Game 1: Intro, Research Methods, Neuroscience, Behavior, Sensation, Perception Flashcards
Definition of psychology?
scientific study of behavior and mental processes
when did psychology start and how?
late 1800s and branched from philosophers
what method do psychologists study behavior with?
scientific method
psychiatry
more medical than studies. focuses on how humans change over the course of their lives with developments in the mind, social, and cultural impact
health psychology
examines how behavior and human psychology affect health
social psychology
examines human mind and perception and how it is affected by others in our environment
educational psychology
concentration on how people learn
cognitive psychology
study of the human thought process
neuropsychology
applies studies of human behavior as it relates to the central nervous system
industrial and organizational psychology
study of human behavior in the workplace
forensic psychology
deals with legal cases
sport psychology
focuses on the mental side of athletic performance
hypothesis
a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in your study
confirmation bias
seek out evidence that confirms an existing belief while ignoring contradictory evidence
naturalistic observation
observation and recording of behaviors as they occur in their natural setting
case study
study of a small group of individuals or an individual
neuron
core structure in the brain that carries chemical messages in the brain to the body
activates glands and muscles
as a whole it is the nervous system
nerves
cluster of neurons
presynaptic neuron
sending neuron
postsynaptic neuron
receiving neuron
dendrites
fibers that extend from a neuron and receive information
cell body (soma)
processes nutrients and provides energy
has the nucleus
axon
single, long fluid tube that carries the message
glial cells (glia)
support cells that assist neurons with structural support
manufacture myelin
provide nutrition and aid in cell wastes
myelin sheath
white fatty covering that wraps around the axons of some neurons
synaptic vesicles
tiny pouches that contain chemicals called neurotransmitters
synapse
point of communication between two neurons
synaptic gap
the tiny space between neurons
axon terminal
branches at the end of the axon that contain synaptic vesicles
synaptic transmission
process of neurotransmitters being released by one neuron and affecting adjoining neurons
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers manufactured by a neuron
reuptake
process of neurotransmitter molecules detaching from a postsynaptic neuron and are reabsorbed by a presynaptic neuron so they can be recycled
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
medication to increase the availability of serotonin
neuron at rest
has more negative energy inside cell
what elements are found inside a neuron cell
sodium (Na) and potassium (K)
how does a neuron become more positive?
sodium coming in through ion channels
resting potential
positive outside, negative inside
threshold of excitation
minimum level of stimulation to activate a particular neuron
action potential
potassium ions exit the axon and sodium enters
more positive in axon
agonist
drug or other chemical that triggers a response
ex. alcohol triggers gaba creating less excitement so less messages get through
antagonist
a drug or other chemical substance that blocks a receptor site and prevents receiving
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord that consists of nerves that cannot be replaced or repaired
carries messages from brain to spinal cord to other muscles/glands
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
consists of nerves that connect all the way to glands, muscles, and sensory organs
nerves are able to regenerate
consists of ANS and SNS
somatic nervous system
transports signals to and from voluntary muscles
autonomic nervous system
internal organs, muscles, and glands except digestive system
no control “auto”
consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
the use of energy and action
increases blood pressure and heart rate
parasympathetic nervous system
conserves energy
reduces blood pressure and heart rate
functions during sleep
endocrine system
glands that transmit hormones
neurogenesis
development of new neurons
plasticity
the brain’s ability to change function and structure
cerebral cortex
wrinkled outer portion that has most sophisticated brain centers
cerebral hemispheres
the symmetrical halves of the brain
corpus callosum
part that links the two cerebral hemispheres by a thick band of axons
temporal lobe
near temples
primary receiving area for auditory info
occipital lobe
at the back
visual info
parietal lobe
above temporal lobe
somatic (touch) sensations
frontal lobe
largest lobe
processes voluntary muscle movements
includes thinking, planning, and emotions
brain stem
located at base of brain, above spinal cord that connects the two
connections between heart and lungs
olfactory bulb
sense of smell is processed
under frontal lobe
hindbrain
cerebellum, medulla, pons
cerebellum
voluntary body movements
medulla
involuntary movements
part of brain stem so sends messages
pons
muscle station between areas of the brain
helps send signals from cerebellum and cortex
midbrain
tectum, tegmentum
tectum
receiving stimulus inputs from eyes, ears, and skin
superior colliculus
input from retina and visual cortex in tectum
inferior colliculus
receives input from auditory pathway
tegmentum
movement and arousal
forebrain
thalamus, hypothalamus
limbic system
group of forebrain structures
hippocampus
learning and forming new memories
amygdala
cluster of neurons
memory and emotional response, especially fear
broca’s area
pierre paul broca
left hemisphere
speech
wernicke’s area
left temporal lobe
written and spoken language
aphasia
inability to articulate ideas due to brain injury
sensation
“raw” data we recieve
perception
the process of understanding sensations
selective attention
only able to pay attention to a certain amount of stimuli at one time
inattentional blindness
something not perceived in plain sight
change blindness
not realizing a change in our environment
cocktail party effect
the ability to focus on a particular stimulus while filtering out others
absolute thresholds
smallest possible strength that can be detected half the time
difference thresholds
smallest possible difference between two stimuli that can be detected half the time
weber’s law
the size of noticeable difference will vary depending on its relation to the strength of the original stimulus
sensory adaptation
the decline in sensitivity to a constant stimulus
cornea
clear membrane covering visible part of eye that direct and gathers incoming light
pupil
opening that adjusts for different amounts of light
lens
actively focuses, or bends, light as it enters the eye
behind pupil
retina
thin, light sensitive membrane that has sensory receptors at the back of the eye
rods
highly sensitive to light, black and white
in retina
cones
detect color in retina
fovea
small indent that only has cones and vision is focused
ganglion cells
in retina that has neurons that connect to bipolar cells
forms the optic nerve
bipolar cells
specialized neurons that connect the rods and cones with ganglion cells
optic nerve
carries info from back of the eye to visual cortex in the brain
optic chiasm
the point in the brain where the optic nerve fibers from each eye meet and partly cross to the other side of the brain
transduction
light comes in as a form of energy and that as wavelengths and that gets interpreted in the brain
ROYGBIV
long wavelengths to short
optic disk
area of the retina without rods or cones where the optic nerve exits at the back
blind spot
the spot where the optic nerve leaves the eye which makes a small gap in the field of vision
accomodation
process where the lens changes shape to focus light so it falls on the retina
color
the experience of color that includes light, hue, saturation, and brightness
hue
color itself
saturation
the purity of light wave
brightness
intensity of a color
young-helmholtz trichromatic theory
the sensation of color results because cones in retina are especially sensitive to red light, green light, and blue light
opponent-process theory
colors come in pairs and it can turn off and on
color blindness
the inability to turn on and off the interpreter of opponent color theory
audition
the technical term for the sense of hearing
outer ear
consists of the pinna, eat canal, and eardrum
middle ear
amplifies sound waves
consists of the hammer, anvil, and the stirrup
inner ear
sound gets translated to neural impulses
cochlea and semicircular canals
eardrum
sends vibrations to inner ear
cochlea
coiled, fluid-filled inner ear
contains basilar membrane and hair cells
basilar membrane
membrane within cochlea that contains hair cells
hair cells
hair like sensory receptors for sound
sensorineural hearing loss
still vibrates, but doesn’t send neural messages
cochlear implants
interprets messages to send to the auditory complex
olfaction
technical name for sense of smell
olfactory bulb
ending of the olfactory cortex where the sense of smell is processed
pheromones
chemical signals that convey info and affect behavior of other animals of the same species
gustation
technical name for taste
umani
savory tastes like soy and meath broths
nociceptors
specialized sensory receptors for pain that are found in the skin, muscles, and internal organs
substance P
a neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain
bottom-up processing
data-driven processing
top-down processing
conceptually-driven processing
ESP (extrasensory perception)
perception of information other than the normal
parapsychology
scientific investigation of claims of paranormal phenomena and abilities
monocular clues
can be processed by either eye alone
binocular cues
requires the use of both eyes
perceptual constancy
tendency to perceive objects as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory input
size constancy
the perception of an object as maintaining the same size despite changing images on the retina
shape constancy
tendency to think something has a fixed shape regardless of image
perceptual illusions
misperception of true characteristics of object or images
