psChapter 1
Psychology – the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes
William James (1842-1910) asserted that conscious experience could not be broken down as structuralists believed. James maintained that experience focused on the behavior and described his views in the Principles of Psychology.
Wilhelm Wundt – He viewed mental processes as activities and classified feelings as pleasant or unpleasant, tense or relaxed, and excited or depressed.
Hippocrates – The ancient Greeks generally believed that the gods punished people for wrongdoing by causing them confusion and madness. However, the Greek physician Hippocrates rejected these beliefs. He suggested that such problems are caused by abnormalities in the brain and had a rational explanation. This idea that biological factors can affect our thoughts, feelings, and behavior influenced thinking about psychology for more than 2,000 years.
Socrates – A student of the philosopher Socrates in ancient Greece, recorded his teachers advice. “Know thy self” This phrase has remained an important motto of psychological study ever since. Socrates suggested that we can learn much about ourselves by carefully examining our own thoughts & feelings. Psychologists call this method of learning introspection, which means “looking within”
Aristole (384-322 B.C.)
Raised many questions about human behavior that are still discussed. Aristole outlined the laws of associationism.
Kenneth Clark – Dealt with gender, culture, prejudice, & stereo types. In 1946 the Clarks founded the Northside center for child development. The white & black doll.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
The school of thought that he founded, called psychoanalysis, emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives & internal conflicts in determining & understanding human behavior.
John Locke – building on principles of associationism, theorized that knowledge is not inborn but is learned from experience.
Helen Keller (born in Tuscombia, Alabama in 1880)
-19 months old, she was walking and had just started to learn a few words. Then became ill.
-Anne Sullivan was Helen’s teacher.
-Age 10 started to speak.
-Learned to speak by “Learning” the vibrations made when she placed her fingers on Sullivans larynx.
-Learned to “Listen” to others speak by putting her middle finger on the others speak by putting her middle finger on the speakers hose, her fore finger on the speakers lips, and her thumb on the speakers larynx. Forsenic Psychologist –
When an attorney wants and expert witness to testift whether a person accused of a crime is or not competent to stand trial, the attorney might call on a forsenic pshycologist.
-Trained police officers in the handling of dangerous situations they may encounter, such as suicide threats, hostage crisis, and family violence.
Environmental Psychologist
Studies how light affects mood in patients with seasonal affective disorder, also known as winter depression. They focus on the ways in which people influence and are influenced by their physical environment.
Consumer Psychologist
Placement results from the work of consumer psychologist, who study and predict the behavior of shoppers. Milk is placed at the rear of the store because its an item that many people buy frequently. Its placement ensures that shoppers will pass and buy. They also work with advertising companies to create effective newspaper ads and tv commercials.
Clinical Psychologist
Specialty areas within this field include child mental health, adult mental health, learning disabilities, geriatrics, and general healthy. The psychologists in this field help people with psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia. Help overcome problems & adjust to the demands of their lives.
Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
· Focus on people and work
· Study the behavior of people in organizations, such business firms.
· Helps employees who have problems on the job.
Developmental Psychologist
· Studies the changes that occur throughout a persons life span.
· Physical (height, weight, adolescent growth)
· Emotional (developmental of self-concept & self esteem)
· Cognitive(childhood to adulthood in mental images of the world outside or how children learn right from wrong.
· Social (formation of bonds between parents & children, relationship with peers, or intimate relationships between adults.
Educational Psychologist
· Concerned with helping students learn.
· Focus on course planning & instructional methods for an entire school system.
· Concerned with the issues : o Abilities, learning, and child adolescent development.
· Learning is affected by the following: o Psychological factors, such as motivation, emotions, creativity & intelligence. o Cultural factors, such as the level of income earned by a persons family. o Instructional methods used in the classroom.
Functionalism : the school of psychology, founded by William James, that emphasizes the purposes of behavior and mental process and what they accomplish for the individual.
Psychoanalyctic Perspective – The perspective that stresses the influences of unconscious forces on human behavior.
Cognitive Perspective – a process in which that emphasizes the role of thought processes in determining behavior.
Learning Perspective – The psychological perspective that emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior.
Biological Perspective – the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior.
Social cultural Perspective – in psychology, the perspective that focuses on the influences of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socio-economic status on behavior and mental processes.

