psych midterm full

What do psychologists make use of to minimize errors or false conclusions?

systematic methods

Since psychologists can’t read an organism’s mind they must do what?

observe their behavior

What are the four goals of psychology?

Description, explanation, prediction, influence

What is description?

Gathering information about the behavior being studied and describing it

What is explanation?

Seeking out why an organism behaves a certain way. Forming hypotheses which turn into theories.

What is prediction?

Using data from numerous observations to predict how an organism will do, feel, or think in a specific situation.

What is influence?

Opting to tether basic science or applied science to solve/learn more about a problem

How were skull bumps relevant to the emergence of psychology?

Phrenology inspired people to consider the brain (instead of the heart) as responsible for human behavior.

How did Greek philosophy contribute to psychology?

they concluded that people are rational and they relied on observation for understanding their world

What did the Greeks contribute to the scientific method?

Relied on observation for understanding their world and the Rennaisance scientists worked to refine the scientific method

What did Rene Descartes say that laid the foundation for psychology?

The mind controlled the body’s movements, sensations, and perceptions

Who is Wilhelm Wundt and what did he contribute to psychology?

Known as the “father of modern psych”. Created one of the first psychology concepts, structuralism, and developed introspection. Also created the first laboratory of psych in 1879.

Who is William James and what did he contribute to psychology?

Psychologist and philosopher who created Functionalism which studies how animals and people adapt to their environment

Who is Sir Francis Galton and what did he contribute to psychology?

Polymath and originator who observed that the most prominent figures in history had prominent offspring and so on. Concluded that greatness runs in the family and is genetically passed on. Although it wasn’t necessarily all correct, he formed a basis for this kind of line ofthought

What is Gestalt psychologyand what did it eventually become?

Study on how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences. In summary, the mind fills in gaps and hoes in a person’s experience making it seem seamless. It eventually became Cognitive Psychology.

Who is Sigmund Freud? Describe the branch of psychology he developed.

neurologist who created Psychoanalytic psychology. Stated that the unconscious mind is primitive and driven by biological urges that are in conflict with society and morality.

Who was Ivan Pavlov?

Physiologist who created Behavioral Psychology. Famous for conducting and experiment on the conditioning of dogs.

Describe the main idea behind behaviorism.

An organism can be conditioned into a specfiifc response if they are repretively given a stimulant. A main example is how Ivan Pavlov conditioned a dog into salivating with the ring of a tuning fork although there was no treat for it.

Who is Abraham Maslow?

psychologist and humanist who created humanistic psych. states that every person is unique and has their own self concept. also states that the behavior of humans is NOT controlled by the environment or the unconscious mind

What is cognitive psychology?

there are a variety of mental processes that take place in the brain, including perception, human intelligence, language, thinking and proble msolving, memory, and attention.

What do biopsychologists study?

How the brain, the nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence our behavior.

What is sociocultural psychology?

studies the influence of cultural and ethnic similiarties and differences on behavior. One example is the ethics of eating certain foods in various regions of the world.

What are the two main branches of the nervous system?

Central Nervous System (CNS) and th Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Why are neurotransmitters important? Why is balance important?

Because they regulate almost all body functions. They are aid in memory and learning,inhibiting pain, rewarding the body, and much more. Balance is crucial because an oversupply or under supply can lead to drastic physical and mental health issues such as parkinson’s disease or schizophrenia.

What is the function of the somatic nervous system?

Controls voluntary actions such as turning a page in a book, walking, speaking, and more.

What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?

Controls involuntary actions such as heartbeat, digestion, sweating, retaining temperature, and more.

Contrast the sympathetic nervous system with the parasympathetic nervous system.

Sympathetic prepares the body for emergencies and strenuous activity by increasing blood presuure and heart rate while parasympathetic returns the body back to its resting state by decreasing blood pressure and heart rate.

What is the function of the hindbrain? What three parts does it consist of?

Controls the most basic life processes of an organism and consists of the cerebellum, memdulla, and pons.

What is the function of the midbrain?

allows a person to be alerted even while oned out/asleep. Integrates sensory information and relays it upward toward the forebrain.

Name 3 functions the forebrain is responsible for.

limbic system (controls the regulation of emotions and motivations), the hypothalamus (controls hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, and reactions to temperature), the thalamus (integrates most sensory information to the correct part of the brain) and more.

What is the corpus callosum?

A bundle of nerve fibers that allow the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate. Cutting this prevents or reduces the frequency and/or severity of seizures, however it does have drawbacks.

