What are the independent and dependent variables in the class experiment?
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Independent variable: level of anxiety (experimental condition: speech threat, control condition). Dependent variable: number of words generated on the Boggle task.
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What are the independent and dependent variables in the class experiment?
Independent variable: level of anxiety (experimental condition: speech threat, control condition). Dependent variable: number of words generated on the Boggle task.
What occurs when there is damage to Wernicke’s area?
You are no longer able to understand or comprehend speech.
What is the placebo effect?
Improvement in condition or symptoms due to belief in receiving treatment, despite no real treatment being given.
What functions are the temporal lobes most responsible for?
Language, hearing, and visual pattern recognition.
What functions are controlled by the amygdala?
Learning of fear or threatening stimuli and recognition of fear; it may also be involved in other emotions.
What two areas of study combine to form psychology?
Philosophy and physiology.
What sensory input does the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes receive?
Sensory input from the ears.
Why do we use the double blind procedure?
To ensure that neither the participant's desire to help nor the experimenter's unconscious bias affects the results.
What functions appear to be dominant in the right hemisphere of the brain?
Recognition of faces, places, sounds (music), and emotion; assembling puzzles, discriminating colors, and arranging blocks.
What type of psychologist treats serious mental disorders?
Clinical psychologist.
What do social psychologists study?
Groups and group behavior such as attraction, obedience, conformity, and aggression.
What is the primary role of a clinical psychologist?
To assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders through individual and/or group therapy.
What is the main difference between a correlational study and an observational study?
A correlational study measures the strength and direction of associations between two variables, while an observational study observes phenomena in their natural environment with minimal interference.
What is a naturalistic study?
Observes phenomena in their natural environment with minimal interference.
Give an example of a study in Abnormal psychology.
Research on the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on patients with bulimia nervosa.
What is an example of an experiment in social psychology?
Studying the effects of crowding on levels of aggression.
What is the directionality problem in correlational studies?
It refers to not knowing if variable A causes variable B to change, or vice versa, or if there is mutual interaction.
What are the problems associated with correlational studies?
Directionality and third variable confounds prevent causal inferences.
What is a case study?
The examination and observation of only one subject.
What is a myelin sheath and its purpose?
A coating derived from glial cells that surrounds the axon of certain neurons to increase the speed of electrical pulses (action potentials).
What are the roles of Clinical Psychologists?
They assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders, often through therapy.
Give an example of the directionality problem.
Self-esteem and GPA are positively correlated, but it's unclear if self-esteem causes good marks or if good marks cause high self-esteem.
What happens to neurotransmitters once they are released?
They fuse through the membrane of the terminal button into the synaptic gap, bind to compatible receptor sites, or are cleaned away through inactivation or reuptake.
What is a case study?
The examination and observation of only one subject.
What is an experiment in research?
A controlled study that uses random assignment to control for all variables except the independent variable being manipulated.
What do Experimental Psychologists do?
They design, carry out, and publish scientific research.
What functions are the occipital lobes responsible for?
They contain the visual cortex and are primarily responsible for vision.
Which neurotransmitter is most associated with feelings of pleasure?
Dopamine.
What is a third variable confound?
A variable that is not controlled for, which may affect the relationship between two variables.
What was the independent variable in the class experiment?
Level of anxiety.
What did the manipulation check in the class experiment reveal?
Participants in the experimental condition were significantly more anxious than the control group.
What is a positive correlation?
A relationship where, as one variable increases, the other variable also increases.
What is one antagonist of dopamine?
Anti-psychotic medication.
Provide an example of a third variable confound.
IQ affecting the relationship between self-esteem and GPA.
What was the dependent variable in the class experiment?
The number of words generated on the word generation (or 'Boggle') task.
What was the conclusion regarding anxiety and performance on the word generation task?
Anxiety decreased performance on the word generation task.
What does the Behavioral perspective of Psychology emphasize?
It emphasizes that the environment and learning experiences are the most important influences on human development and behavior.
