Psychology 107 (fall 2023)

Psych definition

the scientific study of the mind

inductive reasoning

taking info from a small group and generalizing

William Wundt (lifespan and accomplishments)

(1832-1920) Started the first psych lab in Germany (1879), studied introspection

E.B. Titchener

(1867-1927) Introspective method; Structuralism - basic structure and content of human mind

William James

(1842-1910) 1st US psychologist, stream of consciousness (tracing back to how you started thinking of something), functionalism - interaction between the mind and environment

Psychoanalytic approach

Unconcious mind, early childhood experiences, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) used psychoanalysis, Erik Erikson revised freud’s views

Behavioral Approach

observing and controlling behavior, directly observable and measurable, would ask: how do we learn to be anxious in certain situations? People: Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), John Watson (1878-1958), B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), Albert Bandura (1925-2021) formed the social cognitive theory which is measuring the response of an organism to a stimulus

Humanistic Approach

Potential for good in humans, Key figures: Carl Rogers (1902-1987), Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), would say: you have the potential to understand your anxiety

Cognitive approach

Mind active and aware, Key figure: Noam Chomsky (1928-present)

Multicultural and Cross Cultural Approach

descriptive science, differences between cultural groups, key figures: Francis Sumner (1895-1954), George Sanchez (1906-1972), Kenneth Clark and Mamie Phipps

Mary Calkins

(1863-1930) degree in psychology at Harvard was denied by the university

Margaret Washburn

First female PHD (1894)

Biopsychological approach

brain and nervous system related to behavior and mental process, neuroscience, would ask: how do levels of certain neurotransmitters contribute to anxiety levels?

Evolutionary Approach

adaptation and survival of the fittest

Positive Approaches

Valuable experiences, positive individual traits, positive values

APA

American Psychological association, founded 1892

APS

American association for psychological science, founded 1988

Why do we need psychological science?

Without it we would have biases

Hindsight bias

I knew it all along

False consensus affect

tendency to think more people agree with us

Overconfidence

We think we’re better than we are

Step 1 of the Scientific Method

Observe phenomenon - choose the problem to study

Step 2 of the Scientific Method

Generate hypothesis, operational definitions

Step 3 of the Scientific Method

Collect data - who will you study? population then sample then random sample, which research methods will you use?

Step 4 of the Scientific Method

Analyze data - connect findings back to the hypothesis, reliability

Step 5 of the Scientific Method

Summarize data and evaluate theory - larger scientific community reviews and evaluates

3 types of research

descriptive, correlational and experimental

Clinical or case study

In depth look at one person, conducted when something rare happens

Pros of case study

Deep understanding of phenomenon

Cons of case study

Lack of generalizability

Observation

Observing and recording behavior, describing not explaining

Naturalistic observation

behavior in natural setting

Pros of naturalistic observation

more accurate data

Cons of naturalistic observation

no control over environment

Laboratory observations

Observe behavior in a controlled setting

Pros of laboratory observation

controlled setting

Cons of laboratory observation

participants are aware they’re being observed, setting is unnatural

Observer bias

observer skews observations

inter-rater reliability

poor agreement between observers

Pros of Surveys

cost effective

cons of surveys

social desirability - people say whats socially acceptable, under representative sampling

Archival research

using existing records to answer research questions

pros of archival research

saves time and money

Cons of archival research

No control over data, inconsistency between data sets

Difference between structuralism and functionalism

structuralism is the contents of the mind while functionalism is the behavior of the mind

Correlational research

describes the association between two variables; the correlational coefficient (r) is positive or negative and the closer it is to 1 the stronger the association

Confounding variable

third unknown variable that affects both variables

Longitudinal design

data gathered repeatedly over time

Cross sectional

data gathered once in time

Experimental group

group who receives the IV

Control group

does not receive the IV

Pros of experiment research

shows cause and effect, controlled conditions, no need to wait for occurrences to happen naturally

Cons of experimental research

cannot study some natural behaviors experimentally

External validity

do the results generalize to the real world

Internal validity

extent to which changes in DV are due to manipulation of the IV

Can you have both internal and external validity?

No

Experimenter bias

preconceived knowledge gets in the way of testing; smart rat vs. dumb rat example

Research participant bias

participants expectations change behavior

Solution to experiment bias

double-blind experiment

Ethnic gloss

assuming that all members of an ethnic group have the same characteristics

Central nervous system

brain and spinal chord, reflexes

Peripheral nervous sytem

network of sensory nerves - connects cns to body

Afferent nerves

sensory nerves that carry info to the brain

Efferent nerves

carry info away from brain

Divisions of PNS

somatic system (controls skeletal muscles, voluntary activities), autonomic system (organs and glands, automatic functions)

Divisions of autonomic system

Sympathetic (arouses body) and parasympathetic (calms the body)

sensory neurons

carry info to CNS

motor neurons

carry info away from CNS

Interneurons

carry info to and away

Glial cells (glue)

keep neurons running smoothly

Soma

cell body

Dendrites

receive info from other neurons

Axon

carries info away from neuron

terminal buttons

on the end of the axon

synaptic vesicles

inside terminal buttons

neurotransmitters

inside of synaptic vesicles

myelin sheath

covers axons and speeds up connection

how do neurons carry info?

Ions; cell membrane is semi-permeable

Resting potential

neuron is not firing; negative inside, positive inside

Threshold

level at which the neuron fires from outside stimulation

Depolarization

neuron becomes more positive on the inside

Action potential

electrical signal that moves down the neuron; all or none - strength of stimulus does not affect speed of the action potential

synapse

junction between two neurons

first way that neurons communicate

electrical impulse converted to chemical energy

second way that neurons communicate

neurotransmitters released

third way that neurons communicate

neurotransmitters cross synapse

fourth way that neurons communicate

neurotransmitters bind to the receptor sites of the next neuron

reuptake

sending neuron reabsorbs excess neurotransmitters

Acetylcholine

(ACh) muscle action, learning and memory

What can too little ACh cause?

alzheimers

Beta-endorphin

pain, pleasure

Dopamine

movement, mood, sleep, learning

What does too much dopamine cause

schizophrenia

What does too little dopamine cause?

Parkinson’s

Gaba

brain function, sleep

What does too little Gaba cause

anxiety

Glutamate

Learning and memory

What does too much glutamate cause

seizures

Norepinephrine

heart, intestines, alertness

What do lower levels of norepinephrine cause

depression