Behavioral Sciences Flashcards
(96 cards)
1
Q
Franz Gall
A
One of the first theorists to tie behavior, intellect, and personality to brain anatomy
2
Q
Pierre Flourens
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First person to study functions of major sections of the brain
3
Q
William James
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Studied how the mind adapted to the environment- functionalism
4
Q
John Dewey
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Believed psychology should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to the environment- functionalism
5
Q
Paul Broca
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Examined behavioral deficits of people with brain damage
6
Q
Herman von Helmholtz
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First to measure the shows of a nerve impulse
7
Q
Sir Charles Sherrington
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First inferred the existence of synapses
8
Q
Sensory neurons
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Afferent neutrons- from receptors to the spinal cord and brain
9
Q
Motor neurons
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Efferent neurons- motor information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands
10
Q
Cerebral Cortex
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Forebrain- complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes
11
Q
Basal Ganglia
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Forebrain- movement
12
Q
Limbic System
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Forebrain- emotion and memory
13
Q
Thalamus
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Forebrain- sensory relay station
14
Q
Hypothalamus
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Forebrain- hunger and thirst; emotion
15
Q
Interior and superior colliculi
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Midbrain- sensorimotor reflexes
16
Q
Cerebellum
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Hindbrain- refined motor movements
17
Q
Medulla oblongata
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Hindbrain- heart, vital reflexes (vomiting, coughing)
18
Q
Reticular formation
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Hindbrain- arousal and alertness
19
Q
Pons
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Hindbrain- communication within the brain, breathing
20
Q
Acetylcholine
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Voluntary muscle control, parasympathetic nervous system, attention, alertness
21
Q
Epinephrine & Norepinephrine
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Fight our flight responses, wakefulness, alertness
22
Q
Dopamine
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Smooth movements, postural stability
23
Q
Serotonin
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Mood, sleep, eating, dreaming
24
Q
GABA & Glycine
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Brain “stabilization”
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Glutamate
Brain excitation
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Endorphins
Natural painkillers
27
Rooting reflex
Infants turn their heads toward anything that brushes the cheek
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Moro reflex
The infant extends the arms, then slowly retracts them and cries in response to a sensation of falling
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Babinski reflex
The big toe is extended and the other toes can in response to the bridging of the soles of the foot
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Grasping reflex
Infants grab anything put into their hands
31
Photoreceptors
Respond to electromagnetic waves un the visible spectrum (sight)
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Mechanoreceptors
Respond to pressure or movement (movement, vibration, hearing, rotational and linear acceleration)
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Nociceptors
Respond to painful or noxious stimuli (somatosensation)
34
Thermoreceptors
Respond to changes in temperature (thermosensation)
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Osmoreceptors
Respond to the osmolarity of the blood (water homeostasis)
36
Olfactory receptors
Respond to volatile compounds (smell)
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Taste receptors
Respond to dissolved compounds (taste)
38
Absolute threshold
The minimum of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system; how bright, loud, or intense a stimulus must be before it is sensed
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Threshold of conscious perception
The level of intensity that a stimulus must pass in order to be consciously perceived by the brain
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Subliminal perception
Information that is received by the CNS but that does not cross the threshold of conscious perception
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Difference threshold
The minimum change in magnitude required for an observer to perceive that two different stimuli are, in fact, different
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Weber’s law
Observation that difference thresholds are proportional and must be computed as percentages by Ernst Weber
43
Signal detection theory
Studies how internal (psychological) and external (environmental) factors influence thresholds if sensation and perception
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Cornea
Gathers and focuses incoming light
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Pupil
Allows passage of light from the anterior to posterior chamber
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Iris
Controls the size of the pupil
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Ciliary body
Produces aqueous humor; accommodation of the lens
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Canal of Schliemann
Drains aqueous humor
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Lens
Refracts the incoming light to focus it on the retina
50
Retina
Detects images
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Sclera
Provides structural support
52
Bottom-up processing
Data driven; refers to object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection
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Top-down processing
Driven by memories and expectations that allow the brain to recognize the whole object and then recognize the components based on these expectations
54
Method of loci
Involves associating each item in a list with a location along a route through a memorized building
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Peg-word system
Associates numbers with items that rhyme with or resemble the numbers
56
Chunking
Involves taking individual elements of a large post and grouping them together into groups of elements with related
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Sensory memory
Preserves info in its original sensory form; high accuracy and lasts a short time
58
Short-term memory
Fades quickly, over the course of approximately 30 seconds without rehearsal, housed in hippocampus
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Working memory
Enables us to keep a few pieces of info in our consciousness simultaneously and to manipulate that info; involves hippocampus, frontal and parietal lobes
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Long-term memory
Able to recall on demand; hippocampus, long-term memories are moved to cerebral cortex over time
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Implicit memory
Nondeclarative; consists of our skills, habits, and conditioned responses
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Proactive interference
Old information is interfering with new learning i.e. new address when you move
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Retroactive interference
New information causes forgetting of old information i.e. new set of classmates causes forgetting older classmates
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Instinct theory of motivation
Certain behaviors are based on evolutionarily programmed instincts; James and McDougall ex: suckling and carrying food to mouth motivate one to eat
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Arousal theory of motivation
People perform actions in order to maintain an optimal level of arousal
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Yerkes-Dodson Law
Based on arousal theory- Bell curve graph of arousal vs performance
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Drive reduction theory of motivation
Explains that motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states
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Primary drives
Drives that motivate us to sustain necessary biological processes; compare to secondary drives
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Secondary drives
Drives that motivate us to fulfill nonbiological, emotional, or “learned” desires; compare to primary drives
70
What are the four primary factors that influence motivation?
