Unit One Test Flashcards
Psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental process
Behavior
any movement or posture produced by and individual that influences its relationship to the environment
Mental Process
things such as thinking and feeling that can’t be directly observed
Tabula Rasa
the idea that at birth, human minds are a blank slate
Structuralism
the idea that certain smaller elements combine to create the entire mental experience (Wilhelm Wundt who established the first psychology lab in German in late 1800’s and his student Edward Titchener)
Introspection
individuals describe their mental processes
Gestalt Psychology
idea that the whole of perception is greater than the sum of the parts (Max Wertheimer)
Functionalism
how does a behavior assit an organism with survival and/or reproduction in its environment (based on Darwin’s idea, William James this was his idea)
Behaviorism
the idea that since the mind can’t be directly observed only observable behavior should be studied
Cognitive Psychology
modern study of mental process such as problem solving or memory (Ulric Neisser)
Psychoanalytic Theory
behavior is the result of unconscious and often conflicting desires ‘psychodynamics’
Humanism
emphasizes free will of people to choose their own behavior states that people are innately good until corrupted with society
Biological Perspective
examines the physical causes for behavior
Evolutionary Psychology
takes the history of the species into consideration when examining behavior. Asks how a behavior (currently or in the past) assists with survival/reproduction
Developmental Psychology
how behavior changes across the lifespan
Social Psychology
how other people affect thoughts and behavior
Clinical Psychology
identify and treat abnormal behavior
Individual Differences
studies the varieties of behavior instead of averages associated with the study of personality
What is the Nature of Science?
- Determine what the claim is
- What evidence is there to support the claim?
- Are there other ways to look at the data?
- Are there other data that would be useful?
- Whats the best conclusion?
What are the goals of psychology?
- describe behavior
- predict behavior
- explain behavior
- control behavior
What is the scientific method?
- test hypothesis
- analyze and interpret data
- reject/revise hypothesis
- peer review
Correlation Coefficient
Value between -1 and 1 that indicates the strength of the correlation between two variables
Independent Variable
the researchers manipulates
Dependent Variable
a variable that is potentially changed as the result of the experiment
Between Subjects
different subjects appear in groups that differ with respect to the independent variable
Within Subjects
the same subjects are measured before and after a treatment and the measurement are compared (tested at different times)
Confounding variables
any other variable that might affect an outcome
Cohort Effect
historical factor that influence an age group
Validity
the extent to which a study actually measures the concept it is suppose to measure
Inter-Rater Reliability
how likely it is that 2 people take the same measurement and get the same outcome
Descriptive Statistics
mean, median and mode
Standard Deviation
a measure of variability that tells us how tightly clustered the scores are around the mean (low scores are tightly clustered, high means it’s more spread out)
Genotype
the complement of genes (heredity) a particular organism has
Phenotype
observable characteristics of an organism
Alleles
different versions of a gene
Heritability
the portion of phenotypic variation in a population that can be attributed to genotypic variation (Natural Selection can only act on traits that can be heritable)
‘R’ the Coefficient of Relatedness
the statistical probability that individuals share a particular gene in common as the results of recent common descent
- parent/offspring/siblings=.5
- aunts/uncles/niece/nephew=.25
- grandparent/half-siblings=.25
- identical twin=1
- first cousins=.125
MHC-Major Histocompatibility Complex
suite of genes that affect the immune systems
Neurons
nerve cells, transmit and process information in the neurons systems
Soma
cell body of the neuron that contains the nucleus
Dentrite
branched structure attached to the soma that receives information from the terminal buttons of the neurons
Axon
thin, cylindrical structure that conveys information from the soma to its terminal buttons
Terminal Buttons
bud at the end of the axon that sends information to another neuron
Astroglia
form a mesh in which neurons are suspended, assist with passage of chemicals from blood to neurons
Oligodendrocytes
send out extensions that wrap around axons with myelin (fatty insulating substance)
Action Potential
electrical impulse that travels down the axon of a neuron and leads to chemical communication with another neuron
Synapse
a junction between the terminal button of one neuron and the membrane of another neuron
Synaptic Vesicle
contain neurotransmitters, fuse with the neuronal membrane to release neurotransmitters into synapse
Receptors
channel in the receiving membrane that receives neurotransmitters
Reuptake
neurotransmitters return to their original neuron and are take back in some are broken down by enzyme are reused
