Definitions

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In research an animal whose behavior is used to discover principles that may apply to human behavior

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animal model

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B.F. Skinner studied

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simple behaviors under carefully controlled conditions

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study of overt, observable behavior is

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behaviorism

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biopsychology is the study of

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biological processes as they relate to behavior

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a case study is the intense investigation of

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the behavior of a single person

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What kind of psychology is the study of human thinking, knowing, understanding, and information processing

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cognitive

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What kind of psychology uses community resources to promote mental health and treat or prevent mental health problem

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community

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what is a control group

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in an experiment, subjects exposed to all conditions except the idependent variable

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correlation versus causation

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correlation is just the relationship between two objects and causation is the act of causing an effect

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non experimental study designed to measure the degree of relationship (if any) between two or more events, measures, or variables

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correlational study

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counseling psychology is

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the study of milder emotional and behavioral problems

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critical thinking is the ability to

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evaluate, compare, analyze, critique, and synthesize information

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a method or practice of an empiric; pursuit of knowledge by observation and experiment

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Empiricism

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functionalism is a school of psychology concerned with

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how behavior and mental abilities help people adapt to their environments

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School of psychology emphasizing the study of thinking, learning, and perception in whole units, not by analysis into parts

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Gestalt Psychology

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an approach to psychology that focuses on human experience, problems, potentials, and ideals

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humanism

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Causation

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act of causing some effect

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Tendancy for a majority of scores to fall in the midrange of possible values

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central tendancy

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satistical index ranging from -1.00 to +1.00 that indicates the direction and degree of correlation

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coefficient of correlation

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correlation is

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the existance of a consistent, systematic relationship between two events, measures, or variables

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statistics that summarize or "boil down" numbers so they become more meaningful and easier to communicate

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descriptive

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Table that divides an entire range of scores into a series of classes and then records the number of scores that fall into each class

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frequency distribution

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Frequency __________ is a graph of frequency distributioin in which the number of scores falling in each class is represented by points on a line

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polygon

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___________ techniques for presenting numbers pictorially, often by plotting them on a graph

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graphical

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a graph of a frequency distribution in which the number of falling scores in each class is represented by vertical bars

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histogram

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________ statistics use mathematical tools for decision making, gerneralizing, from small samples, and fo drawing conclusions

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inferential

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what is the measure of central tendency calculated by adding a group of scores and then dividing by the total number of scores

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mean

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the median is

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a kind of central tendency found by arranging scores from highest to lowest and selecting the score that falls in the middle

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what kind of central tendency is found by identifying the most frequently occuring score in a group of scores

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mode

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increases in one measure resulting in the decrease in another measure is called a

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negative relationship

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a bell shaped distribution wiht a large number of scores in the middle, tapering to very few extremely high and low scores

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normal curve

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A distribution which describes many situations where observations are distributed symmetrically around the mean . 68% of all values under the curve lie within one standard deviation of the mean and 95% lie within two standard deviations.

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normal distribution

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portion of the total amount of variation in a group of scores

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percent of variance

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________________ mathematical relationship in which the correlation between two measures is -1.00

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perfect negative realtionship

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________________ mathematical realtionship in which the correlation between two measures in +1.00

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perfect positive realtionship

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population is

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an entire group of animals, people, or objects belonging to a particular category

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___________ matematical relationship in which increases in one measure are matched by increases in another measure

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posititve relationship

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choosing a sample so that each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample

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random selection

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difference between highest and lowest scores in a group of scores

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range

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a representative sample is

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small randomly selected part of a larger population that accurately reflects characteristics of the whole population

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smaller subpart of a population

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sample

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__________ diagram is a graph that plots the intersection of paired measures- points at which paired x & y values cross

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scatter

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standard deviation is

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an index of how much a typical score differs from the mean of a group of scores

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the degree to which an event (such as the results of an experiment) is unlikely to have occured by chance alone

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statistical significance

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variablility is

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power possessed by living organisms, both animal and vegetable, of adapting themselves to modifications or changes in their environment, thus possiblily giving rise to ultimate variation of function

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the absence of a (linear) mathematical realtionship between two measures

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zero correlation

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z-score

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number that tells how many standard deviations above or below the mean a score is

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surgical removal of tissue

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ablation

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acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter released by neurons to activate

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muscles

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a nerve impluse, rapid change in electrical charge across the cell membrane

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action potential

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endocrine glands whose hormones arouse the body regulate salt balance, adjust the body to stress and affect sexual functioning

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adrenal glands

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hormone produced by the adrenal glands that tends, in general, to arouse the body

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adrenaline

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agnosia is the disturbance in the ability to perceive

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words, objects, or pictures

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all-or-nothing event

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classifying objects or events as absolutely right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, and so forth

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one of the rounded prominences of the lower sufrace of the lateral hemispheres of the cerebellum, each side of the vallecula- part of the limic system associated with fear

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amygdala

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aphasia is

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a speech disturbance resulting from damage to language areas on the tempral lobes of the brain

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all areas of the cerebral cortex that are not specifically sensory or motor in function

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association cortex

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autonomic system

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neural system that connects the brain with the internal organs and glands

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________ thin fiber that conducts information away from the cell body of a neuron

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axon

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__________ branching fibers at the end of axons and pass messages to the next neuron

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axon terminals

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the brainstem is

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lowest portions of the brain including the cerebllum, medulla, and reticular information

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_______ area is the language area in the brain related to grammar and pronunciation

