General Psychology Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4) – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
What is psychology?
answer
The scientific study of human behavior and the study of brain function
question
Why is the study of psychology important?
answer
People are bias and we should learn why we do the things we do
question
Why do we need a formal academic discipline to study psychology?
answer
Everyone has a bias, and they make unsystematic, informal strategies for observation
question
Psychological science vs. folk wisdom, personal observations and common sense
answer
People get their knowledge from folk wisdom, which is word-of-mouth transmission of information. People contradict their logic if they try to use common sense (Ex. A couple moving away)
question
How is psychology defined?
answer
Psychology is about understanding all the things we do
question
Psychology's History: Early ; Modern
answer
Early: - Psychology became the scientific study of conscious experience - To explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior Modern: - Psychologists have shown a renewed interest in consciousness (now called "cognition") and the physiological bases of behavior
question
Contemporary theoretical perspectives in psychology and the ideas associated with each
answer
***
question
Recent interest in cognition ; physiology, cultural diversity, evolution, and positive psychology
answer
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge; cognition involves thinking Advances in communication, travel, and international trade have "shrunk" the world and increased global interdependence, bringing more and more Americans and Europeans into contact with people from non-Western cultures Evolutionary psychology examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for members of a species over the course of many generations Positive psychology uses theory and research to better understand the positive, adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human existence
question
What are some of the major areas of study in psychology (research)?
answer
- Developmental psychology ~ Looks at human development across the lifespan - Social Psychology ~ Focuses on interpersonal behavior and the role of social forces in governing behavior - Educational psychology ~ Studies how people learn and the best ways to teach them - Health psychology ~ Focuses on how psychological factors relate to the promotion and maintenance of physical health and the causation, prevention, and treatment of illness - Physiological psychology ~ Examines the influence of genetic factors on behavior and the role of the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and bodily chemicals in the regulation of behavior - Experimental psychology ~Encompasses the traditional core of topics that psychology focused on heavily in its first half-century as a science: sensation, perception, learning, conditioning, motivation, and emotion - Cognitive psychology ~ Focuses on "higher" mental processes, such as memory, reasoning, information processing, language, problem solving, decision making, and creativity - Psychometrics ~ Concerned with the measurement of behavior and capacities, usually through the development of psychological tests - Personality ~ Interested in describing and understanding individuals' consistency in behavior, which represents their personality
question
What are some of the specialty areas in the professional practice of psychology?
answer
- Clinical psychology ~ Concerned with the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with psychological disorders, as well as treatment of less severe behavioral and emotional problems - Counseling psychology ~ Counseling psychology overlaps with clinical psychology in that specialists in both areas engage in similar activities - interviewing, testing, and providing therapy. They often specialize in family, marital, or career counseling - School psychology ~ School psychologists strive to promote the cognitive, emotional, and social developments of children in schools - Industrial/organizational psychology ~ Perform a wide variety of tasks in the world of business and industry (working to improve staff morale and attitudes, etc.) - Clinical neuropsychology ~ Involved in the assessment and treatment of people who suffer from central nervous system dysfunctions due to head trauma, dementia, stroke, seizure disorders, etc. - Forensic psychology ~ Apply psychological principles to issue arising in the legal system, such as child custody decisions, hearing on competency to stand trial, violence risk assessments, etc.
question
Weiten's seven unifying themes in psychology
answer
1. Psychology is empirical 2. Psychology is theoretically diverse 3. Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context 4. Behavior is determined by multiple causes 5. Behavior is shaped by cultural heritage 6. Hereditary and environment jointly influence behavior 7. People's experience for the world is highly subjective
question
Improving Academic Performance
answer
1. Set up a schedule for studying 2. Find a place to study 3. Reward your studying 1. Preview reading assignments section by section 2. Work hard to actively process the meaning of the information 3. Strive to identify the key ideas of each paragraph 4. Carefully review said key ideas after each section 5. Only highlight the main ideas, supporting details, and technical terms 1. Focus full attention on the speaker 2. Write notes in your words 3. Tune in to hints 4. Asking questions are helpful 1. Set up a schedule for progressing through the test 2. Skip hard questions 3. Don't overcomplicate simple questions 4. Review test once you're done 5. Read the whole question
question
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
answer
1. Is this enough information? 2. Are there alternative explanations for these results? 3. Are there contrary data?
question
Advantages of the scientific approach
answer
Clarity and precision, Relative intolerance to error
question
What is science?
