Chapter 2

Explore the Nervous System (From a web site called "Neuroscience for Kids--but don't let the name fool you.)

Memorize the parts of the brain (mnemonic devices)

Bandura's experiment on imitation of aggression

Optical Illusion Girlfriend

http://www.unbc.ca/assets/lsc/handouts/sq4r.pdf

Chapter 1 Supplemental Notes

"Clever Hans"

Psychology: Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Pseudopsychology: looks like psychology on the surface, but not done according to the scientific method
Psychology's Historical Roots

Wilhelm Wundt and Structuralism

• Wundt founded the first laboratory/school of psychology in 1879
• Devoted to uncovering basic structures that make up mind and thought
• Used a method called Introspection as a way of attempting to study these structures

William James and Functionalism

• Believed mental processes could best be understood in terms of their adaptive purpose and function
• Influenced by Charles Darwin
• James wrote the first psychology text book
  

Gestalt psychologists

• Interested in how we (actively) construct “perceptual wholes”

Behaviorism

• Argued psychology should deal solely with observable events

B.F. Skinner



John B. Watson

Psychoanalysis

• Asserted mental disorders arise from conflicts in the unconscious mind

Sigmund Freud

Discovering Psychology Video

How do psychologists develop new knowledge?

By using the scientific method, and conducting an empirical investigation

Guided by a larger theory, an investigator proposes a hypothesis (which means "little theory") or specific prediction about the relationship between two variables

For the purposes of a study, a scientist must come up with operational definitions of the variables being studied

Afterwards, other researchers may attempt to replicate the study, to see if they get the same results.

Five types of psychological research

1. Experiments

• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Experimental and control groups
• Use of placebos (in double-blind studies)
  
• Random assignment

2. Correlational studies

Look for relationships between naturally occurring variables.

Strength of relationship is computed by a correlation coefficient, a number that indicates how well you can predict the value of one variable if you know the other.

Correlation coefficients range from -1.0 to +1.0.
The sign indicates direction, and the size indicates strength.

Remember: Corrolation does not equal causation

3. Surveys



4. Naturalistic observations



Laboratory Observations

5. Case studies



Bias could affect the way an experimenter designs a study, collects data, or interprets results

Ethical issues in psychological research

• Informed consent
• Deception and debriefing

Stress and Coping

Stress – Nonspecific response of the body to any demand made on it; the arousal, both physical and mental, to situations or events that we perceive as threatening or challenging. Can be positive (eustress) or negative (distress).

Stressor – a stressful stimulus, a condition demanding adaptation

Burnout – A syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment

Hassles – Small, everyday problems that accumulate to become a major source of stress

Frustration: unpleasant tension resulting from a blocked goal

Conflict: forced choice between two or more incompatible goals or impulses

--Approach-Approach: forced choice between two or more desirable alternatives
--Avoidance-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more undesirable alternatives
--Approach-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more alternatives both having desirable & undesirable results

Social Readjustment Ratings Scale – A psychological rating scale designed to measure stress levels by means of values attached to common life changes (see Life Changes in your notes)

Acute stress – A temporary pattern of arousal caused by a stressor with a clear onset and offset

Chronic stress – A continuous state of stressful arousal persisting over time (and the parasympathetic nervous system cannot activate the relaxation response)

General adaptation syndrome (GAS) – A pattern of general physical responses that takes essentially the same form in responding to any serious chronic stressor


Psychoneuroimmunology – Multidisciplinary field that studies the influence of mental states on the immune system

Immunosuppression – Diminished effectiveness of the immune system caused by impairment (suppression) of the immune response

Type A – behavior pattern characterized by intense, angry, competitive, or perfectionistic responses to challenging situations



Type B –behavior pattern characterized by a relaxed, unstressed approach to life

Learned helplessness – Pattern of not responding to noxious stimuli after an organism learns that its behavior has no effect


Cognitive hardiness – Mental quality of resistance to stress, based on a sense of challenge, commitment, and control

Resilience – Capacity to adapt, achieve well-being, and cope with stress, in spite of serious threats to development

Emotion-focused coping – Responding to stress by controlling one’s emotional responses

Problem-focused coping – Responding to stress by identifying, reducing, and eliminating the stressor

Social support – Resources others provide to help an individual cope with stress

• Tangible
• Informational
• Support groups
  

Optimistic style of thinking – pattern of thinking that interprets stressors as external in origin, temporary, and specific in their effects

Health psychology – Psychological specialty devoted to understanding how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when ill

Stress quiz

Rotter's Internal and External Locus of Control

Locus of Control Quiz