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Broca's

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the brain and spinal cord are located in

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the central nervous system

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cerebellum is

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cauliflower shaped projection at the base of the brain that controls posture and coordination

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right and left halves of the cerebrum

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cerebral hemispheres

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cerebrum is

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two large hemispheres that cover the upper part of the brain

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nerve cell that serves as a link between two others

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connector neuron

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bundle of fibers connecting the cerebral hemispheres

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corpus callosum

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corticalization

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increase in relative size of cerebral cortex

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1 of 12 major nerves that leave the brain without passng through the spinal cord

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cranial nerves

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CT scan is

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computed tomography scan--computer enhance x-ray image of the brain

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fibers projecting from nerve cells that recieve information from other neurons and carry it to the cell body

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dendrites

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important transmitter substance found in the brain, especially in the limbic system, an area associated with emotional response

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dopamine

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EEG is

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electroencephalograph- device that detects, amplifies, and records electrical activity in the brain

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_________ cells are cells in muscles and glands specialized for the production of responses

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effector

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glands whose secretions pass directly into the blood stream or lymph stream

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endocrine system

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class of chemicals produced by the pituitary gland that are similar in structure and pain-killing effect to opiate drugs such as morphine

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endorphins

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enkephalins are

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opiate-like brain chemicals that regulate reactions to pain and stress

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ESB is

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electrical stimulation of the brain- direct electrical stimulation and activation of brain tissue

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areas at the top front of the cerebral cortex that include sites associated with control of movement, the processing of smell, and higher mental functions

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frontal lobes

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__________ matter is areas in the nervous system that have a __________ color due to a high concentration of nerve cell bodies

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gray : grayish

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hormone secreated by the pituitary gland that promotes bodily growth

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growth hormone

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hippocampus is

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structure in the brain associated with the regulations of emotions and the transfer of information from short term memory to long term memory

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glandular secreation that affects bodily functions or behavior

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hormones

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hypothalamus is

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small area at the base of the brain that regulates many aspects of motivation and emotion especiallly hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior

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channels through the axon membrane

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ion channels

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limbic system

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a system of interconnected structures in the forebrain that are closely associated with emotional response

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enlarged stalk at the base of the brain that connects to the spinal cord and controls vital life functions

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medulla

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production and expenditure of energy within the body

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metabolism

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motor cortex

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an area on top of the brain directly associated with control of voluntary movements

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motor neuron

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a nerve cell that carries motor commands from the central nervous system to muscles and glands

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MRI scan

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magnetic resonance imaging-- computer enhanced 3-dimensional representation of the brain or body, based on body's response to magnetic field

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fatty layer coating some axons that increases the rate at which nerve impulses travel along the axon

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myelin

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myelin sheath

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layer of myelin that insulates some nerve cells (a.k.a. medullary sheath)

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bundle of neuron fibers supported by connective tissue

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nerves

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brain chemicals that regulate the activity of neurons, thereby influencing memory, emotion, pain, hunger, and other behavior

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neuropeptides

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neurotransmitter

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any of a number of chmical substances secreated by neurons that alter activity in other neurons

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hormone produced by the adrenal glands that tends to arouse the body and is associated with anger

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noradrenaline

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adernal hormone that tends to arouse the body and is associated with anger
(a.k.a. noradrenaline)

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norepinephrine

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portion at the back of the cerebral cortex that includes areas where vision registers in the brain

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occipital lobes

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______________ system is a branch of the autonomic system responsible for quieting the body and conserving energy

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parasympathetic

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__________ lobes is an area at the top of the brain that includes sites where bodily sensations register in the brain

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parietal

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_________________ system is all parts of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord

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peripheral nervous

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PET scan

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positron emission tomography- computer generated image of brain acitvity, based on glucose consumption in the brain

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gland in the brani that helps regulate body rhythms and sleep cycles

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pineal gland

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the "master gland" at the base of the brain whose hormones influence the output of other endocrine glands

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pituitary glands

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receptor sites

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areas on the surface of neurons and other cells that are sensitivge to neurotransmitters or hormones

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reflex arc

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simplest behavior pattern, involving only three neurons leads from a stimulus to an automatic response (example: eye blink, or knee jerk)

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electrical charge that exists between the inside and outside of a neuron at rest

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restnig potential

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network of fibers within the medulla associated with attention, alertness, and acitvation of higher brain areas

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reticular formation

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nerve cell that carries information from the senses toward the central neverous system

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sensory neuron

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main body of a neuron or other cell

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soma

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_________ system of nerves linking the spinal cord with the body and sense organs

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somatic system

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somatosensory area

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part of the parietal lobes that serves as a receiving area for bodily sensations

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1 of 62 major nerves that channel sensory and motor information in and out of the spinal cord

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spinal nerve

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sympathetic ______ "emergency" system that prepares the body for "fight or flight" during times of danger or high emotion

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branch

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sympathetic ________ branch of the autonomic system responsible for arousing and acitvating the body at times of stress

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system

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microscopic space between an axon terminal and another neuron over which neurotransmitters pass

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synapse

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_________ lobes are areas on each side of teh cerebral cortex that include the sites where hearing registers int he brain

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temporal

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thalamus

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structure at the center of the brain that relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex

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trigger point for firing

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threshold

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_________ gland is an endocrine gland whose hormones help regulate metabolism

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thyroid

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_____________ area is an area of the brain related to language comprehension

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WErnicke's

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bundles of axons covered with myelin

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white matter