AP Psych Midterm

Structuralism

used INTROSPECTION to determine the underlying STRUCTURES of the mind

Functionalism

need to analyze the PURPOSE of behavior

Evolutionary

genes

Humanistic

free will, choice, ideal, actualization

Biological

brain - NTs

Cognitive

perception + thoughts

Behavioral

learned, reinforced

Psychoanalytic

unconscious, childhood

Sociocultural

society

Biopsychosocial

combo of it all

Mary Calkins

first fem. president of APA

Charles Darwin

natural selection and evolution

Dorothea Dix

reformed mental health institutions in USA

Stanley Hall

1st pres of APA

William James

father of American psych - functionalist

Wilhelm Wundt

father of modern psych - structuralist

Margaret Floy Washburn

1st fem. PHD

Neuron

basic cell of nervous system

Dendrites

receive incoming signal

Soma

cell body (includes nucleus)

Axon

action potential travels down this

Myelin Sheath

speeds up signal down axon

Terminals

release neurotransmitters - send signal onto next neuronS

Synapse

gap b/w neurons

Action Potential

movement of sodium and potassium ions across a membrane

* sends electrical charge down axon

All or none law

stimulus must trigger the AP past its threshold, but does not increase the intensity of the response

Refractory period

neuron must rest and reset before it can send another AP

Sensory Neurons

receive signals

Afferent Neurons

accept signals

Motor Neurons

send signals

Efferent Neurons

signal exits

Central NS

brain + spinal cord

Peripheral NS

rest of NS

Branches in peripheral NS

somatic and autonomic

Somatic NS

voluntary movement

Autonomic

involuntary (heart, lungs, etc)

Branches in autonomic NS

sympathetic and parasympathetic

Sympathetic NS

arouses body for fight/flight

Parasympathetic

established homeostasis after a sympathetic responses

GABA

major inhibitory NT

Glutamate

major excitatory NT

Dopamine

reward and movement

Serotonin

moods and emotion

Acetylcholine (ACh)

memory

Epinephrine and Norepinephrine

sympathetic NS - arousal

Endorphins

pain control, happiness

Oxytocin

love and bonding

Agonist

drug that mimics NT

Antagonist

drug that blocks NT

Reuptake

unused NTs are taken back up into the sending neuron

* SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) block reuptake - treatment for depression

Hindbrain

oldest part of brain

What makes up the hindbrain?

* cerebellum
* medulla
* pons

Cerebellum

movement

Medulla

vital organs (HR, BP)

Pons

sleep/arousal (Ponzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

Why is the midbrain important?

It’s in charge of reticular formation - which is paying attention - which will screw you over if you don’t have

Forebrain

higher thought processes

Where is the limbic system?

forebrain

* consists of amygdala and hippocampus

Amygdala

emotions, fear

Hippocampus

memory

Thalamus

relay center

Hypothalamus

reward/pleasure center, eating behaviors

Broca’s area

inability to produce speech

Wernicke’s area

inability to comprehend speech

Cerebral cortex

outer portion of the brain - higher order thought processes

Occipital Lobe

located in back of head - VISION

Frontal Lobe

decision making, planning, judgement, movement, personality

Parietal Lobe

located on top of head - SENSATIONS

Temporal Lobe

located on sides of head - HEARING and FACE RECOGNITION

Somatosensory Cortex

map of our sensory receptors - in parietal lobe

Motor Cortex

map of our motor receptors - located in frontal lobe

Corpus Callosum

bundle of nerves that connects the 2 hemispheres - sometimes severed in patients with severe seizures - leads to split-brain patients

Lateralization

the brain has some specialized features - language is process in L hemi.

Split-Brain Experiments

done by Sperry and Gazzanaga

* images shown to the right hemi will be processed in the left (and vice versa), patient can verbally identify what they saw

Brain Plasticity

brain can “heal” itself

Identical Twins

monozygotic

Fraternal Twins

dizygotics

Genetics

MZ twins will have a higher percentage of also developing a disease

Environment

MZ twins raised in different environments show differences

Endocrine System

sends hormones throughout the body

Pituitary Gland

controlled by hypothalamus - release GROWTH HORMONES

Adrenal Glands

related to sympathetic NS: release adrenaline

Absolute Threshold

detection of signal 50% of time (is it there)

Difference Threshold

2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum proportion

Sensory Adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation

Perceptual Set

tendency to see something as part of a group - speeds up signal processing

Inattentional Blindness

failure to notice something b/c you’re so focused on another task

Cocktail Party Effect

notice your name across the room when spoken, when you weren’t previously paying attention

Pathway of Vision:

light → cornea → pupil/iris → lens → retina → rods/cones → bipolar cells → ganglion cells → optic nerve → optic chiasm → occipital lobe

Cornea

protects eye

Pupil/Iris

controls amount of light entering eye

Lens

focuses light on retina

Fovea

area of best vision (cones here)

Rods

black//white, dim light

Cones

color, bright light

Bipolar Cells

connect rods and cones and ganglion cells

Ganglion Cells

opponent-processing occurs here

Blind Spot

occurs where the optic nerve leaves the eye

Feature detectors

specialized cells that see motion, shapes, lines, etc.

* experiments by Hubel and Weisel

Trichromatic

three cones for receiving color (red, blue, green)

* explains color blindness - they are missing a cone type