Exam I Flashcards
What are empirical findings or evidence
Relying on or derived from experimentation, observation, or measurement
What is pop psych?
Based of popular opinion and not supported by research or data
What is professional psych?
Based on research studies and data; by empirical evidence
How is psychology defined?
The academic discipline concerned with behavior (“Act”) and mental processes (“Thoughts”) and those are effected by one’s physical state (“Biology”), and one’s mental state (“Psychological wellness”) and by one’s external environment (“Influences we’ve been raised with”).
What is critical thinking
The ability and willingness to access claims and make objective judgements on the basis of well-supported reasons and evidence, rather than emotions or popular opinion.
What is the behavioral perspective
Focuses on how your direct environment and direct experiences affect behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.
Ex/ rewards and punishments
what is the biological perspective
Focuses on how bodily events affect: feelings, actions, and thoughts.
Ex/ brain chemistry impact on depression
What is the cognitive perspective?
This perspective wants to know how people’s mental processes work
Ex/ memory and attention
What is sociocultural perspective?
Focuses on social and cultural forces outside of an individual
Ex/ religion and country you’re born in
What is the psychodynamic perspective?
Deals with and focuses on unconscious behaviors and dynamics within an individual
*Instinctual behaviors
Ex/ in dreams
What is humanistic perspective?
Focuses on how one’s unique hopes and aspirations influence their thoughts feelings and behaviors
Ex/ free will of behavior
what is a clinical psychologist?
B.A. Psychology
Graduate School
Learn therapy techniques and about psych disorders
MA or PhD
Cognitive, sociocultural, and behavioral techniques
What is a psychiatrist?
B.A.- Bio or Chem
MCAT Test
Medical School
4 Years
MD
What is a hypothesis ?
A statement that attempts to predict or account for a set of phenomena; or a statement that tries to describe or explain a given behavior.
What is a theory
An organized system of assumptions and principles that alleges to explain a certain set of phenomena and their interrelationships.
What are operational definitions?
A precise definition of a term in a hypothesis, which specifies the operations for observing and measuring the process or phenomenon being defined.
What is reliability?
If repeated the results will be the same
What is validity
It measures what it is supposed to measure
What is the major shortcoming of laboratory observations?
People may act differently because special equipment in the laboratory.
What is correlation?
a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another
What is positive correlation
An association between increases in one variable and increases in another- or between decreases in one another
What is negative correlation
An association between increases in one variable and decreases in another
What is a representative sample
A group of subjects, selected from a population for study which matches the population on important characteristics such as age or sex
What are the shortcomings of a non representative sample
A non-representative sample can undermine the validity and reliability of a study, leading to incorrect conclusions and potentially costly or damaging decisions.
What is an independent variable
Variable that changes
What is the dependent variable
The variable that gets effected; depends on the independent variable
What is an experiment
A controlled test of a hypothesis in which the researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on the other
What is debriefing
It’s conducted after the experiment to explain the purpose of the research to have participants leaving without negative feelings.
What is the control group
It’s the comparison group
What is a cross sectional study
A study in which subjects of different ages are compared at a given time
What is a longitudinal study
A study in which subjects are followed and periodically reassessed over a period of time
What is the central nervous system and describe it
It’s what controls the body and is at the center of our being. It contains the brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system
All portions of the nervous system OUTSIDE the brain and spinal cord “underneath the neck”; glands, organs, muscles, nerves, neurons, ect.
What are spinal reflexes
A reflex that requires no thought
What is a neuron
The basic cell that makes up the nervous system, receives and transmits electrochemical signals in the nervous system
What are dendrites
“Branch-like/ Finger-like structures in the neuron that receive messages from other neurons” Branches of the neuron that receive neural impulses
What is the axon
Tube- like structure (like an electrical cord) that conveys electrical impulses toward other neurons.
What is the myelin sheath
Fatty insulation wrapped around the axons. this insulation increases the rate at which electrical impulses travel along the axon. Infants do NOT have thick myelin sheath.
What are glial cells
Provide/delivers nutrients and oxygen to neurons, they produce myelin sheath, and clean up waste. Influence new neurons, especially in infancy.
What is the synapse
“Formation between neurons.” Microscopic, fluid-filled space between the dendrite of one neuron and the synaptic knob of another. Neurons don’t actually touch- they are connected by this fluid. Synapses have communication links. Infants are NOT born with many synapses. Synapses build over time and with experience.
What is a random sample and what are the shortcomings
A sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected and the shortcoming is it could having bias results
What is plasticity?
The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to experience, learning, or injury.
What is neurogenesis
The process by which new neurons (nerve cells) are formed in the brain.
What is laboratory observation
Behavior is observed and recorded in a controlled environment, typically a laboratory setting.
What is naturalistic observation?
Researchers observe and record behavior in its natural environment without intervening or manipulating any variables
What is sensation?
The detection of physical energy emitted or reflected by physical options. The process of receiving, converting, and transmitting information from the outside world
What is perception?
The process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information. The method by which the sensations at any given moment are interpreted and organized in some meaningful way.
What is Opponent- Process Theory of Color Perception?
Your retina reacts to the opposite color of White/ Black are a pair, as well as Blue/Yellow and Red/Green
iPhone at night…Sleep issues
What is inattentional blindness?
Also known as perceptual blindness, is failure to notice an unexpected stimulus that is one’s eyesight when other attention demanding tasks are being performed. This typically happens when humans are overloaded with stimuli, and it is impossible to pay attention to all stimuli in one’s environment.
What is micro saccades?
Constant eye movement, tiny little vibrations in the eye that you don’t consciously notice. i.e. Survival technique.
What is sensory overload?
Peoples’ senses get overloaded when they have to process too much info; Shopping, Long music festivals, Long classes, Amusement parks Too much Stimulation (Visual, auditory, informational processing, ect. Can lead to Tired, Sleepy, Blocking out information, Anxious, Hungry, and Aggravated.
What are Innate abilities?
Abilities that we are born with such as depth perception
What is the retina?
Contains Visual Photoreceptor cells on the back of the eye that respond to light waves. The retina transfer images to the optic nerve, which sends visual messages to the brain.
What is the iris?
Round muscle (the colored part of the eye) that changes the size of the pupil by opening and closing the pupil based on amount of light present in the environment.
What is the iris?
Round muscle (the colored part of the eye) that changes the size of the pupil by opening and closing the pupil based on amount of light present in the environment.
What are the rods in the eye?
Visual Sensory Receptors in the Retina responsible for ability to see in the dark. Rods are sensitive to dim/low light and darkness
What are the cones in the eye?
Visual Sensory Receptors in the Retina responsible for color vision and fine detail. These are sensitive to color, brightness, and detail.
What is perpetual constancy?
refers to the brain’s ability to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changes in sensory input, such as changes in lighting, angle, distance, or other environmental factors.
What is the linear perspective?
a visual depth cue that helps the brain perceive three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. It refers to the way parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance, eventually meeting at a single point known as the “vanishing point” on the horizon.
What is the cochlea?
a critical part of the inner ear responsible for hearing. It is a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure that converts sound waves into nerve impulses, which the brain can then interpret as sound.
What is the gate control theory
gate control theory of pain explains how pain is not just a result of physical injury, but also influenced by psychological and neurological factors.
