...that person’s direct involvement. Current psychology entirely defines a thought as being a process of intellectual or mental exertion with an intention of finding a particular answer to a solution or a query to a problem. A thought ideally does have an anatomical basis since it involves various processes in the mind, which enables it to be completed fully (Holyoak & Morrison, 2012). According to Plotkin (2008), the fundamental initiation process of a thought as well as its development primarily involves the cortex. Research conducted recently by noble authors have shown that cortical structures and in particular the frontal lobes perform a vital function in the effective coordination of information. A good example of this can be traced to a person thinking about visiting a local grocery they have never visited before. Such a person will have a combination of various small pieces of knowledge they have concerning the grocery layout, the area map information, probable time required to get there and the likelihood of traffic scenarios. All these vital information will enable that person to travel on the best route required to reach the grocery. This action will involve keen control of information contained in the working memory, which is ably coordinated efficiently by the frontal lobes. The parietal lobe is among the three known lobes and it plays the most paramount role, which eventually makes up the thinking process. The parietal lobe is mainly concerned with...
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...Phineas Gage Wilson PSY 360 10/15/14 Robert Goodnight Phinea's Gage Paper From past to present the study of psychology has lead researcher's to uncover scientifically based studies about human brain power that can manipulate numerous functions related to cognition. The human brain is responsible for memory, perception, learning, and emotions that contribute to how information is gathered; in addition, environmental factors can determine how information is recorded and utilized. The brain is a huge operating system of which human cognitive skills and abilities depend on proper brain functioning that regulate particular biological processes. Cerebral Cortex The Cerebral Cortex is a region of the brain predominantly responsible for identifying human language; environmental perception and methods of which the brain will process information retrieved. The cerebral cortex is divided into a right and left hemisphere that contains four lobes; parietal, frontal, occipital and temporal. Within the cerebral cortex each lobe controls a particular bodily function that allows us to see, hear, smell, and touch. The executive functioning happens within the frontal lobe which controls human thinking and the method of which we reason and make judgments. "The frontal lobe is susceptible to injury because of the position inside of the skull. This area of the brain is responsible for motor function, solving problems, socialization, and impulse...
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... * Had an Award for Canadian Scientists Named after Himself Donald Hebb decided at an early age he did not want to be a Physicist like his parents. He had other aspirations, he wanted to write and study. At the age of 33, Hebb received a position at the Montreal Neurological Institute as a research fellow (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). The research Hebb conducted ultimately contributed greatly to the modern knowledge of the brain. He discovered, when there is an absence of stimulation the resulting product is the brain has more difficulty in its ability to problem solve and even to concentrate (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). The absence causes deterioration in the ability to do things quickly and efficiently, causing extreme difficulty. Hebb has even reported a few people who said they had experienced hallucinations from the absence of stimulation (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). Hebb’s research was extremely helpful in the studies of airplane pilots and of truck drivers. Many of these workers had reported having hallucinations while on the job. Hebb discovered the hallucinations were due to the fact they were not experiencing enough mental stimulation to keep their brains alert and active. From the age of 43 until he retired at the age of 68, Hebb worked as a psychology professor at McGill, teaching students about his research and his life work (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). Hebb was also quite influential in the advancements of interrogation techniques; his research of...
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...Notes Sept. 6, 2012 History and Perspectives * Definitions of Psychology * The science of mental life (William James, 1890) * “The study of human or animal behaviour” (Webster’s Dictionary 1988) * “The scientific study of behavior and mind” “The scientific study of behaviour and its causes” (Passer & Smith) * Roots of the Word * Psyche – Greek for soul * Logos – Greek for the study of a subject * Related Fields * Philosophy * Rene Decartes (1595-1650) Dualism (interactionism) * Body is physical entity * Mind is nonphysical entity * Mind and body are separate, distinct entities involved in the production of behaviour * Pineal gland (Used for mind and body to communicate) * Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) * Materialism – position that since nothing exists other than matter and energy the concept of soul is meaningless * Form of monism * Empiricism (Position that all human knowledge and thought are derived from sensory experience * Branch of Biology concerned with the scientific study of how living organisms function (Muller, Helmholtz, Fechner) * Birth of Psychology * Wilhelm Wundt * Established first independent psychology lab at university of Leipzig 1879 (birth of psychology) * Established first psychology journal 1881 * Studied consciousness (one’s awareness of...
