Psychology Exam! Flashcards

1
Q

What is psychology?

A

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

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2
Q

What does the definition of psychology mean?

A

psychology encompasses what we study and how we study
example: trying to understand bullimia

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3
Q

Common misconceptions in psych:

A

-only about Freud
-synonymous with therapy

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4
Q

How is psychology different from psychiatry?

A

-psychiatrists can prescribe medication and psychologists cannot
-psychology: MD
-psychiatry: PhD

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5
Q

Psych’s Big Questions

A

-nature vs. nurture
-change or stability
-universal or unique

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6
Q

Nature or Nurture

A

nature is your genetics (we were born like this) vs. nurture is your environment

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7
Q

Change or Stability

A

is change steady and progressive or staggard and discreet

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8
Q

Universal or Unique

A

can certain psychological principles and phenomena be applied universally (everyone) or uniquely (specific culture)

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9
Q

What is the APA?

A

American Psychological Association

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10
Q

What are the TWO specializations?

A

basic and applied

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11
Q

What is basic specialization?

A

when psychologists conduct research to enhance the understanding of behavior and mental processes

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12
Q

What is physiological psychology?

A

how the brain influences disorders, how the brain communicates, neuropsychology, etc

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13
Q

What is developmental psychology?

A

how people change throughout their lifespan and just how we develop

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14
Q

What is personality psychology?

A

focuses on personality traits, what influences them, and how culture influences them

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15
Q

What is social psychology?

A

understanding how people think, how their influenced, and how they relate to others

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16
Q

What is applied specialization?

A

psychologists apply their expertise to real-world problems and use knowledge of the mind and behavior to enhance their client’s lives

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17
Q

What is clinical psychology?

A

focus on psychological disorders while applying it due to research done by BASIC researchers

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18
Q

What is counseling psychology?

A

focus on improving the functioning of people having a difficult time and work with those experiencing a major life change

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19
Q

What is industrial/organizational psychology?

A

focus on what takes places in the work place or consultants with businesses

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20
Q

What is community psychology?

A

focus on the wellbeing of the entire community

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21
Q

What is forensic psychology?

A

focus on legal and criminal justice issues, typically they can be consultants to lawyers

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22
Q

What is educational psychology?

A

focus on how people learn and help to improve their performance

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23
Q

What makes up psychology?

A

philosophy and physiology

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24
Q

Diversity within Psych

A

-geographic
-Kenneth and Mammie Clark

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25
Q

Who are Kenneth and Mammie Clark?

A

the first African-Americans to earn a PhD in psychology and responsible for the doll experiments

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26
Q

What is pseudo-psychology?

A

psychological info that is not supported by science, but may appear phrenology, physiognomy, and spiritualism

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27
Q

What will psychologists always use?

A

critical thinking to avoid confirmation bias

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28
Q

What is confirmation bias?

A

interpreting new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs

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29
Q

3 Aims of Psychological Studies

A

descriptive, correlational, and experimental

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30
Q

Descriptive Research

A

describes a characteristic of a population and is reported as measures of central variation

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31
Q

Correlational Research

A

describes the relationship between 2 variables and reported as a correlation coefficient

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32
Q

Experimental Research

A

determine cause and effect relationships between variables (independent/dependent)

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33
Q

What constitutes a culture?

A

a group of people who share similar beliefs, values, and patterns of behavior

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34
Q

How do we ensure our cultural understanding doesn’t morph into prejudice?

A

dynamic sizing which is the ability to simultaneously know the norms of a group

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35
Q

In what ways does diversity surround you?

A

intersectionality

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36
Q

Intersectionality

A

a persons unique combination of social and cultural categories intersect/overlap

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37
Q

Cultural Intelligence

A

ability to live and interact effectively in a multicultural society which allows us to interact/get along

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38
Q

Acculturation

A

managing a life that involves the coexistence of more than one culture

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39
Q

Assimilation

A

adopt new culture, reject old

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40
Q

Separation

A

retains old cultures, rejects new

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41
Q

Marginalization

A

rejects old and new culture

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42
Q

Integration

A

adopts new and old culture

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43
Q

Acculturative Stress

A

pressure from old or new culture

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44
Q

Hofstede’s Cultural Values

A

individualism vs. collectivism and large vs. small (power distance)

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45
Q

Individualism vs. Collectivism

A

wellbeing of oneself over a group vs. wellbeing of group over oneself

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46
Q

Large vs. Small (power distance)

A

when a culture has an hierarchy and there’s a gap between who holds power and who doesn’t

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47
Q

Who is Phineas Gage?