Chapter 2
Single Blind Study: Participants do not know whether they are in the experimental group or the control group.
Nature of results obtained from the Experimental Method: o The method researchers use to answer questions about cause and effect in the experiment. Participants receive a treatment, such as a change in room temp or new drug. Almost by their very nature, experiments must simplify things somewhat in order to yield useful information about cause & effect.
Hypothesis :A prediction or assumption about behavior that is tested through
Scientific research. Chapter 3
The Brain Left | Right | Logic | Imagination | Problem Solving | Visual-color oriented | Language | Spatial Construct | Interpretation | Face Recognition |

In order for a message to be sent from one neuron to another neuron, It must cross the synapse. The synapse is a junction between the axon terminals of one neuron and the dendrites of another. Function of the peripheral nervous system is made up of nerve cells that send messages between the central nervous system and other parts of the body. Part of the nervous system which activates the “fight or flight” response: Adrenal glands Neuron: a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system. Function of the corpus callosum. In the brain, the structure that connects the two hemispheres. Chapter 4 o Two chemical sense: smell & taste o Part of the eye which focuses on the retina: lens

Open-Ended
The goals of psychology
Psychologists observe and describe behavior and mental processes to better understand them. This process enables psychologists to explain, predict, and help clients control their behavior. * Explain behavior * Predict and control
Ethical considerations in research
Psychologists follow ethical standards to promote the dignity of the individual, foster human welfare, and maintain scientific integrity. An important aspect of psychologists’ work is to lessen human suffering. Along these lines, ethical standards prevent scientists from undertaking research or treatments that will be harmful to human participants. * Confidentiality * Informed consent * Deception * Analyzing true data (psychologists cannot change the data themselves to prove their hypothesis
The lobes of the brain
1.The Hindbrain The medulla, the pons, and the cerebellum are important structures of the hindbrain * Medulla: is involved in vital functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. * Pons: is located in front of the medulla and is involved in regulating body movement, attention, sleep, and alertness * Cerebellum: involved in balance and coordination
2. The Midbrain is located between the hindbrain and the forebrain. Areas within the midbrain are involved in vision and hearing. The midbrain contains part of the reticular activating system. * The reticular activating system begins in the hindbrain and rises through the midbrain into the lower part of the forebrain. This system is important for attention, sleep, and arousal. Stimulation of the reticular activating system makes us alert. It affects arousal by increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and it increases brain activity. Some drugs, such as alcohol, reduce the activity of the reticular activating system, thus affecting alertness and reaction time.
3. The Forebrain, four key areas of the forebrain are the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the limbic system, and the cerebrum. The forebrain is the part of the brain that makes it possible for humans to engage in complex thinking processes * The thalamus is a critical structure of the brain because it serves as a relay station for sensory stimulation. The thalamus transmits sensory information to the areas of the brain that interpret and respond to the information. The thalamus also relays sensory input from the eyes and the ears to the appropriate parts of the brain for interpretation of the input. * The hypothalamus is vital to the regulation of body temperature, the storage of nutrients, and various aspects of motivation and emotion. Also involved in hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, caring for offspring, and aggression. Disturbances within the hypothalamus can lead to unusual drinking and eating behaviors * The limbic system is involved in learning and memory, emotion, hunger, sex, and aggression * The cerebrum is the site of most conscious and intellectual activities. The surface of the cerebrum is wrinkled with ridges and valleys called the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain
Perceptual Constancies * Size constancy is the tendency to perceive an object as being of one size no matter how far away the object is * Color constancy is the tendency to perceive objects as keeping their color even though different light might change the appearance of their color. * shape constancy is the knowledge that an item has only one shape no matter what angle you view it from * Brightness constancy is the tendency to perceive an object as being equally bright even when the intensity of the light around it changes