PSY 101 EXAM 1 Flashcards
Chapters 1-3 (115 cards)
1
Q
psychology is…
A
the scientific study of mind and behavior
2
Q
dualism
A
mind and body are separate but interact to produce conscious experience
René Descartes, opposite of materialism
3
Q
materialism
A
the view that all mental phenomena is the result of physical phenomena
Thomas Hobbes, opposite of dualism
4
Q
realism
A
the view that our perception of the world is a copy of the info we receive from our sensory apparatus
John Locke
5
Q
idealism
A
the view that our perception of the world is our brain’s best interpretation of the info we receive from our sensory apparatus
Immanuel Kant, built off realism
6
Q
empiricism
school of thought
A
the view that all knowledge is aquired through experience (what you’ve encountered, 5 senses), we are born without innate knowledge
- backbone of the scientific method
John Locke, opposite to nativism
7
Q
nativism
A
the view that certain knowledge/abilities are innate rather than aquired
Immanuel Kant, opposite to empiricism
human beings must be born with some basic knowledge of the world that allows them to acquire additional knowledge of the world
8
Q
structuralism
school of thought
A
an approach to psychology that attempted to isolate and analyze the mind’s basic elements
Wilhelm Wundt
didn’t last, no way to tell if a person’s description of their experience was accurate
9
Q
introspection
A
“systematic self-observation”
the analysis of subjective experience by trained observers
Edward Titchener
10
Q
functionalism
school of thought
A
an approach to psychology that emphasized the adaptive significance of mental processes
William James
if our physical characteristics had evolved because they were adaptive, then the same should be true of our psychological characteristics
11
Q
hysteria
A
a loss of function that has no obvious physical origin
12
Q
psychoanalytic theory
A
emphasizes the influence of the unconscious on feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
Sigmund Freud
13
Q
psychoanalysis
big wave of thought
A
a therapy that aims to give people insight into the contents of their unconscious minds
Freud
14
Q
behaviorism
2nd big wave/school of thought
A
an approach to psychology that restricts scientific inquiry to observable behavior
- early behaviorists, radical: mind doesnt exist
- modern: mind does exist, interested in changing behavior
John Broadus Watson, set the mind aside
15
Q
principle of reinforcement
A
a principle stating that any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated and any behavior that isn’t rewarded won’t be repeated
Skinner
16
Q
gestalt psychology
A
an approach to psychology that emphasized the way in which the mind creates perceptual experience
Max Wertheimer, German “gestalt” = “whole”
17
Q
developmental psychology
A
he study of the ways in which psychological phenomena change over the life span
Jean Piaget
18
Q
social psychology
A
experimental study of the causes and consequences of sociality
Kurt Lewin
19
Q
cognitive psychology
A
the study of human information processing
Ulric Neisser, brought back the mind since behaviorism
20
Q
evolutionary psychology
A
the study of the ways in which the human mind has been shaped by natural selection
a way of thinking about psychology that can be applied to any topic with
21
Q
cognitive neuroscience
A
the study of the relationship between the brain and the mind (esp. in humans)
22
Q
behavioral neuroscience
A
the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior (esp. in animals)
23
Q
cultural psychology
A
the study of how culture influences mental life
24
Q
epistemology
A
the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge
25
rationalism
the view that certain perceptual and conceptual capacities (language, thought, etc.) are innate
| Plato
26
theologism
there is a god/greater being
27
philosophy
use logic and *real* concepts
28
physiologists
believed that the body was the only real thing, mind wasn’t important
29
humanism
idea that we have freewill, concious experience, unique potential for growth, looked at motivators to improve
| carl rogers, abraham maslow, opposite to determinism
30
determinism
nothing is an accident, everything happens for a reason because of previous events you may or may not be aware of
| opposite of humanism
31
# perspectives of psychology
biological perspective
Physiological mechanisms in brain and nervous systems that organize and control behavior
32
# perspectives of psych
psychodynamic perspective
unconcious influences, childhood experiences
| freud
33
# perspectives of psych
behavioral perspective
Behavior based on experience and learning
| pavlov, watson, skinner
34
# perspectives of psych
humanistic perspective
self-perception, concious forces
| rogers, maslow
35
# perspectives of psych
postive psychology
Positive relationships, what situations/environments foster positive feelings
| stemmed from humanism
36
# perspectives of psych
cognitive perspective
