Basics of psychology Final Exam Review Guide
Unit 1: Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to psychology guided notes
Be able to:
Define psychology: The study of behavior and mental process
4 Goals of Psychology
Describe: being able to detail behaviors/thoughts and feelings
Explain: Understand the reasons behind thoughts/ feelings
Predict: Predict behaviors based on understanding
Control: use knowledge to gain control of behaviors
Explain how psychology is used? (Know 4 examples)
Mental health, personal relationships,workplace,education,decision making, crisis, consumer behavior
Identify three fields that psychologists study (sciences)
Biology/anatomy, chemistry, anthropology
Perspectives in psychology (part 1) & Perspectives in psychology (part 2) activities
Be able to:
Differentiate between the perspectives (matching):
Psychoanalytic: personality made by unconscious motives + subconscious can be found through dreams & memories
Behavioral: Concerned with observable behavior, behavior is learned through environment
Cognitive: Scientific stud of the mind as a information processor (Nature vs nurture)
Biological: Emphasizes the biological and physical basis for behavior
Evolutionary: Scientific discipline that approaches human behavior through lens that incorporates the efforts of evolution
Cross-cultural: Cultural factors influence human behavior
Humanistic: looking at the whole individual, stress concepts such as free will, self-efficacy and self actualization
Research in psychology guided notes
Be able to:
Identify independent and dependent variables when given examples
Identify experimental and control groups when given examples
Describe the significance of having a control group when conducting experiments
Careers in psychology
Be able to:
Describe a career or related field of psychology: Forensic psychologist, they do psychological assessments on people in legal cases. They determine whether someone has the mental competence to stand trial
Explain how your chosen career or related field benefits you, your community, or our society as a whole: This can benefit my community as it can help find true justice and be fair for everyone. It benefits the patient because sometimes criminals don't need jail time but rather mental help. This benefits society as a whole because it keeps the people who should be in jail in jail and the people who need help mentally get mental health help.
Unit 2: Research Methods
Topic #1 - The Scientific Method
Be able to:
Define the scientific method: A carefully controlled method of investigation aiming to established a cause and effect relationship manipulation and controlling certain
6 Steps in the Research Process - Identify and explain each step 1. Ask questions or find a problem to solve 2. Define your variables 3. Develop a testable hypothesis and conduct background research 4. Select an experiment design, standardize procedures, and chose participants 5.conduct experiment and collect data 6. Analyze and share results
Include definitions for: independent variable:Manipulated or controlled by the experimenter, dependent variable measured and affected by the independent varible, operational definitions: a precise description of the variables and how these will be manipulated, experimental group: participants are exposed to the independent variable , and control group: exposed to the same condition wit the exception of the independent variable.
Topic #2 - Ethics in Research Methods
Be able to:
Define the 8 ethical guidelines which are supposed to be used in psych. studies/research (notes in copybook, not guided)
Rights+well being of participants must be weight against the studys value to science
Informed consent
Deception must be justified
Allowed to with draw whenerve
Participants must be protected or told about risks
Investigators must debrief participants
Data must remain confidential
Undesirable consequences, the researcher is responsible for detecting or connecting those outcomes
Define the Belmont Code/Report and its impacts: Belmont code 1971 ethical standards for research on humans and animals. It changed how scientist could make research experiments, and they have to weigh whether the scientific findings over the ethicality of the research
Identify the hypothesis for the following controversial studies (matching):
Little Albert: infants have a natural fear of loud sounds, also used to proved that he could use a loud noise to produced condition responses in the child when they are shown the stimulus
Pit of Despair:The need for tactile comfort or contact explains how attachment develops
Stanford Prison:The behavior of the guards and inmates of a prisons were inherently from abusive behavior and power in prison
Topic #3 - Research Methods - Surveys
Be able to:
Explain the differences between a questionnaire versus an interview, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of both
Questionnaires -A technique for gathering self reported attitude, opinions, and/or behaviors of people usually by questioning a representative random sample of ppl
Advantages -Collect information from large crowd of ppl, short amount of time, cost effective
Disadvantages - Misunderstanding the question, people can lie
Interviews -Respond orally to questions, can be in person/ over the phone/internet
Advantages - clarification on misunderstood questions, easier for interviewer to see if respondents understand the question
Disadvantages - Time consuming and expensive
Topic #4 - Research Methods - Case Studies
Be able to:
Describe what a case study is and how it can be used, including its advantages and disadvantages
Case Studies-The study of a single individual or just a few individuals in order to describe their citation and determine how they think and behave
Advantages -Its a situation you would be unable to replicate (unethical)
Disadvantages: It's only on a small scale of people and does not represent the population as a whole.
