Midterm 1 Study Guide for General Psychology | PSYCH 100H, Study notes of Psychology

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Psychology Midterm 1 Chapter 1 1) Definition of Psychology- Science of behavior and the mind William Wundt opened first psychology laboratory 2) Descartes & Hobbes- Dualism-a material body and an immaterial soul Descartes- Different type of dualism, less responsibility given to the soul Regarded the body as a complex machine, capable of things without influence of soul Soul was responsible only for thought, and acts on the body through the pineal body Buried between the two halves of the brain Hobbes- Materialism-soul is a meaningless concept, nothing exists but matter and energy Even voluntary choices we make can in theory be understood by physical processes (especially the brain) 3) Empiricism “Blank Slate” vs. Nativism Empiricism- The idea that human knowledge and thought derive ultimately from sensory experience We acquire knowledge of the world around us and can behave adaptively within it Thoughts are not products of free will but rather reflections of a person’s experiences Law of Association by Contiguity-events become associated with one another (baby Albert) Nativism- The most basic forms of human knowledge are native to the human mind The mind must come with some initial furnishings in order for it to be furnished through experience a priori knowledge-built into the human brain a posteriori knowledge-gains from experience in the environment 4) Darwin & Freud Darwin- Basic forms of human emotional expressions are inherited, and have evolved for survival Human emotions, learning and reasoning came about gradually because they promoted survival Natural selection also offered a scientific foundation for nativist views of the mind Freud- Became interested in the psychological roots of his patients problems Believed symptoms were unconscious conflicts, relied on psychoanalysis 5) Structuralism vs. Functionalism Structuralism- Titchner tried to define the structure of consciousness by studying its parts Functionalism- William James interested in how consciousness and behavior function to help individuals adapt and survive Influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution 6) Current Approaches to Psychology Shift from philosophy to scientific experimentation Cognitive Revolution Chapter 2 1) Hindsight Bias “I knew it all along” After learning the outcome of an event, people believe they could have predicted that outcome 2) Clever Hans Owner: Oscar Pfungst Perfect example of Confirmation Bias- Difficult/Unethical to manipulate some variables, results may not generalize to population 6) Types of Validity Statistical Validity Statistical Significance testing-95% confidence Large number of subjects, large experimental effects, low variability Construct Validity Are your results dependent on the particular way you manipulated and measured your variables Internal Validity How well have you controlled alternative explanations for the effect you have shown Making sure that only the manipulated IV causes differences in the DV Internally valid studies do not have confounding variables: An outside variable that changes along with the IV, leading to a mistaken conclusion Chapter 4 1) Sensitization vs. Habituation Sensitization The progressive amplification of responses following repeated administrations of a stimulus Habituation Reduction in response to an unchanging stimulus brought by repeated exposure to stimulus Dishabituation Reappearance of the original response when the stimulus changes 2) Classical and Operant Conditioning Classical Conditioning Jim conditioning Dwight in The Office Unconditioned Stimulus - Conditioned Stimulus “Do you want an Altoid?” Computer “bing” sound Unconditioned Response - Conditioned Response Outstretched hand by Dwight Outstretched hand even with no Altoid Operant Conditioning Learned associations between stimuli can occur before, during, or after conditioned response Responses that will be repeated are ones that produce positive consequences Reinforcement Positive-adding desirable stimulus, more likely to be repeated Negative-removing an undesirable stimulus, more likely to be repeated Punishment Positive-adding undesirable stimulus, less likely to be repeated Negative-removing desirable stimulus, less likely to be repeated 3) Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic rewards Intrinsic-internal, from within a person Curiosity, interest, enjoyment Extrinsic-external, from the environment Good grades, money, praise 4) B.F. Skinner Argued that behaviors were shaped by external influences instead of inner thoughts/feelings Skinner Box Shaping: reinforcing responses that come successively closer to desired response Ex: pen clicks for the girl who walked around class, until she was right 5) Learned Helplessness Learning that responses do not affect consequences stops attempts to exert control over situation Associated with symptoms characteristic of depression Chapter 5 1) Neurons The billions of connected cells that make up the body’s information system Uses electrical impulses and chemical messengers to send information Sensory neurons-carry information from sensory organs Ex: eyes, ears, tongue Motor neurons-carry messages to operate muscles Interneurons-carry messages from one set of neurons to the other Dendrites-receive Axons(one per cell)-transmit If a neuron is stimulated beyond a certain point it will “fire” Repolarization Neuron “resets” before it can fire again 2) Neurotransmitters Signals sent from one neuron to another are sent in the form of molecules These molecules are neurotransmitters Travel across the gap between two neurons This gap is called a Synapse Excitatory neurotransmitters-increases likelihood of firing Ex: Acetylcholine, Glutamte Inhibitory Neurotransmitters Ex: Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphins