Ap Psychology Vocab + Concepts + Theorists

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Psychology

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science of behavior and mental processes

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Nature-Nurture Issue

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controversy over the relative contribution to that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors

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Psychoanalysis

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Sigmund Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts

psychological disorders

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Wilhelm Wundt

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established the first psychological lab in the University of Leipzig, Germany, which defined the start of scientific psychology

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Structuralism

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early school of thought promoted by Wilhelm Wundt; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

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Introspection

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a self-reflective method of structuralism; looking inward of oneself

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Not very reliable and not enough validity; required smart, verbal people; varied from experience

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Why did introspection fail?

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Functionalism

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early school of thought promoted by William James and influenced by Charles Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function – how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

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Behaviorism

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the view that psychology should be any objective science that studies behavior without references to mental processes

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the scientific study of observable behavior

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What would be John B. Watson's (and B.F. SKinner's) definition of psychology be?

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humanistic psychology

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school of thought with a historically significant perspective that emphasized indiviual choice and free will

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cognitive neuroscience

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school of thought that scientifically explores the ways we perceive, process, and remember information

studies the brain activity underlying mental activity

combination of cognitive psychology (science of the mind) and neuroscience (science of the brain)

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Evolutionary psychology

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the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using the principles of natural selection

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gestalt psychology

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a psychological perspective that emphasizes that the mind tends to perceive unified wholes and patterns rather than the bits and pieces that make up those wholes and patterns.

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Neuron

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a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

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Dendrites

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receives messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

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Axons

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sends messages to other neurons or to muscles or glands

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Cell Body (Soma)

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keeps the body alive

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Nucleus

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brain of the cell

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Myelin Sheath

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enables vastly greater transmission speed as messages hop from one node to the next


speeds up message

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Multiple sclerosis

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a disease involving deterioration of the myelin sheath; less control of body; slows down message being sent

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Action Potential

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a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon


message being sent

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Resting Potential

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polarization of cellular fluid within a neuron that provides the potential to produce an action

a state in which a neuron is ready to send a message

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Refractory Period

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a period of inactivity after a neuron has fireed

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Threshold

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the minimum amount of stimulus needed for an action potential

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All-or-none response

("All or nothing")

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neurons either fire or they don't; a strong stimulus can trigger more neurons to fire, but it does not affect the action potential's strength or speed


(e.g. Squeezing a trigger harder won't make a bullet go faster)

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Vesicle

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tiny pods that hold neurotransmitters

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neurotransmitter

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a chemical messenger that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons


the message being sent

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synapse

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the junction (joint) between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

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synaptic gap (or synaptic cleft)

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tiny gap between the neurons in which messages are passed

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reuptake

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a neurotransmitter's re–absorption by sending the neuron


the recycling of neurotransmitters

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Acetycholine (ACh)

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a neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, and memory

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Dopamine

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a neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

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Serotonin

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a neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

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Norepinephrine

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a neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal

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GABA (gammaaminobutyric acid)

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a major inhibitory neurotransmitter

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Glutamate

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A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

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endorphin

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"morphine within" – natural, opiate–like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

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agonist

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a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action

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antagonist

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a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action

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Phrenology

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the idea that studying the bumps on the skull could reveal a person's mental abilities and character traits; proposed by Franz Joseph Gall

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Phineas Cage

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a railroad worker that changed and became a completely different person after an accident that cause him to lose part of his brain

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EEG

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measures electrical activity along the surface of the brain; inexpensive and noninvasive, but limited

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electroencephalogram

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CT [Scan]

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takes x–rays of different parts of the brain; good at picking up tumors and other abnormalities

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Computed Tomography

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PET [Scan]

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after injected w/ a radioactive glucose, this detects where it goes while the brain performs a certain task

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Positron Emission Tomography

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MRI

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uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer–generated images of soft tissue; shows brain anatomy; takes a lot of time

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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fMRI

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uses successive scans to reveal bloodflow; helps show brains function as well as structure

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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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MEG

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imaging technique used to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain; mostly used to pinpoint the cause of disease or damage

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Magnetoencephalography

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nervous system

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consists of all the nerve cells of the PNS & CNS

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Central Nervous System (CNS)

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the brain & spinal cord


the body's decision maker

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Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

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sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

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nerves

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bundled axons that form neural cables that connect the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

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sensory (afferent) neurons

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neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord

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motor (efferent) neurons

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neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain & spinal cord to the muscles and glands

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interneurons

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neurons within the brain and spinal cord; communicate internally and process information

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somatic nervous system

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the part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the the body's skeletal muscles

aka the skeletal nervous system

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autonomic nervous system

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the part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs (e.g. the heart)

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sympathetic nervous system

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the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy


arouses and expends energy

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parasympathetic nervous system

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the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

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Brainstem

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the oldest part and central core of the brain; responsible for basic (involuntary) survival functions


keeps you alive

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Medulla [Oblongata]

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part of the brainstem that controls


vomiting, respiration, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure

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Pons

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part of the brainstem that controls


respiration, swallowing, bladder control, equilibrium, eye movement, facial expression, sensation, posture

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reflex

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a simple, automatic response to the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete

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endocrine system

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the body's "slow" communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

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adrenal glands

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inner part that helps trigger the "flight-or-flight" response

a pair of endocrine glands that secrete hormones (epinephrine & norepinephrine) that arouse the body in times of stress

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pituitary gland

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secretes many different hormones, some of which affect other glands

the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

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thalamus

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receives sensory information from the nervous system and passes the information to the cerebral cortex and other parts of the brain

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the "Grand Central Station" of the brain

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cerebellum

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"little brain" of the brainstem

its functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling movement

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reticular formation

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portion of the brain that plays an important role in controlling arousal (physical and mental alertness)

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limbic system

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neural system (made up of the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres

associated with emotions and drives

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amygdala

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pods located at the end of the hippocampus

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hypothalamus

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hippocampus

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cerebral cortex

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ultimate control and information–processing center

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Medulla Oblongata & Pons

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What are the two parts of the brainstem?

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Arousal

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physical and mental alertness

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Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

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Who are the figures of the humanistic perspective of psychology?

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Eclectic Perspective

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a view on psychology that not one perspective has all the answers to the variety of human thought and behavior