Psychology

• an alternate hypothesis predicts that there will be a pattern in the results
• a null hypothesis predicts that there will be no difference or pattern in the results
• Standardisation is the process of keeping extraneous variables the same across experimental conditions e.g. same time, same location, same questions
• Repeated measures design is when all participants take part in each condition
• independent measures design is when participants are different in each condition
• Open questions have no fixed responses so participants can respond how they wish
• Closed questions mean participants have to choose from a set of responses e.g. multiple choice or rating scales
• Ecological validity is how far it can be generalised to real life
• Construct validity is how far a variable is measured in relation to the whole concept
• Population validity is how far the sample represents the target population
• Demand characteristics are cues from the study that give away the aim of the experiment, which causes participants to

  behave differently to try help the researcher
• social desirability bias is pressure to respond in a way they think is expected or acceptable
• Quantitative data is numerical data that can be gathered from questionnaires or experiments
• Qualitative data is descriptive data and often comes in the form of words bit can also be visual
• A correlation study measures the relationship between two variables
• A stigma is a negative idea over a certain group, having a mental illness might lead to a stigma
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

  • talking therapy
  • psychotherapy
  • short term treatment
  • aims to stop irrational thoughts
• Social rank theory suggests depression is an evolutionary advantage and adaption that reduces conflict by stopping the loser in a contest from competing again
• Social rank theory suggests if we lose something, depression allows us to come to terms with that loss and prevents us from aspiring to achieve higher status
• social rank theory criticisms:

  • reductionist- ignores individual differences in response to competitive situations
  • ignores any biological factors such as the role of neurotransmitters
• The ABC model is a theory that views depression as being the result of irrational thinking
• The ABC model supports the idea of free will as it suggests people choose to have depression
• ABC model criticisms:

  • reductionist as it doesn’t take into account biological factors
  • sometimes the response to an event is rational but are still depressed
• Antidepressants are psychiatric drugs that work by slowing down the reuptake of serotonin, boosting the activity of brain chemicals including neurotransmitters
• The dopamine hypothesis is a biological theory of why people experience schizophrenia. according to the theory, people with schizophrenia may have an excess of dopaminergic neurons that fire too often or too easily- this increase the dopamine activity in the brain which helps to explain the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that carries nerve impulses across a synapse
• pruning is getting rid of neurons, occurs in childhood
• In adolescence, the limbic system matures and more memories are able to be formed
• The pre frontal cortex is responsible for making moral decisions and reasoning
• Decentration is focusing on more that one aspect of a situation (concrete operational stage)
• Seriation is putting things in rank order, you must see what you put in order (concrete operational stage)
• Egocentrism is the lack of empathy and cannot understand different points of view (pre-operational stage)
• A co-variable is something that changes in relation to another variable
• Reductionist refers to a theory that seems to over-simplify human behavior or cognitive processes, and in doing so, neglects to explain the complexities of the mind
• Freud’s study of the wolfman suggests that the unconscious mind can have significant influences on human behaviour
• Freud’s study of the wolfman can be seen as subjective because he only used one person in his study, it’s only Freuds interpretation
• Freud‘s wolfman study was a longitudinal case study that lasted over 4 years
• Freud concluded in the wolfman study that traumas may be caused by childhood experiences which have repressed the unconscious mind
• Freud wanted to try explain and treat wolfman’s psychological problems through dream analysis
• causes of sleep onset insomnia:

  • anxiety
  • too much caffeine or nicotine before bed
  • eating a heavy meal before bed
  • screen time
  • physical pain