PSY102 Exam 1 Winter 2025 Study Guide PDF

1 Study Guide/Summary for PSY102 Exam 1 Winter 2025 Please note: This study guide only applies to PSY102 taught by Dr. Sullivan. Lecture 1: Psychology and Scientific Thinking 1.1 What is Psychology? Science versus Intuition We learn about psychology from many sources in popu...

1 Study Guide/Summary for PSY102 Exam 1 Winter 2025 Please note: This study guide only applies to PSY102 taught by Dr. Sullivan. Lecture 1: Psychology and Scientific Thinking 1.1 What is Psychology? Science versus Intuition We learn about psychology from many sources in popular culture. What were some sources? o Popular psychology knowledge is not always true. o We learned that scientific studies need to be conducted because we can’t always rely on common sense (i.e., obvious vs. nonobvious findings). Definition of Psychology (modern-day definition) What are multiple levels of analysis in psychology? What does each level represent? 1.2 Psychology as a Science: What are the Major Challenges? Review the Main Challenges in Psychology o Actions are multiply determined (i.e., produced by many factors) o Psychological influences are rarely independent o Individual differences among people Definitions of theory vs. hypothesis. Understand the confirmation bias. o Review examples. 1.3 Psychological Pseudoscience: Imposters of Science Definition of psychological pseudoscience. Three dangers of pseudoscience Review the three warning signs of pseudoscience from assignment 1 1.4 Scientific Thinking Definition of scientific skepticism. Review the six principles of scientific thinking from assignment 1. Lecture 2: Brief History of Psychology Who were the psychologists for each major historical perspective (Structuralism, Functionalism, Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Psychoanalysis, Humanism)? 2.1 Early Psychology: Studying the Mind What did the ancient Greeks think about? Review René Descartes and dualism: separation of the mind vs. the body o Naci, Owen, and colleagues (2014) modern-day research example of the mind- body problem. Review Donders’ decision making experiment o What was done in the Simple RT and Choice RT conditions? What were the results and calculation used? Wundt- first psychology lab. o What was his interested in studying? o Definition: Introspection Titchener and Structuralism o What is structuralism and what did they use?  2 o What were the problems with structuralism? o Lasting Scientific Influence Review Ebbinghaus’ early memory experiment (this is not part of structuralism). o What was done? What were the results? James and Functionalism o Influenced by Darwin; aimed to understand the function or adaptive purpose of psychological characteristics. 2.2 Abandoning the Study of the Mind Watson, Skinner, and Behaviourism o What are the main ideas of behaviourism? o Lasting Scientific Influence o What was Tolman’s experiment and what did it reveal? ▪ Cognitive map 2.3 The Rebirth of the Study of the Mind Cognitivism/Cognitive psychology: What are they interested in studying? (vs. the behaviourists) o Insights from the digital computer. o What are some ways that thinking can affect our behaviour? ▪ Review examples, theorist: Piaget Psychoanalysis and Freud o What were the main ideas of psychoanalysis? ▪ Role of symbolism ▪ Lasting Scientific Influence Humanism and Maslow o What was the main idea of humanism? 2.4 Modern Psychology Types of psychologists: What is the main focus for each type? Evolutionary psychology: What is it and why is controversial? Lecture 3: Research Methods Reasons why we need research methods Definition: Research methodology o When can you make a causal claim? 3.1 Guiding Principles for Applying the Scientific Method to Psychology Definition: Generalizability also know as External validity o Using representative samples. Definition: Random Selection o How can this be performed? Definition: Reliability o Concept of test-retest reliability o Concept of interrater reliability o What are some examples of reliability? Definition: Validity also know as Construct Validity  3 o What are some examples of low or high validity? Review: What is the difference between reliability and validity? 