PSYC Exam #1
unskilled but unaware
(Kruger & Dunning; 1997) Those who perform the most poorly at grammar, logic humor, etc are the most confident in their abilities
The Confirmation Bias
(Result of overconfidence theory) -Tendency to seek out evidence that confirms our theories AND discount, discredit, or ignore disconfirming evidence -Used in political beliefs
limbic system
(barrier)associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.
brain can be studies by
-neuroimaging -recording electrical activity -manipulating the brain -clinical observations
Hippocampus
-part of limbic system **Formation of new memories -If you have damage to your hippocampus then you can't make new memories, your damaging encoding -Anterograde amnesia- loss of the capability to form new memories or store information
Amygdala
-part of limbic system *basic emotions such as fear and aggression -likes to talk but doesn't like to listen -sends out more info to body than it gets back -controls most of brain
Hypothalamus
-part of limbic system *basic motivations such as sex, hunger/thirst, body temp. -things that help us survive/reproduce **controls the endocrine system and pituitary gland
ways to correct for sampling bias
-restrict population =sample in large numbers -stratified sampling (specifically recruit to find a representative sample of the population, 1/2 women and 1/2 men, etc)
agonist
A drug that mimics the effects of a neurotransmitter or blocks its reuptake -e.g., Morphine agonist for endorphins (pain regulation) **good copy, aid neurotransmitters
Dendrites
Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to detect/receive information from other neurons
third variable problem
A problem that occurs when the researcher cannot directly manipulate variables; as a result, the researcher cannot be confident that another, unmeasured variable is not the actual cause of differences in the variables of interest.
Behaviorism
A psychological approach that emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing behavior.
Which of the following is true about the functions of dendrites and axons?
Dendrites detect information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons transmit information within a neuron.
biopsychosocial approach
Different levels of analysis can be used to understand any psychological analysis -Biological Ex. testosterone and aggression -psychological/ individual Ex. different levels of testosterone present in a individual -Social cultural Ex. exposure to violent media, more aggressive or cultural systems that promotes aggression
random sampling
Each individual in the population has an equal chance of taking part in the study •Almost impossible •Best example: random digit dial studies
Which of the following statements about ethical research is false?
It is unethical to observe people in public without their knowledge.
visual processing
Parallel processing occurs at the level of bipolar and ganglion cells in the eye. Visual info is then split into two distinct pathways: one that detects motion and one that detects form, and these pathways project to separate areas of the LGN and visual cortex. From there, feature detection occurs via serial processing of the information.
According to the text, how do hypotheses relate to theories?
Hypotheses are specific predictions used to test parts of a theory
cross-sectional correlation
Identifies whether a relationship b/n 2+ variables exists •Measure 2+ variables in one sitting -How many cups of coffee do you drink per day? -How tired are you on average?
Dr. Grodner is conducting an experiment on age-related changes in memory. He is comparing how well retirees and high school students perform on a memory task. In order to conveniently schedule research participants, he has the older adults come to the lab during the day, since they are retired. The students come to the lab in the evening, after they are finished with school and other activities. What is the problematic confound in this study?
If memory turns out to be something that varies by time of day, it is problematic that the older adults all do the study in the morning and the younger adults all do the study at night.
Edward Titchener
Student of Wilhelm Wundt; founder of Structuralist school of psychology. Believed that experience could be broken down into constituent parts
What do we mean when we say that Psychology is an "Empirical Science"?
Relies on or derived from observation or experiment. Verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment uses data, theories, evidence
split brain
a condition that occurs when the corpus callosum is surgically cut and the two hemispheres of the brain do not receive information directly from each other; treatment for Epilepsy
axon
a long narrow outgrowth of a neuron by which information is transmitted to other neurons
Psychoanalysis
a method developed by Sigmund Freud that attempts to bring the contents of the unconscious into conscious awareness so that conflicts can be revealed
directionality problem
a problem encountered in correlational studies; the researchers find a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused changes in the other variable
Epinephrine
energy
While hiking in the mountains in Alaska, Pete encountered a giant grizzly bear. He immediately felt his heart rate increase, his breathing become rapid, and sweat drip down his back. These events were most likely due to effects of the neurotransmitter called
epinephrine.
