General psychology

Psychology: Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Goals of Psychology

·         Describe: The “What” – A simple behavior or a mental process

·         Explain: The “Why”- Why does is happen, what is causing it to happen

·         Predict: “When”- When will the behavior happen

·         Change: The goal is to fix the behavior, figure out what will stop the behavior

Critical Thinking: Analyzing data or being able to make decisions based on evidence

Skepticism: Being uncertain of something or not fully believing it

Objectivity: Being unbiased and providing information based on facts

History of Psychology

Wilheim Wundt (1832-1920)

·         First Lab was in 1879       

·         German philosopher-physician

·         Structuralism- Identify elements, or structures, of mental process                        

William James (1942- 1910)

·         Functionalism- Identify purposes, or functions, of the mind

·         American psychologist and philosopher

What makes Psychology a Science- It uses the scientific method to collect information

Scientific Method

Step One

·         Observing a phenomenon (Choose a Variable and Develop a Theory)

             Variable

·         Phenomenon studied by scientists

·         Anything that can be changed  

              Theory

·         Idea that attempts to explain observations

·         Seeks to explain why something happened

·         Can be used to make predictions

Step Two

·         Formulate a Hypothesis

·        Educated guess derived from theory

·        Prediction that can be tested

·        If supported, can lend credibility to the theory

Step Three

·         Test Through Research (Operational definition and Collect Analyzed Data)

Establish an operational definition

·         Objective description of the variable

·         How will the variable be measured?

              Collect and analyze data

·         Number crunching

·         What does data mean?

Step Four and Five

Step Four- Draw a Conclusion

·         Is theory supported?

·         Should theory be changed?

            Step Five- Evaluate Conclusions

Publication and review

·         Ongoing research process

·         Other professionals evaluate the study and findings

Types of Psychological Research

·         Descriptive research

·         Finding out about some variables

·         Without answering how and why

§  Surveys- May be inaccurate

§  Observations

§  Case studies

·         Correlational Research

·         Discovering relationships between variables

§  Strength- Number

§  Direction- Sign

§  -1.00 <  r < 1.00

·         Experimental Research

·         Establishing causal relationships

§  Independent Variable- Manipulated

§  Dependent Variable- Measured

§  Experimental Groups- Experience manipulation

§  Control Group- Serves as baseline comparison

§  Placebo- two or more groups

Types of Neurons

Neurons- cells that send and receive messages throughout the body

·         Neurons DO NOT regrow

·         Sensory Nerves

§  Afferent nerves

§  Information to the brain and spinal cord

·         Motor Nerves

§  Efferent Nerves

§  Information out of brain and spinal cord

·         Neural Networks

§  Integration of sensory input and motor output

Nervous System

·         Central Nervous System (CNS)

·         Brain

·         Spinal Cord

·         Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Nerves connecting CNS to body

·         Somatic Nervous System (Voluntary)

§  From skin and muscles to CNS

·         Autonomic Nervous System (Involuntary)

§  Messages to and from internal organs

·         Sympathetic Nervous System

o   Arousing

o   Stress

o   Fight or Flight

·         Parasympathetic Nervous System

o   Calming

Neurons are nerve cells that process information

Neurons Structure

·         Cell Body

§  Contains nucleus

·         Dendrites

§  Fiber projections from neuron

·         Axon

§  Carries information from the cell body to other cells

·         Myelin Sheath

§  Layer of fat cells, encasing and insulating most axons

Communication between a single Neuron

-          Action potential

o   Electrolytes

o   Positive charge or firing

Communication between neurons

-          Synapses

o   Space between neurons (synaptic gaps)

-          Neurotransmitters

o   Stored in synaptic vesicles (sacs) within terminal buttons

o   Chemical signals which allow electrical impulses to cross synaptic gaps

§  Dopamine

-          Helps control voluntary movement

-          Affects sleep, mood, attention, learning, rewards

-          Parkinson's disease; Low levels of dopamine

-          Schizophrenia: High levels of dopamine

§  Serotonin

-          Involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, attention, learning

-          Depression: Lowered levels of serotonin

Brains capacity to change function and structure in response to experience

Organization of the brain

-          Hindbrain

o   Adjacent to the top part of the spinal cord

Brain Stem Includes:

§  Medulla

-          Controls breathing and heart rate

-          Regulates reflexes

§  Cerebellum

-          Plays an important role in motor skills (muscles)

§  Pons

-          Involved in sleep and arousal

-          Midbrain

o   Rises above hindbrain

§  Brain Stem

-          Determines alertness

-          Regulates basic survival functions

-          Forebrain

o   Uppermost region of brain

o   Limbic System

§  Amygdala

-          Discrimination of objects for survival

§  Hippocampus

-          Memory

o   Thalamus

§  Serves as a relay station for information

o   Basal Ganglia

§  Voluntary movement

o   Hypothalamus

§  Monitors eating, driving, sex, emotions, stress & reward

o   Cerebral Cortex (Four parts)

§  Occipital Lobes

-          Eyes

§  Temporal Lobes

-          Hearing, language, memory

§  Frontal Lobes

-          Personality, intelligence, muscles, thought process, speech production

§  Parietal Lobes

-          Registering spatial location, attention, motor control, body sensations