Psych Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

psychology

A

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

critical thinking

A

the process of thinking deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

William Wundt

A

A German philosopher-physician who founded structuralism, he measured the time between when a student heard a sound and when they pressed a key to signal they heard it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Structuralism

A

a perspective for the early history of psychology that focused on breaking down mental processes into their structure or basic parts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Functionalism

A

A perspective from the early history of psychology that focused on the function of our mental processes and behaviors (tries to determine what our mental processes are for)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

William James

A

Father of psychology in the U.S., founded functionalism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Sigmund Freud

A

popularized psychology in the U.S. and around the world in the late 1800s,

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

behavioral approach

A

a perspective in psychology that emphasizes observable behavior over internal mental processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

humanistic approach

A

a perspective that emphasizes the notion that human nature is generally good and people are naturally motivated to grow toward their own potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Sociocultural approach

A

a perspective in psychology that influences of culture and social events on behavior and mental processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

evolutionary approach

A

emphasizes charles darwins theory of evolution as an influence on behavior

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

cognitive approach

A

emphasizes processes such as thinking, language, attention, memory, and intelligence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

neuroscience

A

study of structure, function, development, genetics, and biochemistry of the nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

biopsychosocial approach

A

a uniquely comprehensive popular perspective in psychology that emphasizes biological, psychological, and social factors as influences on behavior.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Confirmed Bias

A

A tendency to prefer information that confirms what you thought in the first place

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Belief perseverance

A

A tendency to maintain a belief even when evidence suggests it is incorrect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Descriptive research

A

research in which the goal is simply to describe a characteristics of the population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Correlational research

A

research in which the goal is to determine the relationship between two variables.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Correlation coefficient

A

a statistic that shows the relationship between two variables, ranging from highly positive (+1) to highly negative (-1). It means that as one variable goes up, the other variable goes up with it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

correlation-causation fallacy

A

The mistaken belief that when two variables correlate strongly with each other, one must cause the other.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Experimental research

A

research in which the goal is to determine the cause and effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one and observing changes in the other.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Random assignment

A

a procedure in experimental research by which the assignment of participants into either experimental or control group happens entirely by chance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Independent Variable

A

A variable that is manipulated by the researchers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Dependent variable