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...CHAPTER 1: The Science of Psychology 1. Who founded the first Psychology laboratory and when was it (HINT: it was in Germany)? What else was he known for? a. First Lab 1879- Leipzig, Germany. Wilhelm Wundt, founder of psychology as discipline. Conscious experience and building blocks, trained many early psychologists 2. Identify the following, and the one or two main names (if applicable): Structuralists, Functionalists, Gestalt Psychology, Behaviorism Psychoanalysis, Humanistic Psychology, Cognitive Psychology b. Structuralists: Titchener- Wundt’s student. Wanted to examine the structure of mind and organization of basic elements of sensations, feelings, and images. “Structure of the mind” Example: I see a square as composed of four separate lines. Introspection: observing ones own conscious reactions. c. Functionalism- William James- first American psychologist. “Mental associations allow us to benefit from previous experience.” Deals with function, what does consciousness does to us, what is the purpose etc. d. Gestalt psychology- Max Wertheimer. Objects are well-organized structures, whole objects instead of parts. Ex. A square is a Square e. Behaviorism psychoanalysis – Sigmund Freud. Founded psychoanalysis in early 1900s, focused on unconscious thoughts in determining behavior. Psychoanalysis- feelings come from a hidden place in your mind called unconscious. f. Behaviorism- John Watson, B.F. Skinner. We can predict behaviors...
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...general knowledge such as who the prime minister is. On closer reflection, this is only really the tip of the iceberg when we look at the full range of human memory capabilities. Much of our memory is submerged from conscious view (e.g., skills such as driving or typewriting). Performance on complex tasks such as playing a musical instrument can even be disrupted when conscious awareness intrudes. We learn and remember how to use language often without having to be conscious of its grammatical rules. A better description of memory could be ‘the ability to retain and utilize acquired information or knowledge’. Memory is an integral part of our existence, yet it is only vaguely understood. Through empirical studies on people, the methods of cognitive psychology have lead to some useful descriptions, distinctions and theoretical advances in our understanding of different types of memory. These approaches have paid little attention to the biological substrate of memory – the brain. This is probably partly because, until recently, the tremendous complexity of the brain has hampered our ability to gain useful insights into memory from it. But now, our understanding of the brain is beginning to reach a level of sophistication that may allow this. Tentative links between brain processes and cognitive theories are beginning to emerge in our quest to understand memory. 1 This essay is about some of these tentative links between brain and mind, and how they are may...
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...the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes. Memory Part of the brain that is responsible for memory is also known as the hippocampus, it is located within the temporal lobes, adjacent to the amygdale. The hippocampus is involved in memory forming, organizing and storing information. It is particularly important in storing new memories and connecting emotions and senses, such as smell and sound to, memories. A case study of H.M. (1953) highlights how important the function of the hippocampus is. H.M. was a man who suffered from epilepsy who had surgery to remove the hippocampus to prevent his severe symptoms. After his operation he suffered from major memory loss, which then went on to cause an inability to transfer new information into his long term memory. This resulted in the realisation that the removal of the hippocampus can have detrimental effects on the brains memory. Language and speech The Boca’s area is one of the main areas of the brain which is responsible for producing language. It is located in the lower portion of the left frontal lobe and was discovered by French neurosurgeon Paul Broca .He realised that people who had language difficulties often had damage to this area of the brain. This part of the brain controls motor functions involved with speech production. Damage to the Broca’s area can result in a person being able to understand language but unable to form words or produce speech. The Wernicke's area is located on the temporal lobe on the...
