Psych101- review questions
Name the structures that make up the brainstem, and give one function each for the brainstem, thalamus, reticular formation, cerebellum, amygdala, and hypothalamus
-Brainstem: automatic survival functions -Medulla: controls involuntary functions (heartbeat and breathing) -Pons: coordinates movements -Reticular formation: filters incoming stimuli -Thalamus: sensory control center -Cerebellum: coordinates muscle movement -Amygdala: controls emotions -Hypothalamus: controls hunger
Name the four lobes that make up the cerebral cortex and give one function for each.
-Frontal lobe: controls voluntary movements -Parietal lobe: processes body touch and movement sensations -Occipital lobe: receives information from the visual field -Temporal lobe: receives sounds
Which types of noninvasive neuroscience technique(s) provide the best spatial resolution? Which technique(s) provide the best temporal resolution? Which technique(s) provide causal inference?
-Spatial resolution: PET & fMRI -Temporal resolution: EEG & MEG -Causal inference: patient/lesion studies, neurostimulation methods, and animals studies
What does it mean when we say 2 things are correlated, and what are positive and negative correlations?
Correlation describes how two things vary together. A positive correlation indicates a direct relationship between two variables where they either increase or decrease together. A negative correlation describes a relationship between two variables where they change in an opposite direction.
Explain how research in psychological science is used to create, test, and verify or disprove various theories.
Descriptive research such as case studies suggests new ideas for future research. Correlation research shows the relationship between different variables. Experimental research describes the cause and effect of variables.
How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells?
Electrical signals travel down the axon, triggering neurotransmitters to be released into the synapse. These neurotransmitters bind to receptor sites of the second neuron. The signal can be continued to pass through the second neuron to other cells if enough action potentials are generated. The sending neuron absorbs the excess neurotransmitters (reuptake).
What were some important milestones in psychology's early development?
In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first-ever psychological laboratory. The two early schools of psychology are structuralism and functionalism.
Describe one key difference between structuralism and functionalism.
Structuralism used introspection to learn about the structure of the mind. Functionalism explored how behavior and thinking function.
What are the three key elements of the scientific attitude, and how do they support scientific inquiry?
The three key elements of the scientific attitude are curiosity, skepticism, and humility. Curiosity helps us come up with new ideas, skepticism tells us to pay more attention to the facts, and humility helps disregard predictions that cannot be verified through researches. Together, all three elements make science possible.
What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?
What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?
