Psycology Ch 1-4

Purdue University Psych 12000

basal ganglia

voluntary movenemt, works with cerebellum and cerebral cortex

occipital lobe

visual stimuli

temporal lobes

hearing, language, memory

frontal lobes

personality, intelligence, voluntary motor control

parietal lobes

spacial location, attention, touch

cerebral cortex

mental functions like thinking and planning

hypothalamus

monitors eating, drinking, sex, emotions, stress, rewrad

functionalism

questions the purpose of the mind, and why is the human mind adaptive

structuralism

identifies elemental parts and structures of the human mind

who developed functionalism

William James

who developed structuralism

Wilhelm Wundt

Behavioral approach

studies environmental determinants for visible actions/behaviors, does not address feelings

Psychodynamic Approach

emphasizes unconscience thoughts and conflicts with our biological drive

Humanistic approach

focuses on human positive qualities and the ability to grow

Cognitive approach

looks at mental processes involved in knowing, remembering, and problem solving

Evolutionary approach

adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection explain behaviors

Sociocultural approach

examines social and culture influences

longitudinal design

observing the same variables periodically over time, can suggest causation

afferent nerves

sensory nerves, carry info from external environment to body processes or brain

efferent nerves

tells the body what to do in response to sensory input

central nervous system

brain and spinal chord

peripheral nervous system

connect brain and spinal chord to rest of body, bring in info

somatic nervous system

afferent skin and muscle nerves that inform brain about pain and temperature

autonomic nervous system

takes messages to/from body organs

sympathetic nervous system

stress response

parasympathetic nervous system

calming response

agonist

a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitters effect

antagonist

a drug that blocks the neurotransmitters effect

parts of the hindbrain

medulla, cerebellum, pons

medulla

responsible for vital functions (heart rate, temperature, etc)

cerebellum

responsible for motor coordination and social behavior

pons

responsible for sleep and arousal

brainstem

alertness, basic survival functions

midbrain

relays info between brain, eyes, and ears

reticular formation

nerves involved with stereotyped patterns like walking and sleeping

limbic system

memory and emotion

amygdala

discrimination of objects necessary for survival

hippocampus

emotional memory storage

thalamus

sort and send info

somatosensory cortex

processes info about body sensations

bottom up processing

initiated by sensory input and outside world influence

top down processing

perceiving things based on your prior experiences and knowledge

difference threshold

the degree of difference needed for two stimuli to be perceived as separate

weber’s law

two stimuli must differ by a minimum presentage to be perceived as different

cocktail party effect

the ability to focus on one voice/noise while surrounded by background noise

inattentional blindness

failure to detect an unexpected event when attention is engaged by a task

parallel processing

distribution of info across different neural pathways

kinesthetic sense

provides info about posture, movement, and orientation

vestibular sense

provides info about balance and movement

theory of mind

individuals understanding that they and others think, feel, and have private experiances