Memory tricks for EPPP

Dopamine

“Dope = Drive, Desire, Delusions”

👉 Imagine:
Your brain is a hyped party promoter on cocaine.

• “Let’s GO!!! Chase goals!!! Take risks!!!”

• Too much → “I’m the chosen one” (psychosis)

.

• Too much → schizophrenia (positive symptoms)

• Not enough → Parkinson’s (motor issues)

• Reward, motivation, movement

Serotonin

Soft, Stable, Sleepy vibes”

👉 Imagine:
A chill yoga girl saying, “Everything is fine.”

.

• Not enough → depression, anxiety, OCD

• SSRIs increase serotonin

• Regulates:

  • mood

  • sleep

  • appetite

Norepinephrine

“NO REST energy drink”

👉 Imagine:
Someone who had 5 Red Bulls and is scanning for danger

.

• Too much → anxiety, hyperarousal (PTSD)

• Not enough → depression

• Fight-or-flight, alertness

GABA

“Grandma says: calm TF down.”

👉 Imagine:
A grandma sedating everyone at the party with tea ☕

.

• Main inhibitory neurotransmitter

• Not enough → anxiety, seizures

• Benzos increase GABA

Glutamate

“Gas pedal stuck down.”

👉 Imagine:
A car with no brakes, just GO GO GO

 .

• Main excitatory neurotransmitter

• Too much → neurotoxicity

• Involved in learning & memory

Acetylcholine

“Alzheimer’s forgot his keys.”

👉 Imagine:
An old man says, “Why did I walk into this room?”

.

• Memory + muscle movement

• Not enough → Alzheimer’s

• Also involved in attention

Amygdala

 “Alarm-y-gdala” 

👉 Imagine:
A paranoid security guard overreacting

.

• Fear, threat detection

• Overactive → anxiety, PTSD

• Damage → reduced fear

Hippocampus

“Hippo on campus studying memories”

👉 Imagine:
A hippo carrying textbooks 🦛📚

-

• Forms new memories

• Damage → anterograde amnesia

• Shrinks in Alzheimer’s

Hypothalamus

“Homeostasis thermostat + 4 F’s

• feeding 🍔

• fornication 😏

• fleeing

• fighting

• temperature 🌡

-

• Regulates basic drives

• Controls the endocrine system (via the pituitary)

Thalamus

“The mailroom” 📦

• 👉 Imagine:
  A guy sorting ALL incoming packages

-

• Sensory relay station (except smell)

• Sends info to correct brain areas

Basal Ganglia

 “Movement DJ” 🎧

👉 Imagine:
A DJ controlling your movement rhythm

-

• Movement control

• Dysfunction:

  • Too little movement → Parkinson’s

  • Too much movement → Huntington’s

Cerebellum

“Cere-balance-um” ⚖

👉 Imagine:
A drunk guy trying to walk straight

-

• Balance, coordination

• Damage → ataxia (uncoordinated movement)

Brainstem

“Stay alive center.” ❤

👉 Imagine:
A life-support machine

-

• Controls:

  • breathing

  • heart rate

• Damage → death risk

Corpus Callosum

 “Brain bridge” 

👉 Imagine:
A bridge connecting two cities

-

• Connects left & right hemispheres

• Split-brain → weird disconnection effects

Hippocampus damage

causes Anterograde Amnesia

👉 “Can’t make new memories, but old ones are fine”

-

Think:
Movie 50 First Dates

Drew is the size of a hippo

Amygdala damage

causes → Kluver-Bucy Syndrome

👉 “No fear + weird sexual behavior”

-

Gary Busey & his GF Amy (who has no fear)

• Hypersexuality

• Docility

• Oral fixation

Basal Ganglia damage

causes→ Parkinson’s Disease

👉 “Frozen, slow, shaky”

-

• Tremor

• Rigidity

• Bradykinesia

  • Brady slowly throws a ball to MJF

Cerebellum damage

causes → Ataxia

👉 “Drunk without alcohol”

