MCAT Psychology

A man touched a hot stove and rapidly jerks his hand away. Which of the following represents the pathway that the nerve impulse travels during this scenario?

Sensory neuron, interneuron, motor neuron

Dopamine is associated with..

* parkinson's disease
* drug addiction
* schizophrenia

Dopamine

* Plays an important role in movement and posture
* neurotransmitter which plays a direct role in the reward pathway.
* produces an appetite in response to a positive stimulus

Bodily functions such as heartbeat and respiration are regulated by the:

autonomic nervous system

Following a head injury, a patient experiences clumsiness and loss of balance. Which brain structure was most likely damaged as a result of the injury?

Cerebellum

What functions are associated with the forebrain?

* emotion
* memory
* cognition

What is part of the limbic system?

* septal nuclei
* amygdala
* hippocampus

Which part of the brain integrates the nervous and endocrine systems?

Hypothalamus

Innate Behavior

A behavior that is inherited rather than learned

Adaptive Behavior

increases an individual's evolutionary fitness relative to other individuals in the population

Learned Behavior

A behavior that has been learned from experience

Linked to breastfeeding, when an infant's cheek is touched or stimulated, the infant instinctually turns their head in the direction of the stimulus. What is this an example of?

Rooting Reflex

Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex)

Instinctual response of the infant flinging their arms out when there is a sudden loud sound or sudden movement of the infant's head.

Babinski reflex

Involuntary response of toe spreading when the sole of the infant's foot is stimulated

Sucking Reflex

Refers to the instinctual response of sucking when the roof of the mouth is stimulated

A person feeling angry about his work life decides to take up martial arts to help him work through his feelings. According to psychoanalytic theory, this behavior results from:

Sublimation

Sublimation

A defense mechanism where someone channels an unacceptable impulse in a socially acceptable direction

Reaction Formation

When an unacceptable impulse is transformed into the opposite, such as one person being mean to another because they are actually attracted to them

Displacement

Changing the target of an emotion without changing the emotion itself, and does not apply to an angry person taking martial arts as an outlet for their anger

Suppression

Consciously removing an idea or feeling from one's consciousness; no feelings are being consciously removed in this situation

Person centered therapy tends to focus on:

Client reflection

Big Five Traits of Personality

* openness
* conscientiousness


* extraversion


* agreeableness


* neuroticism

Behaviorist Perspective

People can learn skills and change behaviors through the use of operant conditioning techniques.

Personality is a reflection of behaviorist that have been reinforced over time.

Giving candy to children who share toys is an example of..

positive reinforcement & operant conditioning

Trait Perspective

Focused on describing individual personalities as the sum of characteristic behaviors

Social Cognitive Perspective

Our behavior is determined by the combination of our feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and environment

Psychoanalytic Theory

Our personalities are determined by our unconscious thoughts and desires

Examples of an instinctual response

* a wolf follows the alpha of its pack
* a baby sucks its thumb for comfort
* a wet dog shakes its body

A child feels hungry, and decides to get a candy bar to satisfy their hunger. This is an example of what motivational theory?

Drive Reduction Theory

Expectancy Value Theory

states that the amount of motivation is based on how much someone values a goal and their expectation of success at attaining it

Arousal Theory

Behaviors are motivated by the need to maintain an optimal level of arousal

Incentive Theory

A theory of motivation stating that behavior is directed toward attaining desirable stimuli and avoiding unwanted stimuli.

3 Universal needs associated with the Self Determination Theory

* competence
* autonomy
* relatedness

What is an example of an attitude influencing behavior?

A farmer avoids planting a certain crop because he believes it is bad luck

Foot In The Door Technique

Asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment

That's-not-all technique

a sales technique in which the persuader makes an offer and then adds something extra to make the offer look better before the target person can make a decision

Door-in-the-face technique

persuasive technique involving making an unreasonably large request before making the small request we're hoping to have granted

Lowball technique

A tactic for getting people to agree to something. People who agree to an initial request will often still comply when the requester ups the ante. People who receive only the costly request are less likely to comply with it.

Epinephrine

* act on sympathetic nervous system to mobilize resources to deal with stressful situations
* increase heart rate
* dilate pupils
* released in stressful situations

Norepinephrine

* released in normal active behaviors
* keeps body temp up
* raises blood pressure when its too low
* act on sympathetic nervous system to mobilize resources to deal with stressful situations

GABA

* major inhibitory neurotransmitter
* regulates behavior
* calms your nerves
* pain and anxiety pathways

Anxiolytics

Drugs that alleviate the symptoms of anxiety.

