psych final

scientific study of behavior and mental processes

4 Goals of Psychology

tendency of observers to see what they want to see

Schools of Psychology

Structure or basic elements of the mind (Edward Titchner)

focus on how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work, & play (William James)

focus on perception and sensation, perception of patterns and whole figures (Max Wertheimer)

theory and therapy based on the work of Sigmund Freud

focuses on observable behavior; operant conditioning of voluntary behavior (John Watson)

Modern version of psychoanaylsis that is more focused on the development of a sense of self and the discovery of other motivations behind a person's behavior than sexual motivations

emphasizes free will and human potential (Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow)

Steps of scientific method

memory, intelligence, perception, problem solving and learning

¥branchlike structures that receive messages from other neurons¥attached to the cell body, the soma, which is the part of the cell that contains the nucleus and keeps the entire cell alive and functioning

grey fatty cells that provide support for the neurons to grow on and around, deliver nutrients to neurons, produce myelin to coat axons, clean up waste products and dead neurons, influence information processing, and, during prenatal development, influence the generation of new neuron

What are the parts of a neuron?

cell body of the neuron responsible for maintaining the life of a cell

tube-like structure that carries the neural message to other cells

all nerves and neurons that are not contained in the brain and spinal cord but that run rhough the body itself

division of the PNS consisting of nerves that carry info from the senses to the CNS and from the CNS to the voluntary muscles of the body

division of the PNS consisting of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles, organs, and glands

6 types of brain imaging

insertion of a thin, insulated wire into the brain through which an electrical current is sent that destroys the brain cells at the tip of the wire

machine designed to record the brain wave patterns produced by electrical acitvity of the surface of the brain

brain imaging method using computer controlled x-rays of the brain

braing imaging mehtod using radio waves and magnetic fields of the body to produce detailed images of the brain

computer makes a sort of movie of changes in activity of the brain using images from different time periods

brain imaging method in which a readioactive sugar is injected into the subject and a computer complies a coor coded image of the activity of the brain with lighter colors indicating more activity

Why is learning thought to be permanent?

learning to make a reflex response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the reflex

Who is the father of classical conditioning?

a naturally occurring stimulus that leads to an involuntary response

an involuntary response to a naturally occuring ot unconditioned stimulus

stimulus that has no effect on the desired response

stimulus that becomes able to produce a learned reflec response by being paired with the original unconditioned stimulus

learned reflex response to a conditioned stimulus

the tendency to respond to a stimulus that is only similiar to the priginal conditioned stimulus with the conditioned response

the reappearance of a learned response after extinction has occurred

the disappearance or weakening of a learned response following the removal or absence of the unconditioned stimulus or the removal of an reinforcer

development of a nausea or aversice response to a particular taste because that taste was followed by a nausea reaction, occuring after only one association

any behavior that is voluntary

law stating that if a response is followed by a pleasurable consequences, it will tend to be repeated, and if followed by an unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be repeated

any event or stimulus, that when following a response, increases the probability that the response will occur again

who first coined the term operant conditioning?

reinforcement of a response by the removal, escape from, or aviodance of an unpleasant stimulus

reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a pleasurable stimulus

3 steps of the memory process

3 stages of information-processing model

first stage of memory, the point at which information enters the nervous system through the semsory system

working memory; memory system in which information is held for brief periods of time while being used.

ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all the sensory input

system of memory into which all the information is placed to be kept more or less permanently

"cocktail party effect"

working memory?

"visual sketchpad"

"central executive"

3 types of rehearsal (STM)

practice of saying some info to be remembered over and over in one's head in order maintain it in STM

process of recoding, or reorganizing the info.
Ex: remembering a telephone number in 3 groups 770-513-9909

emotional distress or emotional pain while engaging in a particular behavior

anything that does not allow a erson to function within or adapt to the stresses and everyday demands of life

defining abnormality is to see it as something that goes against norms or standards of the society in which the individual lives

models of abnormality

psychological model of abnormality

disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or unrealistic anxiety and fearfulness

4 anxiety disorders

anxiety that is unrelated to any realistic, knwon source

an irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social acitivity

disorder in which intruding, recurring thoughts or obsessions vreate anxiety that is reliever by performing a repetitive, ritualistic behavior(compulsion)

disorder in which panic attacks occur frequently enough to cause the person difficulty in adjusting to daily life

disorder in which a person has feelings of dread and impending doom along with physical symptoms of stress, which lasts six months or more

mood disorders

servere depression that comes on suddenly and seems to have no external cause

disorder that consists of mood swings from moderate depression to hypomania and lasts two yrs or more

a moderate depression that lasts for two yrs or more and is typically a reaction to some external stressor

servere mood swings between major depressive episodes and manic episodes

nondirective, client talks through problems, and therapist provides supportive background

teaches client thinking may be distorted

goals are to change illogical or distorted thinking, relieve symptoms/problems, develop strategies to solve future problems, and to change irrational, distorted thinking