PSYC 100 Exam 1

psychology

the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior

brain

the physical organ made of neurons and their connections

mind

thoughts, feelings, memories, and conscious experiences

biological psychology

subfield focusing on how biological processes in the brain and body relate to behavior

clinical psychology

psych that focuses on the causes, assessment, and treatment of mental disorders

social psychology

psychology focusing on how people think about themselves and others and influence

developmental psychology

psych on how behavior and mental processes change across the lifespan

personality psychology

psych on similarities and differences among people in characteristic patterns

cognitive psychology

psychology on mental processes such as perception, memory, language, thinking, and intelligence

emotional reasoning fallacy

the error of believing “i want this to be true, so it must be true”

bandwagon fallacy

fallacy of believing that “everyone believes this, so it must be true”

confirmation bias

tendency to seek evidence that supports our existing beliefs while denying, dismissing, distorting, or overlooking contradictory evidence

empirical

data based on observation or experience

objective

data where diffrerent observers can agree on what was observed

subjective

results avaiable directly only to the person having the experience

systematic study

a planned investigation that anticipates problems and tries to eliminate alternative explanations

ad hoc immunizing hypothesis

hypothesis that is an excuse added to protect a claim when evidence contradicts it

scientific skepticism

keeping an open mind while withholding judgment until sufficient evidence is available

falsifiable

some possible observation could show that the claim is wrong

replicable

other researchers can repeat the study and obtain similar findings

descriptive rsearch

research that describes what people think, feel, or do

correlational research

research that measures association between variables

experimental research

research that manipulates a possible cause and observes an outcome

variable

anything that can take different values across people, situations, or time

operational definition

definition of an abstract concept in terms of exactly how it is measured or manipulated

test-retest reliability

consistency across two ocassions

inter-rater reliability

agreement between observers

effect size

how large a difference or relationship is

naturalistic observation

observing behavior without interfering, including real-world observation, online behavior, or experience sampling

case study

examining one person or a very small number of unusual cases in depth

survey

asking people to report attitude, experiences, or behavior

population

the entire group the researcher wants to understand

sample

the people who actually participate in the study

representative sample

sample that reflects important characteristics of the population

random sample

a sample selected so every population member has an equal chance of inclusion

correlation

a statistical association between two quantitative variables where neither variable is manipulated

random assignment

assignment that places participants into conditions by chance, helping to make groups similar before the manipulation

double-blind

experiment design where neither participant nor experimenters know condition assignments

quasi-experiment

also called natural experiment; a study of existing groups or naturally occurring conditions when random assignment is impossible or unethical

external validity

the extent to which findings generalize to other poeple, settings, and real-world conditions

dendrites

branches that receive chemical signals from other neurons and carry input toward the cell body

cell body

also called the soma; contains the nucleus, supports the life of the cell, and combines incoming signals

axon

carries an electrical action potential away from the cell body

myelin sheath

gilal insulation around the axon that allows signals to travel faster

axon terminals

release neurotransmitters when the action potential reaches the end of the axon

synapse

the tiny gap between the sending neuron and the receiving cell

gilal cells

cells that support, protect, and maintain neurons, and form myelin

action potential

the electrical stage where a signal travels down the axon

neural plasticity

the brain’s ability to change in response to experience, learning, or injury

synaptogenesis

the process of new synapses forming between neurons

pruning

the process where rarely used connections are weakened or removed

myelination

the process where more myelin forms around axons to speed communication

long-term potentiation

repeated activity strengthens a synapse through more transmitter release and/or more receptors

central nervous system

includes the brain and spinal cord; processes information and coordinates responses

peripheral nervous system

sensory and motor nerves outside the CNS; connects the CNS with the body and environment

somatic nervous system

a branch of the PNS that carries sensory information and controls voluntary movement

automatic nervous system

a branch of the PNS that controls automatic processes such as heart rate and digestion

sympathetic branch

a branch of the automatic system that mobilizes energy for action

parasympathetic branch

branch of the automatic system that conserves energy and supports maintenancef

frontal lobe

lobe responsible for planning, decision making, self-control, voluntary movement, and language production

parietal lobe

lobe responsible for touch, bodily sensation, spatial awareness, and integration of sensory information

temporal lobe

lobe responsible for hearing, language comprehension, memory, and face and object recognition

occipital lobe

lobe that receives and processes visual information

insula

lobe involved in taste, emotion, and awareness of internal bodily states

primary motor cortex

area at the back of the frontal lobe that initiates voluntary movement

primary somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobe that receives bodily sensations

broca’s area

area usually in the left frontal lobe responsible for speech production

wernicke’s area

area usually in the left temporal lobe responsible for language comprehension

premotor cortex

area that plans and prepares movementtha

thalamus

relays most sensory information to the correct cortical destination

hypothalamus

regulates internal states and homeostasis, including hunger, thirst, temperature, sleep, and endocrine activity

amygdala

supports emotional arousal, threat detection, fear, and excitement

hippocampus

forms new long-term memories and supports spatial memory

basal ganglia

helps plan and control movement

cerebellum

coordinates movement, posture, balance, and motor leaving

midbrain

supports reflexes and visual tracking

pons

acts as a bridge between the cortex and cerebellumme

medulla

controls vital automatic functions such as breathing and heartbeat

nature

biological inheritance, including genes and heredityn

nurture

experience, learning, and environmental influence

behavioral genetics

the study of how individual differences in behavior are related to genetic and environmental differencesm

monozygotic twins

identical twins who develop from one fertilized egg and share nearly 100% of their genetic material

dizygotic twins

fraternal twins who develop who develop from two fertilized eggs and share about 50% of their genetic version on average

heritability

the proportion of variability among people in a particular population and environment that is associated with genetic differencese

evolutionary psychology

psychology that focuses on psychological tendencies shared by humans and asks how they may have helped ancestors survive or reproduce

natural selection

traits that increase survival and reproduction become more likely to be passed to later generations

psychological adaptation

an evolved mechanism of the mind that helped solve a recurring problem of survival or reproduction

sexual strategies theory

the theory that because females and males historically faced different minimum parental investments, they may have developed different average mating preferences and strategiesc

individualism

cultural dimension with a primary focus on the individual

sampling bias

bias when some people are more likely to enter the sample, meaning results may not generalize to the population

experimenter expectations

when researchers unintentionally treat groups differently

participant demand

when participants guess the hypothesis and alter their behavior

synaptic vesicle

small packets of neurotransmitters

refractory period

a brief period that prevents another action potential from firingre

reuptake

process that removes remaining neurotransmitters from the synapse

cerebrum

the largest and most evolutionary recent part of the brain

cerebral cortex

area of the brain that supports sensory processing and higher mental functions

corpus callosum

the structure that connects the brain’s hemispheres

passive response

when genetically influenced characteristics lead other people to respond differently

epigenetic influence

when environmental conditions increase or decrease gene expression without changing the DNA sequence