Psychology Study Guide Jessica Thompson Cumulative Material Wilheim Wundt 1879 o First quantitative psychology experiment people aware of ball hitting table o Beginning of modern psychology Behavorism o Popularized by B F Skinner in 1950s and 1960s o Psychology should be based on study of observable behavior Maslow Humanistic Psychology o Every person has a strong desire to realize their full potential Direct contradiction to behaviorist idea of people being a consequence of external stimuli Level of analysis perspective from which a problem or question is studied o Ie evolutionary psychodynamic behaviorist Statistics o Variability Averages derived from scores with low variability are more reliable than averages based on scores with high variability Central Limit Theorem means drawn from any pop will be normal if sample is large Standard error of the mean SEM standard deviation of the mean o Means are descriptive statistics Statistical tests determine if means are different by chance or because of a factor o Correlations Linear regression across data from two parameters Positive as one parameter goes up the other goes up Negative as one parameter goes up the other goes down Coefficient r ranges from 1 to 1 closer to 1 stronger correlation o Best Data large sample low variability unbiased sample Common Sense o Hindsight bias seeing an event as predictable in retrospect while it was not at the time o Overconfidence leads us to overly trust our common sense Traits needed for good science o Curiosity innate desire for truth o Skepticism doubt that which is not supported by unbiased direct observation o Humble ability to disregard our own preconceived notion of truth Scientific Method o Theory set of principles that predicts behaviors and events o Hypothesis testable prediction implied by a theory o Darwin s natural selection is most widely accepted biological theory Should be skeptical of experiment results not consistent with it o Descriptive correlational and experimental methods to test hypotheses Descriptive case study one individual in depth may not be representative of entire pop survey many cases in less depth difficult to survey random pop sampling random pop Naturalistic observation records behaviors in natural environment without subject knowledge Way to reveal causal relationship implied by correlational studies Double blind neither scientist nor subject knows grouping Experiments Psychobiology o Everything psychological derives from something biological o Rene Descartes Mind you and brain are not the same cogito ergo sum o Nervous System Communication across a synapse is chemical via neurotransmitters Many different neurotransmitters amino acids gases polypeptides Acetylcholine messenger used by every motor neuron Opiates and endorphins alleviate pain and induce euphoria Synthetic neurotransmitters Agonists bind to receptor and mimic effect of normal NT o Cell believes it has been stimulated Antagonists block neurotransmitter s effect by binding to receptor o Endocrine System System of glands secreting hormones impacting nervous function Hormones work over long distances to control hunger sex anger Endocrine slow and unspecific Nervous fast and specific o Hormones linger in blood prolonged feelings Pituitary Gland Adrenal Glands o The Brain Branch off of and largely controlled by hypothalamus o Secretes many hormones controlling diverse functions Release epinephrine and norep controlling fight or flight Most info about brain processes come from studying behavior of people with brain injuries on certain parts Brain imaging techniques EEG oldest PET traditional MRI anatomical fMRI neural activity Old Brain Instinctual and subconscious brain functions breathing rest feeding Medulla bottom of brainstem heartbeat and breathing Pons coordinate movements Reticular formation network of nerves from medulla to thalamus Thalamus all sensory info besides olfactory passes through Cerebellum many basic survival tasks time judgment coordination Limbic System hippocampus and amygdala o Amygdala processing and memory of emotions o Hypothalamus regulates thirst hunger and sexual behavior Dopamine involved in feeling of reward New Brain of neural connections in brain are in the new brain Cerebral cortex o Performs complex functions o Frontal lobe seems to be basis of you o Motor cortex back of frontal lobe Topographical map of body Larger areas for body areas requiring more precise control o Sensory cortex anterior parietal lobe Topographical representation of body upside down o Auditory complex temporal lobe above ear o Visual Cortex Arranged in maps scaled by what is Each eye divided in half crossing over to opposite side of brain ie Left side of each eye goes to left side of brain o Association areas o Language areas Receive direct sensory input or send direct motor output Frontal lobe nearly all association areas Broca s area frontal lobe speech generation Wernicke s area temporal lobe coherent speech Angular gyrus comprehension of language Specialization and integration define patterning of brain Plasticity ability of CNS to change as a result of insult or experience o Brain can reorganize ie Blind develop keener hearing The Divided Brain o Two of all brain features one on each side excluding language o Corpus callosum nerve connecting both sides of brain Two words flash on screen Will report word on right Will point at word on left o Left Brain reasonable Language o Right Brain animal brain Creativity thematic inferences The Mind o Consciousness o Dual Processing Behaviorists denied relevance of internal mental states Evolutionary psychology consciousness gives us competitive advantage Depending on where info is processed we are either consciously aware or not Blindsight Visual perception track enables us to be aware of world Visual action moment to moment actions w o conscious thought Conscious track o Attention To solve the hard stuff serial processing Selective conscious awareness focuses on limited part of full experience Very hard to split attention multitask Inattentional blindness distraction Change blindness failure to recognize change in environment o Circadian Rhythm We operate on 24 hour clock body temp rises in morning falls at night Body resets its internal clock depending on light clock is in the suprachiasmatic nucleus SCN of the hypothalamus o triggers release of melatonin from pineal gland Sleep conscious brain vanishes Sleep cycle lasts appr 90 minutes o Stage 1
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