Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychological science
The study, through research of mind, brain, and behavior
meta-analysis
Studies that combine the results of many separate studies to look at the broader picture
independent variable
reactivity
the phenomenon that occurs when knowledge that one is being observed alters the behavior being observed
If your being watched- you change your actions
experimenter expectancy
random assignment
debriefing
neuron
the basic units of the nervous system; cells
that receive, integrate and transmit information in the nervous system
brain stem
an extension of the spinal cord and
houses the basic programs of survival
cerebellum
“little brain” is essential for coordination,
movement, balance, motor skills
obstructive sleep apnea
a person, while asleep, stops breathing
because his or her throat closes; the condition results in frequent awakenings during the night
narcolepsy
a sleep disorder in which people
experience excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours, sometimes going limp and collapsing
insomnia
inability to sleep that causes significant
problems in daily living
corpus callosum
a massive bridge of millions of
axons that connects the hemispheres and allows information to flow between them
change blindness
a failure to notice large changes in one’s environment
– Change blindness illustrates how selective an individual’s attention can be.
escapist behavior
a way to avoid, ignore, or distract oneself from reality or emotions.
stimulants
drugs that increase behavioral and mental
activity, and activate the sympathetic nervous system
depressants
drugs that reduce behavioral and mental activity by depressing the central nervous system
circadian rhythms
- The regulation of biological cycles into regular, daily patterns
ex) activity levels, body temp, sleeping
flow
total engagement in an act for its own
sake (not focused on reward or on escaping
one’s problems)
Wilhelm Wundt
First man to call himself a phycologist
William James
Physiology, philosopher
- principles of psychology (1890)
-Focused on the function of behavior
-“The Science of mental life.”
Importance of critical thinking
Subfields of psychology and possible topics of research
The debate of nature vs. nurture
“Nature” means innate biological factors (namely genetics), while “nurture” can refer to upbringing or life experience more generally.
Gestalt Theory
a theory based on the idea that the whole of
personal experience is different from the sum of its constituent element
-The perception of objects is subjective and dependent on context.
Functionalism
an approach to psychology concerned with the function of mind and behavior.
Structuralism
an approach to psychology based on the
idea that conscious experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components
Psychoanalytic Theory
assumes that resistance and defense mechanisms prevent unconscious, unpleasant thoughts and feelings from becoming conscious
4 primary goals of science and their purpose
Description: What is happening?
Explanation: Why is it happening?
Prediction: When will it happen again?
Control: How can it be changed?
How hypotheses relate to theories
Hypothesis: a specific, testable prediction, narrower than the theory it is based on
Theory: a model of interconnected ideas or concepts that explains what is observed and makes predictions about future events
The purpose of a literature view and preregistration of studies
Descriptive study
research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that behavior objectively and systematically
Correlational study
Experiment
Difference between psychologist and psychiatrist
- Psychiatrists are medical doctors who provide diagnosis and therapy for persons with mental disorders.
- Psychologists have academic degrees and can do counseling, teaching, and research and may specialize in any one of a large number of areas within psychology.
Negative correlation
Positive correlation
The importance of replicating research
basic parts of the nervous system
- central nervous system
- brain
- spinal cord
Automatic vs controlled processing
Automatic: Occurs when a task is so well learned that we can do it without much attention (walking, reading)
Controlled: slower than automatic processing, but helps with complex tasks (driving in the rain)
According to Freud, Manifest Content and Latent Content of dreams
Manifest Content: the plot of a dream; the way the dream is remembered
Latent Content: what a dream symbolizes; the material disguised in a dream to protect the dreamer from confronting a conflict directly
REM Sleep
the stage of sleep marked by rapid
eye movements, paralysis of motor systems,
and dreaming
The sleep cycle reverses after about 90 minutes, returning to stage 1.
What major milestone in psychology occurred in 1879
established the first psychology
laboratory in Germany.
- Tried to understand the structures of consciousness
What part of the nervous system “wakes up” the body
Sympathetic division
What part of the nervous system “relaxes” the body
Parasympathetic division
Be able to label the following parts of a neuron (cell body, dendrite, myeline sheath,
axon, terminal buttons)
What are the big 3 neurotransmitters?
reuptake: Neurotransmitter is reabsorbed into the presynaptic terminal buttons.
enzyme deactivation: Enzyme destroys the neurotransmitter
autoreception: signals the presynaptic neuron to stop releasing the neurotransmitter
