UNIT I LECTURE C OVERS C HAPTER ’ S 1, 2 & 3. C HAPTER 1 Introduction and Research Methods.

UNIT I

LECTURECOVERS

CHAPTER’S 1, 2 & 3

CHAPTER 1

Introduction and Research Methods

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

The science of behavior and mental processesBehavior—observable actions of a person or animalMind—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

DescribeExplainPredictControlbehavior and mental processesThe scientific method

SCIENTIFIC METHOD Formulate testable questions

Develop hypotheses Design study to collect data

Experimental Descriptive

Analyze data to arrive at conclusionsUse of statistical proceduresUse of meta-analysis

Report resultsPublicationReplication

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 REPORTSBe skeptical of sensationalist claims

Goal of “shock” media is ratings

Look for original sourcesSeparate opinion from dataCorrelation is not causalitySkepticism is the rule in science.

CHAPTER 2NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOR

Neuron Structure and Transmission

NEURONS AND SYNAPSES

Types of Neurons

Sensory Motor Interneurons

SpinalCord

BrainSensoryNeuron

SENSORY NEURONS INPUT From sensory organs to the brain and

spinal cord

Drawing shows a somatic neuron

SpinalCord

BrainSensoryNeuron

MotorNeuron

MOTOR NEURONSOUTPUT From the brain and spinal

cord, to the muscles and glands

SpinalCord

BrainSensoryNeuron

MotorNeuron

INTERNEURONS

Interneurons carry information between other neurons only found in the brain and spinal cord

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

AcetylcholineDopamine SerotoninNorepinephrineGABAEndorphins

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

DOPAMINEInvolved 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 sleepInvolved 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

GABAInhibition of brain activityHuntington’s disease involves loss of neurons in striatum that utilize GABASymptoms:

jerky involuntary movements mental deterioration

Central nervous system

Peripheral nervous system

CHAPTER 3

SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDSHTTP://FACULTY.WASHINGTON.EDU/CHUDLER/NEUROK.HTML

ColorsThe 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

VISIONPurpose of the visual systemtransform 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 in center of eye (fovea)approx. 6 million

Rods—concentrated in periphery approx. 120 million

Blind 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 VISIONOur visual system interprets differences in

the wavelength of light as colorRods are color blind, but with the cones we

can see different colorsThis 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

ExampleP (in sound-

pressure units) Log P Decibels

Softest detectable sound

Soft whisper

Quiet neighborhood

Average conversation

Loud music from a radio

Heavy automobile traffic

Very loud thunder

Jet airplane taking off

Loudest rock band on record

Spacecraft launch 9 from 150 ft.

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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 GROUNDGestalt 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 groups2. 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 FUNYour 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!!!

Taste And Smell

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?