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...this question. Brain imaging like MRI’s, CAT, and PET scans all help in discovering the brains role in cognitive functioning. Advances in imaging technology have helped researchers pin point which areas of the brain are responsible for thinking, learning and memory. By recording activity of the brain in action, researchers can examine the systems of brain regions that participate in different cognitive functions, ranging from basic sensory and motor functions to complex functions like reasoning and language understanding. According to the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) at the University of Pittsburg “To discover how brain cells actually support cognitive processes, CNBC investigators use physiological studies of neuronal activity in animals. Such studies have uncovered neurons that encode basic sensory properties of stimuli as well as others that reflect deeper cognitive analyses, such as the relative location of one object with respect to other objects of interest, the emotional content of a facial expression, the location of the animal in extra personal space or the anticipated reward value...
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...General Psychology Instructor Charlotte Nolan-Reyes, PhD Write your name on the BACK MULTIPLE CHOICE Choose the ONE BEST answer and circle it clearly. 1. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes is called ____. a. | introspection | c. | behaviorism | b. | psychology | d. | functionalism | 2. A hypothesis is best defined as: | a. | an if-then type statement that predicts a specific relationship among variables that can then be tested. | b. | the precise meaning of a term which specifies the operations for observing and measuring the phenomenon being investigated. | c. | an organized system of assumptions that attempts to explain a data set (specified phenomena and their interrelationships). | d. | the principle that a scientific theory must allow for hypotheses that are specific enough to all for the possibility tht they theory may be disconfirmed. | | 3. Participants in an experiment on stress management are given a set of stress reduction techniques and then measured for the effect. What is the role of the control group in this experiment? a. | They receive no stress reduction techniques and they are not measured. | b. | They receive a random stress reduction technique. | c. | They receive no stress management techniques, but they are measured. | d. | They receive the same techniques as the experimental group, and they are measured. | 4. The early approach to psychology in which...
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...Material Introduction to Psychology Worksheet Complete each part with 100- to 200-word responses. Your responses must total 500 to 800-words for the entire worksheet. Part I: Origins of Psychology Within psychology, several perspectives are used to describe, predict, and explain human behavior. Describe three major psychological perspectives and name at least one leading theorist for each. Three major psychological perspectives are behavioral, sociocultural, and cognitive. The behavioral perspective views behavior as the result of environment experience. Environmental experience is basically all of a person’s life experiences that they have been subjected to in the past, and also the new experiences that will take part in their behavior. The behavioral perspective gained great momentum in the 20th century because it was a powerful tool in training, education, and industry. Critics claimed that behaviorism was dehumanizing. (John B. Watson, http://www.ccis.edu/, 5/17/13) and others conducted a thorough explication of Classical Conditioning and B. F. Skinner, responding somewhat to the critics of behaviorisms dehumanization, explained and expertly defended the processes of Operant Conditioning. Basically based off of a person’s environment will depict the way that they may behave. The cognitive perspective focuses mainly on the cognitive processes that are involved in learning, also on how a person’s brain works. It’s a form of psychology that examines internal mental...
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...Biological Psychology Paper Individual Week 1 Psy 340 Biological Psychology Paper Individual Week 1 Since man first began to think, he asked the question of how, where, and why. Man wanted to know how and why the thought process occurred. We want to know where we actually live. Where is conscious thought? It was once believed that our thoughts and soul were housed in our hearts. As man began to understand and study the human body, these beliefs changed. We now know that every thought, emotion, belief, and impulse begins in the brain. The primary focus of biopsychology is to understand the mind versus brain relationship. Biological psychology is a sub-field and combination of two separate academic areas of scientific study. Biology literally means the study of life. Physiology is the study of how the body functions. Human psychology studies the mind and the resulting behavior of people (Pinel, 2009). The fields of psychology and physiology are studied together in order to achieve a better understanding of each area and their interdependent functioning and relationships. Biological psychology is also known as: biopsychology, neuroscience, neurobiology, and even behavioral science (Bickhard, 2009). Historically, biological psychology began with the ancient Greeks. Theorists and philosophers across time have added to biology and psychology. Plato, Socrates, Descartes, Galen, and Galvani have all given life to this field. Descartes thought that pineal gland of the...