random assignment
everyone is randomly assigned to conditions, everyone has a fair and equal chance, coin flip or random number generator
________ neurons detect information from the outside world and pass the information to the spinal cord and eventually the brain.
afferent
sensory neurons
aka AFFERENT neurons, detect information from the physical world and pass that information TO the brain
motor neurons
aka EFFERENT neurons, direct muscles to contract or relax, thereby producing movement; AWAY from brain
terminal buttons
aka terminal fibers, located at the ends of axons, small nodules that release chemical signals from the neuron into the synapse
You cannot fire a gun softly or flush a toilet halfway. Like an action potential, gunfire and a toilet's flush follow the ________ principle.
all-or-none
Structuralism
an approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components just like the periodic table breaks down chemical elements ***form
Functionalism
an approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior **function
When a researcher manipulates a variable to see what effect the manipulation has on a study participant's behavior, the research design involves
an experiment
correlation doesn't imply ________
causation
Depolarization
cell becomes more neutrally and eventually positively charged
Repolarization
cell returns to resting potential
The brain and the spinal cord make up the ________ nervous system.
central
Yves has been drinking alochol. He has difficulty walking a straight line when asked to do so by a police officer. Apparently, alcohol has affected Yves's
cerebellum
Al-Kindi
cognitive therapy -things happen to us, it's the way you think about them that matters
Paloma randomly assigns participants to two groups. She wants to compare a group that receives a treatment with a group that receives no treatment. The group that gets no treatment is the ________ group.
control
Motor Cortex (frontal lobe)
control muscle movement; thumb takes up alot of space
autonomic nervous system
controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands (branch of peripheral)
somatic nervous system
controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles (branch of peripheral)
Cerebellum
coordination of voluntary movement (walking, typing, running)
In which of the following types of study do researchers examine the extent to which variables are naturally related in the real world (that is, there is NO attempt by the researcher to influence the relation among the variables)?
correlational
Serotonin
emotional states and impulsiveness, dreaming; functions as a hormone and in hunger state
Imagine it takes a 100 mV depolarization change to produce an action potential. Which of the following should result in an action potential?
excitatory signals equaling 110 mV
Wilhelm randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment. The group that gets the treatment is the ________ group.
experimental
Researchers investigated whether mood affects participants' ratings of jokes. Participants in the first mood group read sad statements. In the second group, participants read emotionally neutral statements. In this study, the participants who read the sad statements constituted the
experimental condition
Dr. Shin is researching the hypothesis that a certain medication can reduce the experience of disturbed thoughts in a sample of patients suffering from schizophrenia. Dr. Shin tests her hypothesis by placing each schizophrenic patient in one of two groups. The patients who receive the drug are in the __________ group, and the patients do not receive the drug are in the __________ group.
experimental, control
Which of the following types of studies allows the researcher to establish causality between variables?
experiments
William James
founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment;Founded 1st psychology lab in America attended Harvard
Brad was in a car accident and received a severe blow to the left side of his head. As a result, he is unable to move his right arm and has a great deal of difficulty with planning and with maintaining attention. The location of his traumatic brain injury is most likely the ________ lobe.
frontal
fMRI
functional MRI, 3D map, shows function (activity), blood flow
Anke is working in a laboratory and comes across a rat that is grossly overweight and seems unable to stop eating and seems to be very sexually active toward other rats. The researcher tells Anke this rat has a brain tumor. Given the change in the rat's behavior, which part of the brain is likely being affected by the tumor?
hypothalamus
Jordan is walking across campus and sees a girl that he has a crush on. When he looks at her, he starts to become sexually aroused. This sexual arousal is the result of the __________ in his limbic system sending a signal to the __________ in his endocrine system which then release hormones that initiate the beginning of the sexual response cycle.
hypothalamus; pituitary gland
Peter is conducting a survey asking how often students use the Internet and the average number of hours they sleep. He finds a negative correlation between the two. Peter can conclude that when students go online frequently, it
is related to students sleeping less
Francis Bacon
knowledge comes from experience via the senses -the knowledge we have comes from experiences -developed scientific method
Sypathetic Nervous System
leads to arousal, anger, afraid, things that call for immediate responses, body preparing to do something (branch of somatic)
Joaquim has experienced a relatively severe stroke. As a result, he is unable to identify faces and understand what is spoken to him. The location of his stroke is most likely within the ________ lobe.
