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140 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Psychology
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Study of behavior and mental processes
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Behavior
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Everything ppl do that can be directly observed
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Mental Processes
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Thoughts, feelings, and motives that can't be directly observed
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Critical Thinking
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Process of thinking, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence
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Empirical Method
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Gaining knowledge through observation of events and reasoning
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Constructs
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Love, hate, affection
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Philosophy
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The rational investigation of underlying principles of being and knowledge.
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Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
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Experimented with the measurement of time it took the human brain and nervous system to translate info into action.
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Structuralism
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Identifying the structures of the mind.
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Introspection
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Looking into oneself.
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William James (1842-1910)
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Focused on the function of the mind. (Functionalism)
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Functionalism
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Functions and purposes of the mind and behavior
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Natural Selection
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Organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce.
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Biological Approach
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Focus on the body, brain, and nervous system.
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Neuroscience
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Study of the structure, function, development, genetics and biochemistry of the nervous system.
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Behavioral Approach
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Study of observable responses and their environmental determinants.
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B.F Skinner
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Emphasized psychology should be about what ppl do.
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Psychodynamic Approach
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Unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives, society's demands, and early childhood experiences.
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Psychoanalysis
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Analysis unlocking a person's unconscious conflicts.
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Sigmund Freud
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Founding Father of psychodynamic approach
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Humanistic Approach
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Emphasizes a person's positive qualities, the capacity for human growth, and the freedom to choose one's destiny.
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Altruism
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Unselfish concern for other people's well being
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Cognitive Approach
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How we perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.
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Evolutionary Approach
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Adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection are the basis for explaining behaviors.
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Sociocultural Approach
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How social and cultural environments influence behavior.
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7 contemporary approaches
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Behavioral, Sociocultural, Cognitive, Evolutionary, Humanistic, Biological,Psychodynamic.
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Variable
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Anything that can change
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Theory
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Broad idea that attempts to explain observations.
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Hypothesis
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Educated guess
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Operational Definition
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Objective description of how a variable is going to be measured in a study.
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Empirical Research
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Collecting and analyzing data
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Self Determination Theory
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People are likely to feel fulfilled when their lives meet 3 needs: relatedness,autonomy, and competence
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Correlational Research
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Discovering relationships between 2 variables.
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Descriptive research
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Finding out about some dimensions of some variable.
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Experimental research
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stablishing casual relationships between variables
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Case Study
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In-depth look at a single individual.
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Correlational Coefficient
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The value of a correlation always falls between -1.00 and +1.00. The closer the number is to 1.00 the stronger the relationship. A positive sign means variables increase together. A negative sign means the variables have an opposite correlation.
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Third Variable Problem
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A variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between 2 variables.
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Longitudinal Design
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Obtaining measures of a variable over time.
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Experiment
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Procedure where the researcher manipulates one or more variables.
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Random Assignment
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Researchers assign participants to groups by chance.
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Independent Variable
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Manipulated variable.
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Confederate
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A person given a role in an experiment so the social context is manipulated.
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Dependent variable
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The outcome:The factor that changes b/c of the independent variable.
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External validity
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The degree to which an experimental design really affects the real-world issues.
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Validity
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The soundness of the conclusions that a researcher draws from an experiment.
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Internal validity
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The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable.
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Experimenter Bias
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When the experimenter's expectations influence the outcome of the research.
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Demand Characteristics
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Aspects of a study that communicate to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave.
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Research participant bias
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When the behavior of the research participants during the experiment is influenced by how they think they are supposed to act.
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Placebo effect
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When participants' expectations produce an outcome.
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Placebo
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Harmless substance that has no physiological effect.
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Double-blind experiment
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Neither the experimenter nor the participant are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until.
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Population
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The entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions.
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Sampling
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The subset of the population chosen by the investigator for the study.
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Random Sample
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A sample that gives every member an equal chance of being selected.
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Naturalistic Observation
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Observing behavior in a real world setting
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Institutional Review Board
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Evaluates the ethical nature of research conducted at their institutions.
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Nervous System
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The body's electromechanical communication circuitry.
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Neuroscience
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Studies the human nervous system.
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Plasticity
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The brain's special capacity for change.
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Neuron
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Nerve cell.
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Afferent nerves
(sensory nerves) |
Carry info to the brain and spinal cord. (External environment:seeing the sunset, Things in our bodies: feeling tired or hungry)
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Efferent Nerves
(motor nerves) |
Carry info out of the brain and spinal cord.
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Neural Networks
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Integrate sensory input and motor output.
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Central Nervous System (CNS)
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Brain and spinal cord. (99% of all nerve cells)
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Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
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Connects brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body.
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Somatic Nervous System
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Convey info from skin and muscles to the CNS about pain and temp and tells muscles what to do.
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Autonomic Nervous System
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Take messages to and from the body's internal organs. (breathing, heart rate)
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Sympathetic Nervous System
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Arouses the body to mobilize it for action.
