Psyc 111 Exam #1

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cerebellum

Back 1

controls balance and coordinated movement

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medulla

Back 2

regulates breathing and heartbeats

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thalamus

Back 3

conveys sensory information to cortex

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hypothalamus

Back 4

oversees endocrine and autonomic nervous system

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amygdala

Back 5

regulates arousal and fear

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hippocampus

Back 6

processes memory for spatial locations

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frontal lobe

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executive function coordinating other brain areas, motor planning, language, and memory

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motor cortex

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part of frontal lobe responsible for body movement

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prefrontal cortex

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part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language

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parietal lobe

Back 10

processes touch information, integrates vision and touch

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temporal lobe

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processes auditory information, language and autobiographical memory

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occipital lobe

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processes visual information

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brain stem

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part of the brain between the spinal cord and cerebral cortex that contains the medulla, midbrain, pons, and cerebellum

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limbic system

Back 14

emotional center of brain that also plays roles in smell, motivation, and memory

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cerebral cortex

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outermost part of forebrain, responsible for analyzing sensory processing and higher brain functions
- largest, most complex (80% of brain's weight)
- left and right hemispheres, connected by corpus callosum
- 4 lobes

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Gestalt principles

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rules governing how we perceive objects as wholes within their overall context

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proximity

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objects physically close to each other tend to be perceived as unified wholes

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closure

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when partial visual information is present, the mind fills in what's missing to create a coherent whole

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figure-ground

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perceptually, we make an instant decision to focus attention on what we believe to be the central figure and largely ignore what we believe to be the background

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similarity

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we group items based on their similar appearance

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continuity

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leads us to perceive a cross as one long vertical line crossing over one long horizontal line rather than 4 smaller line segments joining together

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symmetry

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two symmetrical figures tend to be grouped together as a single unit

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simplicity

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easily picking out from a group

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science

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a process, an approach to evidence, not a body of knowledge

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psychology

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the study of the mind, brain, and behavior

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mind

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mental activity

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brain

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physiological structure

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psychiatrist

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can prescribe medications and practice therapy

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clinical psychologist

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work with people with mental illness

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counseling psychologist

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helping out everyone

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school psychologist

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administers tests

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school councelor

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social skills

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industrial/ organizational psychologist

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apply psychology to help businesses

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sports psychologist

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help get mentally prepared, focused, and motivated

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forensic psychologist

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all legal cases, deeming insanity, and evaluating mental health

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3 principles that complicate psychology

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1. human actions are multiply determined
2. existence of individual differences
3. human actions are shaped by culture

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nature-nurture

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biological/situational

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theory

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an explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world

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hypothesis

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a testable prediction

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variables

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anything that can vary

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steps in a scientific investigation

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1. formulate testable hypothesis
2. design study and select method
3. collect data
4. analyze and interpret data
5. disseminate results

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zone of proximal development

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skill level between what student can accomplish independently and what she can accomplish with full assistance of more expert helper

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scaffolding

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provide initial assistance and gradually remove assistance as student becomes more competent

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culture

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a people's design for living as shown in their language and seen in physical artifacts, beliefs, customs, values, and activities that are passed down from one generation to the next

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ethnicity

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one's cultural background of shared customs, language, and history

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race

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a system of stratification based on real or imagined physical differences that are permanent

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flexible thinking

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generating variety of possible answers for problem or situation

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ethnocentrism

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perceiving other cultures as inferior to one's own culture

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descriptive research design

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research design describing psychological phenomenon; valuable in early stages of research to see if phenomenon exists

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case study

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research design that examines one person or a small number of people in depth, often over an extended time period
strengths: good for rare conditions and brain injuries
weaknesses: cannot generalize to larger population; highly subjective

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correlational research design

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research design that examines the extent to which two variables are associated
2 dimensions: strength (.xx) and direction (+ or -)
correlation is not causation

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experimental design

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research design characterized by random assignment of participants to conditions and manipulation of an independent variable
strengths: can determine cause and effect relationships (experimental and control groups); random assignment ensures equivalency of groups (no random assignment makes it a quasi experimental design)
weaknesses: confound; ethical concerns; placebo effect; double blind

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independent variable

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treatment or intervention that the experimenter "manipulates" or varies (bobo doll study)

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dependent variable

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variable that an experimenter measures to see whether the manipulation has an effect

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experimental group

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in an experiment, the group of participants that receives the manipulation

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control group

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in an experiment, the group of participants that doesn't receive the manipulation

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confound

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any difference between the experimental and control groups other than the independent variable

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placebo effect

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improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement

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naturalistic observation

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data collection method consisting of watching behavior in real-world settings
strengths: directly measures overt behavior
weaknesses: observer bias; reactivity - participant alters behavior because she knows she is being observed

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asking-based method

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data collection method consisting of surveys, questionaires, and interviews
strengths: can measure difficult-to-observe behaviors; easy and fast
weaknesses: response set; misinterpret the question; leading the answer

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response set

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tendencies of research participants to distort their responses to questionnaire items

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response performance

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data collection method consisting of quantifying perseptual or cognitive processes in response to a specific stimulus
reaction time: speed of response
response accuracy
stimulus judgements

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psychological test

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data collection method consisting of standardized tests of intelligence, achievement, personality, and psychological functioning (Wechsler int. tests, Myers-Briggs, MMPI)

