Cognitive Psychology: Foundations, Brain Systems, and Perception
Foundations of Psychological Research
Level and Scope of Psychological Explanations
Psychological phenomena can be explained at different levels:
- Some psychological explanations are based on biology.
- Some psychological explanations are based on mental states.
- Some psychological explanations are based on social/cultural factors.
The scope of psychological research refers to whether it applies to:
- All human beings.
- Certain groups of people (e.g., people with schizophrenia).
- Individual people (e.g., my mother)
The Neurochemistry of Love, Lust, Anger, and Aggression
Passionate Love: Neurochemical Profile
- High densities of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), but low levels of serotonin (5-HT).
- Displays subcortical activity in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA), caudate nucleus, and putamen.
- Functions on dopaminergic-rich pathways, resulting in brain activation similar to cocaine use. It is rewarding, positive, and motivating.
- In response to seeing a loved one, the VTA uses chemical messengers (dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin) to send signals to the nucleus accumbens.
Psychology Essentials: Stress, Disorders, and Treatment Approaches
Stress and Coping Mechanisms
Understanding Stress
Stress: Circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten oneโs well-being and challenge coping abilities.
Common stressors: Frustration, conflict, change, pressure.
Types of Stressors
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Frustration | Occurs when pursuit of a goal is blocked. |
| Conflict | Occurs when two or more incompatible motivations compete. Examples: ๐น Approach-Approach โ two good choices. ๐น Avoidance-Avoidance โ two bad choices. ๐น Approach-Avoidance โ one |
The Science of Sight: Psychophysics, Eye Anatomy, and Neural Vision
Foundations of Sensation and Perception
Psychophysics: Measuring Perception
Weber’s Law and Just Noticeable Difference
Ernst Weber discovered that the smallest detectable change in a stimulus is a constant proportion of the stimulus level.
Weber’s Law: ฮI/I = k (where ฮI is the change in intensity we can detect, I is the intensity of the stimulus, and k is a constant).
The Just Noticeable Difference (JND) is the minimum amount of difference between two stimuli required to reliably notice a change.
Fechner’
Read MoreUnderstanding Basic Human Emotions: Surprise, Disgust, Fear, Joy, Sadness
Surprise: The Briefest Emotion
Surprise is often considered the most unique basic emotion. According to Darwin, surprise is caused by the unexpected or unknown. It can be defined as a reaction caused by something unexpected, novel, or strange, and also as a reaction to a discrepant event or a deviation from a subject’s plan. It is the shortest of all emotions and is a neutral emotional response. It suddenly occurs in response to a new situation and disappears just as quickly as it appeared. Its duration
Read MoreKey Psychological Concepts: Understanding Human Behavior
Fundamental Psychological Definitions
What is Memory?
Memory is the ability to learn, retain, and recall information, experiences, or situations.
What is a Criterion?
A criterion is the capacity to verify reality and form one’s own opinions, which then guide our actions.
Emotional Characteristics of Individuals
These refer to individuals who feel and process their emotions internally.
Sanguine Personality Traits
A sanguine individual is characterized by:
- Not highly emotional
- Active
- Non-retentive (in terms