All Psychology

Question	Answer
What is Psychological Science?	The study (through research) of mind, brain and behaviour.
What is Critical Thinking?	Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence.
What produces Mental Activity?	Biological activity in the brain.
What is Amiable Scepticism?	Being open to new ideas but carefully considering the evidence.
What is Confirmation Bias?	People having a tendency to place greater importance on evidence that supports their beliefs.
What is Hindsight Bias?	A form of accepting after-the-fact explanations where people expect the world to make sense and come up with reasons why things happen.
Why are people generally unaware of their personal weaknesses?	We have a bias towards ourselves, and this is to give us better confidence. As a result, we overestimate our abilities.
What is Culture?	The beliefs, values, rules and customs that exist within a group of people who share a language and environment.
What is the Nature/Nurture debate?	The arguments concerning whether psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, culture and experience.
What is the Mind/Body problem?	A fundamental psychological issue: Are mind and body separate and distinct or is the mind simply the physical brain's subjective experience?
Which is more important, Nature or Nurture?	Neither, both are equally important.
What is Introspection?	A systematic examination of subjective mental experiences that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts.
What is Structuralism?	An approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious experience can be broken down into its' basic underlying components.
What is a Stream of Consciousness?	A phrase coined by William James to describe each person's continuous series of ever-changing thoughts.
Who is William James and what did he do?	Publisher of the first major overview of psychology in 1890. Moved psychology beyond Structuralism into Functionalism.
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?	Founder of modern experimental psychology.
What is Functionalism?	An approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behaviour.
Name the 2 most influential scientists in, and the goal of, Structuralism.	Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchner. To identify basic parts or structures of the conscious mind.
Name the 2 most influential scientists, and the goal of, Functionalism.	William James and Charles Darwin. To describe how the conscious mind aids adaptation to an environment.
Name the most influential scientist, and goal of, Psychoanalytic Theory.	Sigmund Freud. To understand how unconscious thoughts cause psychological disorders.
Name the 2 most influential scientists, and the goal of, the Gestalt Movement.	Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler. To study subjective perceptions as a unified whole.
Name the 2 most influential scientists in, and the main goal of, Behaviourism.	John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. To describe behaviour in respect to environmental stimuli.
Name the 2 most influential scientists in, and the goal of, Humanistic Psychology.	Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. To investigate how people become happier and more fulfilled, with a focus on the basic goodness of people.
Name the 2 most influential scientists in, and the goal of, Cognitivism.	George Miller and Ulric Meisser. To explore internal mental processes that influence behaviour.
Who is Sigmund Freud and what did he do?	The father of psychoanalytic theory, and his work hugely influenced psychology.
What is Psychoanalysis?	A method developed by Sigmund Freud that attempts to bring the contents of the unconscious mind into conscious awareness so that conflicts can be revealed.
What does Unconscious mean?	The place where mental processes operate below the level of conscious awareness.
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?	The study of the neural mechanisms underlying thought, learning, perception, language and memory.
What are Cultural Norms?	Rules that tell people how they should behave.
What is the focus of the Biological level of Psychology, and what is studied?	The focus is on brain systems, neurochemistry and genetics. Neuroanatomy, animal research and brain imaging are all studied.
What is the focus of the Individual level of Psychology, and what is studied?	The focus is on individual differences, behaviour, perception and cognition. Personality, gender, developmental age groups and thinking are all studied.
What is the focus of the Social level of Psychology, and what is studied?	The focus is on interpersonal behaviour and social cognition. Groups, relationships, perceptions and persuasion are all studied.
What is the focus of the Cultural level of Psychology, and what is studied?	The focus is on thoughts, actions and behaviours in different societies and cultural groups. Cultural norms, beliefs, values, symbols and ethnicity are all studied.
What do Psychological Practitioners do?	Apply the findings of psychological science to help improve lives.
What is Biological Psychology?	The relationship between the brain and thought/behaviour.
How is information sent throughout the brain?	Through electrical signals (movement of charged particles) and chemical signals.
Who is Phineas Gage and what happened to him?	He's the man who got speared through the frontal lobe of his brain and survived, allowing study of the consequences.
What things can brain damage be caused by?	Accidents, degenerative brain diseases, taking away dopamine, drug abuse, medication.
Are brain functions localised or not localised?	Brain function are relatively localised.
What is Dissection?	A horizontal slice through an intact brain.
What is Grey Matter?	Located on the outside of the brain, it is a soft, smooth and pinkish layer surrounding the whole brain.
What is White Matter?	Underneath the grey matter, a fibrous structure that can hide even more grey matter beneath it, known as deep grey matter structures.
What is the process of an MRI scan?	They lie under a big magnet, affecting the water inside the brain, lining it up. The machine then fires pulses to disrupt the waters' magnetic field, and see what happens.
What is Histology?	Studying the cells of the brain.
What are Cortical Layers?	The several layers of different cells that make up the different layers of cortex.
