Transcript Chapter 1
UNIT I LECTURE COVERS CHAPTER’S 1, 2 & 3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction and Research Methods WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? The science of behavior and mental processes Behavior—observable actions of a person or animal Mind—thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, memories, dreams, motives and other subjective experiences Science—an objective way to answer questions based on observable facts/data and well-described methods PHILOSOPHICAL DEVELOPMENTS A Question: How are mind and body related? • René Descartes (1596–1650)—Interactive dualism • The mind and body interact to produce conscious experience PHILOSOPHICAL DEVELOPMENTS Another Question: Nature vs. Nurture • Are abilities determined by our genes or our experiences? • What are the interactions between genetics and environment? • What effect does it have on behavior? • Nature v. Nurture video PERSPECTIVES Perspective is a way of viewing phenomena Psychology has multiple perspectives Biological-study of brain and nervous system that organize and control behavior. Psychodynamic-psychoanalytic approach, Sigmund Freud. Drives and urges in the unconscious influence behavior. Early childhood influences shape unconscious. Behavioral-classical and operant conditioning. Behavior is based on learning and experience. Pavlov and Skinner. Humanistic- behavior reflects innate ‘actualization’, developed by Maslow and Rogers. Focus on conscious forces and self perception. PERSPECTIVES (CONTINUED) Cognitive- How is knowledge acquired, organized, remembered, and used to guide behavior. Piaget-studied intellectual development Chomsky-studied language Cybernetics-science of information processing Cross-Cultural- study of psychological differences among people living in different cultural groups. How are people’s thoughts, feelings & behavior influenced by culture. Are these innate? Evolutionary-application of the process of evolution to explain behavior. Influenced by Darwin, emphasis on innate and adaptive behavior. GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY Describe Explain Predict Control behavior and mental processes The scientific method SCIENTIFIC METHOD Formulate Develop hypotheses Design study to collect data Experimental Descriptive Analyze data to arrive at conclusions Use of statistical procedures Use of meta-analysis Report testable questions results Publication Replication RESEARCH STRATEGIES Descriptive—strategies for observing and describing behavior Naturalistic observation Case studies Surveys Correlational methods Experimental—strategies for inferring cause and effect relationships among variables DEFINITIONS Hypothesis—tentative statement about the relationship between variables Variables—factors that can vary in ways that can be observed, measured, and verified (independent versus dependent) Operational definition —precise description of how the variables will be measured SAMPLES AND SAMPLING Population—large (potentially infinite) group represented by the sample. Findings are generalized to this group. Sample—selected segment of the population Representative sample —closely parallels the population on relevant characteristics Random selection —every member of larger group has equal change of being selected for the study sample COEFFICIENT OF CORRELATION Numerical indication of magnitude and direction of the relationship between two variables Positive correlation—two variables vary systematically in the SAME direction Negative correlation—two variables vary systematically in OPPOSITE directions EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES Independent variable (IV) the controlled factor in an experiment (i.e. the one you manipulate) hypothesized to cause an effect on another variable Dependent variable (DV) the measured facts hypothesized to be influenced by IV EVALUATING MEDIA REPORTS Be skeptical of sensationalist claims Goal of “shock” media is ratings Look for original sources Separate opinion from data Correlation is not causality Skepticism is the rule in science. CHAPTER 2 NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOR Neuron Structure and Transmission NEURONS AND SYNAPSES Types of Neurons Sensory Motor Interneurons SENSORY NEURONS INPUT From sensory organs to the brain and spinal cord Drawing shows a somatic neuron Sensory Neuron Brain Spinal Cord MOTOR NEURONS OUTPUT From the brain and spinal cord, to the muscles and glands Sensory Neuron Brain Spinal Cord Motor Neuron INTERNEURONS Interneurons carry information between other neurons only found in the brain and spinal cord Sensory Neuron Brain Spinal Cord Motor Neuron HOW NEURONS COMMUNICATE Neurons communicate by means of an electrical signal called the Action Potential Action Potentials are based on movements of ions between the outside and inside of the cell When an Action Potential occurs, a molecular message is sent to neighboring neurons NEURON TO NEURON Axons branch out and end near dendrites of neighboring cells Axon terminals are the tips of the axon’s branches A gap separates the axon terminals from dendrites Gap is the Synapse TYPES OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS Acetylcholine Dopamine Serotonin Norepinephrine GABA Endorphins DISRUPTION OF ACETYLCHOLINE FUNCTIONING Curare—blocks ACh receptors paralysis results Nerve gases and Black Widow spider venom; too much ACh leads to severe muscle spasms and possible death Cigarettes—nicotine works on ACh receptors Loss of Ach linked to Alzheimer’s DOPAMINE Involved in movement, attention and learning Dopamine imbalance also involved in schizophrenia Loss