Who is considered the founder of Psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt.
What is the primary responsibility of the occipital lobes?
Vision.
Give an example of a positive correlation.
Height and weight are positively correlated.
What does the Behavioral perspective emphasize?
The environment and learning experiences as the most important influences on human development and behavior.
What two areas of study combined to form psychology?
Philosophy and physiology.
What was the manipulation check in the class experiment?
It involved making the experimental group anxious by threatening them with an improvised speech, and measuring anxiety levels using the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale.
What occurs when there is damage to Wernicke’s area?
Inability to understand or comprehend speech.
What does the Psychoanalytic perspective focus on?
The main influences on human behavior are unconscious processes and childhood experiences.
What does the Psychoanalytic perspective focus on?
Unconscious conflicts or fixations from early years and bringing past feelings to the conscious mind.
What functions are controlled by the amygdala?
Learning of fear, recognition of fear, and involvement in other emotions.
What were the results of the manipulation check in the class experiment?
The experimental group was significantly more anxious than the control group (p=.01).
What does the Biological perspective emphasize?
Mental illness and dysfunction are caused by physical disturbances or abnormalities, with a focus on genetic traits.
What are the main concerns in personality development according to psychodynamic theory?
Bringing feelings from past conflicts and trauma from the unconscious to the conscious mind.
What is a correlational study?
A study that measures the strength and direction of associations between two variables.
Give an example of a study in Developmental psychology.
A researcher studying children's ability to recognize their mothers' faces at different ages.
What two areas of study combined to form psychology?
Philosophy and physiology.
What is an example of a study in the area of Abnormal psychology?
A researcher studying the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on patients with bulimia nervosa.
What is a naturalistic study?
Observes phenomena in their natural environment with minimal interference.
What type of psychologist treats serious mental disorders?
Clinical psychologist.
What is the synapse?
The small space between the terminal buttons of the pre-synaptic neuron and the post-synaptic neuron.
What type of psychologist is likely to teach and conduct research at a university?
An experimental or academic psychologist.
What is a case study in research?
The examination and observation of only one subject.
What is a case study?
An examination and observation of only one subject.
What was the independent variable in the class experiment?
Level of anxiety.
What is the synapse?
The small space between the terminal buttons of the pre-synaptic neuron and the dendrites of the post-synaptic neuron.
What is the main difference between a correlation and an experiment?
A correlation measures the strength and direction of associations between two variables, while an experiment uses random assignment to control for all variables except the independent variable, allowing for causal inferences.
Name a neurotransmitter associated with muscle movement, attention, arousal, and memory.
Acetylcholine.
What were the two conditions in the anxiety experiment?
What processes occur at the synapse?
Neurotransmitters are released to bind to receptors, be cleaned away, or undergo reuptake.
What are the problems associated with correlational studies?
Directionality and third variable confounds prevent researchers from making causal inferences.
What neurotransmitter is primarily associated with pleasure and reward?
Dopamine.
What was the dependent variable in the class experiment?
The number of words generated on the word generation (Boggle) task.
Which neurotransmitter is most associated with muscle movement and attention?
Acetylcholine.
What was the manipulation check in the class experiment?
The manipulation involved making the experimental group anxious by threatening them with an improvised speech, and the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale was used to measure anxiety levels.
Which neurotransmitter regulates eating, sleep, and aggression?
Serotonin.
What is one antagonist of acetylcholine?
Curare or Novacaine.
What did the manipulation check reveal about the anxiety condition?
Participants in the anxiety condition were significantly more anxious than those in the control group.
What do the terms 'psyche' and 'logos' mean?
'Psyche' means 'soul' or 'mind' and 'logos' means 'the study of' or 'to study'.
What is the role of norepinephrine in the body?
It regulates mood, sleep, and depression.
What functions are the parietal lobes responsible for?
Touch, spatial orientation, and non-verbal thinking.
What is the main view of the Humanistic perspective?
