Psychology Final

Psychology

Study of the mind and behavior

* Solves problems of the human experience, including the workplace, health, product design, law, and more.

Willhelm Wundt

Opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Liepzig in 1879

* To be aware of ones awareness takes longer”

Introspection

to look within

Humanist

Believes people are essentially good, unlike psychoanalytic psychologists--believes humans were unique and distinct from animals, unlike behaviorists

* Might be interested in understanding how angry feelings affect a person’s potential for growth and personal fulfillment

Biopsychological

Incorporates various levels of analysis and offers a more complete picture of any given behavior or mental process

* Natural selection of adaptive traits
* Genetic predispositions responding to the environment
* Brain Mechanisms
* Hormonal Influences
* Often used to treat mental illness

Sociocultural

how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

* Presence of others
* Cultural, societal, and family expectations
* Peer and other group influences
* Compelling models (such as the media)

Psychoanalytic

What behavior springs out of unconscious conflicts and drives usually stemming from disorders or traits in terms of sexual and aggressive drives as the disguise of unfulfilled wishes and childhood trauma

* Id, Ego, and Superego
* Oedipus, Electra, and Potty Training complex
* Conscious, Pre-conscious, and unconscious
* Pleasure Principle
* Reality principle
* Conscious Principle (Inhibitions and moral values)

Cognitive

the understanding that the brain is the sole purpose for the way someone behaves or reacts

* CAT scans, MRI’s, and fMRI’S
* School of Psychology that studies mental processes
* Encode, process, store, and retrieve information
* Interpretation of a situation

Behaviorism

studies observable human behavior, studied mainly on how we learn/indoctrinated to learn and how we react to the environment. If we can’t see it, we don’t study it.

* B.F. Skinner
* Child touching hot coffee
* Reinforcement vs. punishment
* Ratios of reinforcement
* Primary and Secondary motives

Eclecticism

the process of using multiple perspectives to care for a patient in psychology

Nature vs. Nurture

controversy over genes (nature) and experience (nurture) make to psychological traits and behaviors

Bystander Effect

the tendency for helping to decrease when bystanders are present

Diffusion of Responsibility

when others are present, people feel less personal responsibility

* influenced by surroundings

Social Norms

the explicit or implicit rules specifying what behaviors are acceptable within a society or group

Ex.) face elevator doors vs. facing the rest of the people

Conformity

the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what individuals perceive as normal of their society or social group

Ex.) Solomon Asch

Attribution Theory

a theory of how we explain the behaviors of other people

We attribute behavior to the…

External and Internal (personality)

Antecedent

Information, beliefs, motivations that we already have; forms our opinion

Attribution

Causes we come up with to explain why people do what they do

Consequence

what we do about the situation, our emotional response and our expectations-what we think will happen in the future

Fundamental attribution error looking at SOMEONE ELSE

We OVER estimate the influence of personal qualities and UNDER estimate the power of the situation

Fundamental attribution error looking at OURSELVES

We UNDER estimate ourselves and we OVER estimate the situation

Milgram Obedience

In the study, the authority figure ordered participants to deliver what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to another person.

* Suggested that people are highly influenced by authority and highly obedient

Zimbardo and Stanford Prison

The study took paid participants and assigned them to be inmates or guards in a mock prison at Stanford University

* soon after the experiment began, the guards began mistreating the prisoners; implying evil is brought out by experience

Reinforcement

any consequence that increases the likelihood of behavior

Positive reinforcement

giving something you like, giving something good

Ex.) $, food, attention, praise to increase behavior

Negative reinforcement

taking away something bad, taking away something you don’t like

ex.) take away curfew, take away chores, to increase behavior

Punishment

a response that decreases the likelihood of behavior

Positive punishment

give something you don’t like

ex.) spank, chore, rule

Negative punishment

take away something you like

ex.) freedom, time, objects

Classical Conditioning

“classic” learning by associating 2 stimuli/events occurring close together

* initiating or altering your reflex from the stimulus
* bell rings= get up

Pavlov

learning to respond to a formerly neutral stimulus

* food=salivation
* bell= neutral stimulus (nothing)
* Pairing bell+food=salivation

Operant Conditioning

learning by associating a respond and it’s consequence

Skinner

developed E.L. Thorndike’s “Law of Effect”… taught animals through shaping.

