Science is a systematic way of testing claims about the world Is not a result but a method PSY 2012 Unit One Study Guide Topic One Psychological Science 1 2 Steps of Scientific Method a Ask an Empirical Question b Conduct Research c d Collect Data e Results and Conclusions Formulate Hypothesis 3 Scientific Theory a Explains existing data b Falsifiable c Parsimonious simple Empirical claims are claims that rely on results derived from an observation or experiment 4 5 Pseudoscience is a collection of beliefs that is not supported scientifically but they claim they are 6 Pseudoscience masks itself as science but it s not supposed by data it is seldom parsimonious and it s sometimes falsifiable We should be wary of it because it is false information and is easily deceivable 7 Research Designs a Naturalistic Observation observing behavior in natural setting without any forms of intervening b Case Study simply an in depth observation of one person c Correlational Design measuring how two variables are related Whether it be positive negative or no correlation at all d Quasi experimental very similar to a true experiment but with the difference being the subjects are not randomly assigned to different groups e Experimental aka True Experiment The researcher the changes one of the experiments to include the IV 8 Conclusions that can be drawn case studies and naturalistic observations is that they are perhaps the most natural out of all the research designs Most useful because they are the most practicable 9 The claims that can be made about these research designs is that some of them do not account for populations sample size and variables 10 Correlation does not imply causation because it cannot eliminate 3rd variables 11 Positive correlation is closer to 1 and is upward sloping Negative correlation is not closer to 1 and is downward slopping 12 Only experiments allow us to make casual claims because of random sampling 13 Population size is the whole pie while a sample size is a slice of the pie 14 Random sampling is important because it eliminates 3rd variables allowing for causation Random assignment are used by experiments allowing no 3rd variables 15 Bell distribution is where common frequency is center of the normal distribution bell curve and extremes are on the ends 16 APA Ethical Standards a Beneficence and No maleficence b Fidelity and Responsibility c d e Respect for people s rights Integrity Justice treating everyone equally Topic Two The Biological Perspective 1 Brain injuries have increased our knowledge of brain function because we have learned that the brain determines everything 2 Phineas Gage had a rod enter his head He lived and his personality changed significantly Reserved and calm to loud and short tempered 3 Neuron is made about 100 billion nerve cells The main components are the dendrites the 4 Neurons communicate through the use of neurotransmitters which are chemicals that send soma the axon and the axon terminal messages from one neuron to another 5 Neurotransmitters a Glutamate and GABA main exhibitory and inhibitory neurotransmitters respectively b Ach muscular activation c d Dopamine motor function and reward e Norepinephrine physiological arousal Serotonin mood and temperature regulation sleep etc 6 Drugs affect the brain by acting on the neurotransmitters Ex THC acts on existing cannabinoid receptors associated with thinking memory a pleasure 7 EEG Temporal Resolutions MRI and PET scan 8 a Hindbrain rear i Medulla spinal cord enters controls breathing regulates reflexes ii Cerebellum controls motor activity movement iii Pons monitors sleep and arousal b Midbrain middle c Forebrain front i Reticular formation is the behaviors associated with sleeping eating etc ii Cluster of neurons that includes the neurotransmitters i Limbic system border system includes hippocampus memory and amygdala fight or flight response ii Thalamus sorts and relays info to different parts of the brain iii Hypothalamus monitors pleasurable activities iv Basal Ganglia cluster of neurons v Cerebral Cortex 9 Cerebral Cortex a Occipital Lobe controls visual information b Temporal Lobe controls hearing language processing and memory c Parietal Lobe controls attention and motor control pain d Frontal Lobe controls voluntary muscles personality and intelligence 10 Primary Visual Cortex is located in the Occipital Lobe and the Primary Auditory Cortex is located in the Temporal Lobe 11 Broca s Area controls speech production and the formation of speech Wernicke s area interprets spoken and written production Aphasia is language disorders 12 The motor and sensory cortices work to control and sense from the body by working together in a Left speech comprehension speech production phonology syntax reading writing facial expressions and motion detection b Right simple speech simple writing tone of voice spatial reasoning and facial the central sulcus 13 recognition Topic Three Sensation and Perception 1 Sensation is the information taken in by your senses Perception is how our brain interprets that information 2 Absolute Threshold when you are correctly identifying a stimulus 50 of the time 3 Subliminal stimulus is stimuli that are above our sensory threshold but below our perceptual threshold They do affect our behavior 4 The eye a Cornea allows eye to properly focus b c Pupil the dark part will get larger or shrink depending on amount of light that needs to Iris the color part works with the pupil to allow light in get in Lens focuses the light the pupil takes in d e Retina made up of rods and cones which will transmit light into chemical and electrical pulses f Optic Nerve transmits the images to the brain so they can interpreted 5 Rods and Cones are photoreceptors Rods interpret gray light and Cones interpret color light 6 Theories of Color Vision a The Young Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory the sensation of three colors RGB combine to form our perception of all color b The Opponent Process Theory extends the trichromatic theory by explaining why we never see reddish green or yellowish blue This is best explained through inhibitory and excitatory neurons 7 Colorblindness occurs because of damages to the cones of the person Cones as explained previously regulate color images There are three different cones one for blue red and green 8 We perceive depth the best with two eyes however it is possible with one eye but the quality is 9 Audition hearing works by sound waves through the air wave
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