Psych Midterm 1 Vocab From Notes

Front 1

Empiricism

Back 1

belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation

Front 2

Operationalize

Back 2

come up with a specific definition about what something means

Front 3

Reliability

Back 3

consistency of a measurement

Front 4

Validity

Back 4

extent to which a measure assess what it intends to measure5

Front 5

Power

Back 5

a statistic ; ability to find what you're looking for

Front 6

Demand Characteristics

Back 6

aspects of a situation that lead a person to act in the way they believe they should

Front 7

Naturalistic Oberservation

Back 7

watching someone's behavior in real life settings

Front 8

Observer Bias

Back 8

Expectations can influence observations and unknowingly change the results

Front 9

Double Blind

Back 9

Experimenter and subject both kept in the dark

Front 10

Theory

Back 10

a hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomena

Front 11

hypothesis

Back 11

falsifiable prediction made by a theory (educated guess)

Front 12

Correlational Research Designs

Back 12

Examines the extent to which two variable are related

Front 13

Correlation Coefficient

Back 13

Statistic that summarizes strength and direction of a relationship between 2 variables

Front 14

Matched samples

Back 14

two groups identical in terms of a 3rd variable

Front 15

matched pairs

Back 15

each participant is identical to one other participant

Front 16

Standard Deviation

Back 16

average difference between set of numbers and the mean

Front 17

Independent Variable

Back 17

Changing/Manipulated variable in an experiment

Front 18

Dependent Variable

Back 18

Thing that's measured in an experiment

Front 19

Control Group

Back 19

Group that isn't manipulated

Front 20

Internal Validity

Back 20

Design that permits causal relationship between variables to be found

Front 21

External Validity

Back 21

Variables are representative of the real world and all people

Front 22

Case method

Back 22

a method of studying one individual

Front 23

Cell Body

Back 23

part of a neuron that coordinates information and processes tasks to keep the cell alive

Front 24

Dendrites

Back 24

tree-like branches that receive chemical signals from other neurons

Front 25

Axons

Back 25

branches that send information throughout the cell

Front 26

Axon Terminals

Back 26

end of the axon that look like doorknobs, release neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles into the cleft

Front 27

Synapse

Back 27

area where cells meet

(1 neuron's axon, meets another neuron's dendrite)

Front 28

Synaptic Cleft

Back 28

Gap between cells

Front 29

Glial Cells

Back 29

non-neural cells that perform "housekeeper" functions

Front 30

Myelin Sheath

Back 30

glial cells that are wrapped around neurons to insulate and speed up transmission

Front 31

Sensory Neurons

Back 31

cells that bring information into the brain

Front 32

motor neurons

Back 32

cells that send information to the body

Front 33

interneurons

Back 33

neurons that connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, and other interneurons

Front 34

How many cells are in the brain? What are they?

Back 34

Two - Neurons and Glial Cells

Front 35

Electrical Transmission

Back 35

signaling within the cell

Front 36

Action Potential

Back 36

positive ions travel into the cell, disrupt balance, flow back out, causes an electric signal to travel down the axon and neurotransmitters are released

Front 37

Absolute Refractory Period

Back 37

The cell needs a pause for a fraction of a second

Front 38

Chemical Transmission

Back 38

refers to communication between two neurons

Front 39

neurotransmitters

Back 39

chemicals which travel down the axon to the synaptic vesicle, and then are released into synapse and enter the post-synaptic cell (transmit feelings, etc.)

Front 40

Receptor sites

Back 40

Post synaptic dendrite areas which lock onto neurotransmitters and bring into the cell, if enough are locked on an action potential occurs

Front 41

Reuptake

Back 41

Recycling process within a cell. If unused neurotransmitter is absorbed and re-used next action potential.

Front 42

Glutamate

Back 42

"Gas Pedal"

Neurotransmitter that turns on within in the brain

Front 43

GABA

Back 43

"Brakes"

Neurotransmitter that turns off or slows down within the brain.

Front 44

Acetlycholine

Back 44

First neurotransmitter discovered.

Involved in a number of functions including voluntary motor control

Front 45

Dopamine

Back 45

Neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

Front 46

What neurotransmitter is involved in Parkinson's Disease?

