General Psychology Quiz 1 Chapters 1-3 Flashcards
Psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Behavior
all of our outward (overt) actions and reactions
Mental Processes
the internal (covert) activity of our minds
Objective Introspection
(William Wundt) the process of objectively examining and measuring ones’s own thoughts and mental activities
Structuralism
(Edward Titchener) the focus of study s the structure or basic elements of the mind
Unconscious
mental state not in our awareness where we push threatening urges and desires
Psychoanalysis
theory and therapy based on Freud’s ideas (all motivations are sexual in nature)
Behaviorism
the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only
Observation
- highly structured or general
- Naturalistic vs. Controlled
- usually in conjunction with an interview
- reactive (observer expectancy-problem in clinical and research environments)
Case Study
- study of one individual in great detail
- provides a tremendous amount of detail but difficult to generalize
Validity
the extent to which a test of procedure actually preforms the function if was designed to preform
Reliability
degree to which a procedure or test will yield the same results if repeated
Deception
is intentionally misleading prospective participants about the research
Incomplete Disclosure
is not giving participants accurate or adequate information about some aspect of the research
Double Blind Study
neither the participants nor the person or persons measuring the dependent variable know who got what (placebo or real drug)
Psychologist
a professional with an academic degree and specialized training in one or more areas of psychology (no medical training and focus on therapy/counseling)
Psychiatrist
a medical doctor who has specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders (medication)
Neuroplasticity
the ability to constantly change both the structure and function of many cells in the brain in response to experience
Cortex
the outermost covering of the brain consisting of densely packed neurons, responsible for higher thought processes and interpretations of sensory output
Corticalization
the increase of wrinkling as the cortex increases in size and complexity
Aphasia
- Broca’s is broken speech when the persons knows what they want to say, but they can’t get it out
- Wernicker’s the can make all sounds, but to the person hearing it they just sound like jumbled speech, but sounds correct to the person speaking
Thalamus
relays sensory information from lower part of the brain to the proper areas of the cortex for processing
Hypothalamus
responsible for motivational behavior such as sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex
Hippocampus
responsible for the formation of long-term memories and the storage of memory for location of objects