• Poor coordination

• Balance problems

Broca’s Area damage

👉 “Bros know what they want to say, but can’t say it”

-

• Non-fluent speech

• Frustrated patient

Wernicke’s Area damage

causes → Wernicke’s Aphasia

👉 “Fluent nonsense” → No one can understand what Weird Nick is saying

-

• Word salad

• No awareness of problem

“The Hormone Reality Show”

• Hypothalamus = the shady producer

• Pituitary = the manager yelling orders

• Everyone else = chaotic contestants with one personality trait

Hypothalamus

“The Puppet Master (with control issues)”

👉 Imagine:
A control freak whispering into an earpiece 🎤

• “You → release hormones”

• “You → stop eating”

• “You → have sex”

-

• Links brain ↔ endocrine system

• Controls pituitary

• Maintains homeostasis (hunger, temp, sex)

Pituitary

“The Bossy Manager”

👉 Imagine:
An overworked manager screaming:
“EVERYONE DO YOUR JOB!!!”

-

• “Master gland”

• Sends hormones to control:

  • thyroid

  • adrenal

  • gonads

• Works under the hypothalamus

Thyroid

“The Metabolism Queen” 💅

👉 Imagine:
A girl obsessed with calories and energy

Hormones:

• T3 / T4

-

• Hyper____ → anxiety, weight loss, insomnia

• Hypo_____ → depression, weight gain, fatigue

👉 MEMORY:
Too much = tweaked out
Too little = tired & sad

Adrenal Glands

 “The Panic Button” 🚨

👉 Imagine:
Someone slamming the EMERGENCY BUTTON

-

Hormones:

• Epinephrine (adrenaline)

• Cortisol

-

• Fight-or-flight

• Chronic cortisol → stress damage, depression, anxiety

Cortisol

“The Stress Monster”

👉 Imagine:
A toxic boss who never lets you relax

-

• Short-term = helpful

• Long-term =

  • anxiety

  • depression

  • immune suppression

Pancreas

“Blood Sugar Babysitter” 🍭

👉 Imagine:
A babysitter handing out candy vs taking it away

Hormones:

• Insulin (lowers blood sugar)

• Glucagon (raises blood sugar)

-

• Diabetes = insulin problems

👉 MEMORY:
Insulin = puts sugar IN cells

Pineal Gland 

“Sleepy Time Fairy” 🌙

👉 Imagine:
A fairy sprinkling sleep dust

Hormone:

• Melatonin

  • low levels associated with: sleep problems; jet lag

-

• Regulates sleep-wake cycles

• Affected by light

Parathyroid

“Calcium Karen” 🦴

👉 Imagine:
Someone yelling:
“YOUR BONES NEED CALCIUM!!!”

Hormone:

• Parathyroid hormone (PTH)

-

• Regulates calcium levels

Cortisol ↑ 

👉 Think:

• depression

• anxiety

• memory problems

-

👉 Clue in vignette:
“Chronic Stress,” “burnout,” “elevated cortisol”

Thyroid Problems

👉 ALWAYS think:

• Looks like depression? → hypo_____ → low levels

• Looks like anxiety? → hyper_______ → high levels

-

💥 THIS IS TESTED A LOT

Endocrine System story

The hypothalamus producer 🎤 is controlling everything
→ yelling at the pituitary manager
→ who is screaming at everyone else

Meanwhile:

• The thyroid queen is either:

  • manic and skinny

  • or depressed in bed

• The adrenal glands are slamming the panic button 🚨

• The cortisol boss won’t let anyone relax

• The pancreas babysitter is handing out sugar 🍭

• The pineal fairy is trying to make everyone sleep 🌙

• The gonads are causing chaos and drama 😏

Spearman (g) 

“SPEAR = one sharp intelligence 🎯”

👉 Imagine:
Someone holding ONE spear saying:
“All intelligence comes from THIS one ability.”

.