of dopamine-producing neurons is cause of Parkinson’s disease Linked to Parkinson’s Disease SEROTONIN Involved in sleep Involved in depression Prozac works by keeping serotonin in the synapse longer, giving it more time to exert an effect NOREPINEPHRINE Arousal “Fight or flight” response ENDORPHINS Control pain and pleasure Released in response to pain Morphine and codeine work on endorphin receptors; involved in healing effects of acupuncture Runner’s high— feeling of pleasure after a long run is due to heavy endorphin release GABA Inhibition of brain activity Huntington’s disease involves loss of neurons in striatum that utilize GABA Symptoms: jerky involuntary movements mental deterioration Central nervous system Peripheral nervous system CHAPTER 3 SENSATION AND PERCEPTION NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS HTTP://FACULTY.WASHINGTON.EDU/CHUDLER/NEUROK.HTML Colors The famous "Stroop Effect" is named after J. Ridley Stroop. Here is your job: Name the colors of the following words. Do NOT read the words...rather, say the color of the words. For example, if the word "BLUE" is printed in a red color, you should say "RED". Say the colors as fast as you can. TEST THE MAJOR SENSES There are 6 major senses vision hearing touch taste pain smell Vision has been studied most extensively VISION Purpose of the visual system transform light energy into an electro-chemical neural response represent characteristics of objects in our environment such as size, color, shape, and location The Stroop Test LIGHT: THE VISUAL STIMULUS DISTRIBUTION OF RODS AND CONES Cones—concentrated of eye (fovea) approx. 6 million Rods—concentrated periphery approx. Blind in center in 120 million spot—region with no rods or cones DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RODS AND CONES Cones allow us to see in bright light allow us to see fine spatial detail allow us to see different colors Rods allow us to see in dim light can not see fine spatial detail can not see different colors Rods Cones COLOR VISION Our visual system interprets differences in the wavelength of light as color Rods are color blind, but with the cones we can see different colors This difference occurs because we have only one type of rod but three types of cones Question: Why do you think you can’t fly a plane if you are color blind? VASI lights! Red over white-all right White over white-your out of sight Red over red-your ________? PROPERTIES OF COLOR Hue—property of wavelengths of light known as color; different wavelengths correspond to our subjective experience of color (hue) Saturation—property of color that corresponds to the purity of the light wave Brightness—perceived intensity of a color, corresponds to amplitude of the light wave. HEARING: SOUND WAVES Auditory perception occurs when sound waves interact with the structures of the ear Sound Wave—changes over time in the pressure of an elastic medium (for example, air or water) Without air (or another elastic medium) there can be no sound waves, and thus no sound Question: Can you hear someone yell in outer-space? INTENSITY OF VARIOUS SOUNDS Example P (in soundpressure units) Log P Decibels Softest detectable sound 1 0 0 Soft whisper 10 1 20 Quiet neighborhood 100 2 40 Average conversation 1000 3 60 Loud music from a radio 10,000 4 80 Heavy automobile traffic 100,000 5 100 Very loud thunder 1,000,000 6 120 Jet airplane taking off 10,000,000 7 140 Loudest rock band on record 100,000,000 8 160 1,000,000,000 9 180 Spacecraft launch 9 from 150 ft. MAJOR STRUCTURES OF THE EAR Outer Ear—acts as a funnel to direct sound waves towards inner structures Middle Ear—consists of three small bones (or ossicles) that amplify the sound Inner Ear—contains the structures that actually transduce sound into neural response CHEMICAL AND BODY SENSES Olfaction (smell) Gustation (taste) Touch and temperature Pain Kinesthetic (location of body) Vestibular (balance) Question: Have you ever had someone start to give you a pleasurable back or neck rub but then it became to rough and it started to be painful? Question: Have you ever encountered motion sickness? What is vertigo? Taste • Sweet • Sour • Salty • Bitter • Umami SKIN AND BODY SENSES Pressure—Pacinian corpuscles Itch—response to histamine Temperature—receptors reactive to cold or warm, simultaneous stimulation produces sensation of hot Pain—free nerve endings are receptors What is the most extreme pain you have endured? PERCEPTION The process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensory information FIGURE AND GROUND Gestalt Psychologists also thought that an important part of our perception was the organization of a scene in to its: Figure—the object of interest Ground —the background OPTICAL ILLUSION Illusion LET’S EXPLORE SOME OF OUR SENSES-**TEAM EXERCISE** Vision* Touch* Taste* Smell* 1. Break into your groups 2. Each person write a description of the item in the envelope based on one sense-one person writes of what the item looks like (vision) the next team member writes on how it feels (touch), the next on how it taste how it smells. 3. All items are edible, write scientifically as if you were from another galaxy and you have never seen this item before. ***Use caution smelling red powder!!! Do not snort! LET’S HAVE SOME FUN Your team will receive an envelope, take out one item at a time and use your senses to scientifically describe the item on paper. Be careful, some items might produce pain!!! EXTRA-SENSORY PERCEPTION (ESP) Telepathy—mind to mind Clairvoyance—perception of remote events Psychokinesis—influencing objects Precognition—seeing event before they occur DO YOU BELIEVE???? Why?