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body and brain activity

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data collection method consisting of psychophysiological assessments: changes in bodily functions; electroencephalograph; fMRI

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informed consent

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informing research participants of what is involved in a study before asking them to participate

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neuron

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nerve cell specialized for communication

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dendrite

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protection that picks up impulses from other neurons

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cell body

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materials needed by the neuron are made here

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synapse

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terminal point of axon branch, which releases neurotransmitters

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axon

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nerve fiber projecting from the cell body that carries nerve impulses

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myelin sheath

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fatty coal that insulates the axons of some nerve cells, speeding transmission of impulses

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neoral communication

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w/in neuron: electrical
between neurons: chemical

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neurotransmitter

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chemical messenger specialized for communication from neuron to neuron

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action potential

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electrical impulse that travels down the axon triggering the release of neurotransmitters

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resting potential

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electrical charge difference (-60 millivolts) across the neronal membrane, when the neuron is not being stimulated or inhibited

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excitatory electrical signal

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usually leads to action potential

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inhibitory electrical signal

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usually leads to no action potential

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neurotransmitter process

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1. synthesized
2. stored in vesicles
3. relesed into synaptic cleft
4. look for receptors to bind to
5. termination
- reuptake
- enzyme deactivation
- autoreceptors

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reuptake

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means of recycling neurotransmitters

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human thought

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firing of millions of neurons at the same time

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neural networks

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patterns of neural activity in which interconnected neurons fire together or sequentially

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Acetylcholine (ACh)

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muscle contraction; cortical arousal
- Nicotine, memory enhancers, insecticides, botox

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Dopamine

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motor function and reward
- L-Dopa, antipsychotic drugs

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Serotonin

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mood and temperature regulation, aggression, and sleep cycles
- serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor antidepressants

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Endorphins

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pain reduction
- narcotic drugs (codeine, morphine, and heroin)

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how drugs affect neurotransmitters

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- alter synthesis
- increase or decrease the # released
- block reuptake or prevent enzyme deactivation

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agonists

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enhance receptor site activity (ecstasy, serotonin, prozac, nicotine, and ACh)

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antagonists

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decrease receptor site activity (antipsychotic and dopamine)

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physical dependence

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must continue to take drug to avoid physical withdrawal symptoms
- caffiene, alcohol, nicotine
- sweating, headaches, fever, vommitting, could be life threatening

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psychological dependence

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must continue to take drug to satisfy intense mental and emotional craving
- lsd, ecstasy, and marijuana

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caffeine and our nervous system

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adenosine (facilitates sleep): receptor antagonist
- binds to adenosine receptors (fewer receptors available for adenosine, speeds up neural activity)
- causes increase in adrenaline hormone

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plasticity

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ability of the nervous system to change

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3 components of "seeing" dragon

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1. physical stimulus (light waves bouncing off paper)
2. physiological response (stimulation of rods and cones in retina)
3. psychological interpretation (dragon moves)

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sensation

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detection of physical energy by sense organs, which then send information to the brain

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transduction

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the process of converting an external energy or substance into neural activity (necessary step before perception can take place)

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perception

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the brain's interpretation of raw sensory inputs (depends on experience and likelihood)

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pupil

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opening in the center of the iris that lets in light

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cornea

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curved, transparent dome that bends incoming light

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iris

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colored area containing muscles that control the pupil

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lens

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transparent disk that focuses light rays for near or distant vision

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retina

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innermost layer of the eye, where incoming light is converted into nerve impulses

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fovea

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the part of the retina where light rays are most sharply focused

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optic disc (blindspot)

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part of the visual field we can't see, where the optic nerve connects to the retina

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rods

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receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in low levels of light (night and peripheral vision)

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cones

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receptor cells in the retina that allow us to see in color (daylight and color design)

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optic nerve

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transmits impulses from the retina to the rest of the brain

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optic chiasm

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fork in the road that the optic nerves come to after leaving both eyes where half the axons cross and half stay on the same side

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primary pathway (V1)

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the primary route for visual perception (thalamus to primary visual cortex in occipital lobe)

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parietal lobe

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"where"

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temporal lobe

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"what"

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bottom-up processing

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constructing a mental understanding of a stimulus by putting together the raw sensory information into a complete whole

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top-down processing

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constructing a mental understanding of a stimulus using our existing knowledge and expectations

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formulating perceptual hypotheses

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inference we make about pattern of sensory stimulation

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visual illusions

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when our perceptual hypotheses are wrong

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Muller-Lyer illusions

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line with outward pointing arrows and line with inward pointing arrows

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depth perception

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ability to judge distance and three-dimensional relations

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monocular depth cues

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stimuli that enable us to judge depth using only one eye (interposition, relative size, linear perspective, texture gradient)

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development

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understanding how we change and stay the same through time (an ongoing process); most developmental theories emphasize change that proceeds from simplistic and unadaptive to complex and more adaptive

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what is needed to be interculturally competent

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mindset, skillset, heartset, cultural humility, cultural self-aware

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development of intercultural sensitivity

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ethnocentric
1. denial of difference
2. defense against difference
3. minimization of difference
ethnorelative
4. acceptance of difference
5. adaptation of difference
6. integration of difference

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marginalized

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cultural groups that are socially, politically, and/or economically disadvantaged

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privileged

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individuals with unearned social, political, and economic benefits and have cultural capital