Psychology - The scientific study of behavior and mental processes; Scientific - Various ways of knowing Intuition Personal experience Authority Empiricism (systematic observations) Major goals for studying psychology: Describe and measure behavior, explain and understand behavior, predict and control behavior.Behavior and Mental Processes, affect behavior and cognition = only behavior can be directly observed and objectively measured Experiment: A research procedure in which the psychologist manipulates one variable and measures the effect of that manipulation on a second variableExperiments (and only experiments) can establish casualty. Variable: Any characteristic of an object, event, or a person which can take two or values Independent variable: The variable that is manipulated in the experiment; Drug dosage, room temperature. Dependent variable: The variable that is being measured in an experiment, It is expected to change as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable, Its value therefore “depends on” the value of the independent variable, Depressed mood, aggressiveness, a control or comparison group. Need a control or comparison group that receives a different value of the independent variable, random assignment to condition. A procedure in which participants are assigned to experimental group or the control group (dif. conditions) on basis of chance and only chance. Cancels out any variables (other than the independent variable) that could explain my results.Some variables cannot be manipulated: SES, smoking, depression, number of children, years of education, culture, age, relationship status. They can still be studied by measuring them as they naturally occur. Correlation research, looking for relationships in measured variables. Correlations have magnitude and direction. Magnitude is the strength of the relationship between the two measured variables. Direction is the direction of relationship, positive correlationAs one variable increases, the other tends to increase, attractiveness and popularity. Negative correlation, as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease, weight and self esteem. Big limitations of correlation research: no random assignmentCorrelations therefore cannot establish a cause and effect relationship: Variable x might have an effect on variable y. Variable y might have an effect on variable x, Variable z might have an effect on x and y.Neuropsychology: Neuron structure, neuron, electrochemical signals, cell body, dendrites (receiving end), axon (sending end), axonal branching, terminal buttons, synapse, neuron function, action potential, neuron is polarized, ion exchange across cellular membrane, neuron depolarizes, depolarization reaches critical level, electrical signal travels quickly down axon, binary “all-or-none law”, release of neurotransmitters, neurotransmitters, excitatory, makes post synaptic neuron more likely to fire, inhibitory, makes post synaptic neuron less likely to fire, importance of synapse, reuptake or enzymatic degradation. Serotonin has to do with sleep, eating, mood. Dopamine: has to do with Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia. Acetylcholine, has to do with muscle contractionNervous System Structure: Central nervous system, brain and spinal cord, interneurons, Peripheral nervous system. Somatic division: sensory and motor neurons. Autonomic division: Involuntary responses, sympathetic division (tenses you), parasympathetic division (relaxes you).The Brain: Old brain: central core, basic life functions. Medulla: heart rate and respiration, cerebellum, muscle coordination. Reticular formation, “middle manager”. Thalamus: Relay station. Hypothalamus: homeostasis, memory. Limbic system: Emotional and self preservation, memory storage, amygdala, fornix, hippocampus.New brain: cerebral cortex: Higher functions. Four lobes: Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital. Visual, sensory, motor cortices, sensation. The process through which the senses pick up visual, auditory, and other sensory stimuli and transmit them to the brain. Perception, The process by which sensory information is constructively organized and interpreted by the brain. Process of Sensation, Sensory receptors. Specialized cells in the sense organs that detect and respond to sensory stimuli-visible light, sound waves, scent molecules, etc.-and convert them into neural impulses. Transduction: Process by which the receptors convert the sensory stimulation into neural impulses.Vision: Retina: The layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains the sensory receptors for vision (light-sensitive cells) and onto which the incoming image is projected by the lens. Rods: The light-sensitive receptors in the retina that enable vision in black, white, and shades of gray in dim light, mostly in the periphery; vision is not very sharp. Cones: The receptor cells in the retina that enable vision in color and fine detail in adequate light, but that do not function well in dim light. Mostly in the fovea. Fovea: A small area at the center of the retina, point of central focus, densely packed with cones, but no rods.Theories of Color Vision: Trichromatic Theory: The theory of color vision suggesting that there are three types of cones (which are maximally sensitive to red, green, or blue), and that varying levels of activity in these receptors can produce all of the colors you see.Vision: Opponent-process theory: Also suggests that there are three types of cells, but that ech type has a pair of receptors working in opposition. Each type of receptor pair is sensitive to a given pair of colors: red/green, yellow/blue. When one member of the pair is activated, the other member is inhibited. No simultaneous transmission. No “reddish greens”Psychology - The scientific study of behavior and mental processes; Scientific - Various ways of knowing Intuition Personal experience Authority Empiricism (systematic observations) Major goals for studying psychology: Describe and measure behavior, explain and understand behavior, predict and control behavior. Behavior and Mental Processes, affect behavior and cognition = only behavior can be directly observed and objectively measured Experiment: A research procedure in which the psychologist manipulates one variable and measures the effect of that manipulation on a second variableExperiments (and only experiments) can establish casualty. Variable: Any characteristic of an object, event, or a person which can
View Full Document
Unlocking...