Unit 3 Methods o Mod 3 scientific method Basic research research that answers fundamental questions about behavior Ex How nerves conduct impulses from the receptors in the skin brain Applied research research that investigates issues that have implications for everyday life and provides solutions to everyday problems Ex Most effective methods for reducing depression Research hypothesis precise statement of the presumed relationship among specific parts of a theory a specific and falsifiable prediction about the relationship btwn or among 2 or more variables Scientific method informal observations practical problems research question empirical study data analysis conclusions research literature Ethical violations o Mod 4 research designs Descriptive research design designed to provide a snapshot of the current state of affairs Case studies descriptive records of one or more individuals experiences and behavior Piaget Surveys a measure administered through either a face to face or telephone interview or a written or computer generated questionnaire Naturalistic observations research based on the observation of everyday events occurring in the natural environment of people or animals Jane Goodall and chimps Correlational research design designed to discover relationships among variables and to allow the prediction of future events from present knowledge Common causal variable a variable that s not part of the research hypothesis but that causes both the predictor and the outcome variable and thus produces the observed correlation btwn them ex Children s parent s discipline style Experimental there s a random assignment of research participants into 2 groups This is followed by a manipulation of a given experience for one group while the other is not manipulated The 2 groups are then compared to determine the influence of the manipulation Independent variable the causing variable that s created manipulated by the experiment Dependent variable a measured variable that s expected to be influenced by the experimental manipulation Quasi experimental Compares 2 groups that already exist in the population w no random assignment Threats to internal validity of research Confounding variables variables other than the independent variable on which the participants in 1 experimental condition offer systematically from those in other conditions Experimenter bias a situation in which the experimenter subtly treats the research participants in the various experimental conditions differently resulting in an invalid confirmation of the research hypothesis Threats to external validity of research Generalization the extent to which relationships among conceptual variables can be demonstrated in a wide variety of people and a wide variety of manipulated or measured variables Unit 4 brains bodies and behavior o Mod 5 Neurons Structure Dendrites receive messages from other cells hair like extensions Soma contains the nucleus of the cell and keeps the cell alive Axon transmits info away from the cell body toward other neurons or to the muscles or glands Synapses space btwn the cells Myelin sheath A layer of fatty tissue surrounding the axon of a neuron that both acts as an insulator and allows faster transmission of the electrical signal Neurotransmitters Acetylcholine ACh o Used in spinal cord and motor neurons to stimulate muscle contractions Regulates memory sleeping and dreaming Dopamine o Movement motivation and emotion produces feelings of pleasure when released by the brain s reward system and it s also involved in learning Endorphins o Released in response to behaviors such as vigorous exercise orgasm and eating spicy foods o Natural pain reliever GABA gamma aminobutyric acid o Major inhibitory neurotrans in brain Glutamate most common o Released in more than 90 of brain s synapses Found in MSG monosodium glutamate Serotonin o Mood appetite sleep and aggression Mod 6 brain regions Brain sections Brain stem oldest and innermost region controls the most basic functions of life including breathing attention and motor responses Medulla area of the brain stem that controls heart rate and breathing Pons in the brain stem that helps control the movements of the body balance and walking sleeping waking dreaming and arousal Thalamus egg shaped structure just above the brain stem that applies still more filtering to the sensory info coming from the spinal cord and through the reticular formation and it relays some of these remaining signals to the higher brain levels Cerebellum little brain functions to coordinate voluntary movement Contributes to emotional responses and discriminate btwn different sounds and textures Amygdala consists of 2 almond shaped clusters and primarily responsible for regulating our perceptions of and reactions to aggression and fear Hypothalamus contains a of small areas helps regulate body temp hunger thirst and sex drive and responds to the satisfaction of these needs by creating feelings of pleasure Hippocampus consists of 2 horns stores info in long term memory Cerebral cortex the outer bark like layer of our brain that allows us to so successfully use language acquire complex skills create tools and live in social group wrinkled Limbic system largely responsible for memory and emotion structures located beneath and around the thalamus Cerebral cortex divided into 2 hemispheres Each hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes each separated by folds fissures o Four lobes parietal lobe responsible primarily for processing info about touch occipital lobe processes visual info temporal lobe responsible primarily for hearing and language frontal lobe responsible primarily for thinking planning memory and judgment o neuroplasticity the brain s ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage enables learning and remembering new things neurogenesis forming of new neurons brain lateralization the left and right hemi Are specialized o Mod 7 Methods for studying the brain Lesions brains of living human beings may be damaged Single unit microelectrode a thin microelectrode is surgically inserted in or near an individual neuron EEG electroencephalography an instrument that records the electrical activity produced by the brain s neurons through the use of electrodes placed on the surface of the research participant s head Can show if a person is asleep awake or anesthetized PET scan positron emission tomography invasive imaging technique that provides color coded