A

experienced a horrible injury which changed his personality

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48
Q

Neurons

A

-building blocks of the brain, cells that facilitate communication within the nervous system
-receives input and sends output

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49
Q

Sensory Neurons (input)

A

carry info to the brain, comes from our senses

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50
Q

Motor Neurons (output)

A

carry info from the brain to the muscles

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51
Q

Interneurons

A

connects neurons to others, this is the plentiful type in the brain

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52
Q

Cell Body (soma)

A

in the center of a neuron and responsible for the functionality and basic activities of a neuron
-“post office”

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53
Q

Axon

A

carries information from one neuron to the next
-“mail truck”

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54
Q

Axon Terminals

A

form connections with the next neuron
-“mailman”

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55
Q

Dendrites

A

receives messages from the axon terminals
-“mailbox”

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56
Q

Synapse

A

the gap between two connecting neurons

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57
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers which send information throughout a neuron
-“mail”

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58
Q

Receptor Sites

A

a vessel that receives a specific neurotransmitter, it is located in the dendrites

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59
Q

Reuptake Process

A

when a neurotransmitter is trying to be sent, but can’t find a receptor site so it is sent back to the neuron that was trying to send it

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60
Q

What TWO drugs can effect the impact of a neurotransmitter?

A

agonists and antagonists

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61
Q

Agonists

A

help enhance the impact of an neurotransmitter

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62
Q

Antagonists

A

interfere with the impact of an neurotransmitter

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63
Q

Action Potentials

A

the release (firing) of an electrical impulse that travels through the axon

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64
Q

What is the all or none response?

A

either a signal is sent or not at all

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65
Q

Resting Period

A

when the neurons are not firing, a state of rest and low level electrical charge

66
Q

Threshold

A

the level of electrical charge needed before firing action potential

67
Q

Action Potential

A

firing of electrical impulse

68
Q

Refractory Period

A

waiting time, neuron resting before another action potential can begin

69
Q

What is myelin sheath?

A

a protective sleeve of fatty tissue which provides insulation and makes sure communication happens between neurons at MAXIMUM speed with MINIMAL loss

70
Q

What does myelin sheath have to do with?

A

the axon

71
Q

Is the axon covered in myelin sheath?

A

yes

72
Q

What happens if myelin sheath deteoriates?

A

multiple sclerosis

73
Q

What is localization?

A

specific parts of the brain do specific things

74
Q

What is localization relative to?

A

brain size across species

75
Q

What is the front of the brain responsible for?

A

decision making, planning, and perform certain cognitive tasks

76
Q

What is the back of the brain responsible for?

A

breathing, sleeping, and hunger (shared across species)

77
Q

What is the brain stem connected to?

A

the spine

78
Q

What does the brain stem control?

A

the functions most essential to staying alive

79
Q

What are the THREE structures of the brain stem?

A

pons, medula, and reticular activating system

80
Q

Pons

A

transmits information, involved in sleep, breathing, and equilibrium

81
Q

Medula

A

involved in heartbeat and breathing

82
Q

Reticular Activating System

A

collection of neurons involved in arousal

83
Q

What do the pons and medulla control together?

A

swallowing

84
Q

What is the cerebellum involved in?

A

balance and the coordination of movement

85
Q

What does the cerebellum NOT initiate?

A

movement

86
Q

What happens if the cerebellum is damaged?

A

issues with walking, tremors, or impaired speaking

87
Q

What percentage of the brain does the cerebellum take up?

A

10%

88
Q

Where are 50% of the brain’s neurons located?

A

cerebellum

89
Q

What is the thalamus?

A

takes information we receive from our senses

90
Q

What is the thalamus involved with?

A

attention and movement

91
Q

What does the limbic system govern?

A

emotion

92
Q

What are the parts of the limbic system?

A

hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala

93
Q

Hypothalamus

A

has control of the pituitary gland and helps us maintain balance (homeostasis)

94
Q

What does the hypothalamus have a great impact on?

A

autonomic nervous system

95
Q

Pituitary Gland

A

master gland of endocrine system

96
Q

Hippocampus

A

associated with memory (spatial and long term)

97
Q

What happens if there is damage to the hippocampus?

A

amnesia

98
Q

Who is Henry Malasion?

A

had his hippocampus removed and could not remember anything new

99
Q

What can impact your hippocampus?

A

stress or traumatic experiences

100
Q

What is the amygdala responsible for?

A

fear

101
Q

What happens when there is damage to the amygdala?

A

you can display other emotions but not fear, this is known as “extraordinary altruist” research

102
Q

What is the cerebrum?

A

forebrain

103
Q

Is the cerebrum larger in humans?

A

yes

104
Q

What does the right hemisphere control?

A

left side of body

105
Q

What does the left hemisphere control?

A

right side of body

106
Q

What is the corpus callosum?

A

made up of neurons and connects each hemisphere allowing communication

107
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

outer layer of cerebrum

108
Q

What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?

A

thinking, perceiving, producing, and understanding

109
Q

What are the FOUR lobes?

