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Psychology & Behavior

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Psychology & Behavior - Complete Interactive Lesson

Part 1: Sensation & Perception

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 1 of 7 — Sensation & Perception

Sensation vs. Perception

Sensation: Detection of stimuli by sensory receptors (bottom-up)
Perception: Brain's interpretation of sensory information (top-down)

Sensory Thresholds

Concept	Definition
Absolute threshold	Minimum stimulus detectable 50% of the time
Difference threshold (JND)	Minimum change in stimulus detectable 50% of the time
Weber's Law	$\Delta I / I = k$ (JND is proportional to stimulus intensity)
Signal detection theory	Detection depends on signal strength AND decision criteria (hits, misses, false alarms, correct rejections)

Sensory Adaptation

Decreased sensitivity to constant stimuli over time
Example: You stop noticing the smell of your own house
Does NOT apply to pain (for survival reasons)

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Principle	Description
Proximity	Near objects grouped together
Similarity	Similar objects grouped together
Closure	Brain fills in gaps to complete shapes
Continuity	Prefer smooth, continuous patterns
Figure-ground	Distinguish object from background

Sensation & Perception 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 1

Sensation = detection (bottom-up). Perception = interpretation (top-down).
Weber's Law: JND is proportional to stimulus intensity ( $\Delta I / I = k$ )
Signal detection theory: both signal AND decision criteria matter
Gestalt principles: proximity, similarity, closure, continuity, figure-ground

Part 2: Learning & Memory

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 2 of 7 — Learning & Memory

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

Term	Definition	Example
UCS (unconditioned stimulus)	Naturally triggers response	Food
UCR (unconditioned response)	Natural response	Salivation
CS (conditioned stimulus)	Learned trigger	Bell
CR (conditioned response)	Learned response	Salivation to bell

Key phenomena: Acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, discrimination

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

Type	Effect on Behavior	Example
Positive reinforcement	Increase (add pleasant)	Treat for good grades
Negative reinforcement	Increase (remove unpleasant)	Seatbelt silences alarm
Positive punishment

Part 3: Cognition & Language

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 3 of 7 — Motivation, Emotion & Stress

Theories of Motivation

Theory	Key Idea
Drive reduction	Behavior reduces biological needs (hunger → eat)
Incentive theory	External rewards pull behavior
Maslow's hierarchy	Physiological → Safety → Love → Esteem → Self-actualization
Self-determination	Autonomy, competence, relatedness
Arousal theory	Seek optimal level of arousal (Yerkes-Dodson law)

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Performance is best at moderate arousal
Simple tasks: higher arousal = better
Complex tasks: lower arousal = better
Inverted-U relationship

Theories of Emotion

Theory	Sequence
James-Lange	Event → Physiological response → Emotion ("I'm afraid BECAUSE I'm running")
Cannon-Bard	Event → Physiological response AND Emotion simultaneously

Part 4: Motivation & Emotion

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 4 of 7 — Cognition & Consciousness

Cognitive Development (Piaget)

Stage	Age	Key Feature
Sensorimotor	0-2	Object permanence
Preoperational	2-7	Egocentrism, lack of conservation
Concrete operational	7-11	Conservation, logical thinking (concrete)
Formal operational	12+	Abstract/hypothetical reasoning

Language Development

Stage	Age	Example
Babbling	6-9 months	"ba-ba-ba"
One-word (holophrastic)	12 months	"mama"
Two-word (telegraphic)	18-24 months	"want cookie"
Grammar explosion	2-5 years

Part 5: Developmental Psychology

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 5 of 7 — Personality & Psychological Disorders

Personality Theories

Theory	Key Idea
Psychoanalytic (Freud)	Id (pleasure), Ego (reality), Superego (morality); unconscious drives
Humanistic (Rogers, Maslow)	Self-actualization, unconditional positive regard
Trait (Big Five)	Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (OCEAN)
Social-cognitive (Bandura)	Reciprocal determinism (behavior ↔ cognition ↔ environment)
Biological	Temperament, genetics, brain structure

Freud's Defense Mechanisms

Defense	Description	Example
Repression	Pushing threatening thoughts unconscious	Forgetting traumatic event
Projection	Attributing own unacceptable feelings to others	Cheater accuses partner of cheating

Part 6: Personality & Disorders

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 6 of 7 — Neuroscience & Biological Bases of Behavior

Brain Regions

Region	Functions
Frontal lobe	Executive function, planning, personality, motor cortex, Broca's area (speech production)
Parietal lobe	Somatosensory cortex, spatial processing
Temporal lobe	Auditory processing, Wernicke's area (language comprehension), memory
Occipital lobe	Visual processing
Cerebellum	Motor coordination, balance
Brainstem	Vital functions (breathing, heart rate, sleep)

Limbic System

Structure	Function
Hippocampus	Memory formation (declarative/explicit)
Amygdala	Emotion (especially fear)
Hypothalamus

Part 7: Review & MCAT Practice

Psychology & Behavior for the MCAT

Part 7 of 7 — Development & Identity

Erikson's Psychosocial Stages

Stage	Age	Crisis
Trust vs. Mistrust	0-1	Infant depends on caregiver reliability
Autonomy vs. Shame	1-3	Toddler develops independence
Initiative vs. Guilt	3-6	Child explores and leads
Industry vs. Inferiority	6-12	Competence in school and social
Identity vs. Role Confusion	12-18	Adolescent finds self
Intimacy vs. Isolation	18-40	Young adult forms close relationships
Generativity vs. Stagnation	40-65	Contributing to society
Integrity vs. Despair	65+	Reflecting on life's meaning

Kohlberg's Moral Development

Level

Type	Duration	Capacity	Example
Sensory	<1 second (iconic) to ~3-4s (echoic)	Large	Flash of image
Short-term/Working	~30 seconds	7 $\pm$ 2 items	Phone number
Long-term	Unlimited duration	Unlimited capacity	Life events

Learning & Memory 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 2

Classical conditioning: association between stimuli (involuntary responses)
Operant conditioning: consequences shape behavior (voluntary responses)
Reinforcement increases behavior; punishment decreases behavior
Memory: sensory → short-term (7 $\pm$ 2 items) → long-term

General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye):

Alarm: Fight-or-flight (sympathetic activation)
Resistance: Body adapts but stays alert
Exhaustion: Resources depleted → illness/burnout

Motivation & Emotion 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 3

James-Lange: body first. Cannon-Bard: simultaneous. Schachter-Singer: arousal + label.
Yerkes-Dodson: moderate arousal = best performance (inverted U)
Maslow: needs in hierarchy (must satisfy lower before higher)
Stress: Alarm → Resistance → Exhaustion (GAS)

Consciousness & Sleep

Stage	Features	Brain Waves
NREM 1	Light sleep, hypnagogic hallucinations	Theta
NREM 2	Sleep spindles, K-complexes	Theta
NREM 3	Deep/slow-wave sleep, hard to wake	Delta
REM	Dreams, muscle atonia, rapid eye movement	Beta (like awake!)

Algorithm: Step-by-step guaranteed solution
Heuristic: Mental shortcut (faster but error-prone)
Confirmation bias: Seeking evidence that confirms existing beliefs
Functional fixedness: Can't see new uses for familiar objects

Key Takeaways — Part 4

Piaget: sensorimotor → preoperational → concrete → formal operational
REM sleep: dreams, muscle atonia, beta waves (paradoxical sleep)
NREM 3 (slow-wave): deep restorative sleep, delta waves
Heuristics: fast but error-prone. Confirmation bias: seeking confirming evidence.

Psychological Disorders

Disorder	Key Features
Major Depressive Disorder	Persistent sadness, anhedonia, sleep/appetite changes
Bipolar Disorder	Manic and depressive episodes
Schizophrenia	Positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) + negative (flat affect, social withdrawal)
Anxiety Disorders	GAD, panic, phobias, OCD, PTSD

Personality & Disorders 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 5

Big Five (OCEAN): Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
Freud: Id (pleasure), Ego (reality), Superego (morality) + defense mechanisms
Schizophrenia: positive symptoms (additions) + negative symptoms (deficits)
Bandura: reciprocal determinism (person ↔ behavior ↔ environment)

Neurotransmitters & Behavior

NT	Effect	Clinical Connection
Dopamine	Reward, motivation, movement	Low: Parkinson's. High: Schizophrenia
Serotonin	Mood, sleep, appetite	Low: Depression. Targeted by SSRIs
Norepinephrine	Arousal, alertness	Fight-or-flight
GABA	Inhibition	Low: Anxiety. Targeted by benzodiazepines
Acetylcholine	Memory, muscle contraction	Low: Alzheimer's

Neuroscience 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 6

Broca's = speech production (frontal). Wernicke's = comprehension (temporal).
Hippocampus = memory. Amygdala = fear/emotion. Thalamus = sensory relay (not smell).
Dopamine: reward + movement. Serotonin: mood. GABA: inhibition.
Low dopamine → Parkinson's. High dopamine → Schizophrenia.

Attachment Types (Ainsworth)

Type	Description
Secure	Distressed when parent leaves, happy on return
Avoidant	Little distress, ignores parent's return
Anxious-ambivalent	Very distressed, ambivalent on return (angry + clingy)
Disorganized	No consistent pattern, often from abuse

Development 🎯

Psychology & Behavior — Complete! ✅

The Psych/Soc section tests your understanding of how psychological, social, and biological factors influence behavior and health. Master the major theories (Piaget, Erikson, Kohlberg, Freud), neurotransmitters, brain regions, and learning principles.

Pre-conventional	Self-interest (punishment/reward)	"I'll get in trouble"
Conventional	Social norms, law and order	"It's the rule"
Post-conventional	Universal ethical principles	"It's the right thing even if illegal"

Psychology & Behavior

Memory Types

Key Takeaways — Part 2

Stress

Key Takeaways — Part 3

Consciousness & Sleep

Problem Solving

Key Takeaways — Part 4

Psychological Disorders

Key Takeaways — Part 5

Neurotransmitters & Behavior

Key Takeaways — Part 6

Attachment Types (Ainsworth)

Psychology & Behavior — Complete! ✅