Psychology Exam 1 – Flashcards with Answers
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What is Science
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the method of seeking knowledge using observable experiments
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What is Psychology
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the study of the way people think and act..
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Hindsight Bias
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believing that an answer would have been easy to find previously, because it seems easy to find after the answer is revealed.
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Hindsight Bias Ex. *rather tha reliabe statistics, our beliefs and actions are usually affected by what comes to mind easily*
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WREAT and ETRYN
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Confirmation Bias
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people seek evidence that supports their beliefs, and ignore/downplay evidence that goes against them.
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Confirmation Bias Ex. *Intuition can contradict itself*
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-Opposites attract -Birds of a feather flock together
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Self-Serving Bias
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The tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors
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Self-Serving Bias Ex.
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-Taking the credit for positive events(Making an A on a quiz and blaming your intelligence) -Blame external factors for negative events.(Making a F on a quiz and blaming it on the teacher for disliking you)
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Nature
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Biologically innate
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Nurture
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Shaped by environment
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What is the current view on the nature/nurture debate?
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"Both Nature and Nurture dynamically interact in human psychological development"
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What historical practices or beliefs about psychology is Frued associated with?
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Freud popularizerd the idea of unconscious -Mental processes below conscious awareness **Correct about unconscious processes **Incorrect about what those were -Psychoanalysis
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Psychoanalysis
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a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques such as dream interpretation and free association.
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What is behaviorism? *Important behaviorists John B. Watson B.F Skinner*
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-Said psychology should focus on behavior **The mind is too complicated/subjective -the theory that human and animal behavior can be explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior patterns.
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Levels of Analysis
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-Biological -Individual -Social -Cultural
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Biological Analysis- Focus
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-The brain systems -Neurochemistry -Genetics
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Individual Analysis- Focus
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-Individual differences -Perception and cognition -Behavior
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Individual Analysis-What is studied?
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-Personality, gender, developmental age groups, self-concept -Thinking, decision-making, language, memory, seeing, hearing -Observable actions, responses, physical movements.
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Biological Analysis- What is studied?
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-Neuroanatomy, animal research, brain imaging -Neurotransmitters and hormones, animal studies, drug studies -Gene Mechanisms, heritability, twin and adoption studies
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Social Analysis-Focus
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-Interpersonal behavior -Social cognition
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Social Analysis- What is Studied
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-Groups, relationships, persuasion, influence, workplace -Attitudes, stereotypes, perceptions
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Cultural Analysis- Focus
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Thoughts, actions, behaviors-in different societies and cultural groups
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Cultural Analysis- What is Studied?
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Norms, beliefs, values, symbols, ethnicity.
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Cognitive Psychologists
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study cognition, perception, and action. They investigate processes such as thinking, perceiving, problem solving, decision making, using language, and learning.
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Clinical Psychologists
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interested inboxed the factors that cause psychological disorders and methods best used to treat them
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Social Psychologists
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focus on how people are affected by the presence of others and how they form impressions of others.
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Developmental Psychologists
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study how people change across the life span, from infancy through old age.
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Goals of science
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-Description -Prediction -Control -Explanation
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The Scientific Method
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Step 1: Form a Hypothesis Step 2: Conduct a Literature Review Step 3: Design and Conduct a Study Step 4: Analyzethe Data Step 5: Report Results
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What makes a scientific theory "good"
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-Simple -Falsifiable( meaning there is an experimental result that would prove it wrong. -Generates testable hypotheses
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Operational Definitions
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An agreed-upon definition for an abstract concept. -It describes(tells what counts) -It measures(tells how much)
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Operational Definition: Aggression
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-The number of times someone attempts to, or succeeds in, physically assaulting. -Verbally insulting or irritating, an object, person or animal.
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Goal of Descriptive Research
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Description
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Goal of Correlational Research
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Prediction
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Goal of Experimental Research
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Control and Explanation
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Descriptive Research (case study)
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involves observing behavior to describe that behavior objectively and systematically.
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Correctional Research
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When one thing happens, another thing happens too
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Experimental Research
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purposeful manipulation of a variable
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What challenges must psychological researchers deal with when using observation or self-report to conduct research?
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-Desirable Responses -Reactivity/Hawthorne Effect -Observer Bias -Coding -Experimenter Expectancy Effect
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observer bias
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This flaw consists of systematic errors in observation that occur because of an observers expectations.
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experimenter expectancy effect
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actual change in behavior of the people or nonhuman animals being observed that is due to the expectations of the observer.
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Third Variable Problem
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-something else could be affecting BOTH variables. -researcher cannot directly manipulate variables
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Problem of Directionality
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-either variable could affect the other -researchers find a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused the changes in the other variable
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Psychopathology
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sickness or disorder of the mind
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Causes of mental disorder
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-Genetics -Brain function -Situations/Environment Socioeconomic status, culture, learned thoughts/beliefs
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Etiology
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factors that contribute to the development of a disorder
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Treatments for psychological disorders
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-Medication -Therapy
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Psychodynamic therapy
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-Focuses on finding unconscious influences on behavior (insight) -Has both supporters and critics
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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-Focuses on changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors -Most widely used evidence-based therapy -Effective for a large number of psychological disorders
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Other treatments
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-Trepanning -Frontal Lobotomy -Phototherapy -Electroconvulsive Therapy -Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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What are the parts of the nervous system?