💀 MEMORY:
g factor = ONE general intelligence

Gardner

“The GARDENER 🌱 isn’t book smart… but has other talents”

👉 Imagine:
A gardener saying:
“Yeah I suck at math… but I can garden, play music, and read people 😏”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Multiple intelligences
→ not one kind of smart

Sternberg

“STERN-BERG = strict boss with 3 expectations.”

👉 Imagine:
A boss yelling:
“You need BOOK smarts, STREET smarts, and LIFE smarts or you’re fired!”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Triarchic = 3 types of intelligence

Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning

“PAVLOV’S PAVILION 🔔 = weird associations form”

👉 Imagine:
A dog hears a bell and gets turned on (lol) or hungry

.

💀 MEMORY:
Association = stimulus → response

Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

“SKIN gets rewarded or punished.😏”

👉 Imagine:
You do something →

• get rewarded → do it again

• get punished → stop

.

💀 MEMORY:
Behavior shaped by consequences

Watson (Behaviorism)

“WAT? Feelings? Never heard of them 🤨”

👉 Imagine:
Watson tells Little Albert:
“I don’t care what you FEEL, just change behavior.”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Behavior only, no internal processes

Bandura (Social Learning) 

A Monkey joins the BAND 🎸 by copying them”

👉 Imagine:
A monkey sees a band → copies their style → the joins the band

.

💀 MEMORY:
Modeling / observational learning

Bobo “monkey doll” study → increases aggression

Thorndike (Law of Effect) 

“THORN = ouch → don’t do that again.🌹”

👉 Imagine:
Touch a thorn → pain → won’t touch it ever again

.

💀 MEMORY:
Law of Effect = good → repeat, bad → avoid

Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model

“A–S = All Stops 🚉 (3 stations)”

👉 Imagine:
A train stopping at 3 stations:

1. sensory

2. short-term

3. long-term

.

💀 MEMORY:
3-stage memory model

If you don’t rehearse it → it’s gone

Baddeley’s Working Memory Model

“BAD DELAY → the Multitasking Queen is juggling too many activities 🤯”

👉 Imagine:
You’re overwhelmed, multitasking badly

4 components: Central Executive, Phonological Loop, Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad, and Episodic Buffer. 

.

💀 MEMORY:
Working memory = multiple systems active

Levels of Processing 

“Level UP ⬆ = deeper = hotter = remembered”

👉 Imagine:

• shallow convo = forgettable

  • “Nice weather” → forget instantly

• deep convo = unforgettable

  • Trauma dumping → unforgettable

.

💀 MEMORY:
Deeper processing = better memory

Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

“MAS-LOW = meet LOW needs first 🍔”

👉 Imagine:
You say:
“I can’t self-actualize… I’m starving.”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Basic needs first, then growth

Drive Reduction Theory

“DRIVE = uncomfortable urge 🚗”

👉 Imagine:
You feel an itch → MUST fix it

.

💀 MEMORY:
Reduce discomfort

Tension → reduce it

Incentive Theory 

“INCENTIVE = $$$ 🤑”

👉 Imagine:
You only do something because you get paid

You go to work… not for passion… but for money 💰

.

💀 MEMORY:
External reward drives behavior, but it can sometimes reduce intrinsic motivation, 

Self-Determination Theory

“SELF decides = motivation 🔥”

👉 Imagine:
You choose something → you actually care

• Forced to go to the gym → miserable

• Your choice to go → obsessed

.

💀 MEMORY:
Autonomy = motivation

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

“JAMES = JUMP → then feels 😱”

👉 Imagine:
You jump & your heart races→ THEN realize you’re scared

.

💀 MEMORY:
Body first, emotion second

Cannon-Bard’s Theory of Emotion

“CANNON 💥 = simultaneous explosion”

👉 Imagine:
BOOM → body + emotion at same time

.

💀 MEMORY:
Simultaneous

Schachter-Singer’s Theory of Emotion

“SINGER labels the vibe 🎤”

👉 Imagine:
Your body is aroused and the “singer” narrates:
“This is fear… or love… idk”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Arousal + label = emotion

Lazarus’s Theory of Emotion

“LAZARUS pauses and says ‘wait… is this dangerous?’”