left temporal
You are doing an experiment to test whether exercise improves self-control in children. Half of the children will jump rope for five minutes before being left alone in a room with a bowl of candy. The other half of the children will color for five minutes before being left alone in the room with the candy. You plan to measure how long it takes for each child to begin eating the candy as well as how much candy the children consume. Which of the following is considered your independent variable?
level of exercise (jump rope vs. color)
Homunculus
little man; upside-down and distorted
how do scientists study behavior?
naturalistic observation, interviews/questionnaires, Laboratory tasks, specialized instruments
during resting potential, the inside of the cell is more ______ than the outside
negative
Students who study little for tests tend to make more errors on tests; students who study a lot tend to make fewer errors. If a researcher collected data on both amount of studying and test errors, his/her statistical analysis will likely produce a:
negative/inverse correlation
The basic building blocks of the nervous system are the
neurons
-1 and +1
no correlation
no (zero) correlation
no relationship, flat line straight accross
Penny consumes a recreational drug, and then finds that she is extremely sensitive to what is going on around her—too vigilant, in fact. The drug Penny consumed seems to enhance the activity of the neurotransmitter
norepinephrine.
Vanna administers a survey about people's romantic relationships. The highest possible score is 20 points. If her participants obtain a score of 15 or higher, she classifies them as "in love." Achieving a score of 15 or above is Vanna's __________ for "in love."
operational definition
Proprioception
our brains unconscious awareness of the relative position of our bodies -cerebellum Ex. your body pulling back as you stand on the edge of a cliff -virtual reality can throw this off
Norman was in a car accident, and now all of his hormones are malfunctioning. Norman probably damaged his
pituitary gland
Seven-year-old Samantha suffered trauma to the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain as a result of a bicycle accident. Although she did have some language deficits after the trauma, she eventually was able to recover much of what she had lost. The ability to recover from brain trauma in this fashion is an example of:
plasticity
After suffering trauma to his brain, Jack experienced profound alterations in his personality. Prior to his accident he was a prudent, responsible employee. Afterward, he was childlike in mental capacity, impulsive, and had difficulty maintaining attention. Jack's injuries were most likely located in which area of the brain?
prefrontal cortex
Antagonist
prevents a neurotransmitter's action in the brain. -e.g., Beta-blockers antagonists for (nor)epinephrine **bad copy, block neurotransmitters
After a bad fall while rock climbing, Charisa experienced profound alterations in her ability to initiate voluntary movements, such as moving her eyes or reaching for a cup of water. Which brain structure did Charisa's injuries most likely affect?
primary motor cortex
Dr. Smith reads about a research study investigating whether a reading intervention has a positive effect on children's performances in school. She decides to repeat the same study to see if she obtains similar results. She is engaging in
replication
When not active, neurons have a negative relative electrical charge. This is referred to as the
resting membrane potential
Which brain stem structure influences the sleep cycle, as well as general alertness?
reticular formation
Dopamine
reward and motivation (pursuing and achieving goals); **cocaine
central sulcus
separates frontal and parietal lobes
MRI
shows 3D structural map of brain (tissues), used in medical settings
PET scan
shows where radiated glucose (brain's energy source) is being used)
parasympathetic nervous system
slows, breathing and heart rate, calms you down (branch of somatic)
Nodes of Ranvier
small gaps of exposed axon, between the segments of myelin sheath, where action potentials take place
0.5 to 0.8 and -0.5 to -0.8
strong correlation
sample
subset of that population that is representative of the population
neural plasticity
the brain's capacity to reorganize itself -The brains of juveniles, compared to adults, are more plastic
Synapse
the gap between the axon of a "sending" neuron and the dendrites of a "receiving" neuron; the site at which chemical communication occurs between neurons; neurons don't like to touch
control group
the group that is not exposed to the treatment and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.
