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64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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psychology |
scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context |
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goals of psychology |
describe, explain, predict and control the behavior and mental processes of others. |
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psychodyanmic |
an approach to psychology that emphasises systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate to early experience |
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behaviorism
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sees environmental stimuli as the cause of our actions, not mental processes. There is a focus on the way reinforcements (rewards and punishments) shape the way we act. |
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humanistic
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Centers on and emphasizes human ability, growth, potential, and free will. According to this perspective, our self-concept and need for personal growth and fulfillment are profound influences on our actions. |
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cognitive |
Deals with mental processes (cognition) like learning, memory, perception, and thinking of them as parts of information processing model. This perspective calls attention to how our actions are influenced by the way we process information streaming in from our environment. |
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biopsychology |
the branch of psychology concerned with its biological and physiological aspects. |
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sociocultural |
combining social and cultural factors. |
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scientific method |
a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. |
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replication |
One of the main tenets of the scientific method; repeating an experiment to ensure that the results can be attained again. |
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validity and reliability |
the state of being legally or officially binding or acceptable. and reliability is a measure of how well the items on the test measure |
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hypothesis vs theory |
A hypothesis is either a suggested explanation for an observable phenomenon, or a reasoned prediction of a possible causal correlation among multiple phenomena. In science, a theory is a tested, well-substantiated, unifying explanation for a set of verified, proven hypotheses. A theory is always backed by evidence; a hypothesis is only a suggested possible outcome, and is testable and falsifiable. |
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experimental research |
is a type of evaluation that seeks to determine whether a program or intervention had the intended causal effect on program participants. |
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random assignment |
placement is an experimental technique for assigning subjects to different treatments (or no treatment). |
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independent variable |
a variable (often denoted by x ) whose variation does not depend on that of another. |
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dependent variable |
a variable (often denoted by y ) whose value depends on that of another. |
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descriptive research |
is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. It does not answer questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred. |
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case study |
a process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time |
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naturalistic observation |
a research tool in which a subject is observed in its natural habitat without any manipulation by the observer. |
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survey |
a general view, examination, or description of someone or something. |
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correlational research |
research between a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. |
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positive correlation |
Stay the same. exists when as one variable decreases, the other variable also decreases and vice versa. |
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negative correlation |
a relationship between two variables such that as the value of one variable increases, the other decreases. |
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zero correlation |
no relationship between the two variables |
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neurotransmitters |
a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the synapse or junction, causes the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fiber, a muscle fiber, or some other structure. |
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peripheral nervous system |
is the part of the nervous system that consists of the nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spinal cord |
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sympathetic |
part of the nervous system that serves to accelerate the heart rate, constrict blood vessels, and raise blood pressure. |
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parasympathetic |
is commonly referred to as having "craniosacral outflow", which stands in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system, which is said to have "thoracolumbar outflow". |
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central nervous system |
complex of nerve tissues that controls the activities of the body. In vertebrates it comprises the brain and spinal cord. |
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hindbrain |
brainstem, pons, medulla, cerebellum |
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cerebellum |
part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates. Its function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity. |
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limbic system |
set of evolutionarily primitive brain structures located on top of the brainstem and buried under the cortex |
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hippocampus |
the elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system. |
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amygdala |
a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. |
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hypothalmaus |
region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity. |
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cerebral cortex |
the region of the cerebral cortex concerned with receiving and interpreting sensory information from various parts of the body. |
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four lobes |
The frontal lobe is located at the front of the brain and is associated with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressive language. The parietal lobe is located in the middle section of the brain and is associated with processing tactile sensory information such as pressure, touch, and pain. The temporal lobe is located on the bottom section of the brain. This lobe is also the location of the primary auditory cortex, which is important for interpreting sounds and the language we hear .The occipital lobe is located at the back portion of the brain and is associated with interpreting visual stimuli and information. |
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brain plasticity |
refers to the extraordinary ability of the brain to modify its own structure and function following changes within the body or in the external environment. |
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sensation |
a physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body or the reaction of interest or excitement |
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bottom-up processing |
In a bottom-up approach the individual base elements of the system are first specified in great detail. These elements are then linked together to form larger subsystems, which then in turn are linked, sometimes in many levels, until a complete top-level system is formed.
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absolute threshold |
lowest level of a stimulus —light, sound, touch, etc.—that an organism could detect |
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difference threshold |
smallest amount by which two sensory stimuli can differ in order for an individual to perceive them as different. |
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sensory adaptation |
diminished sensitivity to a stimulus as a consequence of constant exposure to that stimulus. Brain cells begin to fire when they pick up on a new stimulus in your environment as signaled by your sensory organs (ears, eyes, nose, etc.).sensory adaptation at some point. The constant loud sound of a running air conditioner, for instance, seems irritating when it is first turned on. However, within an hour you'll most likely have forgotten all about that sound and no longer notice it. |
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rods |
photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that can function in less intense light than the other type of visual photoreceptor, cone cells. Rods are concentrated at the outer edges of the retina and are used in peripheral vision. |
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cones |
One of the photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that is responsible for daylight and color vision; they are densely concentrated in the fovea centralis |
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trichromatic theory vs. opponent process theory
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is a color theory that states that the human visual system interprets information about color by processing signals from cones and rods in an antagonistic manner.Ewald Hering, the father of the opponent processes theory made some very interesting observations that could not be accounted for by the trichromatic theory.
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nerve cell anatomy |
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kinesthetic
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vestibular
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touch/haptic
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olfaction/ smell
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taste/ gustation
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top-down processing
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selective attention
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perceptual constancies
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learning
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classical conditioning
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operant conditioning
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reinforcement
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punishment
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shaping
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observational learning
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insight learning
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sensory memory
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