A

a variable that is expected to depend u[on the independent variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
experimental group
the group of participants who receive the treatment that is the focus of the study
26
control group
the group of participants who did not receive the treatment that is the focus of the study
27
placebo effect
the effect of expectation rather than the experimental manipulations
28
Scientific method
a way of asking and answering questions that follows a predetermined series of steps: posing a question, conducting a literature review, developing a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis by collecting data, and analyzing the data and drawing conclusions.
29
Theory
A proposed explanation for observed events
30
hypothesis
a prediction; typically based on a theory; that can be tested
31
Naturalistic observation
psychologists collect data from participants by visiting them in the real-world location where their behavior happens naturally
32
surveys
A set of questions addressed to a group of people about their behavior or attitudes
33
Case study
A small number of psychologists conduct research in which the sample consists of just one person (or a very small group) studied in great depth
34
Neurons
the cells that facilitate communication within the nervous system.
35
Dendrites
branches at the end of neurons that receive signals from other neurons
36
Cell body (soma
the large central region of a neuron that performs the basic activities, including the production of energy, to keep the neuron functional
37
Axon
the part of the neuron that carries information toward other neurons
38
myelin sheath
a protective sleeve of fatty material that surrounds the axon
39
action potential
the release, or firing, of an electrical impulse that travels through the axon
40
synapse
a gap between two connecting neurons
41
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that travel across synapses from one neuron to the next
42
Acetylcholine
neurotransmitter that stimulates the firing of neurons and is a part of memory, learning, and the action of muscles
43
dopamine
neurotransmitter involved in reward system and in movement
44
serotonin
neurotransmitters involved in mood and possibly sleep and appetite
45
endorphins
are neurotransmitters involved in reducing pain and increasing pleasure
46
norepinephrine
inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous system, but excites the heart, intestines, and urogenital tract
47
agonist
drugs that impact the neurotransmitters
48
antagonist
inhibits the agonist
49
Brain stem
the part of the brain that connects to the spine and controls the functions most essential to staying alive
50
cerebellum
the part of the brain near the bottom and back primarily involved in balance and the coordination of movement
51
medulla
the part of the brainstem most specifically involved in heartbeat and breathing
52
Thalamus
the brains main sensory processing center, located near the center of the brain
53
limbic system
a cluster of brain areas involved primarily in emotion
54
hypothalamus
is the part of the limbic system involved in maintaining steadiness in bodily functions
55
hippocampus
the part of the limbic system involved in memory, especially spatial memory and long-term memory
56
amygdala
part of the limbic system involved most directly in emotions, especially fear.
57
cerebrum (forebrain)
is the upper front part of the brain, which consists of two hemispheres and is involved in sophisticated, often uniquely human abilities.
58
cerebral cortex
the outer layer of the cerebrum, where sensory information is processed
59
right cerebral hemisphere
controls the left side of the body, nonverbal information
60
left cerebral hemisphere
is paired with the right side of the body, speech
61
corpus callosum
the bundle of neurons that connects and allows communication between the two cerebral hemisphere
62
frontal lobe
the part of the cerebral cortex right behind the forehead, which is involved in complex thinking tasks, planning, purposeful action, and other advanced functions.
63
parietal lobe
the part of the brain near the top and back of the head involved in touch and perception
64
temporal lobe
the lower middle part of the brain, involved in hearing and speech production
65
occipital lobe
the lower back part of the brain involved with vision
66
motor cortex
the strip of brain matter near the back of the frontal lobe involved in voluntary movement
67
somatosensory cortex
a strip of the brain matter near the front of the parietal lobe involved in receiving information from the senses.
68
Broca's area
a part of the left side of the frontal lobe heavily involved in speaking
69
Broca's aphasia
is the speech dysfunction caused by damage to Broca's area
70
Wernicke's aphasia
dysfunction in understanding or creating coherent speech caused by damage to Wernicke's area.
71
plasticity
the ability of the brain to adapt its structure or function in response to damage or experience.
72
Nervous system
full set of nerves that connect your brain with all the other parts of your body.
73
central nervous system
the brain and the spinal cord
74
peripheral nervous system
the neurons that connect the central nervous system to other parts of the body
75
somatic nervous system
part of the peripheral nervous system that has afferent nerves and efferent nerves that send messages from muscles and skin
76
autonomic nervous system
part of the peripheral nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the parts of the body you control involuntarily
77
sympathetic division
part of your autonomic nervous system that revs your body up in response to stressors
78
parasympathetic division
is the part of your autonomic nervous system that calms your body down when stressors decrease
79
hormones
chemicals made by the glands of the endocrine system, affect certain tissues throughout the body
80
cortisol
the stress hormone
81
Sensations
the ability of your sensory organs to pick up energy in the environment around you and transmit it to your brain
82
absolute threshold
the minimum level of a stimulus necessary for you to detect its presence at least half of the time.
83
difference threshold
the smallest change in a stimulus necessary for you to detect it at least half of the time
84
sensory adaptation
the tendency of a person's sensation of a stimulus to decrease when the stimulus remains constant
85
Habituation
when you decrease or stop responding to a stimulus that repeats or stays constant
86
perceptual set
a predisposition to perceive something in a particular way
87
selective attention
paying more attention to one sensory channel than others
88
change blindness
a failure to notice changes in your visual field simply because you expect otherwise
