Week 1: Biopsychology & Research Methods part 1 Flashcards
Cells that receive and transmit electrochemical signals.
Neurons
The scientific study of the nervous system.
Neuroscience
The scientific study of the biology of behavior.
Biopsychology
the comparative approach (trying to understand biological phenomena by comparing different species). Where environment can put pressures for things like the brain to evolve.
The Evolutionary perspective
changeable organ that continuously grows and changes in response to the individual’s genes and experiences.
Neuroplasticity
The study of the structure of the nervous system
Neuroanatomy
The study of the chemical bases of neural activity
Neurochemistry
The study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system
Neuroendocrinology
The study of nervous system disorder
Neuropathology
The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity
Neuropharmacology
The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system
Neurophysiology
The study of biological processes by comparing different species
Comparative approach
method used by scientists to study causation.
Experiments
A different group of subjects is tested under each condition
Between-subjects design
Test the same group of subjects under each condition
Within-subjects design
Assigning different conditions (cause) to arrive to an effect.
Independent variable
The variable measured by the experiment to assess the effect of the independent variable
Dependent variable
Is the fact that a copulating male who becomes incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex partner can often recommence copulating with a new sex partner
Coolidge Effect
Studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world.
Quasi-experimental studies
Focusing on a single case or subject.
A research method to gain a better understanding of a subject or process.
Case studies
The degree to which their results can be applied to other cases or in general population
Generalizability
Motivated primarily by the curiosity of the researcher. It is done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge
Pure research
is intended to bring about some direct benefit to humankind.
Applied research
research that aims to translate the findings of pure research into useful applications for human-kind.
Translation research
The division of biopsychology that studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through the direct manipulation and recording of the brain in controlled experiments
Physiological Psychology
Similar to physiological psychology except that it focuses on the manipulation of neural activity and behavior with drugs
Psychopharmacology
the study of psychological effects of brain damage in human patients
Neuropsychology
Is the division of biopsychology that studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Psychophysiology
Term that generally refers to higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes. What is the study called?
also youngest division of biopsychology
Cognitive neuroscience
The division of biopsychology deals generally with the biology of behavior, rather than specifically with the neural mechanisms of behavior.
refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals, especially as these relate to the phylogenetic history, adaptive significance, and development of behavior.
Comparative psychology
The study of animal behavior in its natural environment
Ethological Research
Progress is most likely when different approaches are focused on a single problem in such a way that the strengths of one approach compensate for the weaknesses of the others by combining approaches.
Converging Operations
The empirical method that biopsychologists and other scientists use to study the unobservable
Scientific Inference
