General psycology exam 1

Hindbrain

Controls basic vital functions such as consciousness and arousal.

Reticular Formation

Part of the hindbrain that regulates consciousness and arousal.

Midbrain

Act as a relay station for sensory information and is involved in motor movement.

Thalamus

Acts as a routing center for sensory information.

Hypothalamus

Regulates eating, sleep, sex, emotions, and homeostasis.

Amygdala

Responsible for emotional memory, learning, anxiety, and fear.

Hippocampus

Critical for