It states that every human has an innate drive towards actualization and that knowing your true self leads to happiness.
What was the result regarding word generation in the experimental group?
Participants in the experimental group produced fewer words than those in the control group.
What are the two divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System?
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic systems.
What does the Behavioral perspective emphasize?
It emphasizes that the environment and learning experiences are the most important influences on human development and behavior, focusing on observable behavior.
What does the somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes receive input from?
Our sense of touch.
What does the biological perspective of psychology emphasize?
Mental illness and dysfunction are caused by physical disturbances or abnormalities, and human development is dependent on genetic traits.
What does the sympathetic system activate in response to threats?
The fight or flight response.
Give an example of a study in Social psychology.
A researcher studying the effects of crowding on levels of aggression.
What functions are controlled by the septal area?
Feelings of pleasure and relief from pain.
In which lobe of the brain is Broca’s area located?
Frontal lobe.
What is the function of the thalamus in the brain?
It acts as a relay station for the cerebral cortex, sorting and sending sensory information (except smell) to the proper cortex.
What functions appear to be dominant in the left hemisphere of the brain?
Language, speech, logic, and complex motor behavior.
What type of psychologist helps families deal with everyday problems?
Counseling psychologist.
What is the significance of Broca’s area?
Damage to Broca’s area affects speech and grammar production.
Which lobe houses the auditory cortex?
Temporal lobe.
What is an action potential?
It is when a neuron receives enough excitatory messages to exceed the threshold and fire an electrical pulse down the axon.
What function is associated with the septal area?
Pleasure and pain relief.
Which lobe houses the somatosensory cortex?
Parietal lobe.
What neurotransmitter is associated with muscle movement and attention?
Acetylcholine, with nicotine as one of its agonists.
What are organizational effects of hormones?
Permanent changes in the structure and function of anatomy, such as testosterone creating male genitalia in the womb.
What is the role of the amygdala in the limbic system?
Learning and recognition of fear.
What does a Clinical Psychologist do?
They assess and treat mental health issues, often conducting experiments to study psychological phenomena.
What function does the hippocampus serve?
Memory consolidation and possible storage.
What is a split-brain subject?
A person who has had their corpus callosum severed, preventing communication between brain hemispheres.
Under what circumstances can't split-brain subjects name an object held in their left hand?
If their eyes are closed, the information goes to the right hemisphere, which cannot communicate with the left hemisphere where language abilities are controlled.
How does the endocrine system communicate information in the body?
The hypothalamus influences the pituitary gland to direct gland systems, which release hormones into the bloodstream to bind with receptors.
What do cognitive psychologists study?
Cognitive psychologists study thinking and information processing, including memory, higher order thinking, and eyewitness identification.
Give an example of an experiment in cognitive psychology.
Examining the effects of time on episodic vs. semantic memories.
What is the Psychoanalytic perspective?
It states that unconscious conflicts or fixations during early years influence personality development.
Who is the main founder of the Psychoanalytic perspective?
Sigmund Freud.
What defines an experimental study?
An experimental study is controlled and uses random assignment to manipulate the independent variable.
What was the deception in the class experiment?
Participants were told the study was about university years and major affecting language skills, but it was actually about anxiety's effect on performance.
Why was deception necessary in the class experiment?
To reduce demand characteristics and create a more anxious group for testing the hypothesis.
What is the difference between a correlational study and an observational study?
A correlational study measures associations between variables, while an observational study observes phenomena in their natural environment.
What are the limitations of correlational studies?
They suffer from directionality and third variable confounds, preventing causal inferences.
What are the three functions of the cerebral cortex?
What is the function of the frontal lobe?
Motor cortex.
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
Auditory cortex.
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
Primary visual cortex.
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
Somatosensory cortex.
What are activational effects of hormones?
Temporary effects that do not change the permanent structure of anatomy.
How can a lack of testosterone affect individuals?
It can decrease sex drive in both males and females.