👉 Imagine:
Something happens →
Lazarus holds up a hand ✋ and says:

“Let me THINK about this first”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Emotion depends on how you appraise the situation

.

Core baked in:

• Primary appraisal = “Is this a threat?”

• Secondary appraisal = “Can I handle it?”

.

👉 Shortcut:
No appraisal = no emotion

Piaget’s Theory of Cognition Development

“P.J. = little kid in pajamas thinking WRONG”

👉 Imagine:
On the Stage, is a kid in PJs saying:

• “The moon follows me.” 🌙

• “I poured juice → now there’s MORE.”

💀 MEMORY:
Kids think weird until they develop through stages

.

Core baked in:

• Schemas = their little “rules about the world”

• Assimilation = “this fits my rule”

• Accommodation = “ugh I have to change my rule”

.

Four Stages of Development:

• Sensorimotor

• Preoperational (2-7 yrs old)

• Concrete Operational

• Formal Operational (12+ yrs old) → abstract & hypothetical reasoning

.

👉 Shortcut:
Piaget = kids slowly stop being dumb

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

“VYGOT-SKY = you need a GUIDE to level up 🎮”

👉 Imagine:
A kid playing a game:

• alone → stuck

• with help → beats the level

.

💀 MEMORY:
Learning happens through other people

.

Core baked in:

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) = “almost can do it” zone

• Scaffolding = help/support to succeed

.

👉 Shortcut:
Vygotsky = learning = social support

Information Processing Theory

“Brain = glitchy computer 💻”

👉 Imagine:

• input → lag → processing → output

• sometimes it freezes or crashes

.

💀 MEMORY:
Mind works like a computer system

.

Core baked in:

• Encoding → storage → retrieval

• attention matters

• processing speed matters

.

👉 Shortcut:
It’s not about stages — it’s about processing efficiency

Mischel (CAPS): Cognitive-Affective Personality System

“MISCHIEF depends on the situation 😏”

👉 Imagine:
Someone who:

• is nice at work

• chaotic in relationships

• quiet in public

• wild with friends

.

💀 MEMORY:
Personality = if–then patterns

.

Core baked in:

• “IF situation X → THEN behavior Y”

• behavior changes depending on context

👉 Shortcut:
Not traits — patterns across situations

Beck’s Cognitive Therapy

“BECK = negative self-talk bully in your head 🗣”

👉 Imagine:
Your brain saying:

• “I’m worthless”

• “Nothing will get better”

• “Everything is my fault”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Depression = distorted thinking

.

Core baked in:

• Cognitive triad:

  • self = “I suck”

  • world = “life sucks”

  • future = “it’ll always suck”

• Automatic thoughts

.

👉 Shortcut:
Depression = thinking problem

Ellis (ABC) Model

“ELLIS argues with your BS thoughts 🙄”

👉 Imagine:
You say:
“I failed → I’m a failure”

Ellis jumps in:
“No. That’s irrational. Fix it.”

.

💀 MEMORY:
It’s not the event — it’s your belief

.

Core baked in:

• A = Activating event

• B = Belief

• C = Consequence (emotion)

.

👉 Shortcut:
Beliefs create feelings

Seligman: Learned Helplessness

“SELL-it all-MAN = ‘why try? I’ve already lost’ 😞”

👉 Imagine:
A person who:

• keeps failing

• eventually just… stops trying

.

💀 MEMORY:
Learned helplessness = giving up

.

Core baked in:

• repeated failure → no effort

• seen in depression

.

👉 Shortcut:
“Nothing I do matters” mindset

Attachment Theory

“ATTACH = clingy vs avoidant dating styles.”

👉 Imagine:
You’re dating someone who:

• texts you 50 times → 😰 anxious

• leaves you on read → 🧊 avoidant

• is normal → 😌 secure

💀 MEMORY:
How you attach early = how you relate later

.

