Exam I Flashcards
Define Psychology
science of behavior & mental processes
What are the four major research perspectives?
biological, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural
Explain the cognitive research perspective.
how mental processes (perception, memory, problem solving) work & impact behavior
Explain the behavioral perspective.
emphasizes conditioning of our behavior by environmental events; more emphasis on explaining observable behavior than understanding mental processes
Explain the biological perspective.
physiological hardware, esp. brain & nervous system, viewed as major determiner of behavior & mental processes
Explain the sociocultural perspective.
how other people & the cultural context impact our behavior & mental processes
What is hindsight bias?
I knew-it-along phenomenon. The tendency, after learning about an outcome, to be overconfident in the ability to have predicted it.
What are the research method types?
descriptive, correlational, experimental
What is descriptive research?
observational techniques, case studies, surveys. Provides objective, detailed descriptions of behavior & mental processes
What is naturalistic observation?
a descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest in observed in its natural setting & the researcher does not intervene
What is participant observation?
descriptive research method, observer becomes part of group being observed.
What is a case study?
researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time
What is survey research?
descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionnaires & interviews to collect information about behavior, beliefs & attitudes of particular groups of people
What is the population?
the entire group of people a researcher is studying.
What is the sample?
the subset of a population that actually participates in a research study
What is random sampling?
sample technique, obtains representative sample in a population by ensuring that each individual in a populations has an equal opportunity to be in the sample
What is a correlational study?
a research study in which two variables are measured to determine is they are related (how well either one predicts the other)
What is the variable?
any factor that can take on more than one value
What is a correlation coefficient?
a statistic that tells the type & strength of a relationship between two variables. absolute value= 0.0-1.0 (-,+) represents strength
What does a positive correlation mean?
direct relationship between two variables (0.0-1.0)
What does a negative correlation mean?
an inverse relationship b/t two variables. -0.9-(-0.1)
What is the mean, median and mode?
mean=average, median=middle score, mode=most frequent score
What is the percentile rank?
the percentage of scores below a specific score in a distribution of scores.
What is the axon of the neuron?
the long, singular fiber projecting out of the cell body whose function is to conduct the neural impulse from the cell body to the axon terminals triggering chemical communications w/ other neurons. covered in myelin sheath=insulating layer covering that allows for faster neural impulses.
What are neurotransmitters?
naturally occurring chemical in the nervous system that specializes in transmitting info between neurons
What is the CNS?
The Central Nervous System=brain, spinal cord.
What is the PNS?
Peripheral nervous system=part of the nervous system that links to CNS w/ the body’s sensory receptors, muscles, glands (somatic: sensory input, outgoing commands from brain–>skeletal muscles, automatic nervous system & stomach. sympathetic: “fight or flight,” controls body when it is aroused. Parasympathetic: “rest & digest” controls body during rest state.
What are neurons?
cells that transmit info w/in nervous system
what is the frontal lobe of the brain?
area in ea. cerebral hemisphere in front of the central fissure & above the lateral fissure, motor cortex in this lobe (allows movement of dif. parts of the body)
What is the parietal lobe?
the area in each cerebral hemisphere in back of the central fissure & above the lateral fissure. Includes the somatosensory cortex (allows us to sense pressure, temp & pain in dif. parts of our body as well as the position of our body parts)
What is the occipital lobe?
the area in the lower back of each cerebral hemisphere. the primary visual cortex is in this lobe, where visual sensory info is initially processed.
Describe the temporal lobe.
Includes primary auditory cortex where auditory sensory information is initially processed.
What is REM?
Rapid eye movement. stage of sleep that is characterized by REMs and brain wave patterns that resemble those for an awake state and in which most dreaming occurs. sometimes called paradoxical sleep because the bodily muscles are immobilized but much of the brain is highly active.
Define sensation and perception.
Sensation=gathering info w/ our senses. perception=interpreting info.
What is the trichromatic theory?
it assumes there are three types of cones, each only activated by wavelength ranges of light corresponding roughly to blue, green, and red. all the various colors that we see are mixtures of various levels of activation of the three types of cones. all three activated=white
What is the opponent-process theory?
it assumes there are three opponent-process cell systems=red-green, blue-yellow, black-white. they process color information after it has been processed by the cones. colors in ea. system oppose one another in that if one color is simulated, other is inhibited.
What is bottom-up processing?
the process of incoming sensory information as it travels up from the sensory structures to the brain
What is top-down processing?
the brain’s use of knowledge, beliefs and expectations to interpret sensory information
What is the figure/ground principle?
The Gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain organizes sensory information into a figure or figures (the center of attention) and ground (less distinct background). vase & face photo.
What is closure?
the gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain completes (closes) incomplete figures to form meaningful objects.
What is subjective contour?
a line of shape that is perceived to be present but does not really exist. the brain creates it during perception.
What is death perception?
our ability to perceive the distance of objects from us
