Exam 1 Study Guide for PSYCH101: Introduction to Psychology - Prof. J. Weaver, Study notes of Psychology

Download Exam 1 Study Guide for PSYCH101: Introduction to Psychology - Prof. J. Weaver and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! PSYCH101 Exam 1 Study Guide Prologue (2 Questions)  1st recorded psychological experiment: 7th century B.C. o King of Egypt wanted to prove that Egyptians where the most ancient race o Discovered that Phrygians were older  Wilhelm Wundt: birth of contemporary psychology December 1879  Gestalt Psychology: the whole is different from the sum of its parts  Psychoanalysis (Freud): focused on the etiology, development, and treatment of abnormal behavior  Behaviorism (John Watson): psychology was refined as the scientific study of observable behavior o How behaviors are learned and modified o B.F. Skinner is modern behaviorism’s most important & controversial figure  William James: 1st psychology prof at an American University 1875 o Introduced experimental psychology to the U.S. o Functionalism, the nature of the mind, the stream of thought, the self, will, the unconscious, emotion  Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes Ch 1 (12 Questions) Why do we need psychological science? Common sense is not enough, even though it is often valid How do psychologists ask and answer questions? Scientific Method What are major steps in the research process? 1. Generate a research question 2. Establish operational definitions 3. Choose a research design What are the major research methods that psychologists use?  Descriptive: case study, survey, naturalistic observation  Experimental: explore cause and effect by manipulating one or more variable while holding others constant  Correlation: observe naturally occurring relationships between variables o Correlation is NOT causation Research Ethics 1. Obtain informed consent 2. Protect them from harm 3. Maintain confidentiality 4. Debrief Statistical reasoning in everyday life (p 36-top of 40) Ch 2 (15 Questions) What do biological psychologists study? Concerns with the links between biology and behavior Neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology How does neural communication occur? Neurons (nerve cells) are the basic building block of the nervous system. Neurons transmit messages when stimulated by signals from our senses or when triggered by chemical signals from neighboring neurons. Then a neuron fires an impulse called an action potential that travels down it’s axon.  Cell Body: the cell’s life-support center  Dendrites: stem out from cell body, receive messages from other cells  Axon: passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands o Myelin Sheath: covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses  Neural Impulse: electrical signal that ravels down axon, aka action potential.  Terminal branches of the axon form junctions with other cells Neurotransmitters & their functions  Acetylocholine (ACh): enables muscle action, learning, and memory o Examples: with Alzheimer’s disease, ACh-producing neurons deteriorate  Dopamine: influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion o Examples: oversupply linked to schizophrenia. Undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson’s disease  Serotonin: affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal o Examples: undersupply linked to depression. Some antidepressant drugs (Prozac) raise serotonin levels  Norepinephrine: helps control alertness and arousal o Examples: undersupply can depress mood  GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid): a major inhibitory neurotransmitter o Examples: undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia  Glutamate: a major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory o Examples: oversupply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures (which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium glutamate, in food) Nervous Systems  Central Nervous System (CNS): the brain & spinal cord  Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body o Nerves: bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs. o Sensory Neurons: carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord o Motor Neurons: carry outgoing info from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands o Interneurons: neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs  Somatic Nervous System: the division of the PNS that controls the body’s skeletal muscles  Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): the part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). o Sympathetic Nervous System (arousing): mobilizes energy during stressful situations o Dilates pupils, accelerates heartbeat, inhibits digestion, stimulates glucose release by liver, stimulates secretion of epinephrine/norepinephrine, relaxes bladder.  Parasympathetic Nervous system (calming): calms the body and conserves energy o Contracts pupils, slows heartbeat, stimulates digestion, stimulates gallbladder, contracts bladder,