Unit 1-11 Vocab Flashcards
The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
Empiricism
The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists agree with (1) but not (2)
Behaviorism
A historical significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people.
Humanistic psychology
The study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method
Experimental psychology
Early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener, used introspection to reveal the strutcture of the human mind.
Structuralism
Early school of thought promoted by James and influences by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
Functionalism
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)
Cognitive neuroscience
The science of behavior and mental processes
Psychology
The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of both
Nature-Nurture issue
The principle that among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Natural selection
The differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon
Levels of analysis
An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Biopsychosocial approach
The scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning
Behavioral psychology
The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
Biological psychology
The scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Cognitive psychology
A study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection
Evolutionary psychology
A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders
Psychodynamic psychology
The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking
Psychometrics
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Basic research
A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Developmental psychology
study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning
educational psychology
study of an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
personality psychology
study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another
study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another
study that aims to solve practical problems
applied research
application of psychology’s concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces
industrial-organizational psychology
An I/O psychology sub field that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
human factors psychology
A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living and in achieving greater well-being
Counseling psychology
A branch of psychology that studies, asses, and treats people with psychological disorders
Clinical psychology
branch of “medicine-dealing” psychology dealing with psychological disorders
Psychiatry
The scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive
Positive psychology
A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups
Community psychology
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than rereading, information
Testing effect
SQ3R
a study method incorporating 5 steps: Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
Hindsight bias
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Critical Thinking
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts behaviors or events
Theory
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
Hypothesis
a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.
Operational Definition
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.
Replication
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Case study
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.
Naturalistic Observation
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
Survey
a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.
Sampling Bias
all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study.
Population
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Random sample
a measure of the extent to which two variables change together, and thus of how well either variable predicts the other.
Correlation
a statistical index of the relationship between two variables (from -1.0 to +1.0).
Correlation Coefficient
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation
Scatterplot
the perception of a relationship where none exists.
Illusory Correlation
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effects on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant variable.
Experiment
in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
Experimental Group
in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.
Control Group
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups.
Random Assignment
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
Double Blind Procedure
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.
Placebo Effect
the experimental factor that is manipulated–the variable whose effect is being studied.
Independent Variable
a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.
Confounding Variable
the outcome factor – the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.
Dependent Variables
the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to.
Validity
numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation.
Descriptive Statistics
a bar graph depicting a frequency distribution.
Histogram
the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.
the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtaining by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.
Mean
the middle score in a distribution–half the scores are above it and half are below it.
Median
a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value.
Skewed Distribution
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.
Range
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.
Standard Deviation
a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68% fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer near the extremes.
Normal Curve
numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance.
Inferential Statistics
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.
Statistical Significance
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
Culture
an ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.
Informed Consent
the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants.
Debriefing
the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.
biological psychologists
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
neuron
the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
dendrites
the neuron extension that passes and electrical messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
axon
a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.
myelin sheath
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
action potential
a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.
refractory period
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
threshold
a neuron’s reaction of either firing or not firing.
all-or-nothing response
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.
synapse
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
neurotransmitters
a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron.
reuptake
“morphine within”—natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
endorphins
A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.
Agonist
Chemical substances that block or reduce a cell’s response to the action of other chemicals or neurotransmitters.
Antagonists
the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
nervous system
the brain and the spinal cord
Central nervous system (CNS)
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
Nerves
neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
sensory (afferent) neurons
neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
motor (efferant) neurons
neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
interneurons
the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles (skeletal nervous system)
Somatic nervous system
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
Autonomic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. (If you get scared)
Sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
Parasympathetic nervous system
simple, automatic responses to sensory stimuli, such as the knee-jerk response
Reflexes
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Endocrine system
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
Hormones
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress
Adrenal glands
The endocrine system’s most influential gland
under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
Pituitary gland
tissue destruction. It can occur naturally or experimentally by the caused distruction/remove of brain tissues
Lesion
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representaion of a slice through the body. Aslo called a CAT scan
CT (computed tomography) scan
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
(PET) Positron emission tomography scan
a TECHNIQUE THAT USES MAGNETIC FIELDS AND RADIO WAVES TO PRODUCE COMPUTER generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissues. (idk why its all in capitals)
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.
fMRI (functional MRI)
the oldest part and central core of brain. AKA reticular formation, or reticular activating system. In charge of automatic survival functions
Brainstem
The base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing.
Medualla
the brains ‘sensory switch board’ Located at top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory areas and transmits them to cerebellum and medulla.
Thalamus
“little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions including processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.
Cerebellum
