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Contemporary psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Nature vs Nurture Issue

Controversy over the contributions of genetics and experience to the development of psychological traits

Behavioral Perspective

Study of observable behavior and explaining by principles of learning

Biological Perspective

How genes combines with environment to influence individual differences. (body and brain enable emotion, memory and sensory experiences)

Cognitive psychology

study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Evolutionary psychology

Study of evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection

Psychodynamic psychology

studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior (use that info to treat people with psychological disorders)

Socio-cultural psychology

Study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

psychometrics

scientific study of measurement of human abilities, attitudes and traits

Ethical Guidlines of Psych

1. obtain participants' informed consent
2.Protect them from physical/emotional harm or discomfort
3.Keep info confidential
4. Debriefing

Debrief

Postexperimental explanation of a study (purpose and deceptions) to its participants

Scientific Attitudes

Curiosity, skepticism and humility

Scientific Method

Answer how theories advance psychological science; must have:
1. Theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Operational Definition (Carefully worded statement of exact procedures used in research study)
4. Replication

Case Studies

Technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in hopes of revealing universal principles

Naturalistic observation

observation of behavior in its natural setting

Survey

the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions

Experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Amplified recording of waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. (Measured by electrodes placed on scalp)

CT scan (computed tomography)

Series of x-ray photos taken from different angles and combined by computer into a representation of brain's structure

PET scan (positron emission tomography)

Visual display of brain activoty that detects where radioactive form of glucose goes while brain performs given task

MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissues (Show brain anatomy)

Brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Medulla

Base of brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

Thalamus

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

Reticular formation

Nerve network that travels through brainstem and thalamus and plays important role in controlling arousal

Cerebellum

Rear of brainstem; processes sensory input, coordinating movement input and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

limbic system

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

Amygdala

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

Hypothalamus

Below thalamus. Directs several maintenance activities. Helps govern endocrine system through pituitary gland, linked to emotion and reward

cerebral cortex

interconnected neural cells covering cerebral hemispheres. Ultimate control and info processing center

glial cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; may also play role in learning and thinking

frontal lobes

right behind forehead; speaking, muscle movements, plans and judgements

Parietal lobes

top and towards rear of head; receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobes

all the way at back of head; receive info from visual fields

temporal lobes

right above ears; includes auditory areas, each receives info from opposite ear

motor cortex

rear of frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements

somatosensory cortex

front of parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

association areas

involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, speaking and thinking

plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Neurotransmitter

chemical messengers that cross synaptic gaps between neurons. (Released by sending neurons, travel across synapse and bind to receptor sites on receiving neuron, influence whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.)

reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Split brain

results from surgery that isolates brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (corpus callosum) connecting them

Ernst Weber

1795-1878; Field: perception; Weber's Law: principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (Rather than a constant amount) JND

Sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment (what our senses detect)

Perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Selective Attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect (One voice instead of 20)

Absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Gestalt

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes. (Necker cube)

ESP (Extrasensory perception)

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition

Parapsychology

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

Telepathy

Mind to mind communication

clairevoyance

perceiving remote events, such as a house on fire in another state

Precognition

perceiving future events, such as an unexpected death in the next month

Ivan Pavlov

discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell (Laid foundation for behaviorism)

John B. Watson

behaviorism; emphasis on external behaviors of people and their reactions on a given situation; famous for Little Albert study in which baby was taught to fear a white rat (Loud noise as rat was presented) HE HAD IDEA THAT HUMAN EMOTIONS AND RESPONSES ARE MAINLY CONDITIONED RESPONSES

B.F. Skinner

Designed Operant chamber (Skinner Box) The box has a bar that an animal presses to release a reward of food or water. Device that records responses.
He had concept of reinforcement: any event that strengthens a preceding response

Edward L. Thorndike

Widely known for the law of effect- the principle that rewarded behavior is likely to recur and punished behavior is unlikely to recur. This principle was the basis for BF Skinner's behavioral technology.

Albert Bandura

pioneer in observational learning (AKA social learning), stated that people profit from the mistakes/successes of others; Studies: Bobo Dolls-adults demonstrated 'appropriate' play with dolls, children mimicked play

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Pavlov's study

measured dogs' salivary responses to the presentation of food

Watson's work

Human emotions are mostly conditioned responses. Study with little albert. White rat in front of him but banged steel behind his head, became afraid of rat.

Skinner Box

small animal chamber constructed by Skinner to allow sustained periods of conditioning to be administered and behaviors to be recorded unsupervised (rat presses bar for food reward.)

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing desired response every time it occurs

partial reinforcement (intermittent)

reinforcing a response only part of the time (Slower acquisition of response but greater resistance to extinction than continuous reinforcement)

Fixed-ratio schedule

reinforces a response only after a specified number of reponses

variable-ratio schedule

reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

fixed-interval schedule

reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after a specified time elapsed

variable-interval schedule

reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

Paul Broca and Broca's area

controls language expression- area of frontal lobe in left hemisphere, controls muscle movements involved in speech

Hermann Ebbinghaus

experimental study of memory, and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect. He was also the first person to describe the learning curve. Distributed practice

Short-term memory

Activated memory that holds a few items briefly before info is stored or forgotten (Lucky \# 7)

Long-term memory

Relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of memory system. Knowledge, skills and experiences

Chunking

Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

mnemonics

Memory aids, especially those that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

Mood congruency

tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good mood or bad mood

Prototype

a mental image or best example of a category. (Comparing feathered creatures to a prototypical bird)

algorithm

a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem, always a success. Slower but more reliable than heruistics

Heuristics

shortcut strategies or guidelines that suggest a solution to a problem but do not guarantee an answer

Mental set

a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past

Abraham Maslow

Humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization"

Homeostasis

Tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state

Incentives

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Yerkes-Dodson Law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases. (Lebron)

Set point

the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight.

James-Lange Theory

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli. (See a bear, heart rate goes up, we feel scared)

Cannon-Bard Theory

the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion (Fear and responses occur simultaneously)

Hierarchy of needs order

1. Physiologic
2. Safety & Security
3. Love & Belongingness
4. Esteem
5. Self-Actualization

Jean Piaget

Theory of cognitive devlopment.
Four stage theory of cognitive development: 1. sensorimotor, 2. preoperational, 3. concrete operational, and 4. formal operational. Grow through interaction with physical environment

Lev Vygotsky

most famous for social development theory (of child cognitive development) Zone of proximal devlopment. Believed language was important part of developing

Konrad Lorenz

researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting.
We look after first person we see after birth

Harry Harlow

Did the experiment with monkey mothers. Showed taht we like human touch. Monkeys preferred cloth mother over the wire mother even when it had food

Albert Bandura

pioneer in observational learning (AKA social learning), stated that people profit from the mistakes/successes of others; Studies: Bobo Dolls-adults demonstrated 'appropriate' play with dolls, children mimicked play

Lawrence Kohlberg

Came up with 3 moral development stages. The first is Pre-conventional (acted whether they would gain rewards or punishment). The second is conventional morality (actions that uphold social rules in intent to be liked by others and gain approval). The third is post-conventional (abstract reasoning for their actions)

Erik Erikson

neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting "Who am I?"

Critical period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information