Psychology

Prepare for Midterm

Monoism

The idea that the mind (consciousness) is a product of brain activity

Dualism

The notion that the physical brain and body are separate from but influenced by the nonphysical mind or spirit

Applied Research

Researching a specific issue and a specific solution

Basic Research

Just for fun, “I don’t know why this happens, lets find out”

Sampling issues in Psychological Research

Most research in psychology is conducted in universities by faculty members and students, many participants come from inductory psychology, or the main student body usually undergrads.

Types of Research Designs

• Between Subjects Design

• With-in Subjects Design

Divisions of the Nervous System

• Nervous System

• - Central Nervous System

• - Peripheral Nervous System

• (Addition of PNS) - Autonomic Nervous System

• (Addition of PNS) - Somatic Nervous System

• (Addition of Somatic) - Symphatic Nervous System

• (Addition of Somatic) - Parasymphatic Nervous System

Types of Glial Cells

• Astrocytes: Star-shaped; Feeds neurons; Cleans Neurons

• Oligodendrocytes: Form the myelin sheath

• Microglia: Immune system of the central nervous system

• Schwan Cells: Does everything all of the others listed above do, but in the peripheal nervous system

Primary Neurotransmitters

• Glutamate: Most common excitatory neurotransmitter in central nervous system

• GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid): Most common inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system

• Monoamines: A group of neurotransmitters that have one amino group in their structure

• Dopamine: Excitatory or inhibitory; depends on the receptor

• Norepinephrine: Derived from dopamine; excitatory

• Epinephrine: Derived from norepinephrine; excitatory

• Serotonin: Affects mood, sleep, hunger and pain

• Acetylcholine: Common throughout body in CNS and PNS

• Neuropeptides: Excitatory or inhibitory based on receptor

• Hormones: Send signals within the body and brain

The Meninges

• Dura Matter

• Arachnoid Matter

• Pia Mater

Basic Functions of the Limbic System

• Motivation

• Emotion

• Unconscious

• Processing

• Spicy behavior

Genotype

Allele Configuration

• Heterozygote = Tt

• Heterozygote Dominant = TT

• Heterozygote Recessive = tt

Phenotype

Physical/Behavioral representation of a gene

Punnett Squares

Some genes from the mother are recessive and some are dominant, the fathers genes are the same, these genes give you a probability of what traits the child could pick up from either parent.

GMO Animals

The basic structure of DNA is the same between different organisms, so scientists determine the function of a segment of DNA, cut it out, and then splice it into another organism, creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Nature vs. Nurture

— This is NOT true —

Nature: Influence of genes and evolution on behavior

Nurture: Influence on learning, experience, and socialization behavior

Theory of Natural Selection

Explaining theory of the evolution of organisms developed by Charles Darwin

5 Basic Principals of Natural Selection

• Variation

• Over-Reproduction

• Competition

• Advantage

• Modification by Descent

Mismatch Theory

Traits beneficial in the past that can become harmful in modern settings, leading to maladaptive behaviors

Theories of consciousness

• Global Workspace Theory: Developed by Bernard Baars and is one of the most globally accepted modern theories of consciousness. “We have limited capacity for how much information we can hold in thought at any given moment".”

• Attention Schema Theory: Developed by Michael Graziano, his idea states, “The mind is grounded into materialism.”

Opioid Basics

• Opiates and Opioids are a class of drugs that humans have been using for centuries to relieve pain, reduce diarrhea, suppress coughing, and feel euphoric

• Opioids are partially synthetic, such as heroin, OxyContin, and fentanyl

• Opioids impact many areas of the brain that have their own opiate receptors. It is in both the CNS and the PNS

Metabolic Tolerance

Increased opioid use causes the neurons to reduce the number of opioid receptors or the synthesis of endogenous opioids in a process called downregulation

Psychological Tolerance

Relies a lot on classical conditioning, which involves an association between two stimuli and a change in response

The Visual Pathway

Nerve signals travel from the eye to the thalamus and eventually to the occipital lobe

Basics of Psychophysics

• Psychophysics: The study of physical properties of stimuli and ways of quantifying the perceptual response.

• Absolute Threshold: At which physical stimuli could be perceived

• Difference Threshold: The human sensitivity to detect a difference in magnitude of different stimuli, such as frequency of sound or brightness of light

• Just-noticeable difference: The point at which two stimuli can be perceived as different

Basic Functions of the Thalamus

• Nerve signals travel from the eye to the thalamus and the thalamus sends the signals to the occipital lobe

• Information from the right eye is processed by both the left and right thalamus and visual cortex

Basic Anatomy of the Ear

Physical properties of sound stimuli

The physical components of sound waves have corresponding components, the sound waves amplitude determines its loudness, and the wavelength will indicate the number of waves that can be produced per second (frequency), measured in hertz.

Nonassociative Learning

The changes in behavior may result in exposure to stimulation and not necessarily the connection or association between events and behaviors

Classical Conditioning

Two stimuli are presented to the animal for many trials and the researcher records changes to the first stimulus. The unconditioned stimulus would be presented and the conditioned stimulus is what happens when the unconditioned stimulus is presented.

Extinction in Classical Conditioning

For example when the bell is rung but no food is presented and the conditioned response declines.

Reinforcing Schedules

Free-Operant: Operant procedure in which the animal can behave whenever they want, as much as they want

Discrete trails: Operant procedure in which stimuli and responses occur in separate trails

Reinforcement

Occurs when you want the consequence to increase the likelihood of the behavior

Punishment

Occurs when you want the consequence to decrease the likelihood of the behavior

Imitation

copying exact behavior

Emulation

approximating similar behaviors towards the same outcome

Primary Need

Physiological; created when the body detects a shift out of homeostatsis

Secondary Needs

Psychological; includes things like emotional satisfaction, curiosity, and acceptance