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
Amygdala
responsible for fear responses and memory of fear
Limbic System
group of structures located under the cortex involved in learning, emotion, memory and motivation
Cingulate Cortex
emotion and cognitive processing
Corpus Callosum
thick, tough band of neural fibers (axons) which connects the two sides of the brain
Sensation
the process that occurs when special receptors in the sense organ are activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signals in the brain
Transduction
the process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity
Sensory Receptors
specialized forms of neurons that, instead of receiving neurotransmitters from other cells, they are stimulated by different kinds of energy (light,chemicals,vibrations,and pressure/temperature)
Just Noticeable Difference
the smallest difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50% of the time (being able to tell the difference between 2 very similar things)
Absolute Threshold
the lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50% of the time the stimulation in present ( when can you hear the weakest tone)
Habituation
the tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information ( your brain telling you to not notice the train that runs past your house until someone points it out to you)
Sensory Adaptation
tendency of sensory receptor cells that become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging ( even if your want to notice it again you cant like when your room smells for so long you don’t notice anymore)
McGurk Effect
the illusion that combines the auditory stimulus of one sound with the visual stimulus of another sound ( you see ba ba ba but hear va va va and it beings to look like ther person is saying va and not ba )
After Image
images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed
Gustation
sensation of taste, taste buds/tase receptor cells get replaced every 10-14 days
-sweet,sour,salty, and bitter
Proprioception
tells us where our body is in space
Vestibular Senses
the sensations of movement, balance, and body posture
structures are located in the innermost chamber of the ear, responsible for motion sickness
Perception
the method by which sensations experienced at any given moment are intercepted and organized in some meaningful fashion
