113 Cards in this Set
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Psychology
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science of behavior and mental processes
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science
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approach to knowledge based on systematic observation
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behavior
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directly observable and measurable actions
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mental processes
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private psychological activities that include thinking, perceiving, and feeling
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theories
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tentative explanations of facts and relationships in sciences
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structuralism
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19th-century school of psychology that sought to determine the structure of the mind through controlled introspection
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introspection
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the process of looking inward at one's own consciousness
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gestalt psychology
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school of thought based on the belief that human consciousness cannot be broken down into its elements
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gestalt
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organized or unified whole
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phi phenomenon
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perception of apparent movement between two stationary stimuli
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functionalism
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19th-century school of psychology that emphasized the useful functions of consciousness
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cognition
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mental processes of perceiving, believing, thinking, remembering, knowing, deciding, and so on
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cognitive psychology
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viewpoint in psychology that emphasizes the importance of cognitive processes, such as perception, memory, and thinking
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behaviorism
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school of psychology that emphasizes the process of learning and the measurement of overt behavior
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unconscious mind
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all mental activity of which we are unaware
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motives
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internal states or conditions that activate behavior and give it direction
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psychoanalysis
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technique of help persons with emotional problems based on Freud's theory of the unconscious mind
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humanistic psychology
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psychological view that human beings possess an innate tendency to improve and determine their lives by the decisions they make
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psychometric
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perspective in psychology founded by Binet that focuses on the measurement of mental functions
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neuroscience perspective
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viewpoint in psychology that focuses on the nervous system in explaining behavior and mental processes
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sociocultural perspective
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theory of psychology that states it is necessary to understand a person's culture and other social influences to fully understand him/her
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social anthropology
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field of social science that studies the ways in which cultures are both similar and different form one another and how cultures influence human behavior
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cultural relativity
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perspective that promotes thinking of different cultures in relative terms rather than judgmental terms
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applied psychologists
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psychologists who use existing psychological knowledge to solve and prevent problems
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scientific method
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method of studying nature based on systematic observation and rules of evidence
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Empirical Evidence
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Information derived from systematic, objective observation
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Operational Definition
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come from behaviors that are:
-observable
-quantifiable
-replicable
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Theories
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an explanation that has evidence that supports it
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hypthesis
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prediction based on a theory that is tested in a study
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sample
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subset of a population
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replication
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repeating studies based on the scientific principle that the results of studies should be doubted until the same results have been found in similar studies by other researchers
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descriptive studies
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methods of observation used to describe predictable behavior and mental processes
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Survey Method
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Questionnaire/Interviews
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naturalistic observation
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research method in which behavior is studied in natural settings without intervention or manipulation
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clinical method
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method of studying people while they are receiving help from a mental health professional
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correlational method
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research method that measures the strength of the relation between variables
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variable
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anything that varies
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quantitative measures
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units of measure expressed in numerical terms
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statistical significance
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decision based on statistical calculations hat a finding was unlikely to have occurred by chance
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neuron
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individual nerve cell
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cell body
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the central part of the neuron that includes the nucleus
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dendrites
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extensions of the cell body that usually serve as receiving areas for messages from other neurons
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axons
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neuron branches that transmit messages to other neurons
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nerve
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bundle of long neurons outside the brain and spinal cord
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ions
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electrically charged particles
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cell membrane
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the covering of a neuron or another cell
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semipermeable
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surface that allows some, but not all, particles to pass through
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polarized
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resting state of a neuron, when more negative ions are outside the cell membrane
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depolarization
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process during which positively charged ions flow into the axon, making it less negatively charged inside
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action potential
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brief electrical signal that travels he length of the axon
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All-or-none Principle
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Neuron fires with the same strength every time. (Binary-either ON or OFF)
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myelin sheath
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insulating fatty covering wrapped around the axon that speeds the transmission of neural messages
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synapse
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space between the axon of one neuron and another neuron
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synaptic gap
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the wall space between two neurons at a synapse
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neurotransmitters
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chemical substances, produced by axons, that transmit messages across the synapse
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synaptic vesicles
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tiny vessels containing stored quantities of the neurotransmitter substance held in the synaptic terminals of the axon
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synaptic terminal
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the knoblike tips of axons
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receptor sites
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sites on the neuron that receive the neurotransmitter substance
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glial cells
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cells that assist neurons by transporting nutrients to them producing myelin sheath, and regulating the likelihood of transmission of messages across the synaptic gap
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acetylcholine
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a neurotransmitter used by somatic neurons that contract the body's large muscles and plays a role in memory and regulates dreaming
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dopamine
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control large muscle movements and used by neurons in pleasure and reward system
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serotonin
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used by systems of neurons believed to regulate sleeping, dreaming, appetite, anxiety, depression, and the inhibition of violence
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glutamate
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the most widespread excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain
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central nervous system
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the brain and the spinal cord
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peripheral nervous system
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the network of nerves that branches from the brain and the spinal cord to all parts of the body
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interneuron
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neurons in the CNS that connect to other neurons
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Afferent Neurons
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take info from the senses to the brain
(At the brain)
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Efferent Neurons
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Neurons that carry impulses away from the CNS
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Somatic (Somatic Nervous System)
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division of peripheral nervous system that stimulates skeletal muscle contractions under conscious control - voluntary.
