Psychologists & Pioneers
What Pioneer used Introspection in his experiments, and what is introspection
Wundt
Introspection is when participants were carefully trained to describe their mental experiences while performing some task
what is the goal of experimental research
determine a cause and effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one and observing changes in the other
what is an action potential
an electrical signal a neuron produces when stimulated
what does rTMS stand for and what is it/ does it do?
repetitive transcranial magnet stimulation
-pulses of magnetic stimulation to create temporary reversible lesions in the brain to briefly inactivate the brain for study
Brian suffered a brain injury recently. Friends and family are noticing a difference in his behavior. He seems much more emotional and fearful. Brian most likely suffered damage to what part of the brain
amygdala- responsible for aggression, fear, emotion/ emotional memory
EC: what part of the brain does the amygdala reside in?
What did Chomsky have to say against Skinner's book on verbal behavior
Language is more than imitation and reinforcement and that language is an inborn human trait
ex: children say sentences they have not heard before "I hitted that"
If a variable, other than what the experimenters introduced, has an effect on the experiment or participants, this is what kind of variable?
Confounding
what is the pathway from the outer brain to the inner brain
cerebrum ----> limbic system ----> brainstem
EC: what is the most evolved section of the brain out of these three brain parts?
what is tCDS and what is it/does it do?
transcranial direct current stimulation
- uses scalp electrodes to pass very low amplitude direct currents to the brain to stimulate specific parts and increase performance
what are two parts of the temporal lobe that have to do with speech and language
Brocas- area of brain that translates thought into language
wernickes- understanding speech
What psychologists were known for behaviorism and what were some of their beliefs
SKinner and Watson
-the behaviorist belief studied only what can be observed and measured objectively (dismissing cognitive approaches) and that behavior was shaped by the environment it was in (punished or reinforced)
what is a representative sample
a sample that matches the overall characteristics of a population
a chemical messenger that cross the synaptic gap between neurons
a. endorphin
b. synaptic vesicle
c. dendrite
d. neurotransmitter
neurotransmitter
what does fMRI stand for and what is it/does it do?
functional magnetic resonance imaging
-detects and records brain activity by measuring oxygen consumption across the brain (detects magnetic changes in blood flow to a neuron)
If someone has difficulty forming new memories, they most likely have a problem with their:
a. hypothalamus
b.amygdala
c. hippocampus
d. cerebellum
hippocampus
What psychologist used mental chronometry and describe what mental chronometry is
Donders
Mental chronometry is measuring the time course of a mental process
describes correlational research
-helps with predictions
-shows to what extent two variables might be related
-does not prove causation
an action potential is an all or none event, what does this mean?
if a stimulus is above a certain threshold, a nerve or muscle fiber will fire. It either fires or it doesnt, the potential is always the same size.
what is PET and what is it/what does it do
positron emission tomography
-visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
name all of the functions of the limbic system and name the different structures of the limbic system
limbic system is involved in motivation, emotion, and memory
-contains the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
What pioneers were nativists, and what were basic ideas of nativist beliefs?
What pioneers were empiricists and what were basic ideas of empiricist beliefs
Nativists: Descartes and Kant
-nativists believe that knowledge is innate3, we come equipped with it
Empiricists: Locke, Hume, Mill
-empiricists believe that all knowledge comes from experience
I am doing correlational research on the amount of sleep students get vs how many classes they are taking. I actually find that students less sleep when they take less classes. This is
a. positive correlation
b. negative correlation
Positive correlation- as one variable goes down, so is the other
what is the gap between neurons
a. space
b. gap junction
c. axon terminal
d.synaptic vesicle
gap junction
electroencephalogram (what is the abbreviation and what is it?)
EEG- measuring the electrical activity of the brain. We use a cap with electrodes to record firing rate
what are the three brainstem structures and what are the functions of each
reticular formation: arousal, alertness, attention
pons: provides input to other structures and the cerebellum
medulla: center for breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat