Psych 241 > Chapter 2. Lecture 3 > Flashcards

Chapter 2. Lecture 3 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is evolution in terms of traits

A

Traits vary among individuals. Different traits result in different fitness. Traits are inherited.

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2
Q

What is natural selection

A

Process that causes variability through mutation and sexual recombination.

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3
Q

What is competition

A

tiny variations help individuals compete more effectively

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4
Q

What is evolutionary psychology

A

Attempts to explain how patterns of behaviour that characterize all humans originated in the survival of these characteristics.

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5
Q

What is adaptiveness

A

Increased likelihood of passing on genes when they lead to higher survival.

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6
Q

What is the negativity bias

A

Being more sensitive to aversive stimuli than pleasent.

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7
Q

How is the negativity bias adaptive

A

It helps people to be more cautious, which helps people be more safe.

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8
Q

What is the crazy bastard theory

A

Risk seeking individuals signal to others their worth as an ally. Perceive them as bigger, stronger, and more formidable. Suggests not being cautious has some adaptive features.

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9
Q

What are domain specific adaptations

Example?

A

Attributes that evolved to meet a particular challenge but not particularly useful when dealing with other types of challenges. Like photosensitive receptors in our eyes.

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10
Q

What are domain general adaptations.

Example? How many of them?

A

attributes that are useful for dealing with various challenges across different areas of life. Like the negativity bias.
There are 4 domain general adaptations.

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11
Q

What are the 4 domain general adaptations

A

Humans are social beings, humans are very intelligent, human are motivated/goalstriving, and humans are emotional

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12
Q

What does it mean that humans are social beings

A

we need social relationships to survive. The brain has evolved to facilitate appropriate social sensitivity.

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13
Q

How has the brain evolved to be more social

A

Areas like the FFA, which is tunes to faces or things we are familiar with.

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14
Q

What is social exclusion sensitivity

Example?

A

we are able to understand where we stand in a group, and it makes us worried to be excluded (cyberball). Rejection lights up the same area in the brain as does physical pain.

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15
Q

What is socialization

A

We are very quick to recognize and categorize people. Its a lifelong process of learning from others what is good and bad and the right and wrong way to live.

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16
Q

Our brain at rest and socialness

A

The same brain areas that are active when we rest are involved in how we think about the social world. So, we are always thinking about others.

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17
Q

What does it mean that humans are very intelligent

A

The ability to imagine a future supports a uniquely human form of control over the world.

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18
Q

Symbolic thought and language

A

Enables humans to consider multiple conceptualizations and to communicate these with others. Also makes language possible by communicating about people and objects.

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19
Q

Thinking of the self symbolically

A

enables people to think about the meaning of experiences. Makes it possible to think about our actions, feelings, thoughts and sense of identity. Improves our ability to monitor and change behaviour, increases our chances that things will go our way.

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20
Q

What does it mean that we are motivated/goal striving

A

The world as it is different from what we perceive. Our goals change based on what we see/hear.

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21
Q

Example of perception changing based on motivation

A

Hard to find the L amoungst a sea of T’s. When we are told to find the L, we expect it to be there, so find it much easier.

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22
Q

What is motivation

A

energization of behaviour towards goal-consistent information and outcomes. Characterized by strength, duration and direction.Varies in strength and direction.

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23
Q

What is approach motivation

A

Srive towards positive stimuli like rewards

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24
Q

How is approach motivation sustained

A

Less sensitive to negative stimuli like punishers. Sustained by positive effects like excitement.