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Occipital, Parietal, Temporal, Frontal.

What does the Occipital Lobe do?

where visual signals are processed

What does the Parietal lobe do?

deals with sensory information from all over the body

What does the Temporal lobe do?

deals with hearing, memory, emotion, and speaking

What does the Frontal lobe do?

deals with organization, planning, and creative thinking

The left hemisphere of the brain controls what side of the body?

the right

What functions is the left side of the brain responsible for?

Speech, mathematical ability, calculation, and logic

What functions is the right side of the brain responsible for?

visual and spatial relations to the brain, perceptual tasks and recognizing patterns, and creativity and intuition.

What is a split brain operation? Use an example of the consequences of this procedure.

Operations in which the corpus callosum is severed to stop severe seizures from spreading from one side to another. However, this means that the two hemispheres of the brain cannot communicate. An example of this is when the left eye sees a word and the right eye doesn’t. When asked what the person sees, they will say “nothing”. However, the person’s left hand will start writing or drawing what word they saw. This is because the left hemisphere controls speaking and the right doesn’t, so it must opt to drawing to communicate.

What are the five ways psychologists can study the brain?

Recording, stimulation, lesions, accidents, images.

Who was Phineas Gage and what happened to him?

railroad worker who was sociable and respected who got into an accident where a bar shot through a part of his head. After, he was short tempered and difficult to be around.

Basic science

applying the research of something to future research. Investigation to simply learn more.

Applied science

applying the research of something to an immediate problem. Investigation to solve a problem.

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior that is tested through research

Phyysiology

an organisms physical processes (bodily processes and needs)

Cognition

an organisms thinking and understanding

Structuralist

A psychologist that studies and tries to understand the structure of the conscious experience by analyzing the intensity, clarity, and quality of its basic parts

Functionalist

A psychologist that studies how animals and people adapt to their environment

Introspection

a system of self observation developed by wilhelm wundt in which participants reported their thoughts

Phrenology

a pseudoscience which studied how the bumps on the skulls determined a person's traits and intellect

Free association

where one says anything that comes to mind. Used to find what the person focuses on or is bothered by.

Dream analysis

Freud's analysis of a patient's dreams in which he believed that dreams expressed the primitive mind’

Case studies

a system created by sigmund freud where thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experiences or problems of an individual are analyzed

CNS

consists of the brain and spinal cord and receives information from the PNS

PNS

consists of branches of nerves that extend all over the body and organs.

Neuron

a long thin cell of nerve tissue along which messages travel to and from the brain.

Cell body

a part of a neuron that contains the nucleus and produce energy for cell functions

Dendrite

short, thin fibers that extend from the cell body and receive signals from other neurons

Axon

long fiber that carries impulses from the cell body toward the dendrites

Axon Terminal

the end of the axon that sends out impuulses to other neurons via the use of neurotransmitters

Myelin sheath

a thick insulatory layer that protects the axon and helps ensure efficient transmission of impulses.

Nodes

exposed parts of the axon not covered by the myelin sheath which helps nerve impulses “jump” forward

Synapse

the space between the axon and dendrite; it is a junction between neurons

Neurotransmitters

chemicals that determine the rate at what impulses fire. They all have different jobs.

Afferent neurons

neurons that carry sensory messages from the body and organs to the brain

Efferent neurons

neurons that carry motor signals from the brain to the muscles and glands

Interneurons

neurons that carry messages between neurons in the body and brain

Pons

function as a bridge between the spinal cord and brain. Also produces chemicals essential to sleep

Cerebellum

located behind the spinal cord and controls postures, balance, adn voluntary movement

Medulla

controls breathing, heart rate, and a variety of reflexes. If you damage it, you will die

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

alerts the rest of the brain to incoming signals. If damaged, the person is in permanent sleep

Thalamus

found in the forebrain. Integrates most sensory inputs except for smell and sends them to the correct part of the brain

Hypothalamus

found in the forebrain. Controls hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, and reactions to temperature

Cerebral cortex

The outermost layer of the brain that enables a person to learn, store information, read, see, and understand

Cerebrum

the largest part of the brain that manages conscious thoughts and handles cognitive functions such as learning, memory, emotions and more

Limbic system

located in the forebrain. Regulates emotions and motivations

Amygdala

located in the forebrain. Controls violent emotions and rage

Hippocampus

located in the forebrain. Controls memory formation. If you damage it, you can never learn new things.