Psychology quiz 1 chapters 1&2 Flashcards
Mirror Neurons
Neurons that fire when a person enacts a behavior or simply observes another individual carrying out that behavior
Archival Research
a type of primary research which involves seeking out and extracting evidence from original archival records.
Naturalistic Observation
The most basic of the four methods, the aim is to study behavior in its usual setting,
Survey Research
used to collect information that
cannot be observed directly
Correlational Research
Two sets of variables are examined to see if they are associated
Positive Correlation
exists when as one variable decreases, the other variable also decreases and vice versa.
Negative Correlation
the relationship that appears to exist between two variables is negative 100% of the time
Independent Variable
Condition that is manipuated by an experimenter
Dependent Variable
Variable that is measured and expected to change as a result of the changes caused by the experminter’s manipulation of the independent variable
Placebo
A bogus treatment that has the appearence of being genuine
Neurons
Nerve cells; the basic elements of the nervous system
All-Or-None-Law
Neurons are either on or off; every time a neuron fires it transmitts an impulse of the same strength
Synapse
The Space between two neurons where the axon of the sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of the receiving neuron with chemical messages
Neurotransmitters
The chemical substances involved in the transmission of neural impulses from one neuron to another
Acetylcholine(ACh)
Controls muscles contractions; prevalent in the hippocampus (in
Dopamine (DA)
Messages related to pleasure, voluntary movement, attention & learning
Noreplnephrine
Accelerates heart rate, affects eating, linked to activity levels, learning and remembering
Serotonin
Involved in emotional arousal and sleep
Deficiences associated with eating disorders,alcoholism,depression,agression,insomnia
Gamma-Aminobutyric
May help relax anxiety reactions
Endorphins
Occur naturaly within the brain and bloodstream(runners high)
Sensory Neurons
Transmit information from te perimeter of the body to the central nervous system
Motor Neurons
Commnuicate information from the nervous system to muscles and glands
Interneurons
Connect sensory and motor neurons carrying information between the two
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
records electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the outside of the skull
Positron emission tomography(PET)
Scans shows biochemical activity within the brain at a given movement by injecting radioactive liquid into the blood stream
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Three dimensional computer-generated image of brain structures and activity by aiming a powerful magnetic field at the body
Transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS)
Exposes a tiny region of the brain to a strong magnetic field that causes a monentary interruption of electrical activity
