Psychological Perspectives

• The behaviorism perspective concentrates on observable behaviors and how behaviors are learned.
• A psychologist studying the influence of hormones and neurotransmitters on emotions aligns with the biological perspective.
• The humanistic perspective highlights how individuals grow and reach their potential.
• The cognitive perspective asserts that people's behavior is mainly shaped by their thoughts, memories, and event interpretations.
• The psychodynamic perspective, pioneered by Freud, emphasizes how unconscious conflicts and childhood shape personality.

Matching Perspectives

• Cognitive focuses on thoughts, memory, and problem-solving.
• Behaviorism emphasizes learning through reinforcement and punishment.
• Humanistic focuses on personal growth and self-actualization.
• Biological studies how genes, brain chemistry, and hormones influence behavior.
• Sociocultural examines how culture, society, and group norms affect behavior.
• Psychodynamic focuses on unconscious motives, conflicts, and early childhood experiences.

True/False Questions

• False: The left hemisphere of the brain is generally responsible for language processing, not the right.
• False: Spatial neglect typically results from damage to the parietal lobe, not the temporal lobe.
• True: The frontal lobe handles executive functions: planning, impulse control, and decision-making.
• True: Neuroplasticity is brain's ability to adapt and change throughout life.
• False: Observational studies do not allow researchers to determine cause and effect.
• False: The Marshmallow Test showed that the impulse control in childhood does impact later success.
• False: Harlow's monkeys preferred the cloth mother over the wire mother, even if the wire mother provided food.
• False: The Minnesota Study of Twins found that genetic factors significantly influence personality.
• False: Broca's aphasia primarily impairs the ability to produce speech, not to comprehend it.
• True: The Stanford Prison Experiment was halted early due to extreme psychological distress.

Disorder Identification

• The patient with fluent but nonsensical speech and inability to understand language likely has Wernicke's aphasia.
• A patient who understands language but struggles to form words and speak fluently after a stroke likely has Broca's aphasia.
• A person who ignores everything on their left side likely has spatial neglect or hemispatial neglect.
• A patient who cannot speak or understand language may have global aphasia.

Type of Study

• The study analyzing health records for the link between stress and heart disease is considered an observational study, because there was no intervention.
• A study where researchers observe children interacting to see if they prefer cooperative or individual play is an observational study.

Experiments

• In a study on social media usage and self-esteem with one group limiting social media to 30 minutes and another using it normally:
  • The independent variable is social media usage.
  • The experimental group is the group limiting social media.
• In a study on exercise and stress reduction where one group exercises for 30 minutes daily and another remains sedentary:
  • The independent variable is exercise.
  • The experimental group is the group assigned to exercise.

Sentence Completion

• The occipital lobe is primarily responsible for processing vision.
• The peripheral nervous system is divided into the sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and digest") systems.
• Secure attachment is the healthiest attachment style.
• In the initial Milgram experiment participants had to administer shocks to a learner when they answered incorrectly.

Concept Matching

• Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to rewire and reorganize itself based on experiences.
• The independent variable is the variable manipulated by researchers.
• A correlational study measures the degree of relationship between two variables.
• The ethical principle of beneficence involves the obligation to maximize benefits and minimize harm in research.

Multiple Choice

• The primary function of the amygdala is processing fear and emotions.
• Cortisol is the hormone most related to stress response.
• The hippocampus is essential for long-term memory formation.
• Difficulty in establishing cause and effect is NOT a limitation of experimental studies.
• A major disadvantage of correlational studies: they cannot determine cause and effect.
• Dopamine is primarily involved in learning and memory.
• EEG measures electrical activity, while fMRI measures brain metabolism.

Study Differences

• EEG measures electrical activity, while fMRI measures metabolic activity.
• EEG has better temporal resolution, while fMRI has better spatial resolution.

Ambivalent Attachment

• Ainsworth found that a child with ambivalent attachment would be extremely distressed when the caregiver leaves, and is difficult to console, showing distress and anger.

Ramon y Cajal

• Ramon y Cajal is known for developing the neuron doctrine.

Study Limitations

• Experimental studies' main limitation revolves around ethical concerns when manipulating variables.
• Correlational studies' main limitation is that they cannot determine causality.
• Observational studies can be artificial and not reflect real-world situations.

Fill in the Blanks

• The axon transmits electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body.
• Electrical signal threshold is the point a neuron must reach before firing.
• The synapse is the space where 2 neurons communicate.
• The myelin speeds up signal transmission.
• The cell bodies of neurons, make up gray matter.

Overview of the main psychological approaches: behaviorism, biological, humanistic, cognitive, psychodynamic, and sociocultural. The approaches are matched to their respective focus area. Focus is on the main tenets of each.