Exam Prep Links/Resources

SQ3R - A reading and Study Skill System

(More concise version of a handout I gave you in class.)

Flash Presentation about Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology

Flash Presentation on Descriptive Research Methods

Sensation and Perception

Synesthesia video
The Science of Picky Eaters (video)

More about synesthesia



Sensation: process of receiving, translating, and transmitting raw sensory data from the external and internal environments to the brain.

Perception: process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory data into useful mental representations of the world.

Transduction – Transformation of one form of energy into another – especially the transformation of stimulus information into nerve impulses

Receptors –Specialized neurons that are activated by stimulation and transduce (convert) it into a nerve impulse

Sensory adaptation – Loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while








Absolute threshold – Amount of stimulation necessary for a stimulus to be detected

Difference threshold – Smallest amount by which a stimulus can be changed and the difference be detected (also called just noticeable difference – JND)

Signal detection theory –
Perceptual judgment as combination of sensation and decision-making processes






Visual cortex –Part of the brain – the occipital cortex – where visual sensations are processed

Hearing

• Pitch – Sensory characteristic of sound produced by the frequency of the sound wave


• Loudness – Sensory characteristic of sound produced by the amplitude (intensity) of the sound wave


• Timbre – Quality of a sound wave that derives from the wave’s complexity

Position and Movement

• Vestibular sense –Sense of body orientation with respect to gravity

• Kinesthetic sense –Sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other

Olfaction: Sense of smell



Pheromones –Chemical signals released by organisms to communicate with other members of the species


Gustation: the sense of taste

Skin senses: touch, warmth, and cold

Pain and the placebo effect

Perceptual constancy – Ability to recognize the same object under different conditions, such as changes in illumination, distance, or location




(some examples are size and shape constancy)

Gestalt psychology – View that much of perception is shaped by innate factors built into the brain

Figure and Ground

Subjective contours – Boundaries that are perceived but do not appear in the stimulus pattern


Closure



Perceptual set


Depth Perception

Binocular cues
--retinal disparity and binocular convergence

Monocular cues
--relative size
--interposition
--relative motion

Stroop effect
Ames Room explanation
Ames Room diagram
Visual cliff experiment (video)
vision and art

Potential homework articles

Do the menstrual cycles of women living together tend to synchronize?
Finding the Perfect Mate: Male Pheromones and Female Attraction
Are there Human Pheromones?

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