Psych Flash Cards

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

structuralism

founded by wilhelm wundt and edward bradford. used introspection to reveal structure of the human mind: sense, feel, think.

functionalism

founded by William James. explored how mental and behavioral process function, enable organisms to adapt, survive, and flourish (darwin influenced)

Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Bradford

founded structuralism

William James

founded functionalism

Behaviorism

1) should be objective science

2) should study behavior without reference to mental processes

F. Skinner

behaviorist that rejected introspection and studied how consequences shape behavior.

John Watson

pioneered behaviorism with rosalle rayner; little albert

Psychoanalytic psychology

pioneered by sigmund freud; dveeloped a theory of personality with a focus on our unconscious mind.

Sigmund Freud

psychoanalytic psychology: sexual and aggressive impulses

Humanistic psychology

rejected behaviorism; focused on human’s growth potential, needs for love and acceptance, and the environments that nurture or limit personal growth.

Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow

pioneered humanistic psychology

positive psychology

happiness is a by-product of a pleasant, engaged, and meaningful life. uses scientific methods to explore the building of a “good life” that engages our skills, and a “meaningful life” that points beyond ourselves.

Martin Seligman

pioneered positive psychology

Cognitive psychology

the study of the mental processes involved in perceiving, learning, remembering, thinking, communicating, and solving problems

cognitive neuroscience

studies the brain activity underlying mental activity

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.

george engel

Biopsychosocial Model

Scientific Method

a self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis.

Theory

explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observations

Hypothesis

Such predictions specify which results would support the theory and which results would disconfirm it.

Operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study

Replication

repeat the original observations with different participants, materials, and circumstances

Descriptive research

describe behaviors, often through case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations

Case Study

in-depth analyses of individuals or groups

Naturalistic Observation

recording the natural behavior of many individuals

Interview; Survey

asking people questions

Correlation

A statistical measure that helps us figure out the direction and strength of the relationship

Positive Correlation

indicates a direct relationship, meaning that two things increase together or decrease together

Negative Correlation

indicates an inverse relationship: As one thing increases, the other decreases. Negative correlations could go as low as −1.00, which means that, like people on opposite ends of a teeter-totter, one set of scores goes down precisely as the other goes up

Experimental Studies

an experiment

Experimental manipulation

the manipulation of a variable factor under controlled conditions to determine if this causes changes in another variable

Double-blind procedure

neither the participants nor those who administer the drug and collect the data will know which group is receiving the treatment

Placebo

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.

Independent variable

variable that is being manipulated

Dependent variable

depends on the variable being manipulated; the measurable variable

Confounding variable

a variable other than the variable being studied that might influence a study’s results.

phrenology

the idea that studying bumps on the skull, could reveal a person’s mental abilities and character traits

neuroplasticity

the brain’s enormous capacity to learn and adapt

neurons

smallest unit in the nervous system; the building block

axon

the segmented neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

dendrite

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages from axons, conducting impulses toward the cell body.

cell body

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life-support center.

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

motor neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord; they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

neurotransmission

A message travels from the dendrites through the cell body and to the end of the axon.

CNS

the brain and spinal cord.

PNS

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms

sympathetic

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy.

parasympathetic

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.

endocrine system

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; glands and fat tissue that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.

major glands

hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pineal body, the ovaries, the testes.

hindbrain

consists of the medulla, pons, and cerebellum; directs essential survival functions, such as breathing, sleeping, and wakefulness, as well as coordination and balance.

midbrain

found atop the brainstem; connects the hindbrain with the forebrain, controls some motor movement, and transmits auditory and visual information.

forebrain

consists of the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus; manages complex cognitive activities, sensory and associative functions, and voluntary motor activities.

limbic system

neural system located mostly in the forebrain—below the cerebral hemispheres—that includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus; associated with emotions and drives.

frontal lobe

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

parietal lobe

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

occipital lobe

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

temporal lobe

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Lateralization of the brain

splitting of the brain

consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

altered states of consciousness

daydreaming, sleeping, drug-induced hallucinating, and meditating

hypnosis

a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.

selective attention

focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

cocktail party effect

your ability to attend to only one voice within a sea of many as you chat with a party guest

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness.

dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks. echoic memory a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if at

sleep

a periodic, natural loss of consciousness—as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation.

importance of sleep

strengthens our mind and body. make or break our ability to remember things, manage our feelings, and even stay alive.

biological rhythms

Over varying time periods, our bodies fluctuate, and with them, our minds. ex. circadian rhythm and our 90-minute sleep cycle

brain waves and sleep stages

relaxed state : slow alpha waves

N1 sleep : irregular brain waves; prone to hallucinations

N2 sleep : rhythmic brain wave ; aid memory processing

N3 sleep : large slow delta waves; hard to wake up

REM sleep : brain waves become rapid and saw-toothed; heart rate rises, your breathing becomes rapid and irregular,

sleep deprivation

lack of sleep

major sleep disorders

insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy

ways to improve sleep

Avoid arousing activities, foods, and beverages before bedtime. Don’t stay in bed awake. Keep the room cool.

dreams

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

psychoactive drugs

depressants : alcohol, opioids

stimulants: caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine

hallucinogens: LSD, MDMA (ecstasy)

substance use disorder

a disorder characterized by continued substance use despite significant life disruption.

tolerance

a state in which increasing doses are needed to produce an effect

addiction

prompts user to crave the drug, to continue use despite adverse consequences

withdrawal

the physical and mental symptoms that a person has when they suddenly stop or cut back the use of an addictive substance

sensation and bottom up processing

the bottom-up process by which our senses — vision, hearing, smell, touch, and taste — receive and relay external stimuli

perception and top down processing

perceiving things based on your prior experiences and knowledge

transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of physical energy, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret.

psychophysics

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.

subliminal threshold

presenting something below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

difference threshold

the smallest amount by which two sensory stimuli can differ in order for an individual to perceive them as different.

sensory adaption

a reduction in sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure to it

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

schemas

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

electromagnetic spectrum

the range of all types of electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma ray