Redlands PSYC 100 - Cultural/Historical Foundations

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Cultural/Historical Foundations Philosophy of Human Nature -origins of knowledge -mind/body relationshipEmpiricism -observation -experimentationPsychology vs. Everyday Observation Psychological Approach -intuition vs. common sense -a scientific attitude -critical thinkingWhat is psychology? -scientific study of behavior and mental processes -what we think and doPscyhology's 3 Levels of Analysis Biological / Psychological / Socio-cultural influences -> behavior/mental processPsychology's Current Perspectives -Neuroscience: how the body and brain enables emotions-Evolutionary: how the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of one's genes-Behavior genetics: how much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences?-Psychodynamic: how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts-Behavioral: how we learn observable responses-Cognitive: how we encode, process, store and retrieve information -Social-cultural: how behavior and thinking vary across situations and culturesPsychology's Subfields: Research -Biological: explores links between brain and mind-Developmental: study changing abilities from womb to tomb-Cognitive: study how we perceive, think and solve problems-Social: explores how we view and affect one another-Clinical: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders-Counseling: helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges-Educational: studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings-Industrial/Organizational: studies and advises on behavior in the workplaceImpediments to Critical Thinking: It's Human NatureHindsight bias (9/11 commission)Overconfidence (interacts with hindsight bias)Base-rate fallacy -ignoring base-rate -perceiving order in random eventsPsychological Theory and Research Theory-organizes observationsHypotheses- test operational definitionsExperimentationREplicationResearch Methodologies / Descriptive Methods Case Study -analysis of 1+ individuals -advantage: in-depth study -disadvantage: difficult to generalize populationsSurvey Research -analysis of many cases ----representative/random sample -summary of self report -subject to bias ---framing / samplingNaturalistic Observation -observe behavior in a natural environment -rich description of behavior -unable to explain behaviorResearch Methods / Interpreting the Results of Descriptive Research Correlating Coefficient -describes relationship between 2 variables -magnitude (coefficient) <.20 = weak .30 - .50 = moderate > .50 = strong -direction (sign of coefficient) (nature of relationship +/-) + correlation (ex. happiness and self-esteem) - correlation (ex. self-esteem and depression)Avoiding Illusory Correlations -seeing relationship where non exists -characteristics -unusual events -infrequent events -failure to notice "non-occurances" -ex. post-adoption conceptions / gamblingResearch Methods / Experimental Method Elements of experiment -experimenter manipulates one and independent variables -observe effects of manipulation on dependent variable -experimental control --laboratory conditions --random assignmentResult of Random Assignment -experimental group --exposed to treatment (IV)--variable whose effect is being studied -control group --not exposed to treatment (IV) --serves as comparison group -enables identification of casual relationships (cause and effect)ExperimentationComparisonNeuroscience And Behavior / Phrenology: Getting Inside the Head 19th century pseudoscienceBased upon Gall's workBumps correlated with mental abilities/traitsNeuroscience And Behavior / Current Status Phrenology hasn't been supported by current researchResearch does indicate people use physical appearance to judge personality traitsPeople respond positively to physically attractive individualsNeuroscience And Behavior / Neuronal Structure -> Dendrites (receives) -> cell body -> axon (sends)Neuroscience And Behavior / Neural Impulse Stimulation -> action potentialExcitatory signals (minus inhibitory signals) must exceed threshold"all-or-none" law (firing a gun/flushing a toilet)Types of Neurotransmitters (Main 3) Dopamine--movement, learning, attention, emotion (Parkinsons)Seratonin--mood, hungerNorepinephrine--controls alertness and arousalEndorphins Natural opiates produced by the brain -response to pain/stressRelated to symptoms of withdrawal from heroin/morphineNervous System Nervous System: Peripheral // Central (brain and spinal cord)Peripheral: Autonomic (controls self-regulated actions) // Somatic (controls voluntary movts.)Autonomic: Sympathetic (arousing) // Parasympathetic (calming)What is a nerve? Bundle of axonsThis is the optic chiasm, the point at which the optic nerve from both eyes crossThe Brain Methodology -effects of disease/injury -surgical lesions -cortical mapping-EEGs -scans (CAT, PET, MRI)Lower Level Structures / Medulla and Reticular Function 1.Controls heart rate and respiration2. helps control arousalrelationship to introversion (high levels of arousal) -extraversion (low levels of arousal)Lower Level Structures / Thalamus and Cerebellum 1. directs informationorganizes sensory experiences receives information from sensory neuronstransfers information to higher brain regions2. coordinates voluntary movements ("muscle memory")some aspects of learning, memory (i.e. how to ride a bike)Limbic System (links to memory, emotions, drives) / Amgdala and Hypothalamus 1. (anger)agressionfear emotional memory2. bodily maintenance (e.g. thermoregulation, hunger, etc.)because hormons influence pituitary, links nervous and endocrine systemsLimbic System / Hippocampus and Hypothalamic "Reward Center"1. process memories2.research by Olds and Milder indicate reward/ pleasure centersseries of studies -electrode stimulation controlled by rat -high rate of responseCerebral Cortex: FrontalParietalOccipitalTemporal motor cortex ("personality" traits)sensory cortex (receives info that you're moving your legs)visual cortexauditory cortex*Association Areas areas of cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor, sensory functioning, interpret, integrate, and act on information processed by sensory areas-involved in higher mental functioning, personality, etc.Brain Structures and Aphasias -Angular gyrus: person speaks, understands, unable to read-Broca's area: speech disrupted (can't generate language, but understands)-Wernicke's area: understanding disrupted (can't understand but generate)Brain Organization: Right/Left


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Redlands PSYC 100 - Cultural/Historical Foundations

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