PSYCH 100 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE

Psychology

The scientific study of mind, brain and behavior.

Confirmation Bias

the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them

Empirical approach

based on observation or experience

objective observation

people will agree on these observations

Systematic study

doing your best to eliminate alternative explanations for your findings.

Pseudoscience

Beliefs or practices that are presented as being scientific, or which are mistaken for being scientific, but which are not scientific .

Ad hoc immunizing hypothesis

making excuses for lack of evidence

Anecdote

an informal story or account of events that took place told to communicate information or persuade the listener to believe the teller

Peer review

a quality control process used by publications to help ensure that only high quality, methodologically sound information is presented in the publication.

Theory

fact-based ideas that describe a phenomenon of human behavior.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation that is subject to testing.

Objectively Observed

based on what we observed using our senses, we record exactly what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.

Subjectively Observed

often influenced by our past events, personal experiences and opinions, and can be biased based on our cultural backgrounds

scientific skepticism

a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence.

variable

things that can be changed or altered, such as a characteristic or value.

operational definition

a description of something in terms of the operations (procedures, actions, or processes) by which it could be observed and measured

reliability

a measure of whether something stays the same, i.e. is consistent

validity

the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure

normal distribution

bell shaped pattern

overlapping distribution

the area intersected by two or more probability density functions

descriptive research

research studies that do not test specific relationships between variables

correlation

In statistics, the measure of relatedness of two or more variables.

positive correlation

the variables move in the same direction

negative correlation

occurs when two variables are related and as one variable increases the other decreases

strong correlation

When the value of one variable increases, the value of the other variable increases in a similar fashion

weak correlation

although both variables tend to go up in response to one another, the relationship is not very strong

experimentation

an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested

random assignment

every participant having an equal chance of being in either the experimental group or the control group

confounds

an independent variable that is conceptually distinct but empirically inseparable from one or more other independent variables

expectations

the strong belief that something will happen or be the case

naturalistic observation

a qualitative research method where you record the behaviors of your research subjects in real world settings.

case study

an in-depth investigation of a single individual, family, event, or other entity

experimenter expectations

how the perceived expectations of an observer can influence the people being observed.

demand characteristics

extraneous variables that can affect the outcomes of the study

random sampling

a sampling technique where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected

double-blind design

an experimental procedure in which neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of which group (i.e., experimental or control) each participant belongs to.

Qualitative variable

It describes data that fits into categories. For example: Breeds of dog

Quantitative variable

a number, such as height, that is typically measured by assigning a number to each individual

independent variable

a variable that is manipulated by a researcher to investigate whether it consequently brings change in another variable

dependent variable

the variable that changes as a result of the ———- variable manipulation. It's the outcome you're interested in measuring, and it “depends” on your ——— variable.

quasi-experiment

research that resembles experimental research but is not true experimental research.

experience sampling

a structured diary technique to appraise subjective experiences in daily life.

survey

a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals

descriptive research

research studies that do not test specific relationships between variables

correlational research

a type of nonexperimental research in which the researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical relationship between them with little or no effort to control extraneous variables

experimental research

a scientific method of gathering data whereby the one conducting the research is able to manipulate the independent variable.

neuron

the basic cellular unit of the nervous system

action potential

a rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane.

synaptic transmission

the process by which one neuron communicates with another.

plasticity

the capacity to be shaped, molded, or altered;

central nervous system

made up of the brain and spinal cord: The brain controls how we think, learn, move, and feel. The spinal cord carries messages back and forth between the brain and the nerves that run throughout the body.

peripheral nervous system

consists of the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord. These nerves form the communication network between the ___ and the body parts and is further subdivided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

frontal lobe

It's responsible for control over many abilities, including the way you think, how you move and how you remember things. It's also a key part in your social skills, and helps you understand and control how you talk, behave and interact with others.

occipital lobe

the visual processing area of the brain. It is associated with visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.

parietal lobe

one of the brain's major lobes, roughly located at the upper back area in the skull

temporal lobe

a pair of areas on your brain's left and right sides. These areas, which are inside your skull near your temples and ears, play a role in managing your emotions, processing information from your senses, storing and retrieving memories, and understanding language

axon

where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons.

dendrites

tree-like extensions at the beginning of a neuron that help increase the surface area of the cell body

reuptakes

the process by which neurotransmitter molecules that have been released at a synapse are reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron that released them

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that your body can't function without. Their job is to carry chemical signals (“messages”) from one neuron (nerve cell) to the next target cell. The next target cell can be another nerve cell, a muscle cell or a gland.

synapse

a small gap between two neurons, where nerve impulses are relayed by a neurotransmitter from the axon of a presynaptic (sending) neuron to the dendrite of a postsynaptic (receiving) neuron.

hypothalamus

a structure deep in your brain, acts as your body's smart control coordinating center. Its main function is to keep your body in a stable state called homeostasis

amygdala

a major processing center for emotions. It also links your emotions to many other brain abilities, especially memories, learning and your senses.

hippocampus

a complex brain structure embedded deep into temporal lobe. It has a major role in learning and memory

limbic system

the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, especially when it comes to behaviours we need for survival

nature vs. nurture

an age-old debate about whether genetics plays a bigger role in determining a person's characteristics than lived experience and environmental factors

chromosome

a strand or filament composed of nucleic acid (mainly DNA in humans) and proteins (see chromatin) that carries the genetic, or hereditary, traits of an individual.

DNA

one of the two types of nucleic acid found in living organisms

gene

the biochemical units of heredity that make up chromosomes

genotype

a person's unique genetic make-up that is coded in their chromosomes and fixed at conception

phenotype

an individual's observable traits, such as height, eye color and blood type

heritability

a measure of how well differences in people's genes account for differences in their traits.

evolutionary psychology

the branch of psychology that studies the mental adaptations of humans to a changing environment, especially differences in behavior, cognition, and brain structure.

ethnographic studies

a qualitative method for collecting data often used in the social and behavioral sciences

cross-cultural study

the study of similarities and differences in behavior among individuals who have developed in different cultures

individualism

a social or cultural tradition, ideology, or personal outlook that emphasizes the individual and his or her rights, independence, and relationships with other individuals.

collectivism

the tendency to view oneself as a member of a larger (family or social) group, rather than as an isolated, independent being

psychological adaptation

those adaptive traits that we consider cognitive or behavioral