Clara is working on a study to examine shy children's behavior with peers they have not met before. She is developing theories, forming hypotheses, and conducting research to determine if her theory is supported by the data. In what process is she engaged?
the scientific method
peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Psychologist Jean Piaget observed children to see how they solved problems. Over the course of many studies, he was able to spot general patterns of behavior. This led him to connect different concepts and behaviors within a single
theory
If a research study is published in a peer-reviewed journal, you can assume that
the study was evaluated by other experts in the field
how does the brain learn?
through neural networks (connected clusters of neurons)
occipital lobe
vision, primary visual cortex
brain
Nerve cells Neurons Neurotransmitters General physiological processes
In the cycle of the scientific method, statistics help you
determine whether or not your hypothesis is supported.
A medication that blocks the reuptake of serotonin will lead to
more serotonin in the synapse.
Acetylcholine
motor control
3 things needed to establish Causation
- covariation (correlation can provide this) - temporal precedence (cause comes before effect) - elimination of spuriousness (only letting 2 variables have affect on experiment)
Which of the following best represents a medium negative correlation?
-0.44
Several methods available to researchers who want to explain, predict, and control phenomenon of interest
-Correlational (cross-sectional and longitudinal) studies -Experimental studies
cerebral hemispheres
-Left: speech/language -Right: patterns/spatial/ relationships/faces -Corpus Callosum-allows left and right sides of the brain to function together
cerebral cortex
-Thin 'wrinkled' layer of tissue covering cerebral hemispheres -surface area is more important than volume -wrinkles store and process info. -Thin Crust of neurony goodness
What makes psychology a science?
1) Carefully measured observations 2) experiments The way they obtain information 3)Scientists use scientific method -Soft sciences observe things that aren't as tangible such as mental processes but use scientific method
So how does the science of psychology correct for the limitations of human intuition?
1. Applies the amiable skepticism/scientific attitude -When presented with information as fact ask:What do you mean?Define your terms? -How do you know that? Show me the evidence? -Requires humility: Accept ideas supported by evidence -Remain skeptical of, but don't completely discount it (amiable skepticism) 2. Apply scientific method
Prescientific Psychology
551 BC-1843 AD
examples of psychological tests
ACT and SAT
population
All cases in the group of interest
behavior
Any action that can be observed and recorded, easiest for scientists to investigate
What 3 things do psychologists study?
Behavior, the mind, and the brain
Watson and Skinner
Behaviorists that Focused strictly on observable behavior No inferences about mental processes Tested ideas out
action potential
Brief electrical charge that travels down (propagates along) the axon, causes the release of chemicals from the terminal buttons
Language production largely takes place in the left frontal cortex in which of the following regions of the brain?
Broca's area
Your mother dislikes the fact that you spend your free time playing video games. She points to a newspaper article that says that time playing video games is inversely correlated with academic performance. Which of these is a scientifically effective counterargument for your mother?
Correlations do not imply causation. The article does not provide evidence that playing video games will make you a worse student. Only that the two are related.
Reuptake inhibitors
Drugs that interfere with the reuptake of neurotransmitters in the synapse so that a greater amount remains in the synapse -antidepressant
Phrenology
Franz Gall -biological psychology
Werthimer and Kohle
Gestalt psychologists that believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; -Perception of objects is: Subjective not objective (not seeing the world at is, seeing the world as they want to/expect to see it) -we look at things we are only seeing parts of it but we fill in the gaps to make sense of the world around us -Dependent on context (one person could experience a thing but see it differently under different circumstances) -We can't trust even ourselves
How do theories reflect the law of parsimony?
Good theories tend to be the simplest explanations that fit as much data as possible
When people are aware of being observed, they might change their behaviors. This phenomenon is known as
Hawthorne effect/ reactivity
WHAT you are studying does NOT matter BUT ____ you obtain your knowledge and investigate that idea is what matters
How
experimental group
In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
What is the state of the electrical charge when a neuron is at resting potential?
Inside the neuron is more negative than outside the neuron.
Tabula Rasa
John Locke's concept of the mind as a blank sheet ultimately bombarded by sense impressions that, aided by human reasoning, formulate ideas; when you are born you have no knowledge;Fundamental basis of empiricism
You see a newspaper headline that claims eating pizza is deadly. However, when you read the original scientific article cited in the news, you notice that investigators only found a correlation between pizza consumption and death over a 10-year period. Given what you know about correlation, how would you explain this relationship?
