midterm psy1101 Flashcards
What is applied practice?
application of discovered techniques to solve specific practical problems.
What is applied psychology?
psychological principles are used to solve practical problem by influencing behavior or changing environment to match behavior.
What is applied research?
research done to discover new or more effective ways to solve a specific practical problem.
what is basic research?
this is done by psychologists to understand the fundamental principles of the BEHAVIOR AND MIND.
in psychological terms describe behavior
anything observable: actions, words, responses, anything that affects a situation. Behavior can also affect biological activity including actions on a cellular device.
what is behaviorism?
only observable behavior should be studies not conscious experience nothing else
what is biological determinism?
all human behavior is controlled by genetics and biological factors
what is clinical psychology
applied psychology that focuses on identifying, preventing and relieving distress that is pyschological
what are counseling psychologists?
psychologists that help patients deal with ongoing situations
what is culture?
a group of people that share beliefs and behaviors
what is dualism?
philosophical position that the mind and body are entirely separate
what is eclectic approach?
clinical psychological approach that uses therapeutic techniques based on the event and effectiveness
what is epicricism?
EXPERIENCE (view that knowledge is from experience)
what is evolutionary psychology?
mental processes have developed in response to natural selection to solve adaptive problems
what is feminist psychology?
cultural influences on gender and gender differences in behavior
what are functional explanantions?
proximate explanations that want to identify a specific problem as the cause of a behavior or mental process
what is functionalism?
early movement in psychology where they believes that the understanding of behavior process was critical to understanding its operation
what is humanistic psychology?
humans are able to make their own choices to realize their own potentials
what is intersectional approach?
studying cultural influences that examine how multiple social identities intersect at an individual aspect
what are levels of explanation?
it’s knowing that different explanations for a phenomenon can complement one another
what is the mind?
conscious experience: sensations, perceptions, thoughts, and emotions
what is nativism?
some knowledge is inborn or innate
what is phrenology?
pseudoscience: observing or feeling the skull to associate it with how the brain feels and reacts
what is positive psychology?
studies positive emotions of the human: happiness, trust, gratitude
what are process-orientated explanations?
a proximate explanation that focuses on how specific mental physical process explain a trait or behavior
what are proximate explanations?
explanations that describe immediate cause of a trait, behavior, mental process
what is a psychiatrist?
a medical doctors that is trained to assess and treat psychological disorders, and they can prescribe medications
what is psychoanalysis?
psychotherapy designed by Freud that seeks to help patients with their unconscious thoughts, behaviors
what is structuralism?
its the first movement of psychology in history, which focused on breaking down immediate conscious experiences into smaller parts
what is systematic introspection?
one of the first strategies to make inferences about contents of the mind
what is translational research?
taking basic finding and turning them into solutions for practical problems
what are ultimate explanations?
explanations that are used to describe the reason why a trait, behavior, or mental process exists
what is alation?
medical procedure to remove a tissue
what are acquiescent response bias?
this is the tendency for participants to agree or respond yes to all questions without using their actual opinions
what is assent?
a person’s permission to take part in a study, consent
what is beneficence?
where researchers want to do/make good out of a study
what is being bias?
unfair or unequal representation
what is a case study?
an in-depth analysis of a unique circumstance or individual
what is confederate?
it’s a person who is acting as a participant but in reality is another researcher
what is a confounding variable?
other variables that may influence one or both variables that are being measured
what is a correlation coefficient?
a numerical representation of the strength of the relationship between variables (r)
what is data?
facts or information collected, examined and considered for decision making processes
what is debriefing?
information provided to participants about what the researchers was investigating and how their participation will contribute to the research question
what is deception?
refusing to give information about the purpose of the study during the informed consent process
what is decisional impairment?
instances that diminish a potential participant’s capacity to provide informed consent
what are descriptive methods?
any measure to capture, record or describe a group. what is not why is
what is ecological validity?
research findings int he lab can be generalized to the real world
what is eligibility criteria?
inclusion and exclusion criteria to create a set of characteristics shared by all participants
what is entorhinal cortex?
part of the cerebral cortex found on the ventral part of the temporal lobes and plays role in behavior and memory
what is episodic memory?
memories whose contents pertain to specific events - episodes
what is exclusion criteria?
an attribute of a person that would prevent them from participating research study
what is fidelity?
developing trusting relationships between researchers and participants
what are field experiments?