Core baked in:

• Secure = “I trust you”

• Anxious/Ambivalent = “don’t leave me 😭”

• Avoidant = “I don’t need you”

• (sometimes Disorganized = chaotic mix)

👉 Shortcut:
Attachment = relationship vibe blueprint

Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development

“ERIK’S life crisis timeline 😩”

👉 Imagine:
A guy named Erik is going through life like:

• baby: “can I trust anyone??”

• teen: “WHO AM I??”

• adult: “Love me or I’ll die alone.”

• old: “Was my life pointless?”

💀 MEMORY:
Life = a series of identity crises

.

Core stages → TA- IIII - GI

• Trust vs Mistrust (baby) → “Is the world safe?”

• Autonomy vs Shame (toddler: 1.5 to 3 yrs old) → “Can I do it myself?”

• Initiative vs Guilt → “Can I take action?”

• Industry vs Inferiority (5-12 yrs old) → “Am I competent?”

• Identity vs Role Confusion → “Who am I?”

• Intimacy vs Isolation (18-40 yrs old) → “Can I love?”

• Generativity vs Stagnation → “Am I useful?”

• Integrity vs Despair → “Was my life worth it?”

.

👉 Shortcut:
Erikson = identity crisis at every age

Baumrind (Parenting Styles)

“BOMB parents 💣 (strict vs chill)”

👉 Imagine 4 parents:

.

1. Authoritative = “hot, healthy parent 😍”

• rules + warmth

👉 “I love you, but go to bed.”

✔ BEST outcomes

.

2. Authoritarian = “Ian is a strict no-fun parent 😡”

• rules, no warmth

👉 “Because I said so.”

.

3. Permissive = “cool but useless parent 😎”

• warmth, no rules

👉 “Do whatever you want.”

.

4. Neglectful = “absent parent 🚫”

• no rules, no warmth

👉 “I forgot I had a kid.”

.

💀 MEMORY:
Baumrind = parenting vibe = outcome

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Environment onion 🧅”

👉 Imagine:
A kid inside layers like an onion:

.

Layers:

• Microsystem = close relationships (family, school)

• Mesosystem = how those interact (home ↔ school)

• Exosystem = indirect (parent’s job stress)

• Macrosystem = culture, values

• Chronosystem = time/life changes

.

💀 MEMORY:
Everything around you shapes you

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Ice-BERG = moral levels get deeper.🔥”

👉 Imagine:
Someone deciding if they should steal:

.

Level 1: Preconventional = “Will I get in trouble?”

• Punishment; Reward

• Morality is externally controlled

👉 “Will I get caught??”

• Stage 1: Obedience & Punishment

• Stage 2: Individualism & Exchange

.

Level 2: Conventional = “What do people think?”

• Rules, Approval

• Morality is tied to societal rules & others’ approval

👉 “Good people don’t steal.”

• Stage 1: Good Interpersonal Relationships → focus on being “good”

• Stage 2: Maintaining Social Order → obeying laws & following duty

.

Level 3: Postconventional = “is this morally right?”

• Ethics, Principles

• Morality is defined by internal & abstract principles

👉 “Is the law even fair?”

• Stage 1: Social Contract & Individual Rights

• Stage 2: Universal Principles

.

💀 MEMORY:
Morality evolves from selfish → social → ethical

Freud's Theory of Personality Development

The Fraud makes everything about your childhood and sex.

Id → present at birth

Ego → develops in childhood. Use defense mechanism to resolve anxiety caused by conflicts between Id & Superego

Superego → emerges around 5 yrs old

.

Oral Stage

• Fixation may cause dependency or aggression.

Anal Stage (1.5-3 yrs old):

• Fixation may lead to extreme orderliness or messiness.

Phallic Stage

• Children experience the Oedipus/Electra complex (desire for the opposite-sex parent).

Latency Stage (6-9+/- yrs old):

• Sexual impulses are repressed or dormant, focusing on social skills, hobbies, & school.

Genital Stage

• Sexual interest matures, focusing on mature sexual relationships.

.

