Psychology 110 Exam 2 Study Guide Chapters 3 4 and 6 Chapter 3 Parts of the Limbic System Thalamus conveys sensory information to cortex Hypothalamus oversees endocrine and autonomic nervous system Amygdala regulates arousal and fear Hippocampus processes memory for spatial locations Structure of the Neuron Neuron nerve cell specialized for communication most basic unit of communication The cell body or soma is the central place for neurons Dendrites are where the neuron differ from other cells Dendrites listen and receive other information from other neurons Axons are the long tail like extension from the cell body and are responsible for sending messages to other neurons Axons also have terminals synaptic vesicle which contain neurotransmitters These are chemical messengers that neurons use to communicate with each other Neurotransmitters enter the Synapses a miniscule fluidfilled space After this neurons are quickly picked up by the dendrites How an Action Potential occurs Action potential electrical impulses that travel down the axons triggering the release of neurotransmitters Functions of the 4 cortex lobes Frontal Lobe performs executive functions that coordinate other brain areas motor planning language memory Parietal Lobe processes touch information integrates vision and touch Temporal Lobe processes auditory information language and autobiographical memory Occipital Lobe processes visual information Broca s Area and Wernicke s Area Broca s Area language area in the prefrontal cortex that helps to control speech production Wernicke Area Part of the temporal lobe involved in understanding speech Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems Somatic Nervous System part of the nervous system that conveys information between the CNS and the body controlling and coordinating voluntary movement Autonomic Nervous System part of the nervous system controlling the involuntary actions of our internal organ and glands limbic system Chapter 4 Structure parts of eye Visible light has a wavelength and we respond only to a narrow range of wavelengths of light Front of the eyeball Sclera the white of the eye Iris the colored part of the eye Pupil circular hole Pupillary Reflex Reduction of pupil size in response to light Dilation Pupil whitening Cornea Part of the eye containing transparent cells that focus light on the retina Transparent cells that focus on the cornea Lens Part of the eye that changes curvature to keep images in focus Accommodation changing the shape of the lens to focus on objects near or far Back of the eye Retina membrane at the back of the eye responsible for converting light into neural activity The intensity that reaches our eye tells us how bright something is Hue the color of light Structure parts of ear Hearing is mechanical energy traveling through air Outer Ear Funnels sound waves onto the eardrum Middle Ear Contains the ossicles three tiniest bones in the human hammer anvil and stirrup This Vibrates and transmits the sound into the ear The frequency changes the way we hear Inner Ear Hair cells where transduction of auditory take place It Converts the acustic and feeds into the auditory nerve which travels to the brain What is Perceptual Constancy Perceptual Constancy the process in which we perceive stimuli consistently across varied conditions Subliminal Perception vs Subliminal Persuasion Subliminal Perception The processing of sensory information below the threshold of conscious awareness you are aware Subliminal Persuasion Subthreshold influences over our votes in elections product choices and life decisions the word drink may influence us to take a sip but a word like cola will not change whether we take a sip or not you are not aware What is Sensory Adaptation Sensory Adaptation when senses are activated is when its greatest but after they start to decline What are the Gestalt Principles Gestalt Principles are rules governed how we perceive objects as wholes within their overall context Proximity Objects physically close to each other tends to be perceived as unified wholes Similarity All things being equal we see similar objects as comprising a whole much more so than dissimilar objects EX if patterns of red circles and yellow circles are randomly mixed we perceive nothing special But if the red and yellow circles are lined up horizontally we perceive separate rows of circles Continuity we still see objects as wholes even if other objects block part of them Dilation Pupillary Reflex Dilation Reflex this is the expansion of the pupil to let more light in Pupillary Reflex this decreases the amount of light let into the pupil Top down Bottom up Processing Top down Conceptually driven processing influence by belief and experiences starts off with a belief or expectation and then turns to raw stimuli association cortex Bottom up processing in which a whole is constructed from parts starts off with raw stimuli and synthesizes it into a meaningful concept primary visual cortex Chapter 6 Identify the UCS UCR CS CR Unconditional Stimulus ucs stimulus that elicits an automatic response Unconditional response ucr automatic response to a non neutral stimulus that does not need to be learned Conditioned Repsonse cr response previously associated with a non neutral stimulus that is elicited through conditioning Conditioned Stimulus cs initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response due to association with an unconditioned stimulus Little Albert example Nine month old Albert was fond of furry little creatures such as rats but one day Watson and Rayner decided to change that When Albert was playing with the furry white rat Watson snuck up behind him and struck a gong with a steel hammer which caused Albert to cry After about seven times of this Albert would start to cry when he saw the white rat Eventually Albert would begin to cry when anything white would come towards him UCS Loud sound from Gong UCR crying CS White rat CR crying Punishment This is any outcome that weakens the probability of a response can be positive or negative Positive administering a stimulus Negative taking away a stimulus Know Classical conditioning and advertising Classical Conditioning occurs in three phases 1 Acquisition when we gradually learn or acquire the CR 2 Extinction process in which the CR decreases in magnitude and eventually disappears when the CS is repeatedly presented alone without the UCS 3 Spontaneous Recovery a seemingly extinct CR reappears if we present the CS