Intro to Psychology: Midterm Review

These flashcards include key concepts, definitions, and principles related to psychology, based on lecture notes for midterm review.

Unconscious Mind

Parts of the mind that we are not aware of, influencing our thoughts and behavior.

Behavioral Approach

Focuses on how past learning experiences shape our behavior through rewards, punishments, or observation of others.

Cognitive Approach

Emphasizes how our thoughts and thought processes influence our behaviors.

Biological Approach

Examines how biology, including genetics and brain physiology, influences thoughts and behaviors.

Sociocultural Approach

Looks at how societal and cultural norms and interactions with others influence thoughts and behaviors.

Descriptive Research

Research that can determine correlation, looking at relationships between variables through surveys or case studies.

Naturalistic Observation

Research method where subjects are observed in their natural environment.

Correlation

The degree to which two variables are related; does not imply causation.

Random Assignment

Technique used to assign subjects to groups randomly, controlling for differences among subjects.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the independent variable.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the independent variable and is used for comparison.

Confounding Variable (CV)

A variable other than the independent variable that can affect the dependent variable.

Placebo Effect

Improvement in health or behavior due to expectations, without active treatment.

Informed Consent

Requirement that subjects know the nature of the research and risks before participating.

Protection from Harm

Ethical guideline ensuring researchers do not cause mental or physical distress to subjects.

Confidentiality

Maintaining the privacy of individual participant data in research.

Debriefing

Providing participants with a complete explanation of the research after their involvement.

Hemispheres

The two halves of the brain, each associated with different functions; left hemisphere is for language and logic, right hemisphere is for spatial abilities.

Corpus Callosum

The bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer, wrinkled layer of the cerebrum, involved in many higher brain functions.

Limbic System

A set of structures involved in emotions and memory, including the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Hypothalamus

Regulates basic bodily functions like hunger, thirst, and temperature.

Amygdala

Involved in emotional processing, particularly fear and anger.

Hippocampus

Essential for processing short-term memories and transferring them to long-term memory.

Brainstem

The oldest part of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla

Lowest part of the brainstem that regulates vital functions such as heartbeat and breathing.

Reticular Formation

A nerve network within the brainstem that regulates arousal and alertness.

Thalamus

Acts as the sensory switchboard, directing sensory information to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex.

Cerebellum

Controls balance and coordination of muscle movements.

Neuron

The building block of the nervous system; a nerve cell responsible for transmitting signals.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons.

Action Potential

The electric charge that travels down the axon of a neuron.

Myelin Sheath

Fatty layer that insulates axons and facilitates faster signal transmission.

Synapse

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released.

Sensation

The process by which receptor cells convert stimuli into neural impulses.

Retina

Light-sensitive surface at the back of the eyeball that contains receptor cells for vision.

Cochlea

The main organ of hearing, containing receptors that detect sound waves.

Kinesthetic Sense

The system that senses the position and movement of body parts.

Vestibular Sense

The system that maintains balance and orientation in space.

Bottom-Up Processing

Information processing that starts with sensory input and builds up to perception.

Top-Down Processing

Information processing that is guided by prior knowledge and expectations.

Gestalt Principles

The tendency to organize pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Depth Perception

Ability to perceive the relative distance of objects.

Perceptual Constancy

Perceiving objects as unchanging even when the sensory input changes.

Automatic Processing

Unconscious and effortless encoding of information.

Effortful Processing

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

Serial Position Effect

Tendency to recall items from a list depending on their position.

Primacy Effect

Enhanced ability to remember items presented at the beginning of a list.

Recency Effect

Enhanced ability to remember items presented at the end of a list.

Memory Storage

The process of retaining information in the memory system.

Sensory Memory

The initial, brief storage of sensory information before it is processed.

Short-Term Memory

Memory system that temporarily holds information for processing.

Long-Term Memory

The relatively permanent storage of information.

Retrieval

The process of getting information out of memory storage.

Forgetting

Inability to retrieve information due to failure in encoding, storage, or retrieval.

Interference

When one memory disrupts the recall of another memory.

Constructing Memories

The process of creating and retrieving memories, which can be influenced by various factors.

Prototype

The best or most typical example of a concept.

Algorithm

A logical, step-by-step procedure for solving problems.

Heuristic

A mental shortcut that leads to a solution that is likely but not guaranteed.

Framing

The way in which an issue is presented, impacting decision-making and judgments.

Creativity

The ability to generate novel ideas and solutions.

Consciousness Levels

Different levels of awareness including conscious, preconscious, unconscious, and subconscious.