Section 1 Flashcards
Professional organization representing psychologists in the United States
American Psychological Association (APA)
Focus on observing and controlling behavior
Behaviorism
Study of how biology influences behavior
Biopsychology
Perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individual’s health
Biopsychosocial Model
Area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behavior
Clinical Psychology
Study of cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to experiences and actions
Cognitive Psychology
Area of psychology that focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and other aspects of the lives of psychologically healthy individuals
Counseling Psychology
Scientific study of development across a lifespan
Developmental psychology
Long research paper about research that was conducted as a part of the candidate’s doctoral training
Dissertation
Method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or pervious authorities
Empirical Method
Area of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system
Forensic Psychology
Focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment
Functionalism
Perspective within psychology that examines the potential for good that is innate to all humans
Humanism
Process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts
Introspection
Suffix that denotes “scientific study”
Ology
Study of patterns of thoughts and behaviors that make each individual unique
Personality Psychology
Consistent pattern of thought and behavior
Personality Trait
(Doctor of Philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences
PhD
Allows young scientists to further develop their research programs and broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field
Postdoctoral Training Program
Focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior
Psychoanalytic Theory
Scientific study of the mind and behavior
Psychology
(Doctor of Psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research-oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context
PsyD
Area of psychology that focuses on the interactions between mental and emotional factors and physical performance in sports, exercise, and other activities
Sport and Exercise Psychology
Understanding the conscious experience through introspection
Structuralism
Method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships
Archival Research
Reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time
Attrition
Changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design
Cause and Effect Relationship
Observational research study focusing on one or a few people
Clinical or Case Study
Tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs
Confirmation Bias
Unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables
Confounding Variable
Serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study - by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups
Control Group
Relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does
Correlation
Number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r
Correlation Coefficient
Compares multiple segments of a population at a single time
Cross-Sectional Research
When an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion
Debriefing
Purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment
Deception
Results are predicted based on a general premise
Deductive Reasoning
Variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had
Dependent Variable
Experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments
Double-Blind Study
Grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing
Empirical
Group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance
Experimental Group
Researcher expectations skew the results of the study
Experimenter Bias
Objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research
Fact
Able to be disproven by experimental results
Falsifiable
Inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population
Generalize
Tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables
Hypothesis
Seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists
Illusory Correlation
Variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group
Independent Variable
Conclusions are drawn from observations
Inductive Reasoning
Process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate
Informed Consent
Committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event
Inter-Rater Reliability
Studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over and extended period of time
Longitudinal Research
Observation of behavior in its natural setting
Naturalistic Observation
Two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller (not the same as no correlation)
Negative Correlation
When observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations
Observer Bias
Description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables
Operational Definition
Personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate
Opinion
Subjects of psychological research
Participants
Article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
People’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation
Placebo Effect
Overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
Population
Two variables change in the same direction, both becoming larger or smaller
Positive Correlation
Method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group
Random Assignment
Subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
Random Sample
Consistency and reproducibility of a given result
Reliability
Repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability
Replicate
Subset of individuals selected from a larger population
Sample
Experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group
Single-Blind Study
Determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance
Statistical Analysis
List of questions to be answered by research participants - given as paper-and pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally - allowing researchers to collect data from a larger number of people
Survery
Well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena
Theory
Accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure
Validity
Electrical Signal that moves down the neuron’s axon
Action Potential
Sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response
Adrenal Gland
Drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter
Agonist
Phenomenon that incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient tor insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation
All or None
Specific version of a gene
Allele
Structure in the limbic system involved in our experiences of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories
Amygdala
Drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter
Antagonist
Strip of cortex in the temporal lobe that is responsible for processing auditory information
Auditory Cortex
Controls our internal organs and glands
Autonomic Nervous System
Major extension of the soma
Axon
View that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems
Biological Perspective
Region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production
Broca’s Area
Brain and spinal cord
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Hindbrain structure that controls our balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and it is thought to be important in processing some types of memory
Cerebellum
Surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities
Cerebral Cortex
Long strand of genetic information
Chromosome
Imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x-rays of a given area
Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan
Thick band of neural fibers connecting the brain’s two hemispheres
Corpus Callosum
Branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurons
Dendrite
Helix-shapes molecule made of nucleotide base pairs
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
Disease related to insufficient insulin production
Diabetes
Allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele
Dominant Allele
Recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones
Endocrine System
Study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different phenotypes
Epigenetics
Activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity so that we might fall off a given threat or run away to safety
Fight or Flight Response
Largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex, the thalamus, and the limbic system, among other structures
Forebrain
Twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different sperm, so their genetic material varies the same as in non-twin siblings
Fraternal Twins
Part of the cerebral cortex involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language; contains motor cortex; executive functions
Frontal Lobe
MRI that shows changes in metabolic activity over time
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Sequence of DNA that controls physical characteristics
Gene
View of gene-environment interaction that asserts our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes
Genetic Environmental Correlation
Genetic makeup of an individual
Genotype
Nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste transport
Glial Cell
Secretes sexual hormones, which are important for successful reproduction, and mediate both sexual motivation and behavior
Gonad
Bump or ridge on the cerebral cortex
Gyrus
Left or right half of the brain
Hemisphere
Consisting of two different alleles
Heterozygous
Division of the brain containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
Hindbrain
Structure in the temporal lobe associated with learning and memory
Hippocampus
State of equilibrium - biological conditions, such as body temperature, are maintained at optimal levels
Homeostasis
Consisting of two identical alleles
Homozygous
Chemical messenger released by endocrine glands
Hormone
Forebrain structure that regulates sexual motivation and behavior and a number of homeostatic processes; serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system
Hypothalamus
Twins that develop from the same sperm and egg
Identical Twins
Concept that each hemisphere of the brain is associated with specialized functions
Lateralization
Collection of structures involved in processing emotion and memory
Limbic System
Deep groove in the brain’s cortex
Longitudinal Fissure
Magnetic fields used to produce a picture of the tissue being imaged
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Hindbrain structure that controls automated processes like breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate
Medulla
Difference in charge across the neuronal membrane
Membrane Potential
Division of the brain located between the forebrain and the hindbrain; contains the reticular formation; relay point for sensory info
Midbrain
Strip of cortex involved in planning and coordinating movement
Motor Cortex
Sudden, permanent change in a gene
Mutation
Fatty substance that insulates axons
Myelin Sheath
