KU PSYC 104 - Intro to Research Methods
Pages 6

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Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processesMethods of study in psychologyCase StudiesCase studies are simply stories that illustrate a pointEx: 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 aggressiveStrengthsGreat for generating hypothesisWeaknessesWe cannot generalize the findings to other peopleWe cannot determine cause and effectObservers sometimes lieCorrelational StudiesWhat are correlational studiesTwo variables measures in many people; the statisticOne goes up up while other goes down; both go up; both go down due to one anotherStrengthsWe can generalize the findingsWe know how strong the relationship isWeaknessWe cannot determine cause and effectProblem with direction of relationshipProblem with third variablesEx: hypothesis- correlation between amount of times people check facebook and depressionTrue ExperimentsCharacteristics of an experimentParticipants are randomly assigned to experimental and control conditionsThe independent variable is manipulated in the experimentStrengthsWe can determine cause and effectWeaknessConfounds (third variable) may creep into experimentsEthical 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 moneyOther research stradegiesLongitudinal and cross sectional studiesLongitudinal – following and studying same people over time – very longCross sectional – studying people from every age groupStudies of families and genesSurvey researchcOrganization of the Nervous SystemCentral Nervous system – all materials in your brainPeripheral Nervous System- nerve tracks that leave brain and are in other parts of your bodySomatic Division - responds to your external environment and consists of nerves connected to sensory receptors and skeletal muscle. It permits voluntary actionsAutonomic Division - It permits involuntary functioning of blood, organs, glands, etc.Sympathetic Branch – gets you nervous or excitedParasympathetic branch – calms you down and allows you to receive equilibrium againBrain Structures and BehaviorLayers of the brain and localization of functionsBrain StemMedulla – 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 dreamsCerebellum – controls muscle movements  when people start slurring words its bc malfunction in cerebellum (drunken incapabilities)4 lobes of brainfrontal lobe – integrate all information, serious thinkingTemporal lobe – process sounds, languageOccipital lobe – visionParietal lobe – controls motor skillsVentricles - Large holes in the brain  trash can for brain  drains dead cells and excess materials.Right side of brain controls left side of body and vice versaCorpusculosi – enables you to use both sides of your brain  woman have 20x larger than men – makes women faster and more efficient thinkersLeft hemisphere is responsible for languageRight hemisphere is responsible for emotion and spacial understanding, recognition (places, faces)Subcortical nucleiHippocampus – process information for storage as memory  puts short term memory into long term memory  alzheimersHypothalamus – name is because it is below the thalamus  controls mood (basis for depression), appetite and sleepAmygdala – controls rage and aggression  an enlarged amygdala is responsible for aggression and rage that that doesn’t have a real reasonNeuron – a single cell, responsible for everything that goes on in your brainNucleusCell body (soma)DendritesMyelin sheath – enables nerve impulse to travel down the axon at 120 meters per second  covers the axonAxon – long arm and makes connections to the next neuronA 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 fastPresynaptic NeuronInhibitory Neurons – keep you calm, controls your nervesDeath of neurons –DrugsStrokes  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 personSpinal Cord – transmits information up to the brainThe reflex arc – detects pain and allows you to reactCervical – top part of spine, controls shoulders, upper back etc.Thoracic – top middle part of spine controls torsoLumbar – bottom middle part of spine, controls hipsSacral – bottom part of spine, controls legs2 kinds of paralysis – paraplegic and quadriplegic  don’t worry about definition in book, they are switchedconcussionsbrain has the scull and fluid to protect brainmeninges – an infection of this is called meningitiscan lead to demensiaSteroidscortico steroids – stimulants, another form of adrenalineantibilic steroids – testosterone, helps build muscle and tissue  leads to aggressioneffects: hear attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, for woman- facial hair and voice lowers, decrease in breast and develops penisFacilitated communicationCant talk but write insteadIntro to Research Methods 08/27/2013Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processesMethods of study in psychology- Case Studieso 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 aggressiveo Strengths Great for generating hypothesiso Weaknesses We cannot generalize the findings to other people We cannot determine cause and effect Observers sometimes lie- Correlational Studieso 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 anothero Strengths We can generalize the findings We know how strong the relationship iso Weakness We cannot determine cause and effect Problem with direction of relationship Problem with


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KU PSYC 104 - Intro to Research Methods

Course: Psyc 104-
Pages: 6
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