How do you Trace Neural Pathways?	Certain chemicals are taken up by cells and transported forwards or backwards, even between cells - revealing pathways between brain areas.
What is Positron Emission Tomography?	Radioactivity injected into the blood and detected by PET scanner. Depending on what chemical is used, it can detect blood flow, use of glucose, and chemical receptors.
What is Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)?	The same as MRI, but avoids the use of radioactivity (to make it safer) and detects increased blood flow (from magnetic haemoglobin in active brain tissue). Offers spatial information, but imprecise temporal information.
What is Electroencephalography (EEG)?	Records electrical signals at scalp and signals produced by brain activity. Unlike fMRI and PET, provides precise temporal information, but imprecise spatial information.
What is Magnetoencephalography (MEG)?	It records the magnetic field at the scalp, which is produced by electrical brain activity. This offers both precise spatial AND temporal information. Most effective method, but incredibly expensive.
What are Spatial and Temporal information?	Spatial is where it happens. Temporal is when it happens.
What is Single-Cell (Single-Unit) Recording?	Offers very precise spatial and temporal information, but it only works on one cell at a time. Could be representative of region, could not be. Impractical in humans, difficulty of generalising results from animals.
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?	A focused magnetic field that briefly disables (few milliseconds) an area of the cortex. Acts as a 'reversible lesion'. Provides precise spatial and temporal information.
What is Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)?	A small current (roughly that of an AA battery) is applied across the scalp for 20 minutes. This makes neurons more/less excitable and MAY boost cognitive training and improve psychiatric symptoms.
What are Neurons?	Nerve cells specialised for communication and transmitting information.
What are the 4 parts of a Neuron?	Cell Body, Dendrites, Axon and Terminal.
What functions do the Cell Body and Dendrites of a neuron have?	Cell Body – Contains DNA and equipment to get energy from food. Dendrites – Used for collecting information.
What functions do the Axon and Terminal of a neuron have?	Axon - Hollow tube for transmitting information. Terminal - Axon leads here and passes information to the next cell.
What is Action Potential?	Action Potential is the 'output' signal of a cell. It goes along an axon, with the purpose of maintaining a clear signal. It begins at the Axon Hillock, and travels along the axon to the Terminal, then triggers activity in the synapse.
What is Information Processing?	Interpreting a pattern of visual information as a face.
What is an Axon Hillock?	The first point of the axon, the point of no return. This is because once the action potential has begun at the Axon Hillock, it will continue forward no matter what.
What is the process of Neural "Firing"?	First, an electrical potential is set up: the resting potential. This is allowed to suddenly discharge: the action potential. This triggers further action potentials further along the axon.
What are "Voltage-Gated" ion channels?	Ion channels in the cell membrane that open at a particular voltage.
What is a Polarised Neuron?	A neuron at rest, and has an electrical charge. This is -70mV (millivolts) which means that it is more negative inside than outside.
What does the Sodium-Potassium Pump do?	It exchanges 3 sodium ions for two potassium ions, both of which are positively charged.
How is the Resting Potential set up and maintained?	Using the greater amount of positive ions being removed than taken in (via the Sodium-Potassium Pump), slowly negatively charging the neuron, making the inside of the cell relatively negative. This is done using energy from the body.
In what circumstances can the membrane become partially depolarised?	Either - An ‘excitatory’ input is received from another neuron or Neighbouring membrane is depolarised (passive conduction)
What action occurs when Depolarisation reaches the excitation threshold?	If depolarisation reaches the excitation threshold (around -60mV), an action potential is triggered.
When do Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels open?	When depolarisation reaches a threshold level.
What happens when Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels open?	Sodium ions (positively charged) flood in, changing the membrane potential from -70mV to +40mV.
When do Sodium Ion Channels become 'refractory' and why?	After the sodium ions flood in, they close and briefly lock. This is to stop the signal going backwards, and keep signals separate.
What is 'Repolarization' and what does it cost?	When Positively charged sodium ions are pumped out again – the resting potential is restored and may fire again. Once again, energy must be used to repolarise the cell.
Name 3 features of Action Potential.	1. The action potential is “all-or-none” either firing or not. 2. It is always the same size. 3. Important for preserving the message – signal is regenerated every time.
How does the Action Potential move along the Axon?	Through diffusion. Within any fluid, the particles are constantly moving in random directions. They will eventually become evenly distributed within the fluid. No energy is used.
What is Passive Conduction and what does it do?	It is the diffusion of ions within the intracellular fluid. This will ensure that adjacent membrane depolarizes; sufficient depolarization triggers a new action potential.
What is Salutatory Conduction?	Also known as "jumping", it is a more efficient mechanism which evolved to boost transmission.
What is Myelination?	It provides salutatory conduction for some types of axon. Most mammalian axons are mylinated (not all!).
What provides the myelin, and what function does it serve?	The myelin sheath is provided by oligodendrocytes. It's function is to provide insulation and save energy, as insulated axons cannot leak out ions.

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	Created by Aaron Thain over 5 years ago