experiment that takes place in real world settings where a researcher manipulates and controls the conditions of the behavior under observation
what is the hippocampus?
part of the cerebral cortex, plays the role in the transference of certain types of memories in long-term memory stores
what is hypothesis?
it is an educated prediction about the outcome of an experiment
what is illusory superiority?
when we describe our behavior better than average
what is inclusion criterion?
an attribute of participants that is necessary to be a part of a research study
what is informed consent?
the process by which research participants learn and understand the purpose, benefits and potential risks of a research study
what is institutional review board (IRB)?
committee of independent group of people who review and assess whether a research project will be carried out in a way that is consistent with general ethical principles
what is integrity?
psychologists should engage in accurate, honest and non-biased practices in the science
what is justice?
the people who participate in the research are the same people who benefit from the results of the research
what is maleficence?
the act of doing harm
what is a naturalistic observation?
observation of behavior as it happens without an attempt to control the subjects natural environments
what is negative correlation?
variables that change in the opposite direction. an increase in one leads to decrease in another
what is participant observation?
a research method in which a research becomes part of the group under investigation
what is positive correlation?
when variable change in the same direction; as one variable increases the other variable increases
what are procedural memories?
memories whose contents pertain to how something is done
what is rationalism?
the belief or theory that reason is the key source of knowledge
what is replication?
a term referring to a do-over of a study using the same methods but different subjects and investigators
what are research ethics?
a set of principles or standards for psychologists to follow in research
what is response bias?
the tendency for people to answer the question the way they feel they are expected to answer
what are scientific theories?
rational explanations to describe and predict future behavior
what are semantic memories?
memories whose contents relate to specific facts and pieces of meaningful info not based on personal experience
what are socially desirable bias?
participants respond to questions in ways that would be seen as acceptable by others
what are vulnerable populations?
any group of individuals who may not be able to provide free and informed consent to participate in research
what are volunteer bias?
a bias whereby only a motivated fraction of a population respond to a survey or participate in research
what are wording effects?
the influence of language, or wording, on people’s responses to survey questions
what is action potential?
the electrical impulse, or activation energy, that sends message through a neuron
what are afferents?
axons that carry signals to the central nervous system
what is amygala?
a network of neurons and glia (nuclei) that becomes more active when we learn to be fearful and activate our fear response
what is association cortex?
parts of the neocortex that merge information from primary areas like the visual and auditory cortex
what are astrocytes?
Gilal (helper) cells that help get nutrition to neurons and maintain the balance of charged particles (ions) inside and outside of the neuron
what is autonomic?
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the more automatic functions of the body
what is the axon?
a part of the neuron’s cell membrane that delivers messages to other neurons and body parts
what is axon hillock?
the intersection between the soma and the axon
what is axon terminal?
this is the part of the axon that releases the neurotransmitter. once the action potential gets to the axon terminal, this triggers the release the neurotransmitter
what is basal ganglia?
interconnected groups of neurons near the base of the brain that help us learn movements and coordinate movement patterns
what is the central nervous system?
the part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
what is the cerebellum?
two-lobed part of the brain behind the brainstem that helps coordinate movements and problem solving
what is cingulate gyrus?
a network that becomes more active when we experience unpleasant things
what is contralateral?
opposite side of the body
what are dendrites?
extensions of the cell body membranes that branch out to communicate with other neurons
what is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)?
a method used in combination with MRI scans that allow white matter (axons with myelin) to be seen on the scan
what is dorsal striatum?
clustered groups of neurons called the caudate and putamen, part of the basal ganglia closer to the neocortex that play a central role in coordinating movement
what are efferents?
axons that carry signals away from central nervous system
what is endogenous?
a substance produced in the body
what is excitatory?
something that causes a neuron to move closer to activation
what is ganglia?
a network of neurons and glia grouped together to perform certain functions
what are glial cells?
several different kinds of helper cells that assist neurons in their role as the brain’s communicator and provide structural support
what is the globus pallidus?
pale globe; part of the basal ganglia that plays the role of inhibiting circuits in the thalamus to control how sensory information is coordinate with movement
whaat is the glutamate?
a neurotransmitter that activates neurons
what is the hippocampus?
A network of neurons and glia that acts as a gateway for forming new memories.
what is the hypothalmus?
network of neurons and glia that helps regulate the production of hormones by the endocrine system, giving it an integral role in governing important bodily function
what does inhibitory mean?
