PSY100H1 Chapter 1: chapter 1 summary

• School: UTSG
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY100H1
• Professor: Michael Inzlicht

Document Summary

Psychologists are interested in understanding how people perceive, think, and act in a wide range of situations. The ambition is to explain effectively the most important human behaviour in real-life context. Brain imaging technique that involves assessing changes in metabolic activity of the brain, such as noting where blood flows as people process info. These changes in blood flow represent changes in brain activity that indicate which parts of the brain are involved in certain behaviours or mental activities. Amygdala structure in the brain which is involved in detecting threat. Implicit attitudes test (iat) test that indirectly assesses how people associate positive and negative words with certain groups of people. In the research, those who were found to hold negative attitudes were more likely to show activation of amygdala when observing unfamiliar black faces. Increasing familiarity reduces the fear response, which may indicate a reduction in the likelihood of prejudice and discrimination.