* “Successive Approximations”
* Created Skinner boxes--lights, levers, and food pellets

Shaping

reward the closer they get and ignore all other responses

Thorndike

learning is the result of associations forming between stimuli and responses

* such associations or “habits” become strengthened or weakened by the nature of the S-R pairings

Bandura & Bobo the Doll

Adult researchers physically and verbally abused an inflatable doll in front of pre-school aged children, which led the children to later mimic the behavior by attacking the doll in the same fashion.

Social/Observational Conditioning

Learning by watching, imitating, and modeling other’s

* No rewards needed

Vicarious reinforcement

learning by observing the consequences of others

Neuron

They use chemical signals and electrical impulses to transfer information between different areas of the brain and then the brain to the rest of the Nervous System. Information Messengers.

Central Nervous System

The Brain and spinal cord. Responsible for integrating and coordinating the activities of the entire body, Thought, emotion, and sensation (experienced). Body movements are coordinated.

Somatic Nervous System

A subdivision of your peripheral nervous system that stretches throughout nearly every part of your body. Deliver information from your senses to your brain. Also carry commands from your brain to your muscles so you can move around.

Peripheral Nervous System

Vital reflexes. Lies outside your brain and in your spinal cord. Sends information from different areas of your body back to your brain; carries out commands from your brain to various parts of your body. Built into your body for the safety of your body. 

Autonomic Nervous System

Component of the Peripheral Nervous System that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and sexual arousal. 

Hypothalamus

Smart Control coordinating center. Keep your body in a stable state called homeostasis. Directly influences the autonomic nervous system and managing hormones.

Cerebral Cortex

Responsible for the higher-level processes of the human brain. Includes language, memory, reasoning, thought, learning, decision-making, intelligence, etc.

Cerebellum

Responsible for coordinating voluntary movements. Motor skills such as balance, coordination, and posture.

Hippocampus

Embedded deep in the temporal lobe. Has a major role in learning and memory. Is affected by a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. 

Reflex

Involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to stimulus. It does not need conscious thought.

Brain Stem

The lower part of the brain that’s connected to the spinal cord, Responsible for regulating most of the body’s automatic functions that are essential for life. Including; breathing & heartbeat.

Hemispheres

The right side controls the right side of the body and the left side controls the left side.

Corpus Callosum

Large white matter tract that connects the 2 hemispheres. Allows us to perceive depth and enables the 2 sides of our brain to communicate. Important structural and functional. 

Pituitary Gland

Small pea-sized gland that plays a major role in regulating vital body functions and general well-being. Hormone secreting, functions during puberty.

Acetylcholine

a type of messenger, or neurotransmitter, that plays a vital role in the central nervous system. Important for muscle control, autonomic body functions, and in learning, memory, and attention.

Dopamine

a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good. Right amount is important for both your body & brain. Helps nerve cells send messages to each other.

Endorphins

Chemical signals in the brain that block the perception of pain & increase the feelings of well-being. Produced & stored in the pituitary gland.

Name the part of the brain

Frontal Lobe

Name the part of the brain

Primary Motor Cortex/Precentral Gyrus

Name that part of the brain

Central Sulcus

Name that part of the brain

Temporal Lobe

Name that part of the brain

Parietal Lobe

Name that part of the brain

Occipital Lobe

Circadian Rhythm

sequences of behavioral changes occurring approximately every 24 hours

Biological clocks

Internal chemical units that control regular cycles in parts of the body

Entrainment

Involves altering the free-running cycle to fit different rhythms.

