• “Paradoxical sleep”

• Dreams 

evolutionary/ adaptive theory

• protection- not out and vulnerable to predators in the dark

Restorative theory

•  sleep supports growth and healing

1. Production of growth hormone

2. Supports immune functioning

Sleep deprivation-

slower healing, reduced immune system activity,  impairment of memory formation, irritability, risk of depression and obesity

Information processing theory

sleep supports cognitive processes

• Supports learning

• Restores and rebuilds memories

• Supports creative thinking

Feud

 dreams stem from unconscious thoughts

Manifest content

 the actual images in the dream

Latent content

 the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and wishes behind the manifest content

Activation synthesis-

 brain internally generated signals form dreams

Information processing

 memories of events from dreams

Preserving neural pathways

 the purpose of dreaming is to provide brain stimulation

Development psychology 

 the scientific study of patterns of change and stability in humans, “womb to tomb”

Behavioral genetics

 the study of genetic and environmental bases of individual differences in behavior and personality

Heritability

- a statistical estimate of the contribution of heredity to individual differences 

Adoption studies

compare adopted children to adoptive families and biological families

Twin studies

compare pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins

Monozygotic twins

 share 100% genes

Dizygotic twins

 share 50% genes 

Adoption twin studies

 compare MZ twins separated in infancy and MZ twins reared together

Physical development

- what reflexes are present in infancy

Cognitive development-

how do children acquire knowledge

Social development

how environment influences development 

Infants

brain and reflex behavior

Reflexes-

automatic responses to a specific stimulus

Primitive reflexes-

sucking, rooting (rerouting), Moro (startle), grasping (squeeze palm), Babinski (foot gets stroked, toes flare up)

Piaget

theory of cognitive stages-

• How does the mind structure its content and adapt to the environment

• Children understand the world with the schemes/schema- mental categories 

Assimilation

fitting new information into the present system of knowledge (schema)

Accommodation-

as a result of new information, change existing schemas 

 mental adaptations

children change thinking due to new observations and experiences

Cognitive stage 1- sensorimotor stage

 birth to 2 years

• Looking, sucking, touching

• Develop object permanence

Develop object permanence

•  understanding that something continues to exist even when it cannot be seen

Stage 2- preoperational stage-

age 2 to 7

• Egocentric

• Animistic thinking

• Cannot grasp concept of conservation

Egocentric

 only use own frame of reference

Animistic thinking

 attribute life to objects (inanimate objects have feelings)

concept of conservation

•  understanding that physical properties do not change when appearance changes 

Stage 3- concrete operations stage

age 7 to 11

• Can understand conservation

• Can understand reversibility

• Can understand transitivity

 reversibility

• the idea that a stimulus has been changed and can return to its original state the idea that a stimulus has been changed and can return to its original state

 transitivity

• understanding how components in a series are related

Stage 4- formal operations stage

age 11 to adulthood

• Abstract and systematic reasoning

• Thinking about future possibilities 

Vygotskys theory of sociocultural influences

• Cognitive development results from guidance

• Zone of proximal development

• Difference between what the child can do alone and with assistance

• Scaffolding

Zone of proximal development

• the level at which a child can almost perform a task independently

Scaffolding

•  The teacher adjusts the amount of support to the child's level of development 

Theory of mind

understanding of how other people think

Social development

• Changes in interpersonal thought feelings and behavior

• Social development is lifelong

• Erik Erikson theory of psychosocial development (8 stages)

Eriks stage 1- trust vs mistrust (birth-1year)

• Trust allows formation of intimate relationships

• Develops when caregiving is sensitive, responsive and consistent

Eriks stage 2- autonomy vs shame and doubt (1-3yr)

• Autonomy- independence, self control

Eriks stage 3- initiative vs guilt (3-5)

• Am I good or bad?

Eriks stage 4- industry vs. inferiority (6-11)

• Sense of competence or inability

Attachment

 starting in infancy; enduring, emotional bond between infant and another person

Harlow

 soft contact important (ex monkey experiment)

Attachment styles

Secure- adult as secure base from which to explore

insecure-anxious/ambivalent (resistant )

Insecure-avoidant

Causes for insecure attachment

• temperament

• stressful home life

• parenting

Long term effects of attachment

• Attachment security affects emotional, social, and cognitive competence

• Size of vocab

• Interpersonal interaction

• Emotions

Deprivation of attachment

• Romanian orphanages- little contact

• Difficulty developing social bonds

Ethological theory (Bowlby)

 babies have biologically programmed behaviors that prompt others to care for them because they’re cute

1- authoritarian

 low warmth, high control

Controlling, demanding, high emphasis on obedience

Very restrictive, lots of rules

2- permissive-

 high warmth, low control

Very few rules or restrictions

3- uninvolved (neglectful)-

low warmth, low control

Least effective, most detrimental

4- authoritative

 high warmth, high control

Not overly demanding or hostile