Semester 1 Flashcards
William James
One of the founders of American psychology; published Principles of Psychology
Psychology
Science of behavior and mental processes
Neuroscience/Biological Perspective
Brain and nervous system control behavior
Evolutionary Perspective
Principle of evolution to explain behavior
Behavioral Perspective
Behavior based on experience or learning; conditioning
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytical Perspective
Behavior reflect combinations of conscious and unconscious influences; early childhood experiences; Sigmund Freud
Humanistic Perspective
Emphasized that people have free will, self concepts, and are basically good
Cognitive Perspective
How knowledge is acquired, organized, remembered, and used to guide behavior
Developmental Perspective
Interaction between heredity and environment; change across the life span
Sociocultural Perspective
Impact that society, culture, ethnicity, race, and religion have on personality
Behavioral Genetics Perspective
How much genes and environment (nature vs. nurture) influence
Clinical Psychologist (Ph.d)
Studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy
Psychiatrist (M.D)
Medical professional who uses treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients
Critical Thinking
Does not blindly accept conclusions; evaluates evidence
Naturalistic Observation
Observing and recording behavior in naturally ocurring situations
Experiment
Investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe their effect on some behavior or mental process
Positive Correlation
Two variables vary systematically in the SAME direction
Negative Correlation
Two variables vary systematically in OPPOSITE directions
Independent Variable
Factor that is manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied
Dependent Variable
Factor that may change in response to manipulations; usually a behavior or mental process
Experimental Condition/Group
Exposes participants to the treatment
Control Condition/Group
Contrasts with experimental treatment; serves as a comparison
Placebo
Inert substance or condition administered instead of a presumed active agent to see if it triggers the effect
Double-Blind Procedure
Both participants and staff are ignorant (blind) about treatment or placebo
Phrenology (Franz Gall)
Study of the bumps on your head
Action Potential
Neural impulse that carries information along the axon of a neuron
Synapse
Junction between axon tip of sending neuron and the denrite of the recieving neuron
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals travel across the synapse influencing an action potential
Endorphins
Pain and pleasure; response to pain; Runner’s high
Nervous System
Speedy, electrochemical communication system
Sympathetic Nervous System
Arouses the body in stressful situations
Medulla
Controls heartbeat and breathing
Cerebellum
Coordination, balance
Thalamus
Sensory switch board; directs messages to the sensory areas
Limbic System
Emotions, drives, and memory
Corpus Callosum
Band of fibers connecting hemispheres
Occipital Lobe
Visual areas
Plasticity
Brain’s ability to modify itself after some type of injury or illness
Right Hemisphere
Non-verbal abilities, facial recognition, patterns
Split-Brain
Object presented in the right visual field can be named. Objects in the left visual field cannot.
Hormones
Chemical messengers; endocrine glands
Pituitary Gland
Regulates growth
Behavioral Genetics
Heredity, genes, and chromosomes; environment
Genes
Code for hereditary transmission
Chromosomes
Strand of paired DNA
Developmental Psychology
Studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Jean Pieaget
Cognitive processes followed a series of stages
Schema
Patterns that organize interactions with the environment
Assimilation
Absorbing new information into existing schemas
Accomodation
Adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to better fit with new information
Object Permanence
Objects that are out of sight are also out of mind
Egocentrism
Cannot percieve things from another’s point of view
Conservation
Principle that properties remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
Attachment (Mary Ainsworth)
Shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and displacing distress on seperation
Insecurely Attached
Avoid other people; anger, anxiety, or fear
Imprinting
Certain animals form attachments during a critical period
Authoritative/Democratic
Demanding & responsive; open discussion
Primary Sex Characteristics
Body structures that make sexual reproduction possible
Secondary Sex Characteristics
Nonreproductive sexual characteristics; breasts, voice
Preconventional Morality
Avoid punishment or gain reward
Postconventional Morality
Individual conscience, universal ethical principles
Crystallized Intelligence
Accumulated knowledge and skills; does not decline with age
Sensation
Detect a stimulus
Absolute Threshold
Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Subliminal Threshold
Stimuli below absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Sensory Adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction
Transformation of stimulus energy into neural impulses; Phototransduction - Light
Iris
Controls the size of the pupil opening
Retina
Containing receptor rods and cones
Rods
Detect black, white, and gray; low light
Cones
Color vision; well-lit conditions
Blindsight
Ability to respond appropriately to visual inputs while lacking the feeling of having seen them
Parallel Processing
Simultaneous processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously
Trichromatic Theory
Retina should contain three receptors that are sensitive to red, blue, and green colors
Opponent-Process Theory (Afterimages)
Opposing retunal processes enable color vision; cells located in the thalamus; red-green, black-white, blue-yellow
Cochlea
Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that transforms sound vibrations to auditory signals