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25
Why is approach motivation usefull
Promotes efficient actions towards goals and growth/mastery (approaching the good).
26
Brain pathways involed in approach motivation
The dopamine pathway and the left PFC
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What is avoidance motivation
Drive away from negative stimuli like punishers.
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What is avoidance motivation sustained by
Less sensitive to positive outcomes like rewards. Sustained by negative effects like fear. Feeling anxious, and leaves, so sustained by negative reinforcement.
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What does avoidance motivation promote
Being securely motivated (avoiding the bad). Promotes rapid movement away from negative outcomes.
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What brain pathways does avoidance motivation involve
Includes the serotonin system and the right PFC.
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How is human behaviour directed
Towards the satisfaction of needs and goals
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What are needs
Internal states that drive actions that are necessary to survive and prosper.
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What are the three universal needs
Competence, relatedness and autonomy.
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What are goals | Example?
cognitions that represent outcomes for which we strive in order to meet our needs. Like needing food so your goal is to get pizza.
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What is hedonism
the human preference for pleasure over pain.
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Hierarchy of goals
Goals are organized from very abstract to very concrete.
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What does it mean that humans are very emotional
Emotions motivate actions when goals need to be reached and needs satisfied.
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What do positive emotions promote
reinforces successful actions, motivating more in that direction.
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What do negative emotions promote
Motivates the person to avoid those actions
40
What is alexythymia
Low emotional intelligence. Inability to introspect and express emotions.
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Effects of alexithymia | 3
Prone to apathy and depression. Less capable of answering questions about the self. No emotional drive so no action
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Brain regions and alexithymia
Lower volume and lower ACC activity
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What happens if the ACC is lesioned
Creates blunted emotional experiences
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Divisions of consciousness | Example?
It is proposed that it is possible that a person may develop two separate conscious entities within their one brain. Like seeing without being conscious of sight.
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What are external displays
Primary emotions that are universal. Developed early in human evolution as it is part of the amygdala and ACC.
46
What are the 6 primary emotions
Sad, happy, fear, anger, disgust, surprise. Have dual functions-> sensory changes and communication.
47
How does the amygdala relate to communication
mportant in rapidly processing threats and fear-related stimuli. Elevated in response to widened eyes, since it looks like a scared face.
48
What are secondary emotions
variations of the primary emotions, like gloom, panic, anxiety. Include social emotions like guilt, sympathy, envy.
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How does guilt function
Draws attention to inappropriate behaviour. Reinforces appropriate social behavior. Helps repair disrupted social relationships.
50
What are background emotions
what makes up someone's general affect. Most people are positive offset, which is a mild positive background mood.
51
Cultures impact on emotions
The capacity to experience primary emotions is innate, but the way we express and recognize those emotions is shaped by our culture.
52
Cognitive appraisal theory
people's subjective experience is determined by a two step process of fast appraisal then more careful appraisal.
53
Primary appraisal | Brain areas?
unconscious signal if something is good or bad. Uses the limbic system and the thalamus, which responds to the environment with physiological arousal.
54
Secondary appraisal | Brain areas?
Consciously interpret what is happening. Uses prefrontal lobes, which is conscious and high level functioning.
55
How positive mood influences cognition
Create more positive judgements, and rely more on existing knowledge.
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How bad mood influences cognition
Have more negative views, and critical thinking as we do not trust our existing knowledge.
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Emotion and high order cognition
Higher order cognition is dependent on adequate emotional functioning. Complex decisions require the emotional component.
58
Feeling but not knowing
when gambling, you know that you are making bad choices, but won't stop unless you feel that you are making bad choices.
59
Emotional differentiation
The skill of recognizing fine-grained distinctions between different emotions. The better we can do this the better off we are, as we can better regulate toward our goals.
60
Dual process model
Cogntive processe have two systems, unconcious and conscious.
61
Rational system
Concious, analytical, effortfull. Employs the PFC. More like top down where you start with the big picture and get more detailed.
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Experiential system
Unconscious, automatic, fast. Uses the limbic system. More bottom up, which is specific to general.
63
Theories of creativity | Convergent
Rational systems connects different elements into a unified whole through logic and accuracy.
64
Theories of creativity | Divergent
Come up with many meaning and be able to creatively come up with new ideas.
Psych 241
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