Psychology Concepts Overview

Scientific Method in Psychology

• Researchers use the scientific method to minimize bias and ensure repeatable processes for verifying reliability.

Psychology Definition

• Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Multiple sclerosis involves the deterioration of the myelin sheath.

Agonists and Antagonists

• Agonists increase neurotransmitter activity.
• Antagonists decrease neurotransmitter activity.

Stages of Sleep

• Stage 1: Hypnagogic twitching
• Stage 2: Sleep spindles and delta waves.
• Stage 3: Deep sleep, Delta waves.
• Stage 4: REM sleep and dreaming.

Limbic System Structures

• The limbic system includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus.

Linear Perspective

• Parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance, a depth perception cue.

Brain Blood Supply

• The brain uses about 20% of the body's blood supply.

Glial Cell Functions

• Glial cells support neurons by insulating them, removing waste, and strengthening neural connections.

Neuron Firing Rate

• A neuron's firing rate without the volley principle is 1,000 times per second. With the volley principle, it's 5,000 times per second.

Neuron Types

• Motor neurons, sensory neurons, and interneurons are the three main types of neurons.

Social Desirability Bias

• Social desirability bias is a response tendency where survey respondents answer questions in ways they perceive will be favorably viewed by others.

Components of Emotion

• Emotion comprises cognitive, behavioral, and physiological components.

Correlation Coefficient (Zero)

• A zero correlation coefficient indicates no relationship between two variables.

Accommodation

• Accommodation is focusing light waves from different distances onto the retina.

Sensory Adaptation

• Sensory adaptation allows detection of environmental changes while ignoring consistent stimuli.

Sensory Transduction

• Transduction converts sensory information into electrical impulses.

Placebo Effect Neurotransmitter

• Endorphins are the neurotransmitter associated with the placebo effect.

Dreams' Emotional Content

• Dreams are often high in emotional content because the frontal lobe (responsible for rational thought) is less active. Whereas the limbic system (emotional center) is very active.

Schemas

• Schemas are thought and behavior patterns that categorize information and relationships.

Feature Detector Cells

• Feature detector cells identify elementary visual features which are reassembled into a whole image by the brain.

fMRI Function

• fMRI measures oxygen use in the brain, providing a measure of brain activity.

Gestalt Psychology

• Gestalt psychology focuses on how the brain organizes visual input into meaningful wholes.

Correlation Types

• Positive correlation: both variables increase or decrease together.
• Negative correlation: one variable increases as the other decreases.

Neuron Parts

• Dendrites receive information.
• Cell body (soma): processes information.
• Axon carries impulses.
• Axon terminals: signal to other neurons.
• Myelin sheath speeds up signal transmission.

Color Vision Theories

• Trichromatic theory: three types of cones detect blue, green, and red. Opponent-process theory: opposing color pairings (e.g., red-green).

Somatosensory Cortex Damage

• Damage to the somatosensory cortex can lead to phantom limb pain.

Sociocultural Perspective

• A sociocultural perspective considers how culture and family influence behavior.

Neuron Electrical Impulse

• Excitatory input must outweigh inhibitory input to generate an electrical impulse.

Neuroplasticity

• The nervous system's ability to change structure and function in response to stimuli.

Non-Thalamic Sense

• Olfactory (smell) is the only sense that does not directly pass through the thalamus.

Spurious Correlation

• Spurious correlations occur when cause-and-effect relationships are mistakenly perceived between two variables due to a third, unobserved variable.

Bystander Effect

• The bystander effect occurs when individuals are less likely to help a victim when others are present.

Nearsightedness Risk

• Nearsightedness is linked to retinal detachment, cataracts and glaucoma.

Classical Conditioning

• Classical conditioning involves UCS, CS, NS, CR, and UCR.

Brain Intelligence

• More intelligent people might have more folds and a higher glial-to-neuron ratio in their brains.

Correlation Coefficient Values

• A correlation coefficient close to +1 or −1 indicates a strong correlation; closer to 0 indicates a weak correlation.

Waveform Components

• Waveforms have frequency, amplitude, and wavelength components that correlate with brightness, loudness, and pitch respectively.

Descriptive Methods

• Observational techniques, case studies, and surveys are descriptive research methods.

Brain Matter Differences

• White matter is myelinated; gray matter is unmyelinated.

Emotion Theories

• Cannon-Bard theory proposes simultaneous physiological and emotional responses to a stimulus.
• James-Lange theory suggests physiological arousal precedes emotional experience.
• Schachter-Singer theory introduces cognitive appraisal as a crucial component in emotion experiences.

Social Loafing

• Social loafing is a phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in a group than when working alone.

Conditioning Types

• Delayed conditioning is a particularly effective type.

Auditory Processing

• Low frequency sounds are processed near the front; high near the rear.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

• Sleep deprivation can cause immune suppression, weight gain, accidents, and cognitive impairments.

This quiz covers key concepts in psychology, including the scientific method, stages of sleep, and the structures of the limbic system. Test your knowledge on various topics related to human behavior, mental processes, and neurological functions.