answer
An approach to answering questions that is based on the systematic collection and logical analysis of objectively observable data
question
What are the goals of the scientific enterprise?
answer
Measurement and Description, Understanding and Prediction, Application and Control
question
What kinds of questions can science address? (Questions of value vs. questions of fact)
answer
-It it good? Is it right? (Ex. Is abortion right or wrong?) - Does this exist? (Ex.Does studying increase test scores?)
question
Assumptions of science: Determinism & empricism
answer
Determinism - Cause and effect relationships exist Empiricism - Focuses on the "observable"
question
Scientific attitudes: Skepticism & humility
answer
Skepticism - Scientists don't care about feelings; they care about the facts Humility - If a scientist's theory is proven wrong, they must accept that and change their viewpoint
question
The principle of parsimony
answer
Simple explanations are preferred over unnecessarily complex ones
question
What is a hypothesis?
answer
An educated guess for relationships
question
What is a theory?
answer
An explanation
question
How are hypothesis and theory related?
answer
A scientist uses a hypothesis to try and explain a theory
question
Functions of a theory
answer
Organizational, Predictive, Generative function (Generate more ideas)
question
Examining theories for quality
answer
- How? Testing? Proof? - Testing predictions - "Good" theories and usefulness
question
Not all theories are equal
answer
- Not all are equally supported by evidence - Not all make specific predictions
question
What is the process of scientific research?
answer
***
question
Steps in a scientific investigation
answer
1. Formulate a testable hypothesis 2. Select the research method and design the study 3. Collect the data 4. Analyze the data and draw conclusions 5. Report the findings
question
What are experimental and control groups?
answer
The experimental group receives some special treatment in regard to the independent variable and the control group doesn't
question
Independent variable, dependent variable, and the extraneous variable
answer
Independent variable - A condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable Dependent variable - The variable that is thought to be affected by manipulation of the independent variable Extraneous variable - Any variable other than the independent variables that seem likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study
question
Variations in designing experiments
answer
Sometimes there's an advantage to use only one group of subjects who serve as their own control group It is possible to manipulate more than one independent variable in a single experiment It is also possible to use more than one dependent variable in a single study
question
Advantages and Disadvantages of Experimental Research
answer
Advantages - Permits conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships between variables Disadvantages - Experiments are often artificial, the experimental method can't be used to explore some research questions, manipulations of variables are difficult or impossible
question
Experimental vs. Descriptive research
answer
Experimental - a fixed experiment Descriptive - Data collected from the real world
question
What does it mean if we say that two variables are correlated?
answer
One variable affects the other
question
Advantages /Disadvantages of Descriptive research
answer
Advantage - They give researchers a way to explore questions that could not be examined with experimental procedures Disadvantage - Investigators cannot control events to isolate cause and effect
question
What is a correlation coefficient?
answer
A numerical index of the degree of a relationship between two variables
question
Positive vs. Negative correlation
answer
Positive = two variables co-vary in the same direction Negative = opposite direction
question
Finding and researching journal articles
answer
Journal articles represent the core of intellectual activity in any academic disciple. Go to PsycINFO and search for your topic
question
Critical thinking: The Perils of anecdotal evidence
answer
Anecdotal evidence consists of personal stories about specific incidents and experiences. Can negatively influence data
question
Neurons
answer
Individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information
question
Neural impulse
answer
The signal using energy to send information
question
Action potential
answer
A very brief shift in a neuron's electrical charge that travels along an axon
question
How does an action potential work?
answer
When a neuron is stimulated, channels in its cell membrane open, briefly allowing positively charged sodium ions to rush in
question
The All-or-None Law
answer
Either the neuron fires or it doesn't
question
Dendrite
answer
Parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information
question
Communication at the synapse
answer
One neuron sends a signal across the synaptic cleft (gap) and another neuron receives it
question
The role of neurotransmitters
answer
To transmit information from one neuron to another
question
Neurotransmitters and behavior
answer
Acetylcholine - enables muscle action, learning and memory Dopamine - Movement, learning, attention, and emotion Serotonin - Mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal Norepinephrine - Helps control alertness and arousal GABA - A major inhibitory neurotransmitter Glutamate - Involved in memory
question
Central nervous system
answer
Contains of brain and spinal cord
question
Peripheral nervous system
answer
System made up of all the nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord
question
Somatic Nervous System
answer
Made up of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors. Lets you see and feel the world around you
question
Autonomic Nervous System
answer
Made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands. Controls automatic functions that people don't normally think about
question
Sympathetic Division of the Autonomic Nervous System
answer
Mobilizes the body's resources for emergencies
question
Parasympathetic Division of the Autonomic Nervous System
answer
Generally conserves bodily resources and allows body to save and store energy
question
Hindbrain (Medulla, pons, cerebellum)
answer
Medulla - controls largely unconscious but vital functions Pons - Includes a bridge of fibers that connect the brainstem with the cerebellum Cerebellum - Basic motor skills
question
Midbrain (Reticular formation)
answer
Vision and hearing, dopamine, performance of voluntary movements, and reticular formation (modulation of muscle reflexes, breathing, and pain perception, regulation of sleep and arousal)
question
Forebrain (Limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebrum)
answer
Limbic system - Involved in regulation of emotion, memory, and motivation Thalamus - Each cluster of cell bodies is concerned with the relaying sensory information to a particular part of the cortex Hypothalamus - Major role in regulation of basic biological drives related to survival Cerebrum - Learning, remembering, thinking, and consciousness
question
4 lobes of cerebral cortex (Occipital, Parietal, Temporal, and Frontal)
answer
Occipital - Back of head; visual signals are sent and visual processing begins Parietal - Forward of occipital; Resigesters sense of touch Temporal - Below pariteal; auditory processing Frontal - Control movement of muscles
question
Plasticity of brain
answer
Experience shapes brain structure
question
Neurogenesis
answer
Formation of new neurons
question
Corpus callosum and right brain/left brain
answer
Corpus callosum - split-brain surgery. Each hemisphere's primary connections are to the opposite side of the body
question
Cerebral laterality
answer
Some neural functions, or cognitive processes tend to be more dominant in one hemisphere than the other
question
Broca's area and Wernicke's are
answer
Broca's - Speech production Wenicke's - Language comprehension
question
Hemispheric Specialization
answer
Left brain - Faster reactions with auditory functions Right brain - Faster reactions on visual-spatial tasks
question
Endocrine system
answer
Glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream that help control bodily function
question
Evaluating concept of "Two Minds in One"
answer
1. There is ample evidence that the right and left hemispheres are specialized to handle different types of cognitive tasks, but only to a degree The hemispheres don't work alone 2. The evidence for the idea that people have a separate stream of consciousness in each hemisphere is weak 3. Similarly, there is little direct evidence to support the notion that each hemisphere has its own mode of thinking, or cognitive style 4. The evidence on the assertion that some people are left-brained while others are right-brained is inconclusive at best
question
Critical Thinking: Building Better Brains
answer
A critical period is a limited time span in the development of an organism when it is optimal for certain capacities to emerge because the organism is especially responsive to certain experiences Extrapolation occurs when an effect is estimated by extending beyond some known values and conditions
question
Sensation
answer
Stimulation of sense organs
question
Perception
answer
Selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input
question
Light
answer
Form of electromagnetic radiation that travels as a wave, moving at the speed of light
question
Structure of the eye
answer
The eyes serve 2 main purposes: - Channel light to the neural tissue that receives it, called the retina - They house that tissue
question
The Retina
answer
The neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye; it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain
question
Rods and cones
answer
Rods - Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision Cones - Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and color vision
question
Dark and light adaptation
answer
Dark adaptation - Process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination Light adaptation - Process whereby the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination
question
Information processing in the retina
answer
Axons carry visual information, encoded as a stream of neural impulses, to the brain
question
Visual pathways to the brain
answer
Axons from ganglion cells leaving the back of each eye form the optic nerves, which travel to the optic chasm. After reaching the optic chasm, the optic nerve fibers diverge along two pathways
question
Information processing in the visual cortex
answer
Individual cells in the primary visual cortex don't respond much to little spots - they are more sensitive to lines, edges, and other more complicated stimuli
question
Theories of color vision
answer
Trichomatic - The human eye has 3 types of receptors with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths Opponent Process - Color perception depends on receptors that make opposite responses to 3 pairs of colors
question
Feature analysis
answer
The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form
question
Bottom-up and top-down processing
answer
Bottom-up: individual elements to the whole/Top-down: opposite
question
Perceptual hypotheses
answer
An inference about what form could be responsible for a pattern of sensory stimulation
question
Depth perception
answer
Interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are
question
Perceptual constancies
answer
Tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New