Nervous System

The Nervous System

• Starts with an individual nerve cell called a NEURON.

Neuro-anatomy

• Synapse - a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.

Neurotransmitters (chemicals held in terminal bottoms that travel through synaptic gaps.) 

This is a Neuron, with all of its parts labeled.

• Resting Potential: slightly negative charge
• Reach the threshold when enough neurotransmitters reach the dendrites

It is an Electrochemical process

• Electrical inside the neuron
• Chemical outside the neuron
• The firing is called Action Potential

All or Nothing Response

• The idea that either the neuron fires or it does not - no partway firing, like a gun

Neurotransmitters

• chemical messengers released by terminal buttons throughout the synapse

Types

Acetylcholine (ACH)

• Deals with motor movement and memory
• Lack of ACH has been linked to Alzheimer's disease

Dopamine

• Deals with motor movement and alertness
• Lack of Dopamine has been linked to Parkinson's disease
• Too much has been linked to schizophrenia 

Serotonin

• Involved in mood control 
• Lack of Serotonin has been linked to depression

Endorphins

• Involved in pain control
• Many of our most addictive drugs deal with Endorphins

Drugs

• Agonists- Makes neuron fire
• Antagonists- Stops neurons fire

Different Kinds of Neurons

• Sensory Neurons - take the info from the senses to the brain
• Inter Neurons - Takes messages from Sensory Neurons to the other parts of the brain
• Motor Neurons - Take information from the brain to the rest of the body

Body Chemistry

Glucose

• Insulin convert glucose to fat
• When glucose levels drop, hunger increases

The Psychology of Hunger

• Externals: People whose eating is triggered more by the presence of food, rather than internal factors

Bulimia Nervosa

• Binging  and Purging

Anorexia Nervosa

• Starve themselves to below 85% of their normal body weight

Obesity

• overeating

Intrinsic motivators

• Rewards we get, internally, such as enjoyment as satisfaction

Extrinsic Motivators

• Reward that we get for accomplishments from outside ourselves

Conformity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrNIuFrso8I

This is a video about conformity.

Conformity -  Adjusting

Conditions that strengthen Conformity

• One is made to feel incompetent
• The group is at least 3 people
• Must be unanimous
• One admires the groups status
• One had no prior commitment
• The person is observed

Reasons for Conformity

• Normative Social Influence
• Influence resulting from a persons desire to gain approval or avoid disappointment

I 1935, sheriff started a study about conformity, and that is what this video explains, in extreme detail.

Social Psychology

Social Psychology - The study of how we think about influence and relate to one another

Social Thinking

• How we think about one another

Attribution Theory

• The idea that we give a casual explanation for someone's behavior 

Fundamental Attribution Error

• The tendency to underestimate the impact of a situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Attitudes

• A belief of feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to something
• Do our attitudes guide our action?
• Only if...
• External Pressure is minimal

Foot-in-the-door-Phenomenon

• The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a large request

Door-in-th-face Phenomenon

• The tendency for people who say no to a huge request, to comply with a smaller one

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• We do not like when we have either conflicting attitudes or when our attitudes do not match our actions

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Types of Research

                Types of Research

Recently in class, we have been studying about the three main types of research conducted by psychologists. The three types of Research are, Descriptive Research, Correlational Research, and Experimental Research.

What is Descriptive Research?

Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe "what exists" with respect to variables or conditions in a situation. The methods involved range from the survey which describes the status quo, the correlation study which investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to determine changes over time.

What is Correlation Research?

Correlation research is a form of analysis in which you correlate one variable with another to determine if there is a relationship between them. 

What is Experimental Research?

is a systematic and scientific approach to research in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables, and controls and measures any change in other variables.

The most common type of study in psychology measures correlation, and it is known as the survey method. It is a very cheap and fast method of surveying, plus you can use technology to spread the survey.

I would like to provide a case example for Descriptive Research for everyone to have a more clear understandig of the topic.

A researcher wants to know why individuals in Community A have a higher rate of a rare form of cancer when compared to those living in Community B.  To find out the reasons for the differences in cancer rates in these two communities, the investigator surveyed residents about their lifestyle, noted the types of businesses that were present in the community and searched medical records. The researcher found that the headquarters for the Toxico Chemical Plant is located in Community A, there is a higher rate of cigarette smoking in this community and residents tended to delay or skip going to the doctor for an annual checkup. In Community B, the largest employer was a department store and on average, residents did not smoke as much as residents from Community A. However, like individuals from Community A, Community B residents tended to delay or skip their annual checkup with their doctor.

This is a very simple example of Descriptive Research.

I hope everyone has enjoyed today's topic on the different types of research used in psychology, tune in next time!

http://explorable.com/experimental-research

http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/sdsu/eg_desc.htm

Personality Disorders

Wow, I have been looking into the disorder called Antisocial Personality Disorder we learned about in class, and boy is it interesting.

What is Anti-social Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder is a type of chronic mental condition in which a person's ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are dysfunctional — and destructive. People with antisocial personality disorder typically have no regard for right and wrong and often disregard the rights, wishes and feelings of others.

(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/basics/definition/con-20027920)

People with this particular disorder can be very harsh or mean to others, sort of like how bullies act. In fact, bullies are usually mean towards others, because of something that has happened earlier on in their lifes, and it could result in Anti-social Disorder. If I had to deal with a person with this disorder I dont think I could be friends with them, because this particular disorder pretty much makes the person unfeeling to anyone else's feelings. I was looking up videos on youtube about said disorder and you have got to check out what I found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMSQNVhMqA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcxW_ciP5R4





Even this beloved character known by all has this type of disorder. Be careful who you hang around with or look up too kids, because anyone can have this scary disorder.