Hypnosis

a state of relaxation in which attention is focus on certain objects, acts, or feelings

Meditation

deep relaxation and mental calmness. Concentrating and getting rid of the constant stream of disorganized ideas that could be stressing you out. It’s considered a form of supplementary medicine for the mind and body.

Sleep spindles

Quick, insurgent brain activity, and spread out. Mixed EEG activity. Some wide, some tall. Ni

Nightmare

frightening dream during REM

Night terrors

a horrible dream during NREM when the body is not prepared for it

Narcolepsy

acute sleep attacks. There could be a sudden loss of muscular tone and hallucinations. a neurological condition known as narcolepsy affects how well the brain regulates sleep and awakeness. excessive daytime tiredness and sleep paralysis. this may be brought in by diseases, severe psychological stress, genetic defects, etc.

Sleep Apnea

loud and snoring, episodes in which you stop breathing while you sleep and someone else notices, gasping for air while you sleep, and waking up with a dry mouth. When the muscles in the back of your throat relax too much, it causes obstructive sleep apnea.

Insomnia

having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, as well as feeling exhausted. Stress, an inconsistent sleep pattern, poor sleeping habits, mental health conditions including anxiety and depression, physical ailments & pain, drugs neurological issues, and particular sleep disorders are common causes of the issue.

REM

sleep state involving Rapid Eye Movement

NREM

Non-rapid eye movement sleep, involving partial thoughts, images, or stories, poor organization (stages 1,2 &3)

Beta Waves

Rapid brain waves that take place when a person is awake (Awake or REM)

Delta Waves

Slow, Lazy, deep-sleep, waves ( Stage 3 & 4)

Alpha Waves

fairly relaxed brain waves that occur just before going to sleep (drowsy)

Theta waves

Wider & longer. begin the process of sleep (Stage 1)

Only time frame for Naps

0-30/ 90 or more

Sleep Disturbances

Somnambulism, sleep walking and talking

Menarche- FEMALE puberty

1st mentrual period (\~12.5)

* triggered by the hypothalamus & estrogen
* diet, exercise, genes, & stress

Menarche - MALE puberty

(\~12-14) production/release of sperm

* triggered by hypothalamus & testosterone

Object Permanence

involves that items and people still exist even when you cant see or hear them

Sensorimotor

(B-2) experience the word through senses & motor activities

Preoperational

(2-7) experience the world through egocentric viewpoint

* misled by appearances

Concrete Operational

(7-11) more flexible in thinking & multiple perspectives

* Knowledge = conservation & reversibility

Formal Operational

(12+) reflect on ones own thinking & can consider possibilities

* Knowledge = abstract reasoning

Denial

deny diagnosis, seek other opinions

Anger

“why me”, angry w/ living

Bargaining

negotiate w/ God, buy time

Depression

from loss of time/life

Acceptance

one one’s fate, peaceful

Pre-linguistic stage

(0-6mo.) communicate with sounds, cry, making cooing sounds, utter nasal murmurs as their vocal tracts develop. Also recognize voices & sounds.

Babbling stage

(6-9mo.) making noises and syllables that aren’t yet words, mouth muscles and teeth grow in preparation for advanced talking.

Holophrastic stage

(9-18mo.) say single words that describe objects or identify their basic needs.

Two-word stage

can speak 2-word sentences that usually have some meaning that they learned during the holophrastic stage

Telegraphic stage

(24-30mo.) can speak phrases that also have more that 2 elements. correct grammar ISN’T prevalent. ability to understand basic instructions.

Multi-word stage

(beyond 30mo.) build increasingly complex sentences that allow them to better communicate their ideas. start to incorporate morphemes to make ore semantically sounding phrases. “apple” to “apples”

Thanatos

The death drive controls aggression, risky behaviors, and death. You can say that our death instinct takes the 'born to die' approach, often making humans engage in activities that bring them closer to death. Examples are war and murder.