Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Psychology and sociology for University

Brain Hemispheres

Left Hemisphere

Receives information from the right side of the body. Dominates verbal tasks such as identification of spoken words and written speech.

Right Hemisphere

Receives information from the left side of the body. Involved in visual-spatial tasks, non-verbal imagery (visual images, music, environmental noise), face recognition, and the perception and expression of emotions.

Brain Lobes

Occipital Lobe

Receives and processes visual information. Involved in experiencing shapes, color, and motion in the environment.

Temporal Lobe

Involved in visual tasks like face recognition, processing smell, receiving and processing information from the ears, helping with body balance, and regulating emotions and motivations like anxiety, pleasure,...

Self-Development

The development of one's own volition across different aspects of life is both an intellectual and emotional journey.

The Intellectual Aspect

An individual's skill set is shaped by biological and psychological processes, social environments, and behavior. These capabilities develop gradually, allowing humans to:

• Assimilate information
• Retain knowledge
• Apply skills
• Modify experiences and feelings to adapt actions

Emotional Aspect

Motivation drives the maturation of emotions throughout life. Emotional development is a lifelong process; while there is no definitive end point, its foundation significantly impacts childhood development. Maintaining emotional balance is essential for peace of mind. Self-knowledge is the most valuable tool...

Quantitative Research

3. Experimentation

What it is: It is the controlled and systematic observation of the effects that occur when you manipulate variables — one or more characteristics of the experimental situation — with the aim of establishing causal relationships between variables.

How

How: Construction and application of the independent variable, regulated upon whom, when and where.

Features

• Manipulation of the independent variable (the experimental treatment).
• Control of context.
• Subjects, equalization and experimental groups.

Problems

• Difficulty of manipulating variables.
• The experimental situation is artificial; because control must be built, it is difficult to generalize.
• Experimenter effects may influence the results.
• Ethical handling.

4.

Characteristics of Narcissism

Narcissism is defined by the idealization of the self, grandeur, and omnipotence of the ego. It involves an absence of perceived faults or deficiencies and a belief that one makes no mistakes. Furthermore, it includes the omnipotence of thoughts (magical thinking), where what one wants or fears is perceived as reality.

Stages of Narcissistic Development

• Stage 1: Auto-eroticism: At the beginning of life, there is the existence of a self where the pursuit of pleasure is purely auto-erotic.
• Stage 2: Primary Narcissism: Infantile narcissism caused by the formation of a self, which is taken (vested) as object libido.

Ultimately, narcissism is the act of loving oneself.

Secondary Narcissism and the Ideal Ego

Secondary narcissism...

Social Network Structures

Matrices of Social Organization

Community Structures

Community: Provides property security, stability, permanence, identity, and history, delivering more solid structures of meaning to people. It is composed of homogenous, traditional elements that resist change.

Institutional Structures

Institutional: A workspace with more structured, hierarchical, and instrumental relations aimed at collecting specific purposes. A more important role is assigned to the personality of this structure, governed by the logic of efficiency, effectiveness optimization, and rationalization.

Reticular Structures

Reticular: An open, mobile, flexible, and heterogeneous system with less stability; it is instrumentally functional.

Network Components

Solemn Issues in Child Development

1. Causes of Birth Trauma

• Delay in the acquisition of reading
• Difficulty in perceptual skills
• Awkwardness in social skills

2. Children's Thinking is Linked to:

• The real
• Present
• Concrete

3. Stages Considered in Subjective Processing

The subject takes into account earlier and future stages in:

• The stage of concrete operations

4. Language Acquisition in Children

• Vicarious learning

5. Symbols as a Product of:

• The integration of functions and capabilities
• Imitation skills
• Competition
• Ability to analyze and attractiveness of the properties of the targets.

6. The Principle of Transitivity

• Understanding the relationship between two objects
• Knowing the relationship of these to a third object

7. Organized Internalized Mental Actions

• Operation

8.

Understanding the Sociological Perspective

Sociology offers a unique lens through which to view the world, distinct from other disciplines like economics. Knowledge within sociology is often fragmentary, yet it provides a comprehensive perspective on human society.

Critical Analysis in Sociology

Sociology is inherently critical; it does not shy away from examining any aspect of society, asserting that nothing is untouchable. As Peter L. Berger noted, sociology is interested in both official and unofficial conceptions of social reality.

The Unmasking Function of Sociology

A key function of sociology is its unmasking quality. People often present a "whitewashed" version of themselves, wearing a mask in daily life. Sociology aims to unmask these facades,...

Constructivism: Principles and Roots

Constructivism: Principles:

• Students themselves construct knowledge.
• The student actively constructs knowledge by linking new information with what is in their memory.
• The teacher's role is limited to that of a facilitator of learning and understanding.
• Construction of knowledge is more important than its mere acumulación (accumulation).

Roots of Constructivism

1. Gestalt psychology
2. Piaget's theory
3. Vygotsky's theory

Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt psychology recognizes the importance of studying the mind. Different currents aim to study the mind to discover its basic components and operation. For the Gestaltists, however, the study of experience as a todo (whole) is essential: nothing must be deformed or broken down...

Developmental Sequences and Theories

The Evolution of Attachment

The evolution of attachment follows this sequence:

• Preference for members of the same species.
• Typical preferences for caregivers.
• Clear preference for attachment figures and rejection of strangers.
• Development of some independence from attachment figures.

Motor and Cognitive Development

Proximodistal Law: A child develops the muscles of the elbow first and then the wrist.

Longitudinal Design: Uses a single sample from which it takes several measurements at different time points.

Attachment Characteristics: Attachment is characterized by behavior, mental models, and feelings.

Graphic Expression: The development of graphic expression is driven by maturation and social processes.

Preschool