Psychology Chapters 1-3

what school of thought did Abraham Maslow belong to

the humanism school of thought

brain stem function

controls automatic behaviors necessary for survival (beneath the level of consciousness)

Medula

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

limbic system

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

psychological science

the study through research of mind, brain , behavior

Psycodynamic

focuses on the interplay between conscious and unconscious mind

what school of thought did Freud belong to

Psychodynamic school of thought

what school of thought did john watson belong to

The behaviorism school of thought

what school of thought did Albert Bandura belong to

the cognitive school of thought

range

Distance between highest and lowest scores in a set of data.

third variable

a variable, often unmeasured in correlational research, that can be the true explanation for the relationship between two other variables

levels of significance

The probability that results obtained from one sample (experimental) group will differ significantly from those obtained from another (control) group. p value the lower the p value the higher significance of your results

Statistically significant research

p = .05 or less

meta-analysis

a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies to potentially reach an acceptable p value

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Confidentiality

no names

Population

all those to whom results apply whether they are in the study or not

population sample

people chosen to be in the study

experimental group

In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Crontrol Group

no treatment/ gets a placebo

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied "new" treatment

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Confounding Variables (CV)

AKA the extraneous variables, these variables cannot be controlled by the researcher and could influence any change in the Dependent Variables (DV). This is the third variable the mediator variable that can adversely affect the relation between the independent variable and dependent variable which then causes a bias to the experiment.

double-blind experiment

an experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants received which treatment

experimenter bias

consciously or unconsciously treating volunteers differently depending of which group they are in

reticular formation

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal, redirecting attention

cerebellum

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills like muscle coordination

Thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

occiptal lobe

the visual processing center of the mammalian brain containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex

hemispheric lateralization

Functional differences between left and right hemispheres
Each cerebral hemisphere performs certain functions that are not ordinarily performed by the opposite hemisphere

Neurons

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Dendrites

receive messages from other nerve cells

How do nerve messages end?

reuptake - chemicals go back into the axon for future use
enzymatic degradation - enzymes dissolve chemical

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

EEG (electroencephalogram)

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

f MRI (functional MRI)

A technique for revealing bloodflow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. F MRI scans show brain function

Mind

Mental activity (feelings, perceptions, thoughts)

Psychology

"scientific" study of behavior, thought, feelings

who was Sigmund Freud

1st Psychiatrist, believed most mental life is in the unconscious, driving forces are evolutionary impulses

Behaviorism

It is all based on nurture and environment

what did the humanism school of thought focus on

free will and ability to ignore impulses, sense of self/ being self aware

what did the cognitive school of thought focus on

the human thought involving logic and reasoning

what did the biopsychology school of thought focus on

neurotransmitter interactions ( ceratonin) and genetics/heredity

Experimental method

alters one variable to see if it affects a second variable

Correlational Method

a research method used to examine relationships between variables, which are expressed in the form of a statistical measure called a correlation coefficient ex. smoking causes lung cancer

Observational Method

the technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements or impressions of their behavior

survey method

a research method that involves gathering information from people through the use of surveys or questionnaires

case study

an observation technique in which one/two people are studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles (rare conditions ex. Einstein's brain)

anecdotal evidence

Personal stories about specific incidents and experiences.

standard deviation

a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean ( what is normal/ what is average)

coefficient of correlation

a measure of correlation that ranges in value from -1.00 to +1.00

no undue harm

no stress (physical of psychological) beyond everyday life

Debriefing

after the experiment all deception is explained and results are available

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Assignment of Participants

The method by which the population sample is divided into experimental and control groups (MUST BE RANDOM)

blind experiment

An experiment in which the subjects do not know whether they are members of the experimental group or the control group.

Subject bias

When a study participate intentionally/unintentionally reports distorted measurements

Amygdula

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Nucleolus Accumbens

a brain structure that plays a key role in motivation, reward, and addiction

parietal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include processing information about touch.

frontal lobe

associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

left brain functions

controls the right side of the body, analytical thought, logic, language, science and math

right brain functions

controls the left side of the body, patterns, puzzles, maps, art and music, creativity

PET scan (positron emission tomography)

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task