Explain who Phineas Gage was and what his case study was about - be able to explain the impact this study had on psychology Phineas Gage was a railway worker when an explosive went off at the wrong time and sent a pole through his prefrontal cortex. He did end up surviving but people quickly realised he wasnt the same person, he started lashing out and was angrier. This created a new desire to learn what the parts of the brain do and how they react differently.
Be able to:
Describe and explain a famous case study in Psychology - be sure to explain the background of the study, who the study was on, what was being studied, and the results of the study (impact on a Psychology)Chris sizemore was a girl who had multiple personality disorder. This was due to her experiencing multiple traumatic events in her life. The study was on chris and they were studying the disorder and how it effect her life. Her psychiatrist wanted to blend her personalities into her real personality. This open DID to the eye of the public and brought new awareness of the disorder.
Topic #5 - Research Methods - Interviews
Be able to:
Describe and explain the 4 different types of interviews and their advantages and disadvanatges
Structured interview: Quantitative research method where the interview has a set of prepared close ended questions in the form of an interview schedule, which he or she reads out exactly as worded ( advantages): easy to replicate, easy to quantify, test for reliability, quick and large ( disadvantages): not flexible lack of details.
Unstructured interview: interview does not have a set of questions and instead ask opened question based on Based on specific research topic and will let the interview flow like a natural conversation interviewer will modify their questions to suit the candidate specific experiences ( advantages): flexible, deviates from schedule, qualitative data, choose his own words, increase validity ( disadvantages): time consuming expensive,Interviewer can influence response.
Focus Group interview: the focus group interview is a qualitative approach where a group of respondents are interviewed together to gain a depth understanding of social issues ( advantages): qualitative data question Collective experiences, diversity of thought, common experience, cost-effective ( disadvantages): hard to keep confidential, less reliable, lack of validity less Focus oppositional Behavior
Semi-structured interview: the interviewer prepares a set of questions to be answered by all interviewees additional questions may be asked during the interview to clarify or expand certain issues ( advantages): answer more on their term, flexible Explorer based on answers reliable and qualitative data ( disadvantages): Daddy can be shaped by interviewer, time consuming skill of interviewer is important
Describe and explain the Interviewer effect: Face to face interviews raise methodological problems. these stem from the fact that interviewers themselves are role players, and their perceived status may influence the replies of respondents
Topic #6 - Research Methods - Observations
Be able to:
Describe and explain the 3 different types of observations and their advantages and disadvantages
Natrualistic observation- Naturalistic observation is a research method in which the researchers studies behavior and its natural setting without intervention or manipulation. ( advantages) observed flow of situation, study total situation, actual behavior in real time ( disadvantages) small sample sizes, less reliable, time consuming, no control of outside variables.
participant observations - participant observation is a variant of natural observations but the researcher joins in and becomes part of the group they are studying to get a deeper insight into their lives ( advantages) observe flow of situation, study total situation, actual behavior in real time ( disadvantages) difficult to get time or privacy for recording, researcher becomes too involved may lose objectivity and become biased
controlled observations - controlled observation is a research method for studying behavior in a carefully controlled and structured environment ( advantages) easily replicated, data is easier and quicker to analyze, quick ( disadvantages) lack of validity because patients know they are being watched
Describe and explain the Hawthorne effect: individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed
Topic #7 - Personality tests guided notes
Self-reported inventories
Purpose: give a general idea of what situation your in and what you and you psychologist need to focus on
Be able to identify based on a given example
What problems might come along with using a self-reported inventory? People can lie to make themselves sound better or worse then they actually are.