Back 46

Dopamine

Front 47

Norepinephrine

Back 47

Neurotransmitter that influences mood and arousal

Front 48

Endorphins

Back 48

Chemicals that act within the pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain

Front 49

Agonist

Back 49

Drug that helps neurotransmitters

Front 50

Antagonist

Back 50

Drug that works against the neurotransmitter

Front 51

Plasticity

Back 51

Ability of the nervous system to change over time

Front 52

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Back 52

measures electrical activity outside the skull

Front 53

Temporal Resolution

Back 53

Detects changes as time passes during an EEG

Front 54

Spatial Resolution

Back 54

Determines where the activity came from within the brain

Front 55

Two types of brain scans good for structure?

Back 55

CT Scan and MRI

Front 56

Two types of brain scans that are good for function?

Back 56

PET and fMRI

Front 57

The Nervous System

Back 57

Collection of systems that relay sensory and motor information to keep the body running

Front 58

What's included in the Central Nervous System?

Back 58

Brain and Spinal Cord

Front 59

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 59

Everything that's not brain or spinal cord.

Includes Somatic and Autonomic Systems

Front 60

Somatic System

Back 60

The body or voluntary system. Conveys information in and out of the Central Nervous System.

Front 61

Autonomic

Back 61

The organs or involuntary system. Carries out involuntary and automatic commands.

Front 62

The two systems within the autonomic system?

Back 62

Sympathetic

Parasympathetic

Front 63

Sympathetic System

Back 63

Prepares the body for action in a threatening situation.

Front 64

Parasympathetic System

Back 64

Helps body return to a normal resting state

Front 65

Spinal Reflexes

Back 65

Simple pathways in the nervous system that rapidly generate muscle contractions

Front 66

Hindbrain

Back 66

1. Coordinates information coming in and out of the spinal cord.

2. Controls the basic functions of life.

Front 67

Midbrain

Back 67

Important for orientation and movement

Front 68

Forebrain (Cerebral Cortex)

Back 68

1. Highest level of the brain.

2. Critical for complex thought, emotional sensory, and motor functions

Front 69

Left Side of the Brain

Back 69

Controls Language functions

Front 70

Right Side of the Brain

Back 70

Controls the correct ways and direction (spatial)

Front 71

Thalamus

Back 71

Layover for incoming sensory information

Front 72

Hypothalamus

Back 72

1. Maintains homeostasis

2. Controls endocrine system and autonomic system

3. Regulates body temp, hunger, thirst, sex behavior

4. Fight or Flight

Front 73

Pituary Gland

Back 73

"Master Gland" of the body's hormone-producing system

Front 74

Limbic System

Back 74

Group of forebrain structures involved in motivation, emotion, learning, and memory

Front 75

Amygdala

Back 75

Central role in creating emotional processes and emotional memories

i.e. fear memories

Front 76

Hippocampus

Back 76

Creates new memories and integrates them into a network of knowledge for other parts of the brain

Front 77

Corpus Callosum

Back 77

Band of fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Front 78

Occipital Lobe

Back 78

Processes visual information within the brain

Front 79

Parietal Lobe

Back 79

Processes information about touch

Front 80

Temporal Lobe

Back 80

Processes information about hearing and language

Front 81

Frontal Lobe

Back 81

Areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory and judgement

Front 82

What are the four lobes of cortex in each hemisphere?

Back 82

FPOT

1. Frontal

2. Parietal

3. Occipital

4.Temporal

Front 83

Basal Ganglia

Back 83

Involved in movement and obtaining reward within the brain

Front 84

Wernicke's Area

Back 84

Interpreting Written and Spoken Language

Front 85

Broca's Area

Back 85

Language Production

Front 86

Brain Stem

Back 86

Connects to the spinal cord and controls basic functions of life

Front 87

What three things does the hindbrain consist of?

Back 87

1. Cerebellum

2. Pons

3. Medulla

Front 88

Cerebellum

Back 88

Located in the hindbrain.

Involved in balance, coordination of movement and motor learning skills.