Acetylcholine

* associated with memory
* responsible for cholinergic signaling

Cholinergic Signaling

Allows us to focus our attention, to learn and form memories

Impaired Cholinergic Signaling

- can cause delirium

Serotonin

* responsible for sleep wake cycles
* involved in emotional processing, mood, appetite

Low Serotonin Levels

Associated with major depressive disorder

Endorphins

* class of neuropeptides which bind to opioid receptors and act to inhibit pain
* can produce feelings of euphoria

Alcohol increases the effects of \_________________.

dopamine

Domesticated Dogs

* They have pituitary glands which were less efficient at releasing ACTH, which in turn downregulated the release of epinephrine from the adrenal glands
* larger eyes
* Floppier ears
* traits are adaptive

Temperament

Basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin

Instincts

Behaviors that are stereotypical to a species

Fixed Action Patterns

Genetically based behaviors, seen across a species, that can be set off by a specific stimulus

Regulator Genes

Involved in controlling the expression of one or more other genes

Candidate Gene Approach

focuses on specific genes of interest to study genetic variation

Genome

complete genetic information of an organism

Motivation

Psychological factor that provides a reason or a purpose for doing something

Instinct Theory

People are driven to engage in behaviors based on evolutionarily preprogrammed instincts

Drive

it is an urge to carry out a behavior to satisfy a biological or physical need

Homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state

Negative Feedback System

A reaction that causes a decrease in function in response to some kind of stimulus.

Needs

Physiological and psychological requirements that motivate and influence behavior

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

(level 1) Physiological Needs, (level 2) Safety and Security, (level 3) Relationships, Love and Affection, (level 4) Self Esteem, (level 5) Self Actualization

Attitude

How you feel about a person, place, or situation

Affective Component of Attitude

A person's feelings or emotions about an object, person, or event.

Behavioral Component of Attitude

The way you act towards something

Cognitive Component of Attitude

The way you think about something and provides justification

Social Cognitive Theory

Stipulates that people learn how to behave by observing the behavior of others.

Insufficient Justification

Social situation causes behavior but is not recognized as the cause

Overjustificatioin

We view our behavior is caused by the situation

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Cognitive Dissonance

Discomfort caused by behaving in ways we see as inconsistent.

How to get rid of Cognitive Dissonance

1. change your behavior
2. reduce dissonant cognitions
3. create new consonant cognitions

Personality

Set of thoughts, feelings, traits, and behaviors that are characteristic of an individual across time & different locations

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Personality is strongly influenced by the unconscious

Humanistic Perspective

Personality should be understood in the context of the person as a whole

Person Centered Approach

Therapist only serves as a guide as the individual works to define and solve their problem

PEN

psychoticism

extraversion

neuroticism

Psychoticism

Measure of nonconformity or social deviance

Neuroticism

How prone you are to anxiety or depression

OCEAN

openness

conscientiousness

extraversion

agreeable

neuroticism

Cardinal Traits

Dominant traits that drive all aspects of a person's behavior.

Central Traits

Main traits of the personality.

Secondary Traits

Traits that vary depending on the circumstance.

Locus

"Place"

External Locus of Control

Outcome not within a person's control

Internal Locus of Control

Outcome within a person's control

Biological Perspective

Personality can be explained because of genetic expression in the brain

What is involved in the knee jerk reflex arc?

sensory receptors detect the knee being struck \> impulse sent via afferent neurons \> to spinal cord interneuron \> signal is relayed to motor (efferent) neruons

What neurotransmitters have an inhibitory function in the central nervous system?

* GABA
* Glycine
* Serotonin

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system

What is the result of activating the sympathetic nervous system?

* dilation of pupils
* increased heart rate
* increased blood glucose concentration

PET Scans

Measure brain activity levels in specific areas of the brain

CT Scan

Multiple X rays are taken at different angles, resulting in cross sectional imaging of tissue; they do not measure brain function

MRI

Able to show the structural features of the brain

EEGs

Measure the electrical activity of the brain as a whole

Forebrain

Associated with complex cognitive functions

Midbrain

Associated with motor movement, involuntary reflexes, and auditory and visual processing

Hindbrain

Responsible for managing vital functions such as respiration and digestion

Cortex

Part of the forebrain and is associated with cognition