Psych 1-3

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes , a study and a profession

What is being varied

what is changed b/c of the independent variable

In a single blind study, only the participants do not know if they did or did not receive the IV; in a double blind study, both the researchers and the participants do not know.  This is meant to prevent biases

• Describe
• understand
• Predict 
• Control

Ultimate goal: Benefit humnaity

• Study of behavior, began 1930s and 40s= only thing that ca be observed
• John B Watson, BF Skinner
• Stimulus-Response
• Tried to make psychology a natural science

• Sigmuend Frued, first "talking therapy"
• Explores unconscoiusness
• Repression- held out of awareness

• The study of the mind
• Focuses on a wide variety of areas, like learning, memory, attention, and language

• Observe behavior in natural settings
• Provides the only descriptions of behavior that have not been tampered w/ by the outside
• Minimize bias by keeping a formal log of data and observations; videotaping often a good solution

• Obsever Effect: Changes in subject's behavior caused by awareness of being observed
• Observer bias: observers see what they expect to see, only record selected details

• In depth focus on a single subject
• Use to study rare/unusual problems
• Lacks formal control groups, which limits conclusions that can be drawn
• Provide special oppurtunities to answer interesting questions
• Can't make conclusions for general pop

• Use questionnaries to poll large groups of people
• Want to have a representative sample
• Low cost, reach a lot of people, provides interesting info about various topics
• But: social desirability bias, wording of the questions may be confusing

A portion of the population that represents as accurately as possible the population being studied, in terms of things like gender, religion, age, etc.

• View that focuses on subjective human experience
• Human problems, potentials, ideals, self esteem, self expression, belonging, self controol

• Observation
• Define problem
• Propose hypothesis
• Gather evidence/test hypothesis
• Reject/retain hypothesis
• Theory building
• Publish 

• Individual nerve cell; brain has 100 million of them
• Carry and process info, activate muscles and glands

Extends from neurons, transmits electrical impluses to dendrites

nerve fiber that extends from nueron and receives messages

space between axon and dendrite

• Carry info from nueron to neuron
• Chemicals that alter activity in nuerons
• Many drugs imitate, block, or duplicate

Large bundles of axons

"good fat" that surrounds the nerve and helps in saltatory conduction, helping a nerve impulse move faster

• Central: Spinal cord & Brain
• Peripheral: Intricate network of nerves carries info to and from the CNS

• Somatic: Carries messages to and from the sense organs and skeletal muscles, controls voluntary behavior
• Autonomic: Serves the internal organs and glands, self-governing, automatic (heartbeat, breathing, digestion)

• Para: quiets the body and returns it to a lower level of arousal, most active soon after emotional events, helps vital functions move at normal levels
• Symp: Emergency system, prepares body for fight or flight during times of high emotion

• Right: uses feeling, big picture, emotion
• left: Language, detail, safe, logic
• Right controls left side and vice versa

• Sometimes, if epilepsy is severe enough, the corpus collusum between hempispheres is cut
• Each part will have its own impulses to act, perceptions, concepts
• Both 1/2 brain have same experience at same time
• Usually one side overrides the other

• Occurs when right hem is damaged
• Completely do no acknowledge left visual space

• Assoc w/ higher mental abilities
• Responsibly for control of movement
• Moter cortex- directs body's muslces, corresponds to importance of bodily areas
• Related to complex behaviors
• Damage may cuase change in personality
• More activity usually indicates higher intelligence

Primary visual area

• Just above occiptal lobe
• Registers bodily sensations like touch, temp, pressure

• Locatted on each side
• Auditory info
• Left contains language center
• Damage can severely limit use of language

impaired ability to use language

• Specialized type of xray that makes seeing the brain much easier
• way to view tumors, damage, etc.
• Info is collected by a computer and formed into an image

• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Use strong magnetic field to produce images of the interior
• Creates 3D model

• Thin wire electrode, insulated except at tip, is lowered into target area of the brain; changes in behavior gives clues to purpose of affected area
• Researchers have created a 3D brain atlas

• measures waves of electrical activity in brian via small disk-shaped metal plates put on head
• Can record activity w/o invading skull

• Detects positrons emitted by weakly radioactive glucose as it is consumed by the brain
• Higher energy use= higher activity
• Reveal what specific brain areas are active when you say a word, think of  a word, etc.

Studies the psychology of people as they grow and change

• Physical core of personality
• Sensitivity, irritability, distractability, etc.
• Difficult children- 10%, moody, intense, easily angered
• Slow to warm up children- 15%, restrained, shy, unexpressive
• Easy Children- 40%, relaxed, easygoing
• Rest are a mix

• Hereditary and environment are both important
• Nature gives potentials, which are affected by envt
• person you are today reflects constant flux between the two

• Physical growth and development of body and nervous system
• Order almost universal, but everyone moves at their own pace
• Motor skills don't just happen- need practice
• Can't just toilet train a newborn

• press object into neonate's hand and it will grasp it
• Keeps baby from falling

• Reflexive head turning and searching to nurse
• Helps baby find bottle/breast

Baby will try to nurse anything hear it- survival

When startled by a loud noise, baby will make a hugging motion

• made of DNA
• Get 23 from mom, 23 from dad
• Contain genes, which hold all the info for making a person; most genes are polygenic and can be dominant or recessive

• Baby's smiling is haphazard
• By 2-3 months, when a person is nearby infant smile more frequently
• apidly know what they like/dislike

• Times most suspceptible to envt'l influences
• Certain events must occur during this time or it could permenantly change the course of development
• Example-forming bond with caregiver

• Two surrogate mothers- one cold, unyielding wire, the other soft terrycloth
• Monkeys spent most time w/ soft mothers, even when hard one had food- look to moms for comfort!

• 2/3
• Relationship of trust and confidence
• during infancy, allows child to play indptly and happily, reassured by the caregiver's prescence
• Caregivers are secure base

Pattern of attachment in which 1 person avoids connection with another, as when an infant seems not to care about caregiver’s presence, departure, or return

• Pattern in which anxiety &
• uncertainty are evident, as when infant is very upset at separation & both resists & seeks contact on reunion 

Category that is marked by inconsistent behavior of infant in reaction to caregiver’s departure/return

• Newborns prefer:
• Speech over other sounds
• \High-pitched
• Simplified & repetitive speech
• Motherese/parentese/baby talk
• Use exaggerated pattern of speaking
• Raise tone of voice, use short simple sentences, repeat themselves more
• 4 months actually prefer parentese
• Continued use of baby talk may slow language learning

• 4 months:
• Crying
• Cooing
• More verbal

• 6-9 months:
• Babbling:
• Repeat certain syllables Mamama, papapa, dadada

using existing mental pattersn in new situations

Existing ideas are modified to meet new requirements