Unit 3: The Brain
Neurons and neurotransmitters guided notes
Vocabulary
Neuron: a specialized cell that receives information and transmits it to other cells
Neurotransmission: 2 or more neurons communicating with one another
Neurotransmitters: a chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons and other cells
Be able to:
Label the following parts of a neuron:
Dendrite, axon, soma (cell body), nucleus, myelin sheath, terminal buttons
Explain the process of neurotransmission Exchange of ions sodium ions on the outside of the cell rush into the cell and potassium ion rush out, then an electrical impulse is created from the rushing of ions. The electrical signal races down the axon, on the impulse reaches the terminal button it triggers the vehicle to move towards the bottom of the terminal. T Neurotransmitters are released form terminal button ad cross the tiny space between it. Each type of neurotransmitter land on and binds to a specific receptor on the target cell, once bidnnded it triggers a action in the cell.
Exchange of ions, electrical impulse vesicle and reception, action
Identify the difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters Excitatory increase the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential, and the inhibitory decreases the likelihood tha =t the neuron will fire an action
The brain (part 1) guided notes
Be able to:
Explain the role of the cerebral cortex and why it’s so wrinkly it our outermost part of out brain and its associated with our highest mental capabilities, its wrinkly so as we grow it can make new connections without or heads becoming huge
Purposes of each part of the cerebral cortex
Sensory:
Motor
Association
Identify the importance of the corpus callosum: it connects out brain hemispheres
Locate, label, and identify the role of the four lobes (main function)
Frontal: Reasoning, social understanding, executive functioning, voluntary muscle movement, learning and recalling infromation
Parietal: Self perception, sensory integration, learned movements, location awareness
Occipital:Spatial processing, color processing, distance and depth perception, object and face recognition, information sharing.
Temporal: Language, memory, emotion, senses, visual recognition.
The brain (part 2) guided notes
Be able to label the general structure of the brain (hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain)
Hindbrain
Primary function of the hindbrain:‘ Most basic level of being and human, connects spinal cord to the brain
Identify the parts and their primary functions
Pons: coordination center for signals which flow between the hemispheres (bridge between the brainstem and cerebral cortex
Cerebellum:Regulating motor behavior, particular automatic movements
Medulla: perform vital functions outside conscious control (heart beat)
Spinal cord:Convey sensory information to the brain, carr information generated in the brain to other parts of the body, controls nearby organs,
Midbrain
Primary function of the midbrain:Processing visual and auditory signals, movement of head and body, channel for spinal cord transmitting information.
Forebrain
Primary function of the forebrain:planning and execution of movements, sensory processing, regulating sleep wake states and behavioral responses to emotions such as stress and fear
Identify the parts and their primary functions:
Thalamus:Relay station of all incoming motor and sensory information (no smell) Its like a gate only opens for certain important information
Hypothalamus:(Homeostasis) To react to these messages to keep your body insatiable state or internal balance
Amygdala:integrative center for emotions, emotional behavior, motivation
Hippocampus: Formation organization storage of new memories and in connection certain sensations and emotions to these memories
What is the limbic system and what is it responsible for? To process and regulate emotions and memories, motivations, long term memory, sense of smell, survivalist behaviors, our reaction to stressful situation and environments.
