Psychological Concepts

• A case study is a research method where a single individual or group is studied in great depth.
• Chorallin and orexin are hormones that increase appetite.
• The three successive phases of general adaptation syndrome comprises alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion.
• General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) refers to the body's response to stress involving alarm, resistance, and exhaustion phases.
• Sequential processing refers to consciously focusing on one aspect of a problem at a time.
• Sequential Processing involves focusing on one thing at a time and one problem at a time.
• Drive Reduction Theory states physiological needs creates a drive which in turn creates behavior.
• Example of Drive Reduction Theory:
  • Hunger creates the drive to walk somewhere.
  • Needs ---> Drive ---> Behavior
• People who do not want medication should seek a psychologist.
• People who want medication, should seek a psychiatrist.
• Pre-registration encourages researchers to report their findings, even if earlier findings are not replicated.
• Researchers must disclose information regardless of its significance.
• Pre-registration involves detailing all methodology, procedures, and operational definitions and making that information available to the world.

Emotion-Focused Coping

• A strategy to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring stressors when change is impossible.
• Involves emotional responses and numbing pain to minimize the problem.

Problem-Focused Coping

• Taking direct steps to confront and minimize the issue.
• Solving the problem directly.
• Generating alternative solutions.
• Ovaries in females and testes in males are part of the endocrine system
• If an organ releases a hormone, it is part of the endocrine system
• Ovaries release estrogen, while testes release testosterone.

Categories of Stressors

• Catastrophes are events like fires and earthquakes.
• Significant Life Changes include getting married, having a child, or starting a new job, which can be positive or negative stressors.
• Daily Hassles: Losing keys and traffic.
• Critical Thinking is questioning everything.
• All or None Response refers to a neuron's reaction of either firing at full strength or not firing at all.
• There is no in between for neuron reactions
• Neuron reactions comprises of excitatory signals vs. inhibitory signals.
  • If excitatory signals win, neurons fire.
  • If inhibitory signals win, neurons don't fire.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Alarm Reaction is an immediate reaction to a stressful event.
  • Example: Being laid off from a restaurant closing due to a COVID-19 shutdown creates a shock reaction.
• The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord.

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

• Emotions comprise of Cognitive appraisal and physical arousal.
• Process of Emotions:
  • Stimulus
  • Physical Arousal
  • Cognitive Appraisal (mental processing)
  • Emotion

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

• States that arousal precedes emotion.
• Physical reactions occur before the conscious feeling of an emotion.
  • Example: Maria's heart racing and palms sweating in a dark alley lead to her realization that she is afraid.
• A clue suggesting James-Lange Theory: "...only after noticing these physical changes does she realize she is feeling afraid."

Experimental Design

• Experimental Group:
  • The group that receives the variable being tested.
    • Example: Group that receives a new drug to reduce blood pressure.
• Control Group:
  • The group that does not receive the test variable and that often receives a placebo.
    • Example: Group that receives the placebo in the drug trial.
• Alpha Waves are the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.
• Four stages of sleep exist.
• Understanding frequency and amplitude is important in relation to alpha waves.
• To trigger an action potential, excitatory signals must exceed inhibitory signals by a minimum intensity or Threshold.
• Threshold: The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
• Psychoimmunology involves psychological neuroendocrine processes affecting the immune system.

Self-Transcendence

• Needs for purpose and meaning beyond the self include:
  • Belongingness
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-transcendence
  • Self-actualization
• Pessimism is when people expect their options in life to be negative.
• According to Maslow, the need for ________ must be met before people can make concerns with satisfying the need for ________.