- How knowledge is acquired, organized, remembered, used to guide behavior
- Intellectual development
- Language
- information processing (cybernetics)
| Piaget, chomsky, touring
37
# perspectives of psych
cross-culture perspective
- Psychological differences between cultural groups
- Influence of culture on thoughts, feelings, behavior
- Common elements across culture (innate)
- Attitudes, values, beliefs
- Why culture is used to judge other cultures
- Indivualistic vs communalistic
| king, trimble
38
# perspectives of psychology
evolutionary perspective
- Innate, adaptive behavior patterns
- Applying principles of evolution to explain behavior and psychological processes
| Darwin, lorenz, bouchard, wilson
39
scientific method
procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts
1. develop a theory
2. derive a falsifiable hypothesis
3. test hypothesis by gathering **emperical** evidence
40
emperical method
set of rules and techniques for observation
41
3 reasons why humans are more difficult to study
| emperical method
1. people are **complex**
2. people are very **variable**
3. people are very **reactive** (people think, feel, and act differently when they think they are being observed, ex: "demand characteristics")
42
# psychologists meet challenges of human studying with:
methods of observation
1. define the property being measured
2. detect how it can be measured
43
# psychologists meet challenges of human studying with:
methods of explanation
- conclusions
- errors
- replication
44
# methods of observation
operational definition
description of a property in measurable terms, a good definition has construct validity
45
# methods of observation
construct validity
specified operations are generally considered good indicators of the specified properties
46
# methods of observation
power
a detector’s ability to detect the presence of differences or changes in the magnitude of a property
47
# methods of observation
reliability
a detector’s ability to detect the absence of differences or changes in the magnitude of a property
47
# methods of observation
demand characteristics
aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects
avoided by:
- naturalistic observation
- privacy and control
- unawareness
48
# methods of observation: avoiding demand characteristics
privacy and control
- allow participants to be anonymous to avoid influence (ex: surveys - descriptive strategy)
- measure behaviors that are not under one's voluntary control (ex: pupil dialation)
48
# methods of observation: avoiding demand characteristics
naturalistic observation
systematic observation and recording of behaviors in one's natural environment
- allows researchers to observe how they are, ethics involved
| descriptive strategy
49
# methods of observation: avoiding demand characteristics
unawareness
the people who are being observed are unaware of the true purpose of the observation
50
# methods of observation
observer bias
the tendency for observers’ expectations to influence both what they believe they observed and what they actually observed
- expectations can influence observations (ex: decisions made in the process can unconciously lead in the direction of one's bias)
- expectations can influence reality (ex: one may unwittingly guide an experiment in the direction of their bias through their actions)
| avoided by: double-blind studies, etc.
51
# methods of observation: avoiding observer bias
double-blind study
a study in which neither the researcher nor the participant knows how the participants are expected to behave / the true direction of the study
52
# methods of observation: visual representation of data
frequency distribution
graphic representation showing the number of times that the measurement of a property takes on each of its possible values
- info summarized into descriptive statistics
53
# methods of observation: representation of data
normal distribution
frequency of measurements is highest in the middle and decreases symmetrically in both directions
54
# methods of observation: representation of data
descriptive statistics
central tendency (mode - most frequent, mean - average, median - middle) and variability (the extent the measurements in a frequency distribution differ from each other, range - largest minus smallest) of a frequency distribution
- interdependent features
| small range = less variability
55
# methods of observation: representation of data
standard deviation
how each of the measurements in a frequency distribution differs from the mean
56
# methods of explanation
correlation
relationship between variables in which variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other
1. measuring a pair of variables
2. making a series of these measurements
3. finding a pattern
| allows predictions not accuracy
57
# methods of explanation: correlation
correlation coefficient
measurement of the strength and direction of a correlation
- symbolized with *r*, between 1 (positive corr.) and -1(negative corr.), *r* = 0 (no corr.)
-
58
# methods of explanation
correlation does not imply _
causation
59
# methods of explanation: causation
experimentation
technique for establishing the causal relationship between variables
- manipulation and random assignment
60
# methods of explanation: experimentation
manipulation
determining the causal power of a variable by actively changing its value
1. manipulate a variable (independent variable)
2. measure a variable (dependent variable)
3. compare
61
# methods of explanation: experimentation
random assignment
| part of the three "Rs"
procedure that assigns participants to conditions by chance (multiple experimental groups - exposed to the independent variable vs not, or inbetween)
- avoids self-selection
62
# methods of explanation: experimentation
self-selection
a problem that occurs when anything about a participant determines the value of the independent variable to which the participant was exposed
63
# methods of explanation: conclusions
internal validity
an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships
64
# methods of explanation: conclusions
external validity
an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a representative way
65
# methods of explanation: conclusions, generalization
case method/studies
procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual
- hard to generalize
studies: highly detailed account of a specific individual, instructional purposes, rare findings, novel approaches
- disadvantage > cant be replicated, subjective
| descriptive strategy
66
# methods of explanation: conclusions
replication
an experiment that uses the same procedures as a previous experiment but with a new sample from the same population
- usually fail to replicate results
67
# methods of explanation: generalization, conclusions
random selection/sampling
| part of the three "Rs"
a technique for selecting participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample
- can then generalize from sample to population
68
# methods of explanation: conclusion errors
type 1 error
researchers conclude that there is a causal relationship between two variables when there is not, *false positive*
69
# methods of explanation: conclusion errors
type 2 error
researchers conclude that there is not a causal relationship between two variables when there is, *false negative*
70
the three "Rs"
- **representative** sample
- **random** selection
- **random** assignment
71
# the three R's
representative sample
a sample that closely parallels the population on relevant characteristics
72
blind study
a study in which the participants are unaware of how they should behave / of the studies true purpose
73
# ethics and participants rights
informed consent
a verbal agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of all the risks that participation may entail
74
# ethics and participants rights
freedom from coercion
participitation **may not** be coerced
75
# ethics and participants rights
protection from harm
every possible precaution to protect participants from physical or psychological harm **must** be taken
76
# ethics and participants rights
risk-benefit analysis
participants **may not** be asked/exposed to risks/things above and beyond everyday life
77
# ethics and participants rights
deception
deception **may** be used **only** when justified by the study’s scientific, educational, or applied value and when alternative procedures are not feasible
78
# ethics and participants rights
debriefing
a verbal description of the true nature of the study **must** be provided to any participants who were deceived
79
# ethics and participants rights
confidentiality
private/personal info obtained during a study **must** be kept confidential
80
# neuroscience
neurons
cells in the nervous system that communicate with each other to perform information-processing tasks
3 parts:
- cell body
- dendrites
- axon
81
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
cell body (soma)
largest component of the neuron that coordinates the information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive
- nucleus, contains DNA
protein synthesis, energy production, metabolism
82
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
dendrites
receive info from other neurons or sensory receptors and relay it to the cell body
| "tree"
83
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
axon
carries info from other neurons, muscles, glands, the cell's output structure
- covered by a myelin sheath, gaps in this are called nodes of ranvier
84
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
myelin (sheath)
insulating layer of fatty material, more myelin = faster neuron communication speed, protects electrical current from "leaking" out of the axon
- composed of glial cells
85
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
glial cells
structural support cells found in the nervous system
- removes waste
- physical/nutritional support
- form myelin
| "glue"
86
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
synapse
the gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another
87
# neuroscience: specialized neurons
sensory neurons
receive info from the outside world via sensory organs and convey it to the brain via the spinal cord
- specialized endings on their dendrites that receive signals for light, sound, touch, taste, smell
88
# neuroscience: parts of neurons
nodes of ranvier
gaps in the myelin sheath of axon
89
# neuroscience: specialized neurons
motor neurons
carry signals from the spinal cord (and brain) to glands and muscles to produce movement
90
# neuroscience: specialized neurons
interneurons
connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, other interneurons
- make up most of the nervous system
91
the process of electrochemical action in neurons
1. **electrical signal** is conducted from dendrites to the cell body, then down axon
2. **chemical signal **is transmitted from one neuron to another across the synapse
92
# electrochemical actions
conduction in neurons
cell membrane has channels that allow **ions** in/out, creating the conduction of electrical current
- ions: atoms with small +/- electrical charge
93
# electrochemical actions
resting potential
the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cell membrane
**neurons have a slight negative charge inside** (-70 millivolts)
- the difference restricts ions going in/out
94
# electrochemical actions
action potential
an electric signal that is conducted along the length of a neuron’s axon to a synapse
- occurs due to changes in the axon’s membrane channels, ions flood making charge +40 millivolts
- **all or none**, it either fires a neuron, or it doesnt
- jumps node to node
95
# electrochemical actions
refractory period
the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated
- electrical and chemical balance of the neuron is restored
96
# electrochemical actions
chemical signaling
- axons end in **terminal buttons**
- which are filled with **neurotransmitters** (chemicals that transmit info across the synapse to a receiving neuron’s dendrites)
- dendrites of receiving neurons contain **receptors** (parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and either initiate or prevent a new electric signal)
1. neurons form pathways in the brain that are characterized by specific neurotransmitters
2. neurotransmitters and receptors bind
97
# electrochemical actions
reuptake
1. neurotransmitters are absorbed by terminal buttons
2. neurotransmitters destroyed by enzymes (enzyme deactivation)
3. neurotransmitters drift out synapse past receptors (diffusion)
98
# neurotransmitters
acetylcholine (ACh)
- voluntary motor control
99
# neurotransmitters
dopamine
- regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, emotional arousal
100
# neurotransmitters
serotonin
- regulation of sleep, eating, aggressive behavior
101
# neurotransmitters
norepinephrine
- "fight or flight"
- arousal, learning, memory
102
# neurotransmitters
GABA
-inhibits brain activity -> reduces activity
103
# neurotransmitters
endorphins
- "runners high"
- pain, pleasure, emotion
104
agonist drugs
mimic NTs or boost their effects, fit receptors well and act like NTs
105
antagonist drugs
stop NTs from being produced, fit receptor poorly and block the NT
106
periphiral nervous system
- a division of the nervous system
- connects the central nervous system to the body’s organs and muscles
- further divides into autonomic (carries involuntary and automatic commands that control blood vessels, body organs, and glands, divides into sympathetic [arousing] and parasympathetic [calming]) and somatic (conveys info between skeletal muscles and the central system)
107
hindbrain
- coordinates info coming in/out of spinal cord
- respiration, alertness, and motor skills
- medulla (HR, circulation, respiration), reticular formation (sleep, arousal), cerebellum (fine motor skills), pons (relays info from cerebellum to rest of brain)
108
midbrain
- tectum (orientates one to stimuli), tegmentum (movement, arousal, orients)
109
forebrain
- controls complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, motor functions
- cerebral cortex, subcortical structures: thalamus (relays info from senses to cortex), hypothalamus (regulates body temp, hunger, thirst, sexual behavior), lymbic system (motivation, emotion, learning, memory), hippocampus (creating new memories), amygdala (forms emotional memories), basal ganglia (directs intentional movements, reward processing), corpus collosum (connects R/L hemispheres of the brain)
110
occipital lobe
- processes visual info
- back of CC
111
parietal lobe
- front of occipital lobe
- process info from touch
112
temporal lobe
- lower side of each hemisphere
- hearing, language
113
frontal lobe
- behind forehead
- movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, judgment
