Psychology 101 Modules 1-8 Exam
evolutionary psychology
*certain biological and behavioral variations increase organisms' reproductive and survival chances in their particular environment *offspring that survive are more likely to pass their genes to ensuing generations *over time, population characteristics may change
good theory list
1- organizes observations 2- implies predictions that anyone can use to check the theory or to derive practical applications
hypothalamus
A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward
experiments
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process
hippocampus
a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage; decreases in size and function as we grow older
action potential
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
applied research
a scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
fmri
a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive mri scans. shows brain functions as well as structure
mri
a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain
pet
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
neural impulse
action potential, electrical signal traveling down the axon
weaknesses of naturalistic observation
affected by outside influence, subjects could behave differently when being researched, researcher bias
eeg
an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp
somatosensory cortex
an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
functionalism
an early school of thought promoted by james and influenced by darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
structuralism
an early school of thought promoted by wundt and titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the mind
subjects
animals
association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
curiosity
does it work? when put to the test, can its predictions be confirmed?
strengths of naturalistic observation
doesn't influence behavior, doesn't control all factors
success in evolutionary psychology
enhancing genes were selected, and behavioral tendencies and learning capacities emerged and supported survival, reproduction, and genetic longevity
wundt
established the first psychological laboratory in Germany 1879, he created an experimental apparatus. he was seeking to measure "atoms of the mind"- the fastest and simplest mental processes. so began the first lab, staffed by him and by psychology's first grad students
institutional animal care and use committee
ethics committee in a research facility empowered to protect the rights and safety of animal research subjects
institutional review board
ethics committee in a research facility that is empowered to protect the rights and safety of human research participants
critical thinking
examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
terminal branches of axon
form junctions with other cells
twin and adoption studies
genes are self-regulating environments trigger gene activity genetically
physiologically induced
hallucinations, orgasm, food or oxygen starvation
John B. Watson
he did a study on a baby who was nicknamed as "Little Albert", he and Rayner showed that fear could be learned
3 roadblocks to critical thinking
hindsight bias, overconfidence, and perceiving patters in random events
endocrine system
hormones, slower, effects are longer lasting
critical thinkers questions
how do they know that? what is this person's agenda? is the conclusion based on an anecdote, or on evidence? does the evidence justify a cause-effect conclusion? what alternative explanations are possible?
participants
humans
interneurons
in between (coordinating communication between sensory and motor neurons)
weaknesses of a case study
inability to replicate, researcher bias, atypical individual cases
right hemisphere
increased activity with perceptual tasks, modulates speech; allows for making references, organizes self-awareness
reticular formation
inside the brainstem, between your ears; a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal (awakeness)
strengths of a case study
intensive study, developing new research, contradicting established ideas or theories, giving new insight
pons
just above the medulla; helps coordinate movement and control sleep
left hemisphere
math tasks, language control; quick, literal interpretations
limbic system
neural system (including the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
characteristics of scientific research
observe and question, research existing answers, hypothesis, test hypothesis, draw conclusions and share results
dual processing
parallel, sequential
axon
passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands
william james
philosopher-psychologist. he thought it would be more fruitful to go beyond labeling our inward thoughts and feeling by considering their evolved functions. why does the nose smell and the brain think? he thought thinking, like smelling, developed because it was adaptive- it helped our ancestors survive and reproduce
occipital lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields
parietal lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position
temporal lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a stimulus or problem at once; usually involves unconscious processing
good theory
produces testable predictions, called hypotheses. such predictions specify would support or disconfirm it
humanistic psychology
rather than focusing on conditioned responses or childhood memories, this focused on our needs for love and acceptance and on environments that nurture or limit personal growth- carl rogers and abraham maslow
dendrites
receive messages from other cells
motor neurons
responding and sends out to muscles
strengths of correlation
reveals how to things relate
sensory neurons
sends a message to central nervous system
psychologically induced
sensory deprivation, hypnosis, meditation
3 types of neurons
sensory, motor, interneurons
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
frontal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments
biological psychology
the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes
overconfidence
the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon)
elements that make psychology a science
the truth can be revealed by questioning and testing
behaviorism
the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes- b. f. skinner
psychoanalytic psychology
this emphasized the ways our unconscious mind and childhood experiences affect our behavior- freud
biopsychosocial approach
this systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery
amygdala
two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion, aggression, and fear
titchener
used introspection to search for the mind's structural elements. he aimed to classify and understand elements of the mind's structure. he engaged people in self-reflective introspection (looking inward), training them to report elements of their experience
perceiving order in random events
wanting to find correlation or connections when in fact they aren't related
skepticism
what do you mean? how do you know?
gall
a german neuroanatomist, physiologist, and pioneer in the study of the localization of mental functions in the brain. claimed as the founder of phrenology
cerebral cortex
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center
B.F. Skinner
a leading behaviorist who rejected introspection and studied how consequences shape behavior. John B. Watson and he dismissed introspection and redefined psychology as "the scientific study of observable behavior." they said "what you cannot observe and measure you cannot scientifically study."
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
neuron
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
meg
a brain-imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain's natural electrical activity
case studies
a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
naturalistic observation
a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
humility
awareness of our own vulnerability to error and openness to surprises and new perspectives
consciousness
awareness of self and environment
nervous system
brain, faster, effects are not long lasting
pseudoscience
cannot be scientifically proven
rights of subjects
cannot be unethical or place humans higher than them
weaknesses of correlation
cannot explain the relationships
rights of participants
consent, protected from harm and discomfort, information is confidential, debriefed afterwards
grey matter
contains numerous cell bodies and relatively few myelinated axons
white matter
contains relatively few cell bodies and is composed chiefly of long-range myelinated axon tracts
myelin sheath
covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses (white matter)
freud
created psychoanalysis psychology, which emphasized the ways our unconscious mind and childhood experiences affect our behavior
the scientific attitude
curiosity, skepticism, humility
spontaneously
daydreaming, drowsiness, dreaming
levels of consciousness
spontaneously, physiologically induced, psychologically induced
behavior genetics
study of how our heredity interacts with our experiences to influence behavior
cerebellum
the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance
medulla
the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
neural plasticity
the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
thalamus
the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
cell body
the cell's life support center
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition and mental processes