The Mind, Explained: Memory (done on paper but available digitally)
Be able to identify the difference between implicit and explicit memory
Implicit procedural, priming, emotional conditioning
Explicit→ semantic Concepts and facts vs. episodic Events and experineces
How do the following three things help us with memories:
Emotion Attaching an emotional response to different memories can created these memories to be more important and eventful
Place Making associations with common things around you, like in your house will make remembering threads of things easier
Story creating a story to memorise facts will make connections and give explanations for these facts
Crash Course: Sleep and Dreaming (done on paper, but available digitally)
Be able to identify the stages of sleep, especially REM
How long does the sleep cycle take? 90 in
What happens in the brain and body during REM sleep? Your brain is really active and its when you start to drea
What occurs specifically in REM sleep? Rapid eye movemnt
Unit 4: Sensation and Perception
Introduction to sensation and perception guided notes
Be able to:
Define sensation and perception and identify how they differ Sensation is the process of sensory receptor processing your external environment, perception is how you perceive these sensei=tion and signals
Differentiate between bottom-up processing and top-down processing when given examples bottom up processing identify a stimulus based on the current environment, essential its your primary reaction to it like when your frist starting ot read. Top down processing is using experience and knowledge from beforehand to identify stimulus
Vision guided notes
Be able to:
Explain the role of photoreceptors turn visible light into visual information
Identify the responsibilities of rods and cones Rods help you see at nightime or when its dark, and cones help us focus and see color
Differentiate between rods and cones COne are for color and rods are for night vision
Define parallel processing multitasking ability that allows out brain to handle many aspects simultaneouly
Color and vision activity
Be able to answer the following:
What causes color blindness? Genes,
How do genes, chromosomes, and biological sex play a part in colorblindness? If you inherit a colorblind gene from a chromosome you might get it if comes though.
Hearing guided notes
Be able to:
Identify which sounds are louder and/or higher pitched when given different examples of wavelengths taller = louder Tighter = higher pitch
Put the steps of how we hear into chronological order (numbering 1 to 4) Sound waves are funneled into our outer ear then into our ear canal were they waves turn into vibrations, this vibrates the eardrum which go to the inner ear. In the inner ear the cochlea membrane vibrates causing movement of the liquid in the cochlea to bend the hair cells which trigger the auditory nereve
Identify the purpose of each part of the ear:
Outer: funnel sound waves into the ear
Middle: Transmits vibrate from out ear into inner ear
Inner: translates sound into something we understand
Explain why our ears “pop” Our ears pop because the eustachian tubes are opening to equalize the pressure in your ear to the outside
The importance of the cochlea Its the part that triggers the audt=itory nerve allowing us to understand the sound waves
Touch slides
Be able to:
Identify the four skin senses pressure, warm, cold, pain
Explain the cause of pain intense or damagin stimuli, its our bodys way of warning the brain that damage it being done
Identify why not feeling pain is problematic you wont be able to feel the aches you would normal get from staying in a position for too long which can lead to future health problems.
Taste and smell guided notes
Be able to:
Differentiate between energy and chemical senses taste and smell are chemical, its when a chemical message is sent to the brain to process
Put the steps of taste sensation in order The taste buds on your tongue will pick up a flavor and sned a singla to the brain
Identify the taste sensations bitter, sweet, salty, unmai, sour
Describe the evolutionary role of taste it allowed our ancestors to determine if something is bad or not
Identify the factors that affect taste receptors againg, smoking, medication, malnutrion, alcohol, illness, nerve damage, diesaes that efffect the nerves
Put the steps of smell sensation in order Factory receptor cells on the mucus membrane have small hair like receptors that bond with odor molecules in the air once bound chemical changes within the cell result and signals being sent to the olfactory bulb from the old factory bulb information is sent to regions of the limbic system and primary olfactory cortex to be interpreted
Explain how scent is the strongest sense in terms of memory Theres are hotline that runs between the area of the brain that gets infromation from the nose and the brain limbic system that associate with memory and emotion,
Define pheromones and their purpose Chemical substance produced and released int the environment by na animal , used to elicit and repsonse from other spices
Unit 5: Mental Health
Anxiety disorders, Mood disorders, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Schizophrenia
Be able to:
Identify characteristics of the following disorders (matching, split into two questions):
Generalized anxiety: you feel dread or unease for about 3 mouth
Phobias: having intense fear of something, and the worrying effects your daily life
OCD: obsessive compulsive disorder, you feel like you must do a task over and over until it feels correct
PTSD: people who witnessed traumatic events having flash backs to traumatic events
Depression: Being
Bipolar disorder, large mood swings either chronically or acute
Dissociative Identity Disorder: the separation of personalities
Schizophrenia: feeling that there are voices in your head and or hallucination