Psych Test 1

Front 1

The science of behavior and mental processes

Back 1

Psychology

Front 2

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how the brain, nervous system, and other physiological mechanisms produce behavior and mental process.

Back 2

Biological Perspective

Front 3

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how mental processes, such focus is how mental processes, such as perception, memory, and problem solving, work and impact on behavior.

Back 3

Cognitive Perspective

Front 4

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how external environmental events condition observable behavior

Back 4

Behavioral Perspective

Front 5

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how other people and the cultural context imapct on behavior and mental processes

Back 5

Sociocultural Perspective

Front 6

Research methods whose main purpose is to provide objective and detailed descriptions of behavior and mental processes

Back 6

Descriptive Methods

Front 7

A descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest is observed in its natural setting, and the researcher does not intervene in the behavior being observed

Back 7

Naturalistic Observation

Front 8

A descriptive research method in which the observer becomes part of the group being observed

Back 8

Participant Observation

Front 9

A descriptive research method in which the researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time.

Back 9

Case Study

Front 10

A descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionnaires and interviews to collect information about the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of particular groups of people.

Back 10

Survey Research

Front 11

The entire group of people that a researcher is studying.

Back 11

Population

Front 12

The subset of a population that actually participates in a research study.

Back 12

Sample

Front 13

A research study in which two variables are measured to determine if they are related (how well either one predicts the other)

Back 13

Correlational Study

Front 14

Any factor that can take on more than one value.

Back 14

Variable

Front 15

A statistic that tells us the type and the strength of the relationship between two variables. The sign of the coefficient (+ or -) indicates the type of correlation. The absolute value of the coefficient represents the strength of the correlation, with 1 being the maximum strength.

Back 15

Correlation Coefficient

Front 16

An explanation of a correlation between two variables in terms of another variable that could possibly be responsible for the observed relationship between the two variables.

Back 16

Third-Variable Problem

Front 17

In an experiment, the variable that is a hypothesized cause and thus is manipulated by the experimenter.

Back 17

Independent Variable

Front 18

In an experiment, a variable that is hypothesized to be affected by the independent variable and thus is measured by the experimenter.

Back 18

Dependent Variable

Front 19

In an experiment, the group exposed to the independent variable.

Back 19

Experimental Group

Front 20

In an experiment, the group not exposed to the independent variable.

Back 20

Control Group

Front 21

Statistics that describe the results of a research study in a concise fashion.

Back 21

Descriptive Statistics

Front 22

A depiction, in a table or ficgure, of the numbler of participants (frequency) receiving each score for a variable.

Back 22

Frequency Distriution

Front 23

A frequency distribution that is shaped like a bell. About 68% of the scores fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% within 2 standard deviations and over 99% within 3 standard deviations of the mean.

Back 23

Normal Distribution

Front 24

Cells that transmit info within the nervous system.

Back 24

Neuron

Front 25

Cells in the nervous system that comprise the support system for the neurons.

Back 25

Glial Cells (glia)

Front 26

Fibers projecting out of the cell body of a neuron whose function is to receive info from other neurons.

Back 26

Dendrites

Front 27

The part of the neuron that contains its nucleus and the other biological machinery to keep the cell alive and that decides whether or not to generate a neural impulse in order to pass incoming info on to other neurons.

Back 27

Cell Body

Front 28

The long, singlualr fiber projecting out of the cell body of a neuron whose function is to conduct the neural impulse from the cell body to the axon terminals triggering chemical communication with other neurons.

Back 28

Axon

Front 29

An insulating layer covering an axon that allows for faster neural impulses.

Back 29

Myelin Sheath

Front 30

A naturally ocuring chemical in the nervous system that specializes in transmitting information between neurons.

Back 30

Neurotransmitter

Front 31

The microscopic gap between neurons across which neurtransmitters travel to carry their messages to other neurons.

Back 31

Synaptic Gay (Synapse)

Front 32

A computerized image of the activity levels of various areas in the brain generated by detecting the amount of oxygen brought to each area

Back 32

fMRI

Front 33

A drug or poison that increases the activity of one or more neurotransmitters

Back 33

Agonist

Front 34

A drug or poison that decreases the activity of one or more neurtransmitters.

Back 34

Antagonist

Front 35

A neurtransmitter involved in memory and muscle movement

Back 35

Acetycholine (ACh)

Front 36

A neurotransmitter involved in attention, though processes, reward centers, and movement.

Back 36

Dopamine

Front 37

A disease in which the person has movement problems such as muscle tremors, difficulty initiating movements, and rigidity of movement. These movement problems stem from a scarcity of dopamine in the basal ganglia.

Back 37

Parkinsons Disease

Front 38

Neurotransmitters involved in levels of arousal and mood.

Back 38

Serotonin and Norepinephrine

Front 39

A group of neurotransmitters that are involved in pain perception and reivew.

Back 39

Endorphins

Front 40

The brain & Spinal Chord

Back 40

Nervous System

Front 41

Neurons that integrate info within the CNS through their communication with each other and between sensory and motor neurons in the spinal cord.

Back 41

Interneurons

Front 42

Neurons in the PNS that carry info to the CNS from sensory receptors, muscles, and glands.

Back 42

Sensory Neurons

Front 43

Neurons in the PNS that carry movement commands from the CNS out to the rest of the body.

Back 43

Motor Neurons

Front 44

The initial information gathering and recoding by the sensory structures

Back 44

Sensation

Front 45

The interpretation by the brain of sensory info.

Back 45

Perception

Front 46

The processing of incoming sensory info as it travels up from the sensory structures to the brain.

Back 46

Bottom-Up Processing

Front 47

The brain's use of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations to interpret sensory info.

Back 47

Top-Down Processing

Front 48

The interpretation of ambiguous sensory info in the terms of how our past experiences have set us to perceive it.

Back 48

Perceptual Set

Front 49

The use of the persent context of sensory info to determine its meaning.

Back 49

Contextual Effect

Front 50

The Gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain organizes sensory information into a figure or figures (the center of attention) and ground (the less distinct background).

Back 50

Figure and Ground Principle