(NAID) Needs, arousal, instincts, drives
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Self-determination theory of motivation
Emphasizes the role of 3 universal needs : autonomy, competence, and relatedness; these needs must be met to develop healthy relationships
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Incentive theory of motivation
Explains that behavior is motivated by desire to pursue rewards and to avoid punishment
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Expectancy-value theory of motivation
States that the amount of motivation is the result of both the individual’s expectation of success in reaching the goal and the degree to which the individual values succeeding at the goal
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Opponent-process theory of motivation
Drug use; as drug use increases, the body counteracts its effects, leading to tolerance and withdrawal
75
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Highest: self-actualization
Esteem
Love/belonging
Safety
Lowest: physiological
76
James-Lange theory of emotion
A stimulus results in the physiological arousal, which leads to a secondary response in which the emotion is labeled
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Cannon-Bard theory of emotion
Stated that the conscious experience of emotion and physiological arousal occur simultaneously, and then the behavior component is emotion (action) follows
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Schachter-Singer theory of emotion
Both physiological arousal and a cognitive label (identify the environmental stimulus causing the physiological arousal) are needed to experience emotion
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Amygdala
Small round structure; associated with fear and plays a role in human emotion through interpretation of facial expressions
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Thalamus
Preliminary sensory processing station and routes information to the cortex and other appropriate areas of the brain
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Hypothalamus
Located below the thalamus; synthesizes and releases neurotransmitters, homeostasis and modulating emotion
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Hippocampus
Involved in creating long-term memories
83
According to Freud, what are the five stages of psychosexual development?
1. Oral
2. Anal
3. Phallic
4. Latency
5. Genital
84
Kohlberg’a theory of moral reasoning
As our cognitive abilities grow, we are able to think about the world in more complex and nuanced ways, and this directly affects the way in which we resolve moral dilemmas and perceive the notion of right and wrong; involves three phases: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional morality
85
Zone of proximal development
Vygotsky; Skills and abilities that have not yet fully developed but are in the process of development
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Repression
Unconsciously removing an idea or feeling from consciousness; ex: unconsciously forgetting a traumatic event
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Suppression
Consciously removing an idea or feeling from consciousness; ex: Ill pt disregarding anxiety to enjoy a family gathering
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Regression
Returning to an earlier stage of development; ex: Baby talk
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Reaction formation
An unacceptable impulse is transformed into its opposite; ex: fighting with someone you are attracted to
90
Projection
Attribution if wishes, desires, thoughts, or emotions to someone else; ex: a cheater accusing partner of cheating
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Rationalization
Justification of attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors; ex: a muttered saying killing is wrong but this victim “deserved it”
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Displacement
Changing the target of an emotion, while the feelings remain the same; ex: child sent to room, starts to throw things
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Sublimation
Channeling of an unacceptable impulse in a socially acceptable direction;ex: boss attached to an employee becomes their mentor
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Symbolic interactionism
Attempts to understand human action and interaction by studying the symbols we use to communicate
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Symbol
Any object, image, sounds, or action that carries meaning to humans
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Social constructionism
The attempt to understand a society through the stuff of the society’s social constructs