Front 89

Pons

Back 89

Connects the cerebral cortex and cerebellum

Front 90

Medulla

Back 90

Involved in breathing, heartbeat, and vital functions

Front 91

Sensation

Back 91

Detecting physical energy through some organs, then sends information to the brain

Front 92

Perceptions

Back 92

brain's interpretation of sensory inputs

Front 93

Transduction

Back 93

Converting external stimulus into neural activity with specific sense receptors

Front 94

Absolute Threshold

Back 94

Lowest level of a stimulus needed to detect

Front 95

Just Noticeable Difference

Back 95

Smallest change of a stimulus we can detect

Front 96

Weber's Law

Back 96

Stronger the baseline stimulus, the bigger the change needed to notice a change

Front 97

Signal Detection Theory

Back 97

More background noise, more difficult to detect signal

Front 98

Sensory Adaptation

Back 98

1. Activation when stimulus is first detected

2. Responsiveness to unchanging stimulus decrease over time

Front 99

Cross Modal Processing

Back 99

Mixing senses across brain areas

Front 100

McGunk

Back 100

Mixing visual and auditory cues, leading to brain senses

Front 101

Synthesia

Back 101

Condition in which people experience cross-modal sensation

Front 102

Parallel Processing

Back 102

Ability to attend to many senses at once

Front 103

Bottom-Up Processing

Back 103

Building a whole from its parts

Front 104

Top-Down Processing

Back 104

Identifying parts from a whole, relies on beliefs and expectations

Front 105

Selective Attention

Back 105

Process of selecting 1 sensory channel and ignoring others

Front 106

Inattentional Blindness

Back 106

Failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere

Front 107

Fovea

Back 107

Central part of retina in charge of visual activity

Front 108

Rods

Back 108

Receptor Cells that are in charge of basic shapes, low light, and dark adaptation.

Front 109

Cones

Back 109

Receptor Cells that are in charge of color, sensitive to detail, and require more light.

Front 110

Rhodopsin

Back 110

The photopigment in rods that can get fatigued

Front 111

Optic Nerve

Back 111

Contains axons of ganglion cells, split at the optic chiasm

Front 112

Trichromatic Color Representation

Back 112

Pattern of responding across 3 types of cones that provides a unique code for each color

Front 113

Color Opponent System

Back 113

Pairs of visual neurons that work in opposition

Front 114

Phi Phenomenon

Back 114

illusory perception of movement, produced by successive flashing of images

Front 115

Monocular Depth Cues

Back 115

Type of cue that rely on one eye

(Relative Size and Texture Gradiant)

Front 116

Binocular Depth Cues

Back 116

Type of cue that is more accurate and relies on two eyes.

Front 117

Binocular Disparity

Back 117

Left and right eyes, different views of close objects but perceive objects for similarity

Front 118

Binocular Convergence

Back 118

Eyes turn inward to focus on an object, how much eyes are converging estimates distance

Front 119

Consciousness

Back 119

What is the subjective experience of the world?

Front 120

1. Intentionality - directed towards an object

2. Unity - Resistant to division; divided attention

3. Selectivity - capacity to include some subjects but not others

4. Transience - tendency to change

Back 120

What are the 4 Properties of Consciousness and what do they mean?

Front 121

Minimal Consciousness

Back 121

What is the consciousness that contains low-sensory awareness and responsiveness?

Front 122

Full Consciousness

Back 122

Consciousness where you know and are able to report your mental state

Front 123

Self Consciousness

Back 123

Distinct level in which attention is drawn to self

Front 124

Mental Control

Back 124

Attempt to change conscious state of mind

Front 125

Thought Suppression

Back 125

Conscious avoidance of a thought

Front 126

Circadian Rhythm

Back 126

Daily fluctuations in hormone levels, body temp, brain waves, and drowsiness that govern wake/sleep cycles

Front 127

Beta Waves

Back 127

Waves that occur when you are awake and alert

Front 128

Alpha Waves

Back 128

Waves that occur when you are calm and relaxed

Front 129

Theta Waves

Back 129

Waves that occur during Stages 1 & 2 during sleep, light sleep

Front 130

Delta Waves

Back 130

Waves that occur during the deepest levels of sleep

Front 131

Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

Back 131

Eyes move under eyelids during sleep

Front 132

REM Rebound

Back 132

Occurs when REM deprived person goes to sleep for the first time

Front 133

Insomnia

Back 133

Disorder where a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early

Front 134

Narcolepsy

Back 134

Rapid and unexpected onset of sleep, may last minutes to hours

Front 135

Sleep Apena

Back 135

Blockage of airway during sleep causing snoring etc.

Front 136

Physical Dependence

Back 136

Keeping taking drugs to avoid withdrawal symptoms

Front 137

Psychological Dependence

Back 137

Keep taking drugs because of intense cravings

Front 138

Stimulants

Back 138

These drugs cause Central Nervous Activity to Increase

Front 139

Depressants

Back 139

These drugs cause Central Nervous Activity to decrease