PSYC 2301- Chapter 1,2,3,4,5

Experimental Group

Participants receiving the treatment that is the focus of the study

Control Group

Participants who do not receive treatment that is the focus of the study

How do psychologists share their findings?

Peer Review Process 1. Professional conferences 2. Peer-reviewed journals

Pseudopsychology

Phrenology, spiritualism, horoscopes, numerology

3 parts of Brain stem

Pons, medulla and reticular activating system

How is psychology different from psychiatry?

Prescriptive priviledge

parietal lobe

Sensation (Somatosensory cortex)

Types of neurons

Sensory Neurons (afferent) Motor Neurons (efferent) Interneurons

corpus callosum

Structure that connects the two hemispheres to communicate.

Belief Perseverance

Tendency to maintain a belief even when evidence suggests it is incorrect

Margaret Floy Washburn

The FIRST woman to earn a PhD in psychology

Localization

The idea that specific parts of the brain do specific things

What is the function of Myelin Sheath?

The protective sleeve of fatty material that surrounds the axon. The myelin sheath makes sure the communication between neurons happens at maximum speed and with minimal loss.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

The endocrine system

The set of glands that send hormones throughout the body via the bloodstream

Nervous system

The set of nerves that connect the brain with all other parts of the body. Two main parts- central and peripheral

The synapse

The synapse is the gap between two connecting neurons. Neurotransmitters cross the synapse and land in receptor sites, or openings in dendrites that match specific neurotransmitters as a lock fits a specific key.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to detect brain structure

Dependent Variable (DV)

Variable expected to DEPEND upon the independent variable

Independant Variable (IV)

Variable manipulated by researcher

occipital lobe

Vision

Who is the father of psychology in the US?

William James

The part of the brain responsible for vital life functions such as breathing is called the:

brainstem

Hormones

chemical messages

Which neurotransmitter is primarily responsible for reducing pain and increasing pleasure?

endorphins

epinephrine

helps the fight or flight response

acetylcholine

helps to activate muscles

dopamine

influences brains reward system and bodys movement

serotonin

influences mood, and perhaps sleep and appetite

histamine

influences the immune system

cerebral hemispheres

left and right halves of the cerebrum

Plasticity after psychotherapy

mimics the effects of medication

The condition in which the myelin sheath breaks down, resulting in impaired movement and sensation, is known as:

multiple sclerosis

The 4 lobes of the brain

occipital temporal parietal frontal

cerebral cortex

outer layer of cerebrum

Electroencephalography (EEG)

records electrical activity in the brain and detects activity

Endorphins

reduce pain, increase pleasure

Action potential

the release or firing of an electrical impulse that travels through the axon. All or nothing principle

Hippocampus

where long-term memories are stored. The greek word stands for sea horse meaning hippo and kampos. Responsible for emotion stimulation and lack of oxygen could damage this curve of the brain, which inhabits both the left and right side of the brain. Also part of the limbic system.

frontal lobe

•Complex thinking, planning, and purposeful action. •Executive control. •Prefrontal cortex (distinguishes humans from other primates) •Voluntary movement (motor cortex) •Speaking (Broca's aphasia)

Rank, in order, the following correlation coefficients from strongest to weakest: -.8, .4, .6, -.2

-.8, .6, .4, -.2

Adrenal Glands

-Adrenaline/epinephrine -Cortisol (Stress hormone)

Factors that influence brain plasticity

-Age -Neurogenesis (creation of new neurons) -Stem cells

Pituitary gland

-Human growth hormone (HGH) -Controls other glands

Positron emission tomography (PET)

-Radioactive sugar is injected into body -The brain uses the sugar as fuel; areas that are active use more sugar -detects function

Humanism

1. A positive view of the human experience 2. Carl Rogers- Self-actualization and conditions of worth 3. Abraham Maslow- Hierarchy of needs

Applied specializations of Psychology

1. Clinical 2. Counseling 3. Industrial/Organizational 4. Community 5. Forensic 6. Educational 7. Neuroscience/Biology 8. Developmental 9. Social/Personality 10. Cognitive

Psychoanalysis

1. Created by Sigmund Freud 2. Role of the unconscious 3. Long-lasting influences of childhood experiences 4. The "talking cure"

3 goals of psychological studies

1. Describe 2. Correlate 3. Experiment

Descriptive Research Goal

1. Describe an aspect of a particular group 2. Reported as measures of central tendency and variation

Correlational Research Goal

1. Describe relationship between two variables 2. Reported as a correlation coefficient (r) 3. Direction: +/-

Basic Research Specializations

1. Developmental 2. Personality 3. Physiological 4. Social 5. Health 6. Comparative

Behaviorism

1. Focus on observable behavior over mental processes 2. A challenge to psychoanalysis 3. Uses rewards + punishments; chooses nurture over nature. Studied by Watson, Skinner, and Pavlov.

Who was Robert L. Williams?