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-Central Nervous System **Brain (cerebrum, cerebellum, midbrain) **Spinal Cord -Peripheral Nervous System
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Parts of the Brain
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-Neurons -Glial cells -Blood Vessels
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Parts of the Neuron
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-Dendrites -Terminal Buttons -Axon -Nucleus -Cell Body
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Main function of the neuron
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Receives and sends electrochemical signals i.e. ions
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What causes a neuron to fire
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Once the threshold is reached (the electrochemical signal travels down the axon to the terminals.)
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What happens to a neuron during an action potential?
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The electrical charge inside the neuron starts out slightly negative (resting membrane potential, -70 millivolts) As a neuron fires, it allows more positive ions inside the cell( depolarization). It then returns to its slightly negative resting state.
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Neurotransmitter
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Chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron to another.
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Frontal Lobe (Outer "crust" of the brain)
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regions of the cerebral cortex-at the front of the brain-important for movement and higher-level psychological processes associated with the prefrontal cortex.
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Parietal Lobe
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regions of the cerebral cortex-in front of the occipital lobes and behind the frontal lobes-important for the sense of touch and for attention to the environment.
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Temporal
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regions of the cerebral cortex-below the parietal lobes and in front of the occipital lobes-important for processing auditory information, for memory, and for object and for object and face perception
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Occipital Lobe
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Regions of the cerebral cortex-at the back of the brain-important for vision
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Prefrontal Cortex
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the frontmost portion of the frontal lobes, especially prominent in humans; important for attention, working memory, decision making, appropriate social behavior, personality.
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Primary Motor Cortex
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includes neurons that project directly to the spinal cord to move the body's muscles. Its responsibilities are split down the middle of the body, like those of the sensory areas. (left hemisphere controls right arm, right hemisphere controls left arm.)
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Primary Auditory Cortex
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the brain region responsible for hearing.
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Primary Visual Cortex
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the major destination for visual information
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Primary Somatosensory Cortex
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a strip in the front part of the lobe, running from the top of the brain down the sides. The primary somatosensory cortex groups nearby sensations.
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Cerebellum
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important for proper motor function. (motor learning and motor memory)
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Brainstem
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an extension of the spinal cord , it houses structure that control functions associated with survival such as heart rate , breathing, swallowing, vomiting, urination, and orgasm.
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Corpus Callosum
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connects the left and right hemispheres ; sends signals from one to the other .
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Lymbic Systems and its functions
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involved in emotion, memory, ; motivation. -(Thalamus relays all sensory information except smell) -Hypothalamus : master regulatory structure - - - internal organs, body temperature, body rhythms, blood pressure, blood glucose levels. (controls hormones in the body through the pitiuary gland. four f's. -Hippocampus: Memory function. (damage= anterograde amnesia) the olfactory bulb has direct links to the hippocampus and amygdala . -amygdala : fear, emotional memory [generalized anxiety disorder] a diffuse state of anxiety not associated with any specific object or event. ( frequent amygdala activation)
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What does the Basal Ganglia do ?
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functions in planning/producing movement [ Parkinson's/ Huntington's disease involve damage to this area] - some can benefit. NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS . : reward, motivation. -wanting vs. liking
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What are the main excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain?
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-Glutamate = excitory -GABA = inhibitory
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What is epigenetics?
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change in gene expression, due to an organism's experiences. ( common experiences also directly impact the brain).
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What does it mean that "neurons that fire together, wire together", and how does that affect behavior?
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a connection is strengthened when the neurons fire together. ; Builds skill, better learning. [negative consequence : stereotype]
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What is neurogenesis, and how is it affected by one's environment/behavior?
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is the growth of new neurons in the brain. -- affected by things like: stressful experience , social hierarchy, exercise increase neurogenesis.
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Can a person's interpretation of an event affect brain activity? What did Antonio Rangel's famous wine-tasting study show?
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yes; placebo effect and stress. -participants drank wine in a fMRI scanner ; when wine was said to be more expensive, pleasure areas become more active -- even with same wine.
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How do drugs work in the brain?
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psychoactive drug - impacts the mind drugs and toxins alter neurotransmitters
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What does it mean for a drug to be an agonist or an antagonist?
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*agonists: enhance the actions of neurotransmitters *antagonists: inhibit the actions of neurotransmitters
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What are the short-term effects of each of the main categories of drugs, and what primary neurotransmitter does each type of drug work on?
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*Opiates : short term effects: pain relief & Euphoria. TARGET : endorphins & Dopamine *hallucinogens: short term effects: alter mood, cognition, perception, extreme hallucinations, distortion of time TARGET: Serotonin *Stimulants: short term effects: increase behavioral and mental activity TARGET: dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA *Depressants: short term effects: decrease behavioral and mental activity. TARGET: GABA
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Why do people become addicted to drugs, and what types of things can change addictive behavior?
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it makes them feel good ; dopamine activity in the limbic system -change in environment
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What is transduction?
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conversion of physical stimuli into an electrical signal
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How are signals from the outside world received in vision, hearing, smell, and taste?
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sense perception
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How is data interpreted and what are the Gestalt principles of vision? How does pitch affect the basilar membrane?
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- - Gestalt principles are proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure. - base recognize the high pitch -apex recognize the low pitch
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What is the "McGurk Effect" and what does it show? What types of senses within the body are not typically represented within the "5 senses"?
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perceptual phenomenon that demonstrates an interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception. The illusion occurs when the auditory component of one sound is paired with the visual component of another sound, leading to the perception of a third sound.
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MDMA
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produces an energizing effect similar to that of that of stimulants but it also causes slight hallucinations.