Pizza consumption and death are related somehow, but a correlational study cannot reveal any kind of causal relationship.
Convencience sampling
Sample of individuals easily available for study •Likely different from the actual population of interest •Example: Study of drinking behavior of college students conducted at a religious university
lateral sulcus
Separates temporal lobe from parietal and frontal lobes
spinal cord
Superhighway to the brain Most information goes through the spinal cord to brain
The Overconfidence Effect
Tendency to believe that: -we know more than we actually do -We are more skilled than we actually are -More people agree with us than we actually do
The Hindsight Bias
Tendency to believe we already knew something, only after we have been told the answer -example: Frequent criticism of social sciences "What social science discovered, we already knew" (waste of money/time)
What does it mean to say that a theory is falsifiable?
That research could demonstrate that the theory is false
Psychologists know that the brain rewires itself throughout life. Which of the following best reflects how this occurs?
The "rewiring" is a change in the strength of existing connections.
Neurons
The basic units of the nervous system; cells that receive, integrate, and transmit information in the nervous system. They operate through electrical impulses, communicate with other neurons through chemical signals, and form neural networks.
dependent variable
The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable; what we measure
independent variable
The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied; what causes the other
Which of the following statements correctly pairs the lobe with its function?
The frontal lobe plays a significant role in thinking and movement.
all-or-none principle
The principle that when a neuron fires, it fires with the same potency each time; a neuron either fires or not—it cannot partially fire, although the frequency of firing can vary.
synaptic transmission
The relaying of information across the synapse by means of chemical neurotransmitters; how neurons communicate
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior, the mind, and the brain
Cognitive Revolution
The shift away from strict behaviorism, begun in the 1950s, characterized by renewed interest in fundamental problems of consciousness and internal mental processes.
Ting has formed a theory that playing video games improves visual attention. If Ting wants to test this theory, what does he need to do next?
Ting needs to develop a hypothesis.
how do scientists study the brain
Use images to observe the brain such as MRI's-investigate the structure and the function of the brain
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score of a distribution. It measures how much a set of scores is dispersed around an average measure of variability. Deviations around the mean can be calculated to express it as a variance or a standard deviation.
stream of consciousness
a phrase coined by William James to describe each person's continuous series of ever-changing thoughts
You've measured two variables and found that as scores on one of the variables decreases across participants, scores on the other variable also decrease. Your analysis will result in:
a positive correlation
Scientific Method
a systematic and dynamic procedure of observing and measuring phenomena, used to achieve the goals of description, prediction, control, and explanation; it involves an interaction among research, theories, and hypotheses
A neuron without dendrites is most similar to
a telephone that can't receive incoming calls
Gestalt Theory
a theory based on the idea that the whole of a personal experience is different from the sum of its constituent events
Something that can be measured or manipulated in an experiment or study is called:
a variable
Norepinephrine
arousal and vigilance
negative/inverse correlation
as one variable goes UP, the other goes DOWN ex. 0 to -1, move in opposite directions
postive correlation
as one variable goes UP, the other goes UP also and as one variable goes DOWN, the other variable goes DOWN also
Which region of the brain regulates basic bodily functions, such as heart rate and breathing?
brain stem
After her car accident, Sheila had to be placed on a respirator because she could no longer breathe on her own. Sheila's injuries were most likely located in the part of the brain known as the
brainstem
how do scientists study the mind?
by testing theories by making inferences based on measurements of behavior; can't be directly observed
Neurotransmitters
chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron to another; 7 types
Lei psychologists
come up with theories but don't test them effectively
Interneurons
communicate within local or short-distance circuits; REFLEXES
Taj is writing a paper on American gun ownership. He only includes research findings that support his own beliefs about gun ownership because he thinks that all the contradictory findings must be the result of personal and political biases on the part of the researchers. Taj's behavior is an example of
confirmation basis
What are the limitations on human intuition?
confirmation bias overconfidence hindsight bias
Enzymes
destroy excess neurotransmitters in the synapse
autoreceptors
detect, and regulate, levels of neurotransmitters in the synapse
scientific attitude
curiosity, skepticism, humility
Which of the following sequences reflects the order in which a signal generally travels through a neuron?
dendrite; soma; axon; terminal buttons
The extensions of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons are the
dendrites
Sarah is conducting research on the function of part of the brain. If she wants the most accurate and precise measurement of brain function, she would be advised to use __________.
fMRI
confounds
factors other than the independent and dependent variable that may affect our results
Sigmund Freud
father of psychoanalytic theory, his work hugely influenced psychology in the 20th century
myelin sheath
fatty proteins that surround axon, functions as an insulator, makes sure neuron can send its signal, need as much as possible
Jessie suffered damage to her brain and has difficulty forming new memories. Jessie's injury was most likely to the __________.
hippocampus
Zhara has suffered damage to a portion of her forebrain and now has great difficulty forming new memories. Which subcortical structure of the forebrain has most likely been damaged?
hippocampus
GABA
inhibition of action potentials (make action potential and neurotransmitters . less likely to happen, SLOWS down neurological communication) ****alcohol
When Elaine's hand accidentally touched the hot stove, she quickly pulled it away. She did not even have to think about it; moving her hand seemed to occur automatically. This quick response is different than more controlled movements and results from the unique contribution of ________________ to reflexive responses.
interneurons
examples of behavior
making movements, vocalizations, writing
EEG
measures electrical activity happening in your brain, less precise than fMRI but cheaper to run
threshold
minimum stimulation required to trigger action potential; -55
0.3 to 0.5 and -0.3 to -0.5
moderate correlation
Endorphins
pain reduction/reward, --runners high- starts out uncomfortable but feels good in the end -reinforcement (money, food) ****Heroin
After a very stressful midterm exam, Sherri needed to relax. As she lay on her bed, she felt her breathing slow and her heart rate decrease. Which of the following divisions of Sherri's autonomic nervous system was active.
parasympathetic
Jonas has experienced a relatively severe right hemisphere stroke. As a result, he is unable to experience the sensation of anything touching him on the left side of his body and has also been diagnosed with hemineglect. The location of the stroke is most likely within the ________ lobe.
parietal
thalamus
part of brainstem that sends incoming info to the proper location
reticular formation
part of the brain stem that helps with arousal and sleep
medulla and pons
part of the brainstem that helps with heart rate and breathing
You're writing a research paper for class about the relationship between cell phone use and driving accidents. You want to make sure that the research you discuss in your article is unbiased and of the highest quality. In which of the following sources would you be best able to find such information?
peer-reviewed articles by scientists printed in publications recognized by the scientific community
Why did the psychoanalysts (e.g., Freud) and behaviorists clash? What can we take from both of these groups with regard to the modern day study of psychology?
psychoanalysts focused on bringing the unconscious into the conscious (all mind) and behavioralists focus on outside factors, modern combines both
If a researcher created two groups by assigning the first 30 people to the experimental group and the last 30 to the control group, the process would violate the principle of
random assignment
Dr. Brown is a psychologist who only uses college students as research participants. Her research does NOT involve
random sampling
Which of the following sampling techniques gives each member of the population an equal and independent chance of being selected to participate?
random sampling
Reuptake
reabsorption of excess neurotransmitters
Somatosensory Cortex (parietal lobe)
sensation of touch
central nervous system
spinal cord and brain (brain stem, limbic system, cerebral cortex)
a controlled setting reduced concerns of
spuriousness/ 3rd variable factor
correlation coefficient
statistic representing the degree of relationship b/n 2 variables •Range from -1.00 to +1.00 •The larger the absolute value (closer to 1.00) the stronger the relationship **Sign doesn't matter when telling magnitude (the strength or predicted relationship), look at the number not sign the sign (-+) tells what direction it is going
share the results
step #5 in scientific method, Publish in a peer-reviewed journal
start all over again
step #6 of scientific method -Revise theory based on evidence -Replication -New prediction
theory
step 1 of scientific method, Organized set of principles used to describe, explain, and predict behavior A good theory is... -falsifiable (has to be able to be proven wrong) -Makes clear predictions (a statement that makes it unfalsifiable, make them before you investigate) -parsimony (explains many observations as simply as possible because the more complex it becomes)
hypothesis
step 2 of scientific method, a more specific and testable prediction about what you will find in your study -make A priori (before running study) -Operationalizes constructs: how we will measure/manipulate the constructs of our theory
controlled test
step 3 of scientific method, eliminate confounding factors (factors that you don't control for) and analyze results
Evaluate the hypothesis and theory
step 4 of scientific method, -Did the evidence support or contradict the hypothesis? using stats, less than 50%= not supported -What does the mean for the overall theory? There is no individual hypothesis that can test a whole theory Get another sample That part of the theory might not be true Don't reject the theory, reject the hypothesis and try another theory
Brainstem (hindbrain)
support basic life functions -medulla and pons -reticular formation -thalamus
On the first day of class, the professor had the students go around the room introducing themselves. When it was Jason's turn to speak, he began to perspire, his heart raced, his hands were cold and clammy, and his respiration was rapid and shallow. Which of the following divisions of Jason's autonomic nervous system was activated by this experience?
sympathetic
While on spring break in Acapulco, May decided to do some cliff diving. As she stood at the edge of a 50-foot cliff, her heart raced, her respiration increased, and she sweat profusely. Which of the following divisions of May's autonomic nervous system was activated by this experience?
sympathetic
independent and dependent variable allows for the establishment of...
temporal precedence (reduces directionality problem)
manipulating the brain
temporary stimulation, animals
What part of the neuron releases chemical signals?
terminal buttons
ethic of experiments
testing whether or not smoking causes cancer - forcing one group to smoke a certain amount of cigarettes -another group is prevented from smoking for same amount of time ***scientists can't force people to smoke -must be safe for participants -privacy/ confidentiality -informed consent -who has access to data
In order to test whether caffeine intake affects the number of hours a person sleeps, Sophie recruited 120 subjects and randomly assigned them into one of two groups: (1) no caffeine intake or (2) 30 mg of caffeine. She then asked the subjects to report on how many hours they slept that night. Sophie's independent variable is __________, and her dependent variable is __________.
the amount of caffeine intake; hours of sleep
When two variables are correlated, it is not clear which one is a causal variable and which is an effect. This ambiguity reflects
the directionality problem
resting membrane potential
the electrical charge of a neuron when it is not active, -70 mV
Judith is conducting an experiment on mood and problem solving. She plans to have study participants read either a funny story or a sad story before taking a math test. What is the dependent variable in Judith's study?
the number of math problems participants correctly solve
If a researcher defined happiness based on the number of times a person smiled in a 15-minute period, the number of smiles over that 15 minute period would be
the operational definition of happiness
To get out of bed in the morning, which of the following must occur at the neural level?
the terminal buttons have to release neurotransmitters
For a long time, researchers believed that coffee was a strong cause of cancer. This was based on correlational research showing a positive correlation between coffee consumption and cancer. What these researchers didn't consider, however, was that people who drink coffee, also tend to smoke a lot of cigarettes (which has been shown through experimental trials with animals to be more strongly associated with cancer). This is an example of
the third variable problem
0.1 to 0.3 and -0.1 to -0.3
weak correlation
cell body (soma)
where information from thousands of other neurons is collected and integrated; Life support for neuron, keeps it alive, feeds on glucose and oxygen
Wilhelm Wundt
work led to the structuralist, established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany; Pioneered introspection- looking inward to report on the experience of thought
John Stuart Mill
wrote "A System of Logic", 19th century english philosopher, Move from speculation to scientific inquiry; Emphasized Observation and experimentation as the fundamental basis of the scientific method
mind
your interpretation and understanding of what is going on in your mind -thoughts -attitudes -emotions -memories
temporal lobe
◦Auditory functions Primary auditory cortex Wernicke's area-primarily in the left hemisphere, responsible to comprehension of language** Aphasia- loss of comprehension of language but can speak if Broca's area is still in tact Fusiform face area-an recognize people based on their facial characteristics
Frontal Lobe
◦Higher Order Cognitive Processes -Prefrontal Cortex: Directs and maintains attention, Rational activity, Social perception and interaction,Our sense of "self", Mediates "social" emotions ◦Language Production in Broca's Area** ◦Primary Motor Cortex- Initiation of Movement
parietal lobe
◦Spatial Relationships-Angular Gyrus: Form and store cognitive maps- imagining where you are in campus according to other landmarks on campus, mentally rotate objects ◦Touch-Somatosensory Cortex