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Parasympathetic
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Calms the body.
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Stress
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The response of individuals to stressors.
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Stressors
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Events that threaten them and tax their coping abilities.
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Corticosteroids
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Allows us to focus on what needs to be done now.
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Acute Stress
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Momentary stress that occurs in response to life experiences.
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Chronic Stress
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Stress that goes on continuously.
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Neurons
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Nerve cells that handle the info-processing function.
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Glial cells
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Provide support, nutritional benefits and the functions in the nervous system.
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Cell Body
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Contains nucleus, directs substances that the neuron needs fro growth and maintenance.
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Dendrites
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Treelike fibers; receive info and orient it toward the neuron's cell body.
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Axon
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Carries info away from the cell body toward other cells.
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Myelin Sheath
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Cells containing fat that insulates axons.
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Resting Potential
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Stable negative charge of an inactive neuron.
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Action potential
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Brief wave of positive charge that sweeps down the axon.
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All or nothing principle
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Once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity, it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity.
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Threshold
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Certain level of intensity.
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Synapses
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Tiny spaces between neurons.
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Synaptic Gap
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Gap between neurons.
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Neurotransmitters
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Carry info across the synaptic gap to the next neuron.
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Acetylocholine
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Stimulates the firing of neurons. (muscles, learning, memory)
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GABA
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Neurotransmitter in 1/3rd of synapses.
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Norepinephrine
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Inhibits the firing of neurons. (excites heart, intestines)
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Dopamine
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Helps control voluntary movement (affects sleep, mood, attention)
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Serotonin
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Regulation of sleep, mood, attention and learning.
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Endorphins
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Natural opiates; stimulate the firing of neurons (reduce pain, elevate feelings)
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Oxytocin
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Hormone (love and social bonding)
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Amygdala
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Almond shaped (aggression and fear)
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Hippocamus
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Stores memories
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Agonist
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Drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effect.
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Antagonist
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Drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effect.
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Brain Lesioning
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Abnormal disruption in the tissue of the brain resulting from injury or disease.
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MRI
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Magnetic resonance imaging: Creating a magnetic field around a person's body and using radio waves to construct images of a person's tissues and biochemical activities.
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CAT scan (Computerized axial tomography)
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3 dimensional image obtained from x-rays of the head
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Hindbrain
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In the skull's rear, the lowest portion of the brain.
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Medulla
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Where spinal cord enters the skull.(controls breathing,heart rate, and reflexes)
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Cerebellum
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Extends from rear of the hindbrain, above the medulla. (motor coordination like golf)
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Pons
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Bridge in the hindbrain that connects the cerebellum and the brain stem. (involved in sleep and arousal)
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Brain Stem
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Most of the hindbrain and midbrain. (connects spinal cord and midbrain)
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Midbrain
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Between the hindbrain and forebrain: Nerve fiber systems ascend and descend to connect the higher and lower portions of the brain. (between brain, eyes, ears)
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Reticular formation
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Diffuse collection of neurons involved in stereotyped patterns of behavior. (sleeping, walking
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Forebrain
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Brain's largest division and most forward part.
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Limbic System
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Loosely connected network of structures under the cerebral cortex. (memory and emotion)
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Thalamus
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Receive info and pass along
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Basal Ganglia
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Control coordinate voluntary movement
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Hypothalamus
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Eating, Drinking,sex
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Cerebral Cortex
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Thinking, planning
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Neocortex
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80% of the brain
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Occipital Lobes
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Back of head (visual stimuli)
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Temporal Lobes
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Above the ears (hearing, language, memory)
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Frontal lobes
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Forehead (personality, intelligence)
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Prefrontal Cortex
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Front of the motor cortex. (Planning, reasoning,self control)
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Left Hemisphere
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Speech, grammar (logic and reasoning)
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Right hemisphere
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Nonverbal info (emotion, melody of a song) (creative, artistic)
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Endocrine System
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Regulate activities of certain organs
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Glands
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Organs or tissues in the body that create chemicals that control our bodily functions.
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Hormones
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Produced by endocrine glands
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Pituitary gland
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Controls growth and regulates other glands
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Adrenal Gland
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Regulates mood, energy level, and ability to cope with stress
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Pancreas
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Digestive and endocrine functions (insulin)
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Stem Cells
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Have the capacity to develop in most types of human cells.
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Polygenic inheritance
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Influence of genes on behavior
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Sensation
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Taking info 4rm the world (touching)
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Perception
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Organizing sensation
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Bottom up processing
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Take info from the world and send it to the brain
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Top down processing
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From the brain outward. (singing a song in your head)
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Sensory Receptors
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Specialized cells that detect info and transmit it to sensory nerves and the brain
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Photoreception
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Detection of light, perceived as sight.
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Mechanoreception
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Detects pressure, vibrations, movement
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Chemoreception
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Detects chemical stimuli (smell, taste)
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Absolute threshold
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Minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect.
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