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PSYCHOLOGY 110 EXAM 1 CH. 1- 3
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Psychology ✔✔The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior.
What psychologists do ✔✔Research mental processes, the brain, and behavior. Apply scientific research to solve problems.
6 Principles of Critical Thinking ✔✔Ruling out rival hypothesis, correlation vs. causation, falsifiability, replicability, extraordinary claims, Occam's razor (parsimony)
Ruling out rival hypothesis ✔✔Have important alternative explanations for the findings been excluded?
Correlation vs. Causation ✔✔Can we be sure the A causes B?
Falsifiability ✔✔Can the claim be disproved?
Replicability ✔✔Can the results be duplicated in other studies?
Extraordinary claims ✔✔Is the evidence as strong as the claim?
Occam's Razor ✔✔Does a simpler explanation fit the data just as well?
5 major theoretical perspectives ✔✔Structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, cognitivism, psychoanalysis
Structuralism ✔✔Insistence on systematic data collection and empiricism. Psychology as a science.
Functionalism ✔✔Influence of evolutionary theory on modern psychology.
Behavioralism ✔✔Helped to understand how we learn and the importance of scientific rigor. Observations.
Cognitivism ✔✔Focus on not only rewards or punishers, but on our interpretation of events (the importance of "mind")
Respect for persons ✔✔Autonomy and protection for those with less autonomy. Informed consent process. Subjects signed up on their own free will.
Beneficence ✔✔1st do no harm. Minimize risks and maximize benefits.
Justice ✔✔Treat everyone equally, no discrimination. Disadvantaged groups shouldn't be exploited as participants. Benefits of research should be available to all.
Research Methods used in Psychology ✔✔Naturalistic observation, case studies, self report measures and surveys, correlation research, and experiments.
Independent Variable ✔✔Variable that the researcher manipulates.
Dependent Variable ✔✔Variable that the researcher measures.
Cell Body (soma) ✔✔Where the nucleus and mitochondria are located, integrates signals coming into the neuron
Dendrites ✔✔Branches on the cell body that receive input from other neurons
Axon ✔✔Branches that transmit signals away from cell body
Axon Terminal ✔✔At the end of the axons, where neurotransmitters are released
Synapse ✔✔A space between two connecting neurons through which messages are transmitted chemically
Pre-synaptic neuron ✔✔Neuron before the synapse, sending the message
Post-synaptic neuron ✔✔Neuron after the synapse, receiving the message
Communication within a single neuron ✔✔Communication is electrical
Communication between neurons ✔✔Communication is chemical
Occipital Lobes ✔✔Vision
Thalamus ✔✔Relays info from sense organs to appropriate sensory cortex
Hypothalamus ✔✔Regulating internal states, like hunger, thirst, sexual motivation, and other emotions
Amygdala ✔✔Fear, excitement, arousal. Looks like an almond
Hippocampus ✔✔Memory, especially for storing new memories and spatial memory. Internal map.
Endocrine System ✔✔Network of glands in the body that secrete their own chemical messengers (hormones). Controlled by the hypothalamus, through the pituitary gland.
Hormones ✔✔Travel through blood to all of the body.
Neurotransmitters ✔✔Travel only across the synaptic gap from one neuron to another.
Reticular Activating System ✔✔Arousal, awake, alert.
Cerebellum ✔✔Balance, motor coordination, motor memory. Responsible for walking and basic functions.
Pons ✔✔Connects cortex and cerebellum; communication.
Medulla ✔✔Right above the spinal cord, controls vital functions (breathing, heart beat, etc.) Bridge between brain and spine; considered part of the brain.
Spinal Cord ✔✔Inside your backbone, carries messages between body and brain. Reflexes come from here. Controlled by interneurons, not the brain.
Central Nervous System (CNS) ✔✔Brain and Spinal Cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) ✔✔All the nerves in the body outside of the brain and spinal cord.
Corpus Callosum ✔✔What connects the two hemispheres of our brain.
Behavioral Genetics ✔✔The study of the relative effects of heredity and environment on behavior and mental processes
Heritability ✔✔Percentage of the variability in a trait across individuals that is due to genes. It is a statistic.
Monozygotic ✔✔Identical twins.
Dizygotic ✔✔Fraternal twins.
Twin studies and adopted children studies ✔✔How we study the relative influence of nature and nurture in psychology.
Identical twins ✔✔Should identical twins or fraternal twins be more alike (stronger correlation)?
Environmental influences ✔✔______ influences (such as extreme deprivation/abuse) can turn gene expression on or off.
Neurons ✔✔Nerve cell specialized for communication.
Glial Cells ✔✔Cells in the nervous system that "help" neurons. Form neuron insulation (myelin), cleans and repairs, blood-brain barrier; enhances learning. Does not communicate the way that neurons do.
Action Potential ✔✔Communication within a neuron; electrical. At rest, electrical charge inside neuron slightly more negative than outside. With stimulation, electrical charge of neuron changes and become more positive. Change in electrical charge travels down axon like a wave.
Myelin Sheaths ✔✔Fatty layer that insulates axons and speeds up with action potential. "White matter".
Excitatory Signals ✔✔Increase likelihood that post-synaptic neuron will fire.
Inhibitory Signals ✔✔Decrease likelihood that post-synaptic neuron will fire.