A

occipital, temporal, parietal, frontal

110
Q

Occipital Lobe

A

involved with vision and located in the back of the brain

111
Q

What happens if there is damage to the occipital lobe?

A

blindness

112
Q

Temporal Lobe

A

involved in hearing/speech production and located above our ears

113
Q

What is Wernicke’s Area?

A

area located in the temporal lobe involved in understanding speech

114
Q

What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?

A

can’t understand or create speech, you can speak but it will not make sense

115
Q

What is the parietal lobe?

A

involved in touch/perception and located near the top of the brain

116
Q

What is the somatosensory cortex?

A

strip of brain matter involved in receiving information from our senses

117
Q

What does the somatosensory cortex monitor?

A

the sensation of touch and our lips take up a good portion of the somatosensory cortex

118
Q

What is the frontal lobe involved in?

A

complex thinking/decision making and it is located behind the forehead

119
Q

What does the prefrontal cortex do?

A

distinguishes humans from other primates

120
Q

What is the motor cortex?

A

a strip of brain matter involved in involuntary movement and motor movement

121
Q

What happens to the parts of your body that need more motor control?

A

they get more representation from the motor cortex

122
Q

What parts of our body take up the most space?

A

hands, lips, tongue, fingers

123
Q

What is Broca’s Area?

A

specific part of the frontal area that is associated with speaking

124
Q

What is Broca’s Aphasia?

A

damage to Broca’s area which would result in damage to speech

125
Q

What is plasticity?

A

ability of the brain to adapt its structure or function to damage/experience

126
Q

What is one factor that influences plasticity?

A

age

127
Q

Is it true that the younger you are, the more brain plasticity you have?

A

yes

128
Q

What is the nervous system set up of?

A

nerves that connect the brain with all other parts of the body

129
Q

How is the nervous system organized?

A

central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

130
Q

Central Nervous System

A

made up of ONLY the brain stem and the spinal cord

131
Q

Peripheral Nervous System

A

the neurons that connect the central nervous system to other parts of the body

132
Q

What makes up the peripheral nervous system?

A

somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

133
Q

Somatic Nervous System

A

connects the central nervous system to the parts of the brain we voluntarily control

134
Q

Autonomic Nervous System

A

connects the central nervous system to the parts of the body we involuntarily control

135
Q

Sympathetic Nervous System

A

revs up the body in response to stressors

136
Q

Parasympathetic Nervous System

A

calms the body down when the stressors decrease

137
Q

What is sensation?

A

the way in which we absorb what is in our surroundings through different senses and transmit it to the brain

138
Q

What is transduction?

A

converting the energy outside of our body into neural energy

139
Q

What is perception?

A

the ability of the brain to interpret raw sensations it has taken in or putting sensations into context

140
Q

What is one fact about sensation and perception?

A

as humans brains evolved, more space was made for them

141
Q

What are the TWO thresholds?

A

absolute and difference

142
Q

What is absolute threshold?

A

minimum level of a stimulus necessary to detect the presence of the stimulus at least half of the time

143
Q

Does the absolute threshold have specific measures?

A

no

144
Q

What affects the absolute threshold?

A

age, gender, race, and lifestyle factors

145
Q

Does the absolute threshold have significant variability?

A

yes

146
Q

What is difference threshold?

A

the smallest change in a stimulus necessary for a person to detect it at least half of the time

147
Q

The difference threshold varies based on…

A

age, gender, experience

148
Q

What is sensory adaptation?

A

the tendency of stimulus decreasing when it remains constant

149
Q

What is an example of sensory adaptation?

A

eyes adjusting to the sun after leaving a dark movie theater

150
Q

What is perceptual constancy?

A

our brains ability to maintain the same perception of an object even when conditions around it cause it to produce different sensations

151
Q

What is an example of perceptual constancy?

A

catching a baseball as it is coming towards you

152
Q

What is selective attention?

A

when the brain pays more attention to one sensory channel over others

153
Q

What would happen if we did not have selective attention?

A

overstimulation

154
Q

What is the cocktail party effect?

A

the ability to focus one’s attention a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli

155
Q

What is sensory interaction?

A

the idea that senses can influence each other

156
Q

What is the McGurk Effect?

A

only pertains to hearing and vision, and vision can trump all other senses

157
Q

What is the sensory conflict theory?

A

the theory that explains motion-sickness as a by-product of sensory interaction

158
Q

What is bottom-up processing?

A

minimizes or eliminates that role of experiences/expectations

159
Q

What is top-down processing?

A

you already have experiences, and those experiences will influence your senses

160
Q

What is a perceptual set?

A

tendency to perceive things in a certain way because of your previous experiences or your attention strategy

161
Q

What is change blindness?

A

failure to notice changes in the visual field simply because you expect otherwise

162
Q

What is inattentional blindness?

A

failure to notice somethings in your visual field because your attention was elsewhere