EXAM 1: CH. 1-3

• Nature and nurture are major factors in major phenomena
• It's a multivariate world with multiple factors causing outcomes
• Individual differences exist in psychology outcomes
• Psychology is a science involving research, experiments, and evidence
• Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab at the University of Leipzig
• Wundt believed in structuralism, breaking down conscious experience into underlying components
• Memory is associated with the hippocampus
• William James disagreed with Wundt, emphasizing the stream of consciousness and functionalism
• Sigmund Freud focused on the unconscious shaping human behavior and developed psychoanalysis
• Watson and Skinner developed behaviorism, focusing on observable behavior and consequences
• Nativism (nature) and empiricism (nurture) play roles in shaping the human mind
• The Biopsychosocial Approach considers biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences on behavior
• Descriptive research methods include case studies, naturalistic observations, and surveys
• Correlational research measures relationships between variables, but does not imply causation
• Experimental research involves random assignment, manipulation of independent variables, and measurement of dependent variables
• Reliability and validity are essential in any measurement
• Data collection techniques include self-report measures, direct observation, and psychophysiological measures
• Descriptive statistics include measures of central tendency and variability
• Postmortem brain specimens provide insights into brain structures and functions
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) records electrical activity at the cerebral cortex level
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET scan) tracks brain glucose metabolism
• In a PET scan, the patient is injected with a tiny, harmless amount of radioactively tagged glucose
• Glucose is used because it is metabolized in the brain as fuel
• PET scan provides information about brain function and a horizontal view of the brain
• Active areas in a PET scan are shown in red and oranges, while inactive areas are shown in blues and greens
• Language is processed in the left hemisphere, while music is processed in the right hemisphere
• PET scan cannot provide specific individual structural information
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• EEG uses magnetic fields and radio waves to see the cortex and cerebellum
• MRI provides clear images of brain structure
• MRI does not show brain function activity
• Functional MRI (fMRI)
• fMRI provides information about brain structure and brain function
• Instead of glucose, fMRI looks at where oxygen goes
• Medulla is the basic life support system in the brain, controlling heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and blood circulation
• Damage to the medulla can be fatal
• Pons acts as a "bridge" for information between lower and upper levels of the brain
• Cerebellum is responsible for muscle movement, coordination, and balance
• Hypothalamus regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and sex drive
• Amygdala is involved in regulating emotion, aggression, and fear responses