Something that causes the charge inside a neuron to move away from activation (more negative).
what are ions?
particles with positive or negative charges?
what is ipsilateral?
same side of the body
what does lateral mean?
an anatomical term meaning towards the sides of the body/head
what are lesions?
areas in the brain where neurons died
what is a limbic system?
neurons and glia dedicated to regulating emotions, helping regulate endocrine activity and forming emotional memories
what are lobes?
different sections of the neocortex, each dedicated primarily to a set of functions
medial
towards the middle
what is the medulla?
the part of your brain closest to your spinal cord that helps regulate life functions like breathing and heart
what is microglia
Glial (helper) cells that clean debris and get rid of germs
what is myelin
a protein and fatty substance that wraps around the axon to protect and increase speed of action potentials
what is neocortex?
the outer part of your brain, with all the bumps (gyri) and valleys (sulci), responsible for all the high-level processing of info
what is neural?
anything related to nervous system structure or function
what are neural networks?
Neurons organized in an interconnected group, dedicated to a set of functions.
what are neurodegenerative diseases?
Diseases in which parts of the brain slowly die over time, resulting in greater disability as the disease progresses.
what is neuroplasticity?
The ability of neurons and glia to change/adapt to what happens inside and around us.
what are neurotransmitters?
chemicals released from the end of an axon that acts as messages to other neurons and body parts. these chemicals typically bind to receptors
what are nodes Ranvier?
Gaps in the myelin that allow ions to enter into the axon and change the charge inside.
what is olfactory cortex?
The bottom portion of the temporal lobes in the neocortex dedicated to processing electrical impulses from olfactory (smell) nerves.
what are oligodentrocytes?
Glial (helper) cells that wrap the myelin insulation around axons in the central nervous system.
what is a parasympathetic nervous system?
The division of your autonomic nervous system that is responsible for resting, digestion, and repairing the body.
partial agonist/antagonist
A chemical that comes from outside of the body and either partially enhances, partially mimics, or partially blocks a neurotransmitter action.
peripheral nervous system
Peripheral means “outer.” This is any part of the nervous system not in the brain or spinal cord.
what are pons?
A network of cells in the brain stem (myelencephalon) that regulate awareness/alertness, sleep, and motor functions.
what is postsynaptic?
The other side of the synapse. The neuron that contains receptors (usually on dendrites) ready to bind to the neurotransmitter released from the presynaptic neuron.
what is prefrontal cortex?
the front portion of the frontal lobes, a network of neurons and glia heavily involved in decision making
what is presynaptic?
The neuron that releases the neurotransmitter from its axon terminal.
what is primary auditory cortex?
Circuits of neurons in the temporal lobe dedicated to receiving and processing messages from the ears through axons of the vestibulocochlear nerve.
receptors
Proteins that are embedded in the cell body membrane and are built to receive chemical messages from neurotransmitters.
what is reticular activating system (RAS)?
A network of cells in the pons and medulla that help regulate the level of awareness and alertness in humans.
what are Schwann cells?
Glial (helper) cells that wrap the myelin insulation around axons in the peripheral nervous system.
what is soma?
the cell body of a neuron
what is somatic?
Literally, of the body. The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the movement of the torso, head, and limbs. These are the nerves that control and communicate with skeletal muscles.
what are staining methods
a way of using dye to make neurons, axons, and dendrites visible under a microscope
what is substantia nigra?
Dark substance: Another part of the basal ganglia that sends inhibitory signals to the thalamus in order to coordinate sensory information with motor (movement) plans.
what is sympathetic nervous system?
The division of your autonomic nervous system that is responsible for things we do that require excitement.
what is synapse?
A small fluid-filled gap between neurons into which neurotransmitters are released.
what is synaptic cleft?
The space between the end of the neuron that releases a neurotransmitter (axon terminal) and the end of the receiving neuron (usually a dendrite).
what is a terminal button?
The very edge of the axon terminal, where the neurotransmitter exits.
what is ventral striatum?
groups of neurons called the globus pallidus, substania nigra, and the subthalamic nucleus, part of the basal ganglia closer to the neocortex that play a central role in coordinating movement
what are vesicles?
Little bubbles at the terminal button that store neurotransmitter molecules.
what is Wernicke’s area?
Circuits in the rear temporal lobe that seem to be necessary for processing and understanding language.
what is accommodation?
The process through which the lens changes shape to bring objects into focus on the retina.
what is auditory cortex?
