Psychology Exam Review

December 2007

Chapter 6

• Synapse- is the gap that exists between individual nerve cells.

• Spinal cord- are the nerves that run up and down the length of the back and transmit most messages between the body and the brain

Chapter 6

• Neurons- are the long, thin cells of nerve tissue along which messages travel to and from the brain.

• Genes- are basic units of heredity.

Chapter 6

• Hormones- are chemical substances that carry messages through the body in blood

• Central nervous system- the brain and spinal cord

Chapter 6

• Pituitary gland- the center of control of the endocrine system that secretes a large number of hormones.

• Endocrine system- a chemical communication system, using hormones, by which messages are sent through the bloodstream

Chapter 6

• Myelin sheath- is a white, fatty substance that insulates and protects the axon for some neurons.

• Hyperthyroidism- too much thyroxine

• Hypothyroidism- to little thyroxine

Chapter 6

• Four lobes of the brain– Occipital – Parietal– Temporal– Frontal

Chapter 6

• Left side of the brain controls– The right side of the body– Mathematical ability, calculation, and logic

Chapter 7

• Insomnia- is the failure to get enough sleep at night in order to feel rested the next day.

• Sleep apnea- is a disorder in which a person has trouble breathing while sleeping.

Chapter 7

• Narcolepsy- is a condition characterized by suddenly falling asleep or feeling very sleepy during the day.

• Posthypnotic suggestion- are suggested things for their participants to remember or forget when the trance is over.

Chapter 7

• Consciousness- is a state of awareness

• Three types of meditation – Entertainment– Therapeutic– medical

Chapter 7

• Three types of meditation– Transcendental– Mindfulness– Breath

Chapter 7

• Stages of sleep– Stage 1

• Pulse slows and muscles relax and breathing becomes uneven and brain waves grow irregular.

– Stage 2• Eyes roll slowly from side to side

– Stage 3• Characterized by large-amplitude delta waves

begin to sweep your brain almost every second

Chapter 7

• Stages of Sleep– Stage 4

• Deepest sleep of all and very difficult to awaken sleeper

– REM sleep• Is a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye

movements, a high level of brain activity, a deep relaxation of the muscles, and dreaming

Chapter 8

• Vision is the most studied senses.

• 8% of men have color deficiency

Chapter 8

• Vance Packard wrote the book The Hidden Persuaders. – It focused on subliminal messages in

advertising

Chapter 8

• Sensation- is the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the brain.

• Perception- is the organization and interpretation of sensory information into meaningful experiences.

Chapter 8

• Subliminal messages- are brief auditory or visual messages that are presented below the absolute threshold so that their chance of perception is less than 50 percent.

• Illusions- are perceptions that misrepresent physical stimuli.

Chapter 9

• Conditioned response- is the learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus.

• Conditioned stimulus- is a once-neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has bee paired with and unconditioned stimulus

Chapter 9

• Classical conditioning- is a learning procedure in which associations are made between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus.

• Secondary reinforcer- stimulus such as money that becomes rewarding through its link with a primary reinforcer.

Chapter 9

• Token economy- conditioning in which desirable behavior is reinforced with valueless objects, which can be accumulated and exchanged for valued rewards.

Chapter 9

• Two negatives to punishment:– People learn to avoid the person delivering

the consequences– Can produce unwanted side effects such as

rage, fear, and agression

Chapter 9

• Little Albert– Psychologists put Little Albert in a cage with

rats.– He played with the rats until a buzzer or siren

scared him.

– He associated the sound with the rats and he was afraid to play with them anymore.

Chapter 10

• Storage- is the process by which information is maintained over a period of time.

• Memory- is the input, storage, and retrieval of what has been learned or experienced.

Chapter 10

• Encoding- is the transforming of information so that the nervous system can process it

Chapter 10

• The three stages of memory– Sensory– Short Term– Long Term