Unit 1 Exam Flashcards
(46 cards)
three main things psychologists study
thoughts
feelings
behavior
five domains of psychology + what they are
biological– activity in the brain and body and relation to thoughts
cognitive– mental activities affect on thoughts and feelings
developmental– how do you change over your life in terms of thoughts and actions
social and personality– how do social factors and personality affect thoughts
mental and physical health– what affects it and how can you develop healthy behaviors
operational definition
+ example
qualify and quantify variables so they can be understood objectively
how does culture affect mental activity?
religion and ideals can influence ways of thinking and thought processes
more talkative culture, more talkative individuals
three steps of critical thinking
- is the source of the claim believable
- is there strong evidence for the claim
- do other believable sources agree about the claim
what is informed consent and why is it required for research with human participants?
people must be told about the research
required for research to ensure that the participants physical and emotional well-being is protected
three “R’s” of nonhuman animal research
Replace the use of animals whenever possible
Reduce the number of animals needed to a minimum
Refine tests to cause animals the least amount of distress
three main functions of the nervous system
receive sensory input from the world through vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell
process info in the brain by paying attention to it, perceiving it, and remembering it (mental activity)
respond to info by acting on it
dendrites
short branchlike extensions of the cell body– receive signals from neighboring neurons
cell body
information received from thousands of other neurons is collected and combined
axon
electrical impulses are transmitted along these
terminal buttons
knoblike structures that release neurotransmitters
myelin sheath
fatty casing that insulates the axon (makes for quick neural communication)
what is fMRI technology and how does it help us study mental activity?
functional magnetic resource imaging
tracking which parts of the brain are specializing in which types of processing
what did Paul Broca find?
discover that the front left side of the brain was important for speech (brocas area)
peripheral nervous system
nerves aside from the CNS
responds to messages to perform specific behaviors or make bodily adjustments
four divisions of the peripheral nervous system
autonomic–regulates body’s internal environment
somatic– transmits signals to and from CNS through nerves (controls voluntary actions)
sympathetic– prepares body for action
parasympathetic– returns the body to resting state
four lobes of the brain and their functions
frontal– planning, movement, complex thought
parietal– touch, spatial information
occipital– vision
temporal– hearing, memory
neurotransmitter
chemicals that carry signals from one neuron to another
create mental activity and behavior by allowing nerves to communicate with each other
four types of plasticity
neurogenesis– production of new neurons
neural pruning– connections that are not strong are pruned so other connections can be strengthened
brain reorganization– new connections develop between neurons (ex. recovery from brain injury)
what do comparative psychologists study and why?
behavior of animals and how we can relate them to human actions and behavior to solve problems
natural selection
the process over time by which organisms adapt and change
ex. giraffes long necks to reach food
artificial selection
identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals and steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations
ex. show dogs
sexual selection
natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex
ex. peacocks tail
