How does info get from one neuron to the next?

pre-synaptic neuron → post-synaptic neuron

Correlation does NOT equal causation

example: moving to Florida & death rate;

 ice cream sales & rate of drowning

• Control extraneous factors

(factors that get in the way of the results)

• To find out about causation

• Placebo Effect
• Experimenter Bias

1. Overemphasizes
• early experience
• Sexuality
• Falsifiability
2. Can we disprove something we can't see??

1. Classical (Pavlov dogs)
2. Operant
• Reinforcement
• Postive
• Negative

1. Id
2. Superego
3. Ego

1. Convenient (cheap, takes little time)
2. Non-invasive
3. Get large number of people

1. Gain access to reward
2. Escape/ avoid painful stimuli

1. Hindsight: reasonable theory after a bunch of random (unpredictable) events occur
2. Oveconfidence: Overestimate your ability

• Correlation does not equal causation
• Extraneous variable: variable not studied that affects the relationship between variable that correlate

• Able to study situations that are difficult to study in a lab
• Brings lab findings into the "real world"

• Introspection: describe what you sense, reduced down to its greatest elements.
• Elements of our perception are essential to understand how the mind organizes our experiencce

• Karl Popper
• Must be able to be proved or disapproved

• relationship between two variables
• -1.0   to  +1.0   (range)

two variables that have a relationship in the opposite direction

• School achievement & criminality
• Depression & interpersonal interaction

two variables that have a relationship in the same direction

• Intelligence & school performance
• Emotional intelligence & career performance

each person in a group has an equal chance of participating ( no questionnaires)

• flip a coin, randomly draw names

Variable you are manipulating and being studied

example: Viagra study, manipulated dose : none vs. peak dose

What is an operational definition? Why is it necessary?

NOT OBSERVABLE= ITS NOT FALSIFIABLE

Specifically define your variables so they can easily be observed

• layer of tissue composed of lipids & protein
• encasing the fibers of many neurons
• Most axons are myleniated; very small ones are NOT.

• Variable you are trying to change by manipulating the independent variable
• The outcome factor

• Charles Darwin
• Functionalism: our human traits serve a survival function
• Ethology

• Children start as nothing ( "Tabla Rasa" - Blank slate)
• Experience molds them
• individuals are passive agents in their own development

• Founded 1st psychology dept. at a university
• Students have massive contribution:
• G.Stanley Hall & James M. Cattell
• Awarded PhD's to student
• Introspection

• survival value of our emotions and cognitions
• Appraisal theory
• Physiology of emotions
• Stimulus-behavior-emotion sequence

• Theories were abstract
• Their idea couldn't be observed.
• Were subjective
• relied on their own observations & reasoning
• Didn't study other experience

Enables us to test, reject, or revise the theory:

• These predictions give direction to research:
• Specify what results would support the theory & what results would disconfirm it.

function: muscle action, learning, memory

function: Reward sensitivity, attention

function: mood regulation, hunger, sleep

outcome: Depression, Bipolar

CNS: spinal cord & brain

PNS: nerves found outside the CNS; body, muscles sensory organs

function: maps which brains regions are active during certain tasks

weakness: can't see structures

function: looks at geographical nature of brain regions (lesions)

weakness: can only look at soft tissue

function: look at structures and functions of regions

weakness: It can look at regions during specific tasks & geographically look at structures during task completion

Hippocampus

• allows us to convert short-term memory into long-term, declarative memory

function: process emotional info

• activated when we experience fearful & threatening stimuli

• produce myelin (coating of neural axons)
• faster neurotransmission
• provide nutrients
• guide axon connections

left: language, sequential reasoning

right: visual abilities, holistic info processing

• Brains ability to change, neurons are not committed to specific functions
• building new pathways based on experience

What two "tracks" do we process information?

(dual-processing)

1. conscious: explicit processing
2. unconscious: implicit processing

1. Inatttentional blindness
2. Change blindness
3. Choice blindness

underlying meaning of the manifest content

"meaning of dreams"

• pain relief
• headaches
• asthma

• Reduced responsiveness to drug dose
• Requires increased doses of drug to produce same effect, once felt by lower dose

1. Drug is required for person to function normally.
2. Person is dependent when withdrawl symptoms are present.

positive: intake drug(cocaine, heroin) + reinforcement = increase likeliness of continuing behavior

negative: intake drug (alcohol, marijuana) + remove negative emotions = increase likelihood of continuing behavior

1.Blocks GABA receptors

• inhibitory signals w/ anxiety-response of our behavior

2. Blocks Glutamate

• associated w/ memory, affect motor coordination

emotional: Euphoria, relaxation, anger, sadness

behavior:  impulsive, aggression, poor motor coordination, memory loss (blackouts)

Depresses sympathetic nervous system

• decreased heart rate
• slowed breathing
• constricted pupils

• Euphoria
• Sedation
• Indifference to pain
• REduced anxiety
• Sense of tranquility

• Severe withdrawal symptoms
• Depressed bodily feeling
• Highly addictive

• Dopamine in limbic system
• Serotonin
• Norepinepherine

• Intense withdrawal symptoms
• Heart disease
• Cancer - any types