Quiz 1 Vocab

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of mind and behavior which has deep philosophical roots

Question 2

Philosophical dualism

Answer 2

the view that mind and body are fundamentally different things

Question 3

Philosophical materialism

Answer 3

the view that all mental phenomena are reducible to physical phenomena

Question 4

Philosophical realism

Answer 4

the view that our perceptions of the physical world are a faithful copy of information from the world that enters our brains through our sensory apparatus

Question 5

Philosophical idealism

Answer 5

the view that our perceptions of the physical world are our brain’s best interpretation of the information that enters through our sensory apparatus

Question 6

Philosophical empiricism

Answer 6

the view that all knowledge is acquired through experience

Question 7

Philosophical nativism

Answer 7

the view that some knowledge is innate rather than acquired (scared of snakes from birth)

Question 8

Structuralism

Answer 8

structuralism is a school of thought that sought to identify the components mind and it’s functions where the whole equals the sum of parts.

Question 9

Functionalism

Answer 9

an approach to psychology that focuses on the biological and environmental factors that help people adapt to their environment.

Question 10

Psychoanalytic theory

Answer 10

a general theory that emphasizes the influence of the unconscious on feelings, thoughts, and behaviors

Question 11

Unconscious

Answer 11

the part of the mind that contains information of which people are not aware

Question 12

Behaviorism

Answer 12

school of thought in psychology that focuses on the study of observable behavior - doesn’t attempt to explain why people behave the way they do, but how they behave and how their behavior can be changed through conditioning.

Behaviorists believe that all human behaviors are learned through reinforcement or reward and punishment.

Question 13

Principle of Reinforcement

Answer 13

a principle stating that any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated and any behavior that isn’t rewarded won’t be repeated

Question 14

Cognitive psychology

Answer 14

the study of human information processing
Neuroscience: the study of the brain

Question 15

Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 15

the study of the relationship between the brain and the mind (especially in humans)

Question 16

Behavioral neuroscience

Answer 16

the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior (especially in nonhuman animals)

Question 17

Construct Validity

Answer 17

a feature of operational definitions whose specified operations are generally considered good indicators of the specified properties

Question 18

Demand Characteristics

Answer 18

Those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants/expects

Question 19

Observer Bias

Answer 19

the tendency for observers’ expectations to influence both what they believe they observed and what they actually saw

Question 20

population

Answer 20

complete collection of people

Question 21

sample

Answer 21

a partial collection of people drawn from a population

Question 22

Variable

Answer 22

Properties that can have more than one value

Question 23

Third-variable problem

Answer 23

the natural correlation between two variables cannot be taken as evidence of a causal relationship between them because a thrid variable might be causing both of them

Question 24

independent variable

Answer 24

the variable that is manipulated in an experiment

Question 25

dependent variable

Answer 25

the variable that is measure or effected by the independent variable in an experiment

Question 26

internal validity

Answer 26

an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships

Question 27

external validity

Answer 27

an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a representative way

Question 28

Type 1 error

Answer 28

when researchers conclude that there is a causal relationship between two variables when there is none

Question 29

Type 2 error

Answer 29

when researchers conclude there is not a causal relationship between two variables when there is one

Question 30

Statistical validity

Answer 30

did the independent and dependent variables indeed correlate with each other

Question 31

Neurons

Answer 31

cells in the nervous system that communicate with each other to perform information-processing tasks

Question 32

cell body/soma

Answer 32

the largest component of the neuron that coordinates the information-processing tasks and keeps said cell alive

Question 33

dendrite

Answer 33

part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body

Question 34

axon

Answer 34

part of a neuron that carries information to the other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 35

myelin sheath

Answer 35

an insulating layer of fatty material that covers the axon

Question 36

glial cells

Answer 36

support cells found in the nervous system

Question 37

synapse

Answer 37

the junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite or cell body of another

Question 38

three types of neurons

Answer 38

1) sensory that receives information and conveys this through the spinal cord 2) motor that carry signals from spinal cord to muscles to provide movement 3) interneurons that connect the other two neurons and themselves (the links)

Question 39

neurotransmitters

Answer 39

chemicals that transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron's dendrites

Question 40

receptors

Answer 40

parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and either initiate or prevent a new electric signal

Question 41

Acetylcholine

Answer 41

neurotransmitter involved in a number of functions, including voluntary motor control

Question 42

dopamine

Answer 42

neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

Question 43

glutamate

Answer 43

major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain

Question 44

gaba

Answer 44

primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain (lack of this causes seizures as the neurons become overactive)

Question 45

Norepinephrine

Answer 45

neurotransmitter involved in states of vigilance of heightened awareness of danger

Question 46

Serotonin

Answer 46

neurotransmitter involved in regulated of sleep and wakefulness, eating, and aggressive behavior

Question 47

endorphins

Answer 47

chemicals that act within pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain

Question 48

agonists

Answer 48

drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter

Question 49

antagonists

Answer 49

drugs that diminish the function of a neurotransmitter

Question 50

nervous system

Answer 50

interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical information through the body

Question 51

autonomic nervous system

Answer 51

set of nerves that carry involuntary and autonomic commands such as reflexes

Question 52

somatic nervous system

Answer 52

set of nerves that convey information between the skeletal muscles and the central nervous system (things people want to do)

Question 53

Basal ganglia

Answer 53

set of subcortical structures that direct intentional movements and plays a role in reward processing

Question 54

endocrine system

Answer 54

network of glands that produce and secrete into the bloodstream chemical messages known as hormones, which influence basic functions such as metabolism, growth, and sexual development

Question 55

pituitary gland

Answer 55

the "master gland" which releases hormones that direct the functions of the other glands