Psychology Review: Perspectives, Research Methods, and Biological Foundations

Vocabulary flashcards generated from chapters on psychological perspectives, research design, and neurobiology.

Psychology

The study of the mind, mental processes, and the behavior of living organisms.

Describe (Goal of Psychology)

The goal of psychology focused on naming different behaviors.

Understand (Goal of Psychology)

The goal of psychology focused on explaining the causes of behavior(s).

Prediction (Goal of Psychology)

The goal of psychology focused on forecasting behavior accurately.

Control (Goal of Psychology)

The goal of psychology focused on altering conditions that influence behavior.

Natural Selection

A theory developed by Charles Darwin stating that organisms with traits best suited to their environment are more likely to survive.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Diagram

A pyramid depicting human motivation across five levels, ranging from basic physiological needs at the base to self-actualization at the top.

Physiological Needs

The foundational bottom level of Maslow's hierarchy, which includes breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep.

Safety and Security Needs

The second level of Maslow's hierarchy, encompassing health, employment, property, family, and social ability.

Love and Belonging Needs

The third level of Maslow's hierarchy, encompassing friendship, family, intimacy, and a sense of connection.

Self-Esteem Needs

The fourth level of Maslow's hierarchy, consisting of confidence, achievement, respect of others, and the need to be a unique individual.

Self-Actualization

The top level of Maslow's hierarchy, involving morality, creativity, spontaneity, acceptance, experience, purpose, meaning, and inner potential.

Behavioral Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on observable behavior shaped by reinforcement and punishment.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on behavior driven by unconscious desires and conflicts.

Humanistic Perspective

A psychological perspective emphasizing that people strive for self-actualization and personal growth.

Biological Perspective

A psychological perspective that explains behavior through biological factors such as hormones, brain structure, and genetics.

Cognitive Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on mental processes such as problem-solving, decision making, and memory.

Sociocultural Perspective

A psychological perspective that examines how culture, social environment, and societal norms affect behavior.

Evolutionary Perspective

A psychological perspective influenced by Darwin's natural selection, asserting that behaviors and thoughts exist as adaptations to enhance survival.

Functionalism

A perspective of psychology that was heavily influenced by Charles Darwin's Natural Selection Theory.

Kenneth & Mamie Clark

African American psychologists whose landmark research focused on race, child development, and the psychological effects of segregation through their doll studies.

Doll Studies

Research by Kenneth and Mamie Clark showing that many Black children preferred white dolls and associated them with positive qualities; used as social-science evidence in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

The U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee of people who review all research proposals to consider their ethical implications.

Operational Definition

A statement that specifies exactly how a conceptual variable will be manipulated or measured in a study.

Basic Research

Research conducted to expand human knowledge and build scientific theory.

Applied Research

Research that uses scientific knowledge to solve specific, real-world problems.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable in an experiment that is manipulated by the experimenter or environment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable in an experiment that is measured as an outcome.

Experimental Group

The group of participants in an experiment who receive the treatment or manipulation being tested.

Control Group

The group of participants in an experiment who do not receive the experimental treatment and serve as a baseline for comparison.

Positive Correlation

A relationship between two variables in which both variables move or increase in the same direction.

Neuron Diagram

A diagram illustrating the structural anatomy of a nerve cell, including the cell body, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, and terminal buttons.

Parietal Lobe

The lobe of the brain associated with the sense of touch.

Frontal Lobe

The lobe of the brain associated with thinking and higher mental processes.

Occipital Lobe

The lobe of the brain responsible for vision.

Temporal Lobe

The lobe of the brain responsible for processing sound.

Agonist

A substance that enhances the actions of neurotransmitters.

Antagonist

A substance that inhibits the actions of neurotransmitters.

Cerebellum

The region of the brain referred to as the 'little brain'.

Neuroplasticity

The property of the brain that allows it to change as a result of experience, drugs, or injury.

Neurotransmitters

The body's chemical messengers that carry signals from one nerve cell to another target cell.

Synaptic Gap

The narrow gap between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrite of a neighboring neuron.

Endocrine System

The bodily system consisting of glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream to control bodily functioning.

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup that never changes, such as DNA or a fingerprint.

Phenotype

An organism's observable physical characteristics that can change over time, such as hair, height, and weight.

Weber's Law

A law stating that the difference threshold is a constant proportion of the specific stimulus.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum amount of stimulus energy that can be detected 50% of the time.

Sensation

The experience of sensory stimulation.

Perception

The process of creating meaningful patterns from raw sensory information.

Photoreceptors

The sensory receptors for sight located in the eyes.

Olfactory Receptor Cells

The sensory receptors for smell located in the nose.

Gustatory Cells

The sensory receptors for taste located on the tongue.

Hair Cells

The sensory receptors for hearing located in the ear.