89
inattentional blindness
a failure to notice something in your visual field simply because your attention was focused elsewhere
90
Bottom-up processing
a way of processing information in which what you sense becomes a perception with no influence of expectation or previous experiences
91
top-down processing
a way of processing information in which what your expectations or previous experiences influence what you perceive
92
Vision
your sense of sight, dominates the human senses
93
Retina
the rear part of the eyeball that receives visual stimulation and sends it to the brain via the optic nerve
94
Rods
are receptors cells in the retina that detect shades of gray and allow us to see in low light
95
Cones
are receptors cells in the retina that detect color when light is plentiful
96
depth perception
is your ability to judge the distance and depth of objects
97
Binocular depth cues
qualities of visual stimuli that indicate depth when you use both eyes
98
monocular depth cues
qualities of visual stimuli that indicate depth when you use only one eye
99
wavelength/color hue
the color of light determined by it's wavelength
100
Trichromatic theory
an explanation of color vision based on the idea that your cones are specialized to sense either red, green, or blue
101
opponent- process theory
an explanation of color vision based on the idea that your visual system is specialized to sense specific opposite pairs of colors
102
Gestalt principles: figure-ground principle
your tendency to visually distinguish between an object and its background
103
Audition
the sense of hearing
104
Cochlea
the spiral fluid-filled structure in the inner ear that sends sound waves to the brain via the auditory nerve
105
wavelength/pitch
the description of how "high" or "low" a sound is
106
olfaction
is your sense of smell
107
gustation
your sense of taste
108
somatosenses
are the senses you experiences through your skin, primarily touch
109
Kinesthetic sense
is your sense of the position and movement of your body parts
110
Vestibular Sense
the sense of balance
111
Consciousness
your awareness of yourself and your surroundings
112
Circadian rhythm
the 24-hour cycle on which your brain and body function
113
Stages of sleep (non-REM sleep and REM sleep)
N1, N2, N3, REM
114
N1
theta waves
115
N2
spindles
116
N3
deepest sleep, delta waves
117
REM
vivid dreams
118
Insomnia
a sleep disorder featuring consistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or achieving high-quality sleep
119
Narcolepsy
a disorder of "sleep attacks" characterized by immediate and unexpected shifts from wakefulness to REM sleep
120
Sleep apnea
a sleep disorder caused by interruptions of breathing that cause repeated waking
121
hypnosis
an altered state of consciousness in which one person, the participant, becomes very suggestible to another person, the hypnotists
122
psychoactive drugs
substances that alter mental functioning
123
Tolerance
decreased effectiveness of a particular amount of a drug
124
withdrawal
stressful and uncomfortable symptoms caused by discontinuing a drug that had become habitual
125
physical dependence
a bodily need for a particular drug in order to function normally
126
psychological dependence
a mental need for a particular drug in order to function normally
127
Depressants
drugs that slow bodily functions Examples: Alcohol
128
Stimulants
drugs that speed up bodily functions Examples: cocaine, crack, Adderall, Ritalin, concerta, vyvanse
129
hallucinogens
drugs that produce unrealistic sensations such as hallucinations Examples: LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ecstasy, bath salts, cannabis, synthetic cannabis
130
Opiates
pain-relieving drugs made from the poppy plant. Opioids are synthetic versions of opiates. Examples: Heroin, opium, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, Vicodin, oxycodone, oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan
131
Meditation
an activity designed to increase focused attention with the ultimate purpose of improving your mental state
132
Mindfulness
awareness of your momen to moment experiences fully, deliberately, and without distraction
133
Memory
is the process of taking in information, saving it over time, and calling it to mind later
134
Information processing model
Encoding Storage Retrieval
135
Encoding
entering information into memory
136
Storage
retaining information in memory
137
Retrieval
pulling information out of memory
138
Sensory memory
the earliest part of the memory processes, in which the senses take in and very briefly hold information
139
Echoic Memory
auditory sensory memory, or all the information your ears took in during the past few seconds
140
Iconic memory
Visual sensory memory, or all the information you eyes took in during the last fraction of a second
141
Level of processing
How deeply information is processed. Also known as depth of processing
142
chunking
grouping pieces of information together in a meaningful way to enhance memory
143
Short-term Memory
a limited amount of new information being held briefly until its is either discarded or kept long-term
144
Long-term memory
a seemingly limitless amount of information being held for extensive periods of time.
145
retrieval cues
reminders that facilitate retrieval of information from memory
146
recall
a type of retrieval in which stored information is accessed without any comparison to external information
147
recognition
a type of information in which stored information is compared to external information to determine if it matches
148
Decay
The dwindling or loss of information for memory due to the passing of time
149
Massed practice
many repetitions at once, similar to cramming
150
distributed practice
repetitions spread over time
151
amnesia
the inability to remember some or all information, either temporarily or permanently
152
empirical method
gaining knowledge by observing events, collecting data, and reasoning logically
153
psychodynamic approach
emphasizes unconscious thought, and the conflict between biological drives and society's demands, Freud thought that relationship with parents shape personality
154
biological approach
a focus on the body, mainly the brain and nervous system
155
operational definition
an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a study
156
Francis Cecil Sumner
First African-American to have a Ph.D in psychology, Howard University, psychology of religion, refuting racist psychology research, and mentoring and promoting the education of African Americans
157
resting potential
not transmitting information, -60 to -75 millivolts
158
all-or-nothing principle
once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity, it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing it intensity
159
GABA
keeps the neurons firing and controls the precision of the signal
160
glutamate
excites neurons to fire especially involved in learning and memory
161
oxytocin
love and bonding
162
reticular formation
midbrain, involved in walking, sleeping, turning to a sudden noise, stereotyped patterns
163
basal ganglia
control and coordinate voluntary movements with cerebellum and cerebral cortex
164
Brenda Millner
Dr. Milner conducted groundbreaking research on the brain. She studied memory and damage to temporal lobes, mapped the function of areas of the frontal lobe, determined the lateralization of function in the hemispheres, and demonstrated plasticity after damage. She proved that there are different memory systems, specifically episodic memory and procedural memory, considered the founder of clinical neuropsycholog
165
perception
organizing and interpreting sensory information
166
sensory receptors
register info on the external environment and send it to the brain
167
signal detection theory
decision-making about stimuli under conditions of uncertainty
168
visual cortex
occipital lobe, part of cerebral cortex involved in vision, visual information processed here
169
feature detectors
neurons that respond to particular features of stimulus
170
perceptual constancy
the recognition that objects are constant and unchanging even if sensory input about them is changing
171
Christine Ladd Franklin
her research interests were expanding from math and logic to the new field of psychology and specifically the visual sense. She published her first article in psychology in 1887 on binocular vision, Hopkins and Columbia let her teach a class without pay
172
stream of consciousness
continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings
172
automatic processing
states of consciousness that require little attention and do not interfere with ongoing activities
173
reticular activating system
regulates arousal, brain stem, medulla, thalamus
173
Controlled processing
most alert states of consciousness
174
subconscious awareness
When awake or asleep, beneath the level of conscious awareness, dreaming
174
unconscious thought
no awareness, Freud, reservoir of unaccepted wishes, thoughts, and feelings
175
biological rhythms
periodic physiological fluctuations in the body, rise and fall of hormones for example
176
suprachiasmatic nucleus
uses input from the retina to synchronize its own rhythm with the daily cycle of light and dark
177
manifest content
dreams surface content, disguises the dreams true meaning
178
latent content
the dreams hidden content, unconscious true meaning
179
cognitive theory of dreaming
proposes that we understand dreaming by applying the same cognitive concepts we use in studying the waking mind
180
Activation synthesis hypothesis
dreaming occurs when the cerebral cortex synthesizes neural signals generated from activity in the lower part of the brain
181
addiction
physical or psychological dependence to a drug
182
substance use disorder
psychological disorder in which the use of a psychoactive drug affects their health and abilities to work and engage in social relationships
183
Carl L Heart
His main research interests were studying the effects of psychoactive drugs on people (e.g., opioids, stimulants, cannabis, synthetic drugs, etc) and creating effective treatments for addiction
184
learning
a systematic, relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience
185
behaviorism
a theory of learning that focuses on observable behaviors
186
associative learning
when we make a connection between two events, conditioning
187
observational learning
learning that takes place when a person observes and imitates another behavior
188
classical conditioning
a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and has the capacity to elicit a response, involuntary responses
189
Pavlovs experiment
placed meat powder in a dog's mouth causing it to salivate, he then rang a bell before giving the meat powder, then the dog started to salivate at the noise of the bell
190
unconditioned stimulus
a stimulus that produces a response without prior learning
191
unconditioned response
an unlearned reaction to the stimulus
192
conditioned stimulus
previously the neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response
193
Watsons experiment
Had Albert play with a rat, then made a loud noise behind his head, making Albert cry, Albert started to fear the rat
194
conditioned response
the learned response to the conditioned stimulus that occurs after the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus pairing
195
acquisition
the initial learning of the connection between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus when they are paired
196
extinction
weakening of the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is absent
197
spontaneous recovery
process in which the conditioned response can occur after a time delay without further conditioning
198
generalization
when a new stimulus elicits the same response
199
discrimination
learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others
200
counterconditioning
procedure for changing the relationship between the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response
201
Aversive conditioning
repeated pairing of a stimulus with a very unpleasant stimulus
202
operant conditioning
voluntary responses, a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior change the probability of that behaviors occurence
203
B.F. Skinner
put a hungry cat in a puzzle box and put a piece of fish outside, the cat had to learn to open the latch, eventually after accidentally opening it, the cat learned how to escape
204
shaping
rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior
205
positive reinforcement
behavior increases because it is followed by the addition of something valuable
206
negative reinforcement
behavior increases because it is followed by the removal of something
207
learning helplessness
learns that it has no control over negative outcomes
208
primary reinforcer
reinforcer that does not require any learning to make it pleasurable, food for example
209
secondary reinforcer
acquires its positive value from the experience
210
positive punishment
a behavior decreases because it is followed by the addition of a stimulus
211
negative punishment
a behavior decreases because it is followed by the removal of a stimulus
212
latent learning
unreinforced learning that is not immediately reflected in behavior
213
insight learning
a form of problem-solving in which the organism gets a sudden insight into a problems solution
214
Marthe E Bernal
She was the first Latina to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in the U.S.