💀 MEMORY:
Unconscious + childhood + defense mechanisms

Rogers' Personality Theory

Mr. Rogers ACCEPTS you for you 🥺”

👉 Imagine:
Mr. Rogers saying:
“I love you unconditionally.”

.

As a therapist, everything is CENTERED around the client → Client-Centered Therapy

💀 MEMORY:

Incongruence → is the gap between self-image and reality, causing anxiety.

Conditions of Worth → person feels they are only worthy of love if they fulfill certain demands.

Unconditional positive regard → essential for healthy development & becoming a fully functioning person

Allport’s Trait Theory

“ALL traits exist… but not all matter equally”

👉 Imagine:
Allport holding a giant list saying:
“Everyone has THOUSANDS of traits… but only a few define you.”

💀 MEMORY:
He’s obsessed with ALL traits

Core terms baked in:

• Cardinal traits = your WHOLE personality
  👉 “She’s defined by power”

• Central traits = main personality traits
  👉 friendly, honest, anxious

• Secondary traits = situational
  👉 only anxious during tests

👉 EPPP HOOK:
Hierarchy of traits (3 levels)

Cattell Trait Theory of Personality

“The CAT squeezes all the traits into 16” 🐱

👉 Imagine:
A cat sitting on a pile of traits saying:
“This is too many… let’s reduce it to 16.”

.

Core terms baked in:

• Used factor analysis

• Created 16 Personality Factors (16PF)

.

Source Traits → shape personality (e.g., intelligence, introversion).

Surface Traits → Observable, superficial behaviors resulting from the combination of source traits (e.g., indecisiveness, anxiety)

 .

• Ability Traits → Skills for dealing with situations (e.g., intelligence).

• Temperament Traits → General behavioral style and emotional tone (e.g., laid-back vs. tense).

• Dynamic Traits → Motivational, goal-oriented traits (e.g., ambition, curiosity).

  • Ergs → innate drives like hunger/fear

  • Sentiments → learned attitudes like career/family

.

👉 EPPP HOOK:
Factor analysis = key word = Cattell

“My EYES only see 3 big traits.👀”

👉 Imagine:
Someone saying:
“Why 16?? I only see THREE.”

💀 MEMORY:
He simplifies even more

.

Core traits:

• Extraversion–Introversion (E):

  • Related to cortical arousal.

    • Extraverts are thought to have low natural arousal levels and seek stimulation

    • Introverts have higher base arousal and avoid overstimulation.

• Neuroticism–Stability (N):

  • Governs emotional stability.

    • High neuroticism relates to an overactive sympathetic nervous system and higher anxiety

    • Low neuroticism (stability) indicates a calm, balanced temperament.

• Psychoticism–Socialization (P):

  • It represents traits such as impulsivity, aggression, and empathy

    • High scores indicating Antisocial or Egocentric tendencies. 

.

4 Personality Types (created by combining Extraversion & Neuroticism)

Stable Extrovert (Sanguine): Sociable, lively, carefree.

Unstable Extrovert (Choleric): Touchy, restless, aggressive.

Stable Introvert (Phlegmatic): Passive, peaceful, controlled.

Unstable Introvert (Melancholic): Moody, anxious, pessimistic

.

👉 EPPP HOOK:
Biological basis + only 3 traits

Five-Factor Model (Costa & McCrae) 

“OCEAN 🌊 personality sliders”

👉 Imagine:
You’re customizing a character:

• Openness

• Conscientiousness

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

💀 MEMORY:
OCEAN = Big Five

.

Core terms baked in:

• Traits are stable across time

• Traits are universal (cross-cultural)

.

👉 EPPP HOOK:
Most accepted modern trait model

Trait Personality Theories

🔥 Reduction pattern of Trait Personality Theories

• Allport → thousands (organized into 3 levels)

• Cattell → 16 traits (factor analysis)

• Eysenck → 3 traits (biological)

• Big Five → 5 traits (modern consensus)

💀 MEMORY:

👉 “All → 16 → 3 → 5”