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autonomic nervous system
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controls involuntary functions like digestion and heart rate
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sympathetic nervous system
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Part of autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the bodies resources during stress and emergencies, preparing the body for action.
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Parasympathetic nervous system
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Restores body to normal state
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ganglia
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clusters of cell bodies of neurons outside the CNS
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forebrain
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largest part of the human brain (hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebral cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, olfactory bulb)
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Thalamus
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Sensory relay, arousal, consciousness
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hypothalamus
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small structure in the brain located below the thalamus and directly above the pituitary gland, responsible for motivational behavior such a sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex
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limbic system
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a complex brain system, composed of the amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate cortex, that works with the hypothalamus in emotional arousal
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amygdala
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a part of the limbic system that plays a role in emotion
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hippocampus
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the part of the limbic system that plays a role in memory and the processing of emotion
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Cingulate Cortex
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Conscious and emotions/attitudes
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cerebral cortex
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the largest structure of the forebrain, controlling conscious experience and intelligence and being involved with somatic nervous system
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Frontal lobes
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Thinking memory decisions
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Broca's area
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area of the frontal lobe of the left cerebral hemisphere that plays a role in speaking language
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expressive aphasia
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impairment of the ability to generate spoken language but not to comprehend language
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Parietal lobes
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somatic sensory
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somatosensory area
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the strip of the parietal cortex running parallel to the motor area of the frontal lobes that plays a role in body senses
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temporal lobes
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the part of the cerebral cortex that extends back from the area of the temples beneath the frontal and parietal lobes and that contains areas involved in the sense of hearing and understanding language
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Wernicke's area
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the language area of the cortex that plays an essential role in understand spoken language
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Wernicke's aphasia
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persons can speak fluently but cannot understand others
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occipital lobes
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the part of the cerebral cortex, located at the base of the back of the head that plays an essential role in the processing of sensory info from the eyes
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association areas
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areas within each lobe of the cerebral cortex believed to play general rather than specific roles
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electroencephalogram (EEG)
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Using electrodes placed either above (in most
cases) or below the scalp (rarely in humans), electrical activity in the
brain is recorded. Useful for evaluating seizures, level of arousal, delirium, and brain death
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positron emission tomography (PET)
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imaging technique that reveals the functions of the brain
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magnetic resonance imaging MRI
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produces high quality images of soft tissues
distinguishes body tissues based on relative water content
powerful magnets alter spin of hydrogen atoms
when magnet shuts off, radiowaves emitted by atoms are detected and used to form image
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cerebral hemispheres
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the two main parts of the cerebral cortex
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corpus callosum
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the major neural structure connecting the left and right hemispheres
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plasticity
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ability of parts of the brain, particularly the cerebral cortex, to acquire new functions that partly or completely replace the functions of a damaged part of the brain
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neural pruning
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normal process of selective loss of gray matter int he brain over time, which is thought to improve the efficiency of neural systems by eliminating unnecessary cells
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neurogenesis
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hypothesized growth of new neurons in adult mammals
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monozygotic twins
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twins formed from a single ovum; identical in appearance because they have the same genetic structure
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dizygotic twins
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twins formed from the fertilization of two ova by two sperm
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culture
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patterns of behavior, beliefs, and values shared by a group of people
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ethnic group
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group of persons who are descendants of a common group of ancestors
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ethnic identity
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each person's sense of belonging to a particular ethnic group
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gene-environment interaction
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the phenomenon in which genes influence how environments influence us and environments influence how genes influence us
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gene expression
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the physical chain effects through which genes determine which proteins are synthesized to create the structure of neurons, glands, and other bodily structures
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sex
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the distinction between males and females based on biological characteristics
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gender
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the psychological experience of being male or female
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gender role
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the typical behaviors consistent with being male or female within a given culture
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androgynous
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having both typically female and male psychological characteristics
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evolutionary psychology
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the perspective in psychology that the psychological characteristics of human and nonhuman animals arose through natural selection
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evolutionary theory of gender differences
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gender differences are based on genes that resulted from evolutionary pressures on our ancestral women and men
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social-role theory of gender differences
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the theory that the opportunities and restrictions inherent in women's and men's different social roles create psychological gender differences
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PSY 0010: CHAPTER 7