The location in the temporal lobe where auditory information is processed.
what is basilar membrane?
The tissue inside the cochlea where the hair cells are located.
what are binaural cues?
Auditory cues that require comparisons from both ears to understand an object’s location.
what are binocular depth cues ?
These cues require comparing an image as it falls on both eyes in order to understand how far away an object is from the viewer.
bottom-up processing
The processing of physical messages delivered to the senses.
what are chemoreceptors?
Sensory cells in the nose that respond to air molecules that we interpret as smell and taste.
cochlea
A snail-shaped structure in the inner ear where the auditory hair cells are located.
what is a cone?
photoreceptor in the retina that is typically most responsive to bright lighting conditions responsible for communicating information about and color
Congenital Analgesia
are conditions where an individual is unable to experience pain
cornea
transparent covering of the eye; performs about 80% of the focusing of a visual image
what is cornea
transparent covering of the eye; performs about 80% of the focusing of a visual image
diffuse bipolar cells
Part of the bipolar layer of the retina. These cells receive signals from the rods and send their messages to large (magno) ganglion cells
dorsal stream?
also known as the where stream, this pathway takes information from the occipital lobe to the parietal love where we are able to identify object location
what are feature detectors?
Specialized cells in the visual cortex that respond most actively to specific stimuli.
what is fovea?
The portion of the retina directly behind the pupil. It contains a large concentration of cones and no rods
gate-control theory of pain
theory of pain perception that suggests that painful stimuli can be blocked in the spinal cord when you are engaged in other activities
hair cells - auditory
The sensory neurons inside the inner ear that convert sound into neural firing
hair cells - vestibular
The sensory neurons inside the vestibular sacs that convert information about gravity into neural firing
intensity
The physical measurement of the loudness of a sound. This is measured in decibels (dB)
interaural level differences
The brain compares intensity differences of sound as it arrives at each ear in order to understand object location.
interaural time differences
Comparisons made between the small differences in arrival time of a sound in each ear
involuntary musical imagery
Also known as an earworm, it is the auditory experience of an inability to dislodge a song from one’s consciousness
what is the iris of the eye?
The ring of pigmented tissue surrounding the pupil. The iris is responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil, thereby controlling the amount of light that reaches the retina
kinesthetic sense
This term refers to our sense of where our bodies are in space and how to move the body to accomplish specific tasks
what are large ganglion cells?
it is part of the ganglion layer of the retina. it receives signals from the diffuse bipolar cells. also known as magno cells
what are lens?
A flexible piece of tissue, located behind the pupil that focuses light on the retina
what are mechanoreceptors?
receptors in the skin that sense different kinds of pressure
what are medial geniculate nucleus?
The portion of the thalamus that evaluates and organizes auditory information before sending it to the auditory cortex
midget bipolar cells
Part of the bipolar layer of the retina. These cells receive signals from cones and send their messages to the small (parvo) ganglion cells
monocular depth cues
Also known as pictorial cues, these depth cues only require one eye to understand messages of depth
what is odorant?
A stimulus that produces smells that can be perceived by the nose
what is olfactory mucosa?
The tissue that contains the chemoreceptors of the nose
olfactory receptor neurons (ORN)
Neurons that are specifically responsive to odorants
opponent process theory
A theory of color vision that suggests that cells in the visual pathway increase their activation when receiving information from one kind of cone and decrease their activation when they see a second color
optic chiasm
An X-shaped structure where the optic nerves from each eye cross before the message is sent to the thalamus
orbitofrontal cortex
The region of the brain that analyzes both taste and smell
ossicles
The three smallest bones in the body. They are responsible for amplifying vibrations arriving at the eardrum and transmitting these signals to the oval window of the cochlea
papillae
The little bumps on the surface of the tongue where tastebuds are located
what is perception?
The processing of stimuli to create a sensory understanding of the world
what are photoreceptors?
These cells, also called photosensitive cells, are specifically sensitive to exposure to light
pinna
the external part of the ear
place theory
The theory of audition that suggests we understand pitch because of the location of firing on the basilar membrane.
retina
The thin layer of tissue on the back of each eye that contains the photosensitive receptor cells
top-down processing
The integration of a person’s beliefs, memories, and expectations into their sensory experiences to create a perception
trichromatic theory
A theory of color vision that proposes that color information is identified by comparing the activation of different cones in the retina
