Psychology Test PDF

Main points for the test based on assignment task notification Biological bases of behaviour (No brain imaging) - Revision of brain its different lobes, and functions - Sleep - Case studies Research methods of psychology Brain lobes and functions T...

Main points for the test based on assignment task notification Biological bases of behaviour (No brain imaging) - Revision of brain its different lobes, and functions - Sleep - Case studies Research methods of psychology Brain lobes and functions The cerebral cortex is made up of 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal. Each of these areas have their own functions. The primary motor cortex is a part of our frontal lobe that controls our voluntary movements. Areas of our body we can exert greater control over have a greater proportion of nerves in this area of the cortex. Symptoms shown by brain-damaged patients can indicate the area of the brain affected. The brain is made up of many parts that function together to enable it to do all the tasks we take for granted. Each part has its own key function, but works by integrating with other areas. - cerebrum : most visible part of the brain - Cerebral cortex : outer layer of the brain ; responsible for conscious thought - Corpus callosum : thick band of nerve axons connecting left and right hemispheres - Cerebellum : primitive part of the brain responsible for coordination, balance and movement - Brain stem : regulates survival functions such as our heartbeat, blood pressure and breathing rate. - Thalamus : sensory data arrives here and is then related to specific areas of the cortex. - Hypothalamus : regulates body temperatures, appetite, thirst and hormones. - Pineal gland : controles our internal body clock, regulates our sleep-wake cycles and releases sleep hormone melatonin - Hippocampus : responsible for making new memories; is also our direction finder - Amygdala : emotions of fear and anger, emotional responses Brain is divided into 2 hemispheres connected by a corpus callosum - Left hemisphere involved in verbal and analytical tasks, logical thought, reading and controlling the right side of the body. The right hemisphere is involved in detecting and expressing emotion, musical and artistic ability, recognising patterns, creativity and controlling the left hand side of the body. Brain damage - Symptoms associated with brain trauma can indicate the areas of the brain that have suffered damage e.g loss of sight = the occipital lobe, inability to feel hot or cold surfaces = damage to the parietal lobes, dramatic changes to the personality can be caused by = damage to frontal lobe ( Case study of Phineas Gage) Sleep- - Everybody dreams, on average people dream 5 times per night, but they often don’t remember it, over 95% of dreams are forgotten - There are low dream recallers (able to remember less dreams) and high dream recallers (more likely to remember dreams) - Low recallers wake up slower, and when waking, have more electrical shifts of activity than higher recallers - Dreams can occur anytime during sleep, however 90% of dreams happen in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep - When we sleep, we shift between REM and NREM, in a cycle that lasts 90 minutes on average, amount of time spent in REM sleep increases as night progresses - REM sleep is a period of sleep where eyes move rapidly for short bursts of time, because of high electrical activity - During REM, heart rate and breathing fluctuate; voluntary muscles, especially below the neck are very relaxed and brainwave activity is increased - Dreams in REM sleep tend to follow a storyline (even if it is bizarre at times) and the dreamer often feels as if they are experiencing another world, they are also more likely to be remembered - REM dreams can be mundane, dramatic or bizarre - They often include personal experiences from previous day or week - Nightmares tend to occur during this sleep - Facts about dreams - Dreamer is often in the centre if the storyline - Cultural background, life experiences and current experiences, shapes dreams because different cultures have different social rules, expectations and fears - NREM sleep is almost the reverse of REM sleep - Has large, slow and regular brainwaves, heart rate and breathing regular and slow, eyes move slowly and muscles are less relaxed - NREM dreams are more similar to waking thought patterns - NREM dreams are brief, less intense and have little storyline - People who are more anxious and lighter sleepers are more likely to experience these dreams Summary table- REM NREM Eye movement High movement of eye muscles Move slowly Brainwave activity Increased Slow and large Heart rate Fluctuate Slow and regular  Breathing rate Fluctuate Slow and regular Voluntary muscles Relaxed muscles Tenser muscles Research methods- Science is the systematic ordered and planned study of the universe based on observations, experiments and the recording and analysis of results A research method is a particular way of conducting a research study to obtain accurate and reliable data The scientific method is the step by step approach to planning, conducting and reporting research Reliability refers to the consistent measuring of responses Hypothesis refers to a tentative, testable prediction of the possible relationship between 2 or more variables Participants are people selected to take part in a study or research Data collection method Example Direct observation The participants' behaviours are watched and recorded as objectively and precisely as possible. Instruments such as a stopwatch and a video recorder may be used Surveys Participants are given a series of written questions designed to obtain information about specific aspects of participants attitudes, opinions and/or specific aspects of behaviour Interviews A face to face conversation is conducted to obtain information about specific aspects of participants attitudes, opinions and/or behaviour Psychological tests Participants are administered a standardised test to obtain a sample of their behaviour. Tests are generally used to assess mental ability or personality traits e.g. an IQ test Physiological recordings An instrument is used to monitor and record a specific psychological process in a participant. Examples include measures of blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and brain activity Examination of archival ( The psychologist analyses existing institutional records such as historical) records census, economic, medical, legal, educational and business records Psychological research is generally guided by a theory, a systematic way of organising and explaining observations. This theory helps generate a hypothesis, or a tentative belief, about the relationship between 2 or more variables. Variables are phenomena that differ or change across circumstances or individuals; they can be continuous or categorical. Continuous forms a continuum like the optimism of a person, intelligence or shyness. Categorical means that the variable is either one or the other, like gender, species and age. Standardised procedures expose participants to a study of similar procedures as possible. Although psychologists are typically interested in knowing something about a population, they usually study a sample, or a subgroup, that is likely to be representative of the population. To be generalisable, a study must have both internal validity (a valid design) and external validity (applicability to situations outside the laboratory) - Independent variables are changed - Dependent variable used to observed the effect of the independent variable - Dependent variables depend on independent variables - Extraneous variables are variables other than the independent variable that can change the experiment (controlled variables) - Participant variables- to do with the participants and their characteristics and their bias - Sampling - When doing an experiment, psychologists can’t involve every single affected person, so use small group of individuals that represent a large population - Sample should reflect the population, so they should be diverse. This allows psychologists to generalise - Probability sampling uses random selection and are more likely to reflect a large population - Types of probability sampling include- simple random sampling, where psychologists use a random generator, like a computer to pick out participants from a large population; stratified random sampling, separating the population into subgroups then taking a simple random sample out of that and cluster sampling, dividing the population into smaller clusters, often based of geographical location, random cluster selected and then all subjects in cluster analysed - Non Probability sampling includes convenience sampling, selecting people who are convenient, people who are willing and have time; purposive sampling, people who meet certain criteria and quota sampling, dividing people into subgroups and then creating a group that represents the population - Sampling errors occur because a smaller group is not representative of the whole population. This error can be minimised by using random sampling and larger sample sizes - Correlation studies are a research method that looks at the relationship between 2 variables without actually manipulating those variable - Experimenter does not manipulate the variables - 3 types of correlational study- positive (booth variables increase/ decrease at the same time), negative (1 increase 1 decrease), No correlation (no relationship) - Types of correlational research- naturalistic, survey, archival research (analysing historical records) - Pitfalls- suggest a relationship between 2 variables but can’t prove that one can change another Reliability-