1. Founded the Association of Black Psychologists 2. Pioneered the study of ebonics 3. Developed the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH)

2 types of diversity in the field of psychology

1. Geographic 2. Cultural/Racial

Areas of New-School Psychology (6)

1. Multiculturalism 2. Evolutionary 3. Cognitive 4. Neuroscience 5. Positive 6. Biopsychosocial theory

Origins in the field of Psychology

1. Philosophy 2. Physiology

Limitations of fMRI

1. Relatively new technology so there are questions about its reliability 2. How meaningful is the data?

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

1. Somatic nervous system- Connects the CNS to parts of the body that we voluntarily control (ex. taking notes in class) 2. Autonomic nervous system (ANS)- Connects the CNS to parts of the body that we involuntarily control (ex. digesting food)

Old-School Psychology (5)

1. Structuralism 2. Functionalism 3. Psychoanalysis 4. Behaviorism 5. Humanism

Autonomic Nervous System

1. Sympathetic nervous system- Revs the body up in response to stressors 2. Parasympathetic nervous system- Calms the body down when stressors decrease

Computed tomography (CT)

3D X-ray that detects structure. Can detect lesions (damage or destruction of brain tissue)

Who was Phineas Gage?

A railroad worker who had an iron rod shot up through the roof of his mouth but managed to maintain many motor skills however his personality changed drastically and he lacked the self-control he once had.

Who was Paul Broca?

A year after Phineas Gage died, Paul Broca, a french doctor performed an autopsy on a man who lost the ability to speak after a stroke and found damage to only a small part near the front, left side of the brain now called "Broca's area"

Who was Christine Ladd-Franklin?

AMONG the first women to complete a psychology PhD

brain plasticity

Ability of the brain to adapt its structure or function to damage or experience

Inferential Statistics

Allows researchers to determine if statistically significant differences exist between the experimental and control group

Random Assignment

Assignment of participants into either the experimental or control group happens entirely by chance

Psychology can be divided into what two major categories

Basic research and applied psychology

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain and Spinal Cord

Which basic research specialization studies other species, with the goal of better understanding humans?

Comparative

Descriptive Statistics

Describes the sample using measures of central tendency

You are interested in understanding the study habits of college students. You tweet a question, asking college students across the United States how many hours per night they study, and calculate an average based on the responses you receive. You have just executed _____ research.

Descriptive Research

Experimental Research Goal

Determine cause and effect relationships between variables Requires the research to balance what is practical and what is ethical

Functionalism

Determine what mental processes ARE FOR William James

Evolutionary Psychology

Emphasis on Darwin's theory of evolution as an influence on behavior (survival of the fittest, adaptive traits, explaining altruism and psychological disorders)

Biopsychosocial Theory

Emphasis on biological, psychological, and social factors as influences on behavior Uniquely comprehensive

Neuroscience

Emphasis on link between behavior and biological functioning of the brain Tech advances fueled growth (brain imaging i.e. PET and MRI)

Positive Psychology

Emphasis on people's strengths and successes Origins focused on problems and disorders Investigative concepts such as happiness, flow, optimism, forgiveness and grit

Multiculturalism

Emphasis on the influence of culture on behavior and mental processes

Cognitive Psychology

Emphasis on thinking, language, attention, memory and intelligence Opposition to behaviorism

Random assignment is a hallmark of which research methodology?

Experimental

Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?

First woman to be named president of the American Psychological Association

cerebrum

Forebrain-two hemispheres, corpus callosum

Structuralism

Goal: Determine what mental processes ARE using introspection Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener

Limbic System parts and function

Governs emotion. hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus

temporal lobe

Hearing Speech Production Understanding Speech (Wernicke's aphasia)

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

Helps control anxiety

Often referred to as the "third force," which psychological perspective characterizes humans as good beings, motivated to grow toward their potential?

Humanism

Who were Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark?

Husband and wife team who made significant contributions to the history of psychology- Provided research and expert testimony played key role in Brown Vs. Board (separate public schools for black and white students)

The organization that evaluates research proposals to determine whether it is ethical is called the:

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

What is a key criticism of psychoanalysis?

Lack of objectivity

Cerebellum

Located lower part of the brain that is responsible for balance and the coordination of the body. This part of the brain is connected to the spinal cord to receive sensory information. It contains roughly half of the brains neurons transmits information through electrical signals, when damaged causes paralysis.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Magnetic fields used to detect brain function

Thalamus

Main sensory processing center. Also involved with attention and movement.

Correlation- Causation Fallacy

Mistaken belief that when two variables correlate strongly with each other, one must cause the other

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of action potentials? A. A threshold must be met for a neuron to fire an action potential. B. Once a neuron fires, it enters a refractory period ("resting period"). C. Neurons are always firing action potentials. D. Action potentials move through axons.

Neurons are always firing action potentials IS NOT A CHARACTERISTIC OF ACTION POTENTIALS

What happens to neurotransmitters that do not cross the synapse and find receptor sites?

Neurotransmitters that don't find a receptor site may return to the sending neuron in a process called reuptake