3.2 Types of Research Designs (Know the different designs) (1) Naturalistic Observation (field work) What is it? What are some examples? o Provine’s Investigation of Laughter is an example o Wansink and van Ittersum’s Buffet Study is an example o Review pros and cons. Understand in relation to external vs. internal validity. (2) Case Study What is it? What are some examples? o H.M o Prosopagnosia o Review pros and cons. Understand in relation to external vs. internal validity. (3) Self-Report Measures and Surveys What do they measure? o Challenges of survey design o Review pros and cons. (4) Correlational Designs Definitions: What are the three types of correlations? o Review patterns of data in graphs presented. What are correlation coefficients? How is the strength determined? Why does correlation ≠ causation? (5) Experimental Designs High on internal validity. Definition: Random assignment What is an experimental group vs. a control group? Understand the difference between a between-subjects design vs. a within-subject design. Definitions: Independent variable, Dependent variable. o Know the difference. Definition: Confounding variable (Variable that differs between groups that the experimenter has not controlled for). Definition: Placebo effect o How do we know if a placebo effect has occurred in an experimental design? Definition: Experimenter expectancy effect o Example: Bright vs. dull rats o Blind vs. Double Blind design. Definitions: Demand Characteristics, Reactivity, Social Desirability Bias/Positive Impression Management/Response sets 3.3 Statistics in Psychology Research (calculator is not required for the exam) What is central tendency and what are the three measures? How are the three Ms calculated/ identified? What is the shape of a normal distribution?  4 o Where are the three Ms located? o Where are most of the data located? (±1 standard deviation) What is variance? What are the two measures of variance and how are they determined? (Note: formula for standard deviation is not required for this course). 3.4 Research Ethics Review two historical examples of Ethical Issues in Research Design What is an REB board? What is an informed consent form and what does it require? What is debriefing and what does it require? Lecture 4: Biological Psychology (Note: Memory for names of historical researchers not required for this lecture (e.g., Wilder Penfield, Hans Berger, etc.), but is required for lecture 2.) 4.1 The Brain-Behaviour Network Definition: Biological Psychology What is the difference between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system? What is the difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system? o Within autonomic: what is the difference between the sympathetic division vs. parasympathetic division? (i.e., when are they activated?) 4.2 Brain Mapping Methods Understand what phrenology is. o Problems with it. o Major contribution. How does the field of neuropsychology find out information about cognitive functions? Definition: Localization of Function o Examples: Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia (what did they show about specific brain areas and specific functions?) o What is a double dissociation? Electrical stimulation and the brain o What happens and why is this important? For the following brain mapping methods take note if they measure brain function/brain activity or if they measure the structure of the brain. Are they better at providing timing information (i.e., on the scale of milliseconds) or spatial information (i.e., shows where in the brain activity is happening, but on a slower timescale of seconds)? What is the measurement based on? EEG ERPs: Are based on the average (mean) of EEG brain waves. They show how activity can change in relation to cognitive events (e.g., noticing a novel stimulus). Demonstrates fast timing information (millisecond scale). CT scans MRI scans  5 PET scans fMRI scans: Note the differences between MRI and fMRI. MEG Manipulating the Brain (Manipulates Function) o DBS (what does this involve?) o TMS (what can this do?) 4.3 Neurons: The Brain’s Communicators Early concept of a nerve net. Definitions: Neuron doctrine, neuron Know the main parts of the neuron (name and key function) o Dendrites, cell body, axon and axon terminal Electrical signal (nerve impulse) inside axon; chemical signal in synapse/synaptic cleft (release of neurotransmitters). Definitions: Synapse and synaptic cleft. Glial cells (know their key functions) o Astrocytes o Oligodendrocytes ▪ Produce the myelin sheath. Stages of the Action Potential (know the key voltages and pattern of the action potential stages) Resting potential, threshold of excitation, action potential o Note: Don’t worry about the order of sodium and potassium channels opening and closing or the sodium-potassium pump. Definitions: all-or-none response, absolute refractory period, reuptake. Review key neurotransmitters: functions and examples. Know the difference between the three types of psychoactive drugs. 4.4 Major Parts of the Brain Where are the four lobes located? What are the key functions of each lobe? Corpus callosum Grey Matter White Matter o Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI): Structural imaging technique of white matter tracts (axons). Review split brain surgery experiment. What are the implications? Review Phineas Gage injury: Gave insight into the function of the left prefrontal cortex. Unilateral neglect: Damage to the parietal lobe. Results in problems with spatial attention. Key functions of limbic system and brain stem.