Psych Test 1

Front 1

action potential

Back 1

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

Front 2

amygdala

Back 2

Two Lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Front 3

axon

Back 3

The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

Front 4

behavioral perspective

Back 4

External stimuli that that trigger angry responses or aggressive acts.

Front 5

Broca's area

Back 5

Controls language expression. Area of the frontal lobe, usually left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Front 6

case study

Back 6

An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principals.

Front 7

central nervous system (CNS)

Back 7

The brain and the spinal cord

Front 8

cerebellum

Back 8

The "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem. Functions including processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.

Front 9

cerebral cortex

Back 9

Intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and info-processing center.

Front 10

cognitive perspective

Back 10

Study of how our interpretation of a situation affects our anger and how our anger affects our thinking.

Front 11

corpus collasum

Back 11

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Front 12

correlation coefficient

Back 12

A statistical index of the relationship between two things.

Front 13

correlations

Back 13

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and thus how well either factor predicts the other.

Front 14

psychology

Back 14

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Front 15

dendrites

Back 15

The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Front 16

evolutionary perspective

Back 16

Analyzing how anger facilitated the survival of our ancestors genes.

Front 17

experimental group

Back 17

The group that is exposed to the treatment

Front 18

control group

Back 18

Group not exposed to treatment during an experiment.

Front 19

glial cells

Back 19

Cells in the CNS that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Front 20

hindsight bias

Back 20

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (I knew it all along)

Front 21

hippocampus

Back 21

A neural center that is located in the limbic system and helps process explicit memories for storage.

Front 22

hypothalamus

Back 22

Neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, sleeping), and helps govern the endocrine system via pituitary gland.

Front 23

hypothesis

Back 23

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Front 24

interneurons

Back 24

information is processed in the brains internal communication system via these

Front 25

introspection

Back 25

Minds structural elements

Front 26

mean

Back 26

Average of a distribution. Obtained by adding the scores & dividing the number of scores.

Front 27

median

Back 27

The middle score in a distribution

Front 28

medulla

Back 28

The base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing.

Front 29

mode

Back 29

The most frequently occurring scores in a distribution.

Front 30

motor cortex

Back 30

Area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Front 31

motor neurons

Back 31

Neurons that carry outgoing info from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles & glands.

Front 32

myelin sheath

Back 32

Layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons.

Front 33

naturalistic observation

Back 33

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

Front 34

nervous system

Back 34

The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network

Front 35

neural network

Back 35

The brains neurons cluster into working groups know as these.

Front 36

neuroscience perspective

Back 36

Study of the brain circuits that cause us to be red in the face.

Front 37

neurotransmitters

Back 37

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Front 38

operational definitions

Back 38

Statement of the procedures used to define research variables.

Front 39

overconfidence bias

Back 39

The tendency to be more confident that correct

Front 40

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 40

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it's energy.

Front 41

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 41

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it's energy.

Front 42

peripheral nervous system

Back 42

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

Front 43

phrenology

Back 43

Theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities & our character traits.

Front 44

pons

Back 44

Part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata & the thalamus