AP Psych Unit 7.8 - 8.4

Glands that produce hormones - responsive to message from hypothalamus of the central nervous system

1. Bloodstream (not at synapse)

2. Longer lasting effects

Hormones produced regulate/control the activity of other glands - also secretes growth hormones - responds to hypothalamus

Secretes adrenaline and cortisol

Elevated arousal during/after jumpscare - redirects bloodflow to major muscles while in bloodstream

Longer term stress hormone (chronic stress)

Secretes melatonin controls sleep/wake cycle by responding to light in the environment

Regulates calcium - either producing more or less parathyroid hormone

Testes and ovaries

• Dramatic decrease with age

• Contribute to the development of primary/secondary sex characteristics and overall sex drive

Hormone: Testosterone

Linked with aggression, fatigue, muscle mass

Hormone: Estrogen

Linked with the reproduction system

Aggression designed to achieve a goal

Aggression designed to inflict physical or mental harm

Roughly every 90 we pass through a full cycle of four distinct sleep stages measured by an EEG

Older people sleep less than younger people

Identical twins have more similar sleep schedules than fraternal twins

Modern lighting, late shifts etc.

Biological clock of physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24/25-hour day/night cycle

• “Jet lagged” (tiredness after changing time zones

1. Light is detected by photoreceptors (light receptors in the eye)

2. Received by the hypothalamus that then regulates the production of melatonin from the pineal gland

Resting with eyes closed, meditation

Normal wakeness

10 minute transition between wakefullness and sleep, stage goes away as you sleep longer

Sudden “awakening” often with feeling of falling

“Baseline sleep” (50% of sleep) EEG: Theta waves

Short bursts of brain activity

Largely unresponsive/deepest stage when growth hormone is secreted from pituitary gland

EEG: Delta waves

Last stage in a cycle that increases in length over night with varying EEG readings - including some brain activity as being awake

1. Dreaming

2. Strongly believed to improve memory for new information

3. Lack of sleep leads to REM rebound (more times than normal spent in REM)

4. Increased blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing mimic wakefullness

5. But lowered muscle tone (sleep paralysis)

Reoccurring problem falling or staying asleep

Treatment: Mimics the effects of melatonin of GABA

Sudden, unwarned (often short) attacks of uncontrollable sleep attacks

Treatment: Stimulants (more brain activity) such as ampthemaines

Momentary stops in breathing with brief awakenings and loud snores

Treatment: Breathing masks

NREM III Disorder

Episodes of sudden high arousal and appearance of freight during NREM-3 (not a nightmare)

NREM III Disorder

Performing actions usually done while conscious (ex. walking) - during NREM-3 (not a dream)

Images, emotions or thoughts that occur during mostly REM sleep while the body is paralyzed

Brains attempt to make sense of meaningless patterns of neural activity from the (pons) and match it to the cerebral cortex functions

Dreams help us retain new information by sorting days events/stresses and consolidating memories

Sigmund Freud

Dreams gain insight into unconscious motives

The plot - what actually happens

Deep symbolic meaning (often sexual)

The extent to which the differences among people are attributable to genes

Study of orgins of behavior and mental processes emphasizing the adaptive or survival value of such traits

Charles Darwin

Evolutionary process through which adaptive traits are passed on to ongoing generations and maladaptive are supressed

The genetic makeup as determined by inherited genes (Xx,Yy)

The physical expression of a genotype (Brown eyes)

Expressed if it is present at all (capital letter)

Expressed only if it is present twice (lowercase letter)

Carriers of the recessive sickle-cell allele are resistant to malaria

Process by which we perceive/respond to stressors that were appraised as threatening

Episodic-Acute stress

Prolonged-Chronic stress

Hans Selye

Three phase reaction to stress

(Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion)

Measured cortisol/blood sugar levels in rats over time

Immediate response to a stress when the body mobilizes resources to respond

Body response:

1. Activation of sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels

2. Secretion of stress hormones. Increased adrenaline from the adrenal glands

Stress is prolonged but stabilized

Body response:

1. Body copes to sustained arousal

2. Cortisol release is prolonged. Increased blood pressure and heart rate

Body can no longer cope with stress/body changes

Body response:

1. Weakening of immune system - increase vulnerablility to disease, death, flu, collapse, etc

Kurt Lewin

Episode of incompatible goals/demands

Having to decide between two appealing possibilities

Having to decide between two undesirable possibilities

When one possibility is both desirable and undesirable

Defined Type A and Type B personalities

Hardworking, competitive, aggressive, impatient, anger prone

(70% of heart attacks are from type A personalities)

Easy going, relaxed

An unlearned genetically programmed behavior pattern of complex behavior in an animal species (animals only)

Enables survival

Physiological needs create a drive that motivates an organism to satisfy the need in order to return to homeostasis

(water creates thirst)

Aim of drive-reduction theory - a balanced internal state (body temp)

Unlearned biological needs for survival (including long-term)

(ex. hunger, thirst, sex, sleep, warmth)

Learned drives

(ex. fame, fortune)

Optimal performance occurs when arousal is moderate

Low arousal = too sleepy/fatigue

Medium arousal = optimal

High arousal = too nervous/stressed

People seek experiences that match their desired level of physiological arousal

High arousal seekers = skydiving

Low arousal seekers = watch tv

Stimulated after hungry hormone ghrelin is secreted - feel hungry

When stimulated - feel full

Idea that there is a “set weight” and the body increases hunger when below to restore lost weight

1. Social expectation/seeing food (i already ate at home… actually i will order some fries)

2. Memory of routine

Alfred Kinsey

Conducted first major study of human sexuality

Discovered: both genders were more sexual than expected (homosexual, partners etc.)

Due to sex - specific parental demands (breastfeeding)

• commitment

• access to resources

• slightly older

Due to identifying fertile mates

• fertility/reproductive validity (youth)

• jealousy shared as adaptive evolutionary function

Need to be with other people - particularly when threatened

Reduces anxiety/stress (promoting survival)

David McClelland

Developed a scoring system for Thematic Apperception tests to measure achievement motivation based on

• Competitiveness/excellence

• mastery of fairly difficult task (not too easy, not too hard)

• high conscientiousness

Psychologists who study business efficiency/management styles

Paul Ekman

Studied: Facial expressions across cultures

Found: There was six basic universal innate emotions (happy, sad, anger, fear, surprise, disgust)

Paul Ekman

Tendency for facial muscle states to trigger the corresponding feeling

Ex) Smile →triggers → happy

1. Arousing situation

2. Physiological arousal

3. Emotion

1. Arousing situation

2. Simultaneously

• Physiological arousal

• Emotion

Stanley Schachter + Jerome Singer

1. Arousing situation

2. Physiological arousal

3. Cognitive appraisal/labeling of the arousal (“Why is my heart racing?”)

4. Emotion

If Schachter is correct…

Amusement Park First Date

Arousing activity (heart racing) → date needs to appraise the arousal → “my heart is racing because im in love” (when it is really just the roller coaster)

1. Arousing situation

2. Cognitive appraisal/labeling of stimulus (“is this safe?”)

3. Physiological arousal

4. Emotion

Some emotional responses occur instantly in a “short path” while others follow the “cognitive appraisal” path