Intro to Research Methods 08 27 2013 Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes Methods of study in psychology Case Studies o Case studies are simply stories that illustrate a point Ex Why a child is hostile and aggressive could be hostile and aggressive tv shows they watch or could be parents or could just be the child is hostile and aggressive o Strengths o Weaknesses Great for generating hypothesis We cannot generalize the findings to other people We cannot determine cause and effect Observers sometimes lie Correlational Studies o What are correlational studies Two variables measures in many people the statistic One goes up up while other goes down both go up both go down due to one another o Strengths o Weakness We can generalize the findings We know how strong the relationship is We cannot determine cause and effect Problem with direction of relationship Problem with third variables o Ex hypothesis correlation between amount of times people check facebook and depression True Experiments o Characteristics of an experiment Participants are randomly assigned to experimental and The independent variable is manipulated in the control conditions experiment o Strengths o Weakness We can determine cause and effect Confounds third variable may creep into experiments Ethical problems may arise ex teacher will give smart kids more attention than not smart therefor testing that would be unethical not as much of problem anymore bc experiments must be approved or else no money Other research stradegies o Longitudinal and cross sectional studies Longitudinal following and studying same people over time very long Cross sectional studying people from every age group o Studies of families and genes o Survey research Physiology and Behavior 08 27 2013 cOrganization of the Nervous System Central Nervous system all materials in your brain Peripheral Nervous System nerve tracks that leave brain and are in other parts of your body o Somatic Division responds to your external environment and consists of nerves connected to sensory receptors and skeletal muscle It permits voluntary actions o Autonomic Division It permits involuntary functioning of blood organs glands etc Sympathetic Branch gets you nervous or excited Parasympathetic branch calms you down and allows you to receive equilibrium again Brain Structures and Behavior Layers of the brain and localization of functions o Brain Stem Medulla power plant for the brain provides all energy carries electrical activity to the brain controls bawl movements perspiration coughing etc Pons a night time brain triggers dreams Cerebellum controls muscle movements when people start slurring words its bc malfunction in cerebellum drunken incapabilities o 4 lobes of brain frontal lobe integrate all information serious thinking Temporal lobe process sounds language Occipital lobe vision Parietal lobe controls motor skills o Ventricles Large holes in the brain trash can for brain drains dead cells and excess materials o Right side of brain controls left side of body and vice versa Corpusculosi enables you to use both sides of your brain woman have 20x larger than men makes women faster and more efficient thinkers Left hemisphere is responsible for language Right hemisphere is responsible for emotion and spacial understanding recognition places faces o Subcortical nuclei Hippocampus process information for storage as memory puts short term memory into long term memory alzheimers Hypothalamus name is because it is below the thalamus controls mood basis for depression appetite and sleep Amygdala controls rage and aggression an enlarged amygdala is responsible for aggression and rage that that doesn t have a real reason Neuron a single cell responsible for everything that goes on in your brain Nucleus Cell body soma Dendrites Myelin sheath enables nerve impulse to travel down the axon at 120 meters per second covers the axon Axon long arm and makes connections to the next neuron o A chemical electrical process Reason axon and myelin sheath conduct the electrical impulse is because there is sodium inside and potassium outside and when the electrical impulse flows down the axon the potassium and sodium change places really fast Presynaptic Neuron Inhibitory Neurons keep you calm controls your nerves Death of neurons Drugs Strokes blood supply to the neuron is cut off for some reason small area of brain dies and you lose a function in relation to where it died other neurons are able to pick up other neurons how to do that function through therapy and time recovery extent depends on age of person Spinal Cord transmits information up to the brain The reflex arc detects pain and allows you to react Cervical top part of spine controls shoulders upper back etc Thoracic top middle part of spine controls torso Lumbar bottom middle part of spine controls hips Sacral bottom part of spine controls legs 2 kinds of paralysis paraplegic and quadriplegic don t worry about definition in book they are switched 3 5 13 concussions Steroids brain has the scull and fluid to protect brain meninges an infection of this is called meningitis can lead to demensia cortico steroids stimulants another form of adrenaline antibilic steroids testosterone helps build muscle and tissue leads to aggression o effects hear attacks strokes high blood pressure for woman facial hair and voice lowers decrease in breast and develops penis Facilitated communication Cant talk but write instead
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