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...Degree of Master of Science Psychology University of Phoenix March, 2015 Abstract Psychopathic and sociopathic general characteristic traits are found in both genders in various populations. More research on the general characteristic traits of females is needed. Research for the female populations will give professionals information about the differences displayed between genders. Different applied sciences will also further their knowledge in treatment options for either tendency. The study used explored if any differences existed between genders with intensified levels of psychopathic traits in regard to psychopathy factor scores. The sample consisted of 2,500 people of both genders (52.6% women) (M=22.15; SD=1.38) from the generalized population, aged 20-24. Results displayed women with psychopathic personality traits had significantly higher levels of behavioral tendencies than men of the same. The genders did display a difference in aggressive behavior. The men showed a significant amount of aggressive behaviors compared to the women. The gender differences displayed in the seven psychopathic features show the variations needed for treatment options. Differences and Similarities in Generalized Characteristic Traits among Genders: The Sociopath and Psychopath by Evelyn J. Dotson MS, University of Phoenix, 2015 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Psychology University of Phoenix March...
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...AP Psychology Essay Prompts and Scoring Rubrics The enclosed document includes an essay prompt for each unit in AP Psychology and a corresponding scoring rubric. The purpose of this activity is to increase the students’ awareness of how AP exam readers grade from a rubric. Emphasis is placed on the definition of terms and the application of those terms. Units include: Introduction to Psychology Psychobiology Sensation and Perception Memory Learning Nature and Nurture of Behavior Developing Person Thinking, Language, and Intelligence States of Consciousness Motivation and Emotion Personality Stress and Health Psychological Disorders Therapy Social Psychology Unit: Introduction to Psychology Describe the different perspectives from which psychologists examine behavior and mental processes, and explain their complementarity. Your answer should include: ➢ Neuroscience ➢ Evolutionary ➢ Behavior Genetics ➢ Psychodynamic ➢ Behavioral ➢ Cognitive ➢ Social-cultural Rubrics Note: The application portion on the rubrics may include a variety of answers. This is simply an example of possible answers. The perspectives have more than one complement. |Term |Definition |Application ...
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...The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this article. ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Dr. David R. Spiegel, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 825 Fairfax Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23507; Phone: (757) 446-5888; Email: spiegedr@evms.edu KEY WORDS: Amnestic disorder, frontal lobe, diencephalic A Case of Probable Korsakoff’s Syndrome: A Syndrome of Frontal Lobe and Diencephalic Structural Pathogenesis and a Comparison with Medial Temporal Lobe Dementias by DAVID R. SPIEGEL, MD, and KHENG-JIM LIM, MD Drs. Spiegel and Lim are from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2011;8(6):15–19 ABSTRACT Korsakoff’s Syndrome is an amnestic disorder that involves both anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Traditionally associated with longstanding alcohol misuse, thiamine deficiency has been long posited in its pathogenesis, as has dienecephalic lesions. Yet, through this case report, we highlight similarities (and differences) with medial temporal lobe memory disorders and the role of frontal lobe dysfunction in its retrograde amnesia. INTRODUCTION Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) and Korsakoff syndrome (KS) are generally viewed as two distinct stages of the same illness called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WK syndrome). WE, the acute form of the disease, consists of a degenerative brain disorder due to a thiamine deficiency...
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...hormonal and physical changes. The transition from childhood to adulthood is also characterized by psychological changes in terms of identity, self-consciousness, and cognitive flexibility. In the past decade, it has been demonstrated that various regions of the human brain undergo development during adolescence and beyond. Some of the brain regions that undergo particularly protracted development are involved in social cognitive function in adults. In the first section of this paper, I briefly describe evidence for a circumscribed network of brain regions involved in understanding other people. Next, I describe evidence that some of these brain regions undergo structural development during adolescence. Finally, I discuss recent studies that have investigated social cognitive development during adolescence. The first time Uta Frith made an impression on me was when I was 15. That year I was given a copy of her book Autism: Explaining the Enigma (U. Frith, 1989), which had recently been published. I knew nothing about autism and found Uta’s book captivating. It inspired me to write to its author and ask if I could do a week’s work experience in her lab. With characteristic generosity, Uta agreed. So in the summer of 1990, I spent a week in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognitive Development Unit, where I observed children with autism being tested on the Sally Anne task, and joined in when Uta’s group were generating spoonerisms like Dob Bylan and Himi...
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