Psych Test 1

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Question 2

Purpose of theories

Answer 2

allows you to explain observations and make future predictions. Broad explanations for observable facts

Question 3

Scientific method

Answer 3

1. come up with a question to examine
2. formulate hypothesis
3. gather data and review existing evidence
4. draw conclusions about why you found what you found
5. replicate

Question 4

methodological eclectism

Answer 4

using multiple approaches to answering a question (drawing positives of each)

Question 5

Independent variable vs dependent

Answer 5

IV (effects of this on something else)

DV (does the variable depend on something else ; the outcome)

Question 6

control vs. experimental group

Answer 6

control: everything remains the same

experimental group: receives the variable being tested

Question 7

placebo effects

Answer 7

one group receives the actual drug, one group receives a sugar pill however the groups do not know the difference

Question 8

confounds

Answer 8

variables that may be caused by something other than the independent variable

Question 9

random assignment

Answer 9

assigning people to groups not based on any certain features, allows experimental control

Question 10

third variable (correlational designs)

Answer 10

• tests for degree of systematic relation between 2 or more variables
• no manipulation of IV
• PROBLEM: can’t determine correlation between variables

Question 11

sample vs. population

Answer 11

sample: a selected portion or set of individuals from a larger population

Question 12

why replicate studies

Answer 12

to see if the study can be generalized to other people and circumstances

Question 13

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 13

Strengths: only way to understand what individuals do day to day, don’t require much effort
weakness: behaviors occur infrequently, lots going on at once hard to determine influence on behavior and record action, time consuming, presence of observer changes behavior

Question 14

Structured Observation

Answer 14

Strength:test individual differences or patterns, increase the likelihood of obtaining behavior of interest
Weaknesses: participants know they’re being watched “real behavior?”

Question 15

informed consent

Answer 15

people are aware of possible consequences, risks, and benefits

Question 16

ethics in research

Answer 16

debriefing, protection from harm, confidentiality

Question 17

genes/dna/chromosomes

Answer 17

gene: small segments of dan
dna: organized into 46 chromosomes
chromosomes: carries genetic info in the form of sense

Question 18

brain lateralization

Answer 18

some functions or cognitive processes tend to be more dominant in one hemisphere than the other

Question 19

corpus collosum

Answer 19

joins two hemispheres of the brain together

Question 20

occipital lobe

Answer 20

vision

Question 21

parietal lobe

Answer 21

body sensations

Question 22

temporal lobe

Answer 22

audition

Question 23

frontal lobe

Answer 23

planning, personality, attention

Question 24

Thallamus

Answer 24

“relay station” for most info going in and out

Question 25

cerebellum

Answer 25

control movement/balance

organize sensory information, attention shifting, planning

Question 26

medulla

Answer 26

vital reflexes (breathing, heart rate)

Question 27

pons

Answer 27

bridge for nerves to cross brain

Question 28

brainstem

Answer 28

connects cerebrum with spinal cord. motor and sensory neurons pass through

Question 29

dendrite

Answer 29

receive information

Question 30

axon

Answer 30

transmit information

Question 31

myelin

Answer 31

insulates axons and speeds electrical transmission along axons

Question 32

plasticity of the brain

Answer 32

area of brain injured, area of brain around it tries to pick up the function of the injured brain

Question 33

how to prepare/get better sleep

Answer 33

make room dark, turn off electronic devices, no caffeine after lunch, light in the morning

Question 34

effects of sleep deprivation

Answer 34

poorer memory
emotional instability
impaired decision making
decreased leptin
physical damage

Question 35

consciousness

Answer 35

awareness of internal and external stimuli. Aware that experiences and thoughts of these experiences are unique to yourself

Question 36

EEG

Answer 36

activity similar to stages when awake, although person is seemingly deeply sleeping

Question 37

Circadian rhythm

Answer 37

24 hr biological cycles found in humans

Question 38

REM sleep

Answer 38

irregular breathing and pulse, very relaxed muscles

Question 39

effects of shift work

Answer 39

physical damage (cancer), sleep depervation, circadian rhythm

Question 40

effects of mediation

Answer 40

heighten awareness, bring mental processes under voluntary control, suppression of bodily arousal

Question 41

3 happy lives

Answer 41

pleasant life( as many pleasures as you can), the good life (pleasure vs flow), and the meaningful life (doing good)