Psychology 104 Final

Emic

Study behaviour of a culture from perspective of someone who grew up in that culture

Etic

Study behaviour of a culture from perspective from outsider perspective

Pseudoscience

Set a claims that seem scientific but aren’t

Metaphysical

Thoughts and beliefs that are outside the realm of science

Ad hoc immunizing hypothesis

Escape hatch/loophole defenders of a theory use to protect it from being disproven → excuses why when brought into a laboratory, they fail tests

Terror management theory

People fear their death and therefore adopt worldviews that allows them to find meaning in and worst in their life

Patternicity

The tendency to see patterns in meaningless data

Scientific skepticism

To keep an open mind to al ideas and understand we may be wrong and be willing in to revise if evidence sugessts

William Wundt

• Structuralist

• Developed the first full-fledged psychological laboratory

Introspection

Trained observers reflect carefully and report on their mental experiences

Structuralism

Direct observation of mental experiences

Charles Darwin

• Functionalist

• Theory of evolution

Functionalism

Biological explanations and understanding the adaptive purposes of psychological characteristic

William James

Founder of functionalism

BF Skinner

• Behaviour

• Focus on uncovering the general principles of learning underlying human/animal behaviour (Observable learning)

John B Watson

Founder of behaviourism

Behaviourism

Avoid focus on mental events

Jean Piaget

• Cognitive psychologist

• Children conceptualizer the world in markedly different ways than adults

Sigmund Freud

• Psychoanalytic

• Interval psychological process → impulses, thoughts, and memories in which we are unaware

Psychoanalytic

Unconscious thoughts and processes

Basic research

Understanding something → examine HOW the mind works

Applied research

Using psychology to solve problems → how we can use basic research to solve real world problems

Intuitive/reflective thinking

• Uses heuristics → move out of the way of oncoming objects

• Adaptive for survival when there is no time for analytical thought

Analytical thinking

• planned response using critical thinking → debating pros and cons of research

Naïve realism

• Trusting your gut (risky without controls)

• Dangerous

• Potential for false allegations of abuse

• Families will not seek real communication therapies/support

Rival hypothesis

Is there another reason for what we are seeing?

Random selection

• Needed to generalize data

• Everyone in the population has an equal chance of selection → convenience samples are NOT representative of population

Integrated reliability

The extent researchers agree on criteria

Test-retest reliability

Will the results be the same if retested with the same group

Validity

Does the test measure what it is supposed to measure

Reproducibility

Can you review and reanalyze the data find the same thing (same data)

Replicability

Can you consistently duplicate findings (redo study)

Andrew Wakefield case

• Fabricated research about vaccines and autism → publication was retracted/lost his medical license

• Damage is still being done by people who believe this

Fudging

A deliberate changing results

Naturalistic observation

Study humans in natural environments

→ highly external validity (can apply to real world)

→ low internal validity (experimental controls)

Malingering

Faking disorder for personal gain → avoiding a criminal conviction by claiming instantly, draft dodging

Halo effect

→ attractive instructor given higher rating than “average” instructor even if unrelated to teaching

Horns effect

→ professor with thick accent given lower rating even if unrelated to teaching

Correlation design

Examining the extent to which two variables are associated

→ can one prefect the other

→ allow us to generate predictions about the future

Scatterplot

Grouping of points on a two-dimensional graph

Illusory correlations

The perception of a statically association between two variables where none exist

Correlation is NOT causation

We cannot tell whether or not one variable causes another

Independent variables

Manipulated

Dependent variable

Changes when independent variable is manipulated

Experimental group

Receives the manipulation

Control group

Does NOT receive manipulation

Between groups

• One group receives independent variable

• One group assigned to other condition (control condition)

Within groups

• Participants are their own controls

• Pretest → give variable → post-test

Confounds

Something other than independent variable changes results → gas leak in one of the testing rooms making participants “fuzzy minded”

Placebo effect

Improvement resulting from the mere expectation on improvement → participants who received drug improving only because they knew they were receiving treatment

Nocebo effect

Harm resulting from the mere expectation of harm

Experimental expectancy effect

Occurs when researchers’ hypotheses leads them to unintentionally bias the outcome of the study

Demand characteristics

When research participants pick up on cues from an experiment that allows them to make guesses regarding the experimenter’s hypothesis

Double blind theory

Neither the researcher nor the participants know who’s in the experimental or control group

Mean

Total score divided by numbers of people

Median

The middle score in the data set

Mode

The most frequent score in the date set

Meta-analysis

Analysis of a set of studies on a particular topic that statistically evaluates the strength of patterns across the different studies

Sharpening

The tendency to exaggerate the gist/central meaning of a study

Levelling

The tendency to minimizes the less central details of a study

Balanced reporting

Ensuring that representatives from both sides of the story receive equal airtime

Pseudo symmetry

The appearance of controversy where none exists

Precognition

Acquiring knowledge of future events before they occur through paranormal means → outside traditional science

Telepathy

Reading others’ minds

Clairvoyance

Detecting the presence of objects or people that are hidden from view

Phrenology

The belief that bumps on skull corresponds to brain function

CT scan

3D reconstruction of x-rays to create an image of the brain

MRI

Reveals high resolution images of soft tissue (brain)

PET scan

Measures changes in brain activity in response to stimuli

FMRI

Measures changes in blood oxygen levels (indirect indicator of brain activity)

MEG

Detects electrical activity in the brain by measuring tiny magnetic fields → advantage = measures activity changes millisecond my millisecond

TMS

Applies strong and quickly changing magnetic filed to the surface of the skill to create fields in the brain that can either enhance or interrupt brain function

DBS

Surgical procedure that implants electrodes into brain

Soma

Cell body → contains nucleus

Dendrite

Neurotransmitters nine to receptors here → convert the information form other neurons to this neuron

Synaptic vesicle

Travels along axon of neuron to terminal

Myelin sheath

Wrapper around axons in the brain and spinal cord that insulates the axons and speeds up transmission of electrical signals down the length of the axon

Nodes

Where the action potential jumps

Axon

Send messages to other neurons

Glial cells

Clean up the brain (dead cells, deposits)

Oligodendrocytes

From myelin sheath/promote healing

Astrocytes

Involved in fetal neural development and form blood/brain barrier

Action potential

• Potential difference inside and outside of neuron can be measured

• At rest it is more NEGATIVE inside cell (more negative ions)

Threshold of excitation

• Outside of cell receives high enough potential

• All or none response

Absolute refractory period

Neuron cannot fire again during this time

Inhibitory

Decrease neurotransmitter activity/function

→ botulism toxin bonds to acetylcholine channels

→ does not make muscles work

Excitatory

increase neurotransmitter activity/function

→ serotonin

→ neurotransmitter stays in synapse longer

Reputake

The continually occurring process by which the synaptic vestibule reabsorbs the neurotransmitter

Frontal lobe

• Motor

• Executive function (planning, decision)

Parietal lobe

• Touch

• Temperature

• Perception of space

Occipital lobe

• Processes visual information

Temporal

• Processes auditory information

• Language

• Long-term memory

Plasticity

Nervous system changes over time (reorganize, adapt)

→ pruning

→ lengthening axons and dendrites

→ new synapse

Reaction range abilities

Have a genetically present range, but environment determines where you land

Smell

• Information goes straight from olfactory bulb to limbic system

• Associated with memory formation and emotions

Split brains

Removal of medical temporal lobs and corpus callosum to treat severe epilepsy

Somatic nervous system

Voluntary movements

Autonomic

Sympathetic

Flight or flight response (Adrenalin)

Parasympathetic

Spinal reflexes

Interneruons → stretch reflex