summary psychological science 6th edition gazzaniga 978393640342

summary psychological science 6th edition gazzaniga 978393640342

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summary psychological science 6th edition gazzaniga 978393640342

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summary psychological science 6th edition gazzaniga 978393640342

Chapter 1 - Mind, Brain & Behavior

Mind: mental activity, memories, thoughts, perception

Brain: biochemical processes (gives rise to mind)

Behavior: observable human/ animal actions

Amiable skepticism: being open to new ideas & scientific findings that are not supported by good evidence • intuitive thinking can lead to errors Critical thinking: systematically questioning & evaluating info using well-supported evidence, using logic & reasoning

Common biases

1. Ignoring evidence/ confirmation bias: ignoring evidence not supporting

ones beliefs, but searching for ones that do • selective sampling of info

• Seeing casual relationships that do not exist: misperception that if 2 events

happened at the same time they are related → predictable-world bias

3. Accepting after-the-fact explanations: hindsight bias, seeing signs but

failing to predict future outcome

4. Taking mental shortcuts: following simple rules (= heuristics), making

quick judgments w/o extensive analysis→ heuristic bias

• availability heuristic: judging how common sth is based on how easily

we can recall similar events

5. Dunning-Kruger effect: people lacking ability to evaluate their

own performance in areas w little expertise, bc they wanna feel good about themselves→ unawareness

Mind/body & nature/nurture problem

• Are the mind & body separate & distinct or is the mind simply the

subjective experience of ongoing brain activity?

• separation of mental life & body

Dualism: mind & body separate but intertwined (Descartes)→ rejected now: mind arises from brain activity, cannot exist separately

• Are psychological characteristics biologically innate or acquired

through education, culture, experience?

origin of mental life Nature: innate ability

Nurture: acquired through education, exp, culture

Functionalism – William James→ mind too complex to be broken down to basic elements

- Stream of consciousness: continuous series of thought

• mind has an adaptive purpose regarding env demands

Evolutionary theory – Darwin → natural selection

• adaptation vital for surviving & reproduction
• non adaptive changes are not passed along

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summary psychological science 6th edition gazzaniga 978393640342

Areas of specialization in Psychology

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Brain Imaging

• helps localization of mental activity & understand brain connectivity

• EEG: measures changes in electrical activity

• fMRI: measures changes in magnetic field through changes in blood

flow, while performing functions

Genetics & Epigenetics

• the human genome is the basic genetic code for human body

• Genetics: how single genes cause specific behav

• Epigenetics: study of biological & env influences on gene expression, that are not part of inherited genes Clinical Mental illnesses Cognitive Basic skills/processes as a foundation of mental life & behav (attention, memory, sensation & perception) Cultural How cultural factors (geographical regions, beliefs, money, religion) affect behavior Developmental Human development throughout the whole lifespan Health How psychological processes (stress, loneliness, optimism, social support) affect physical health Industrial/Organizational Psychological processes in workplace Relationships Intimate relationships, properties that make them succeed or fail, & two-way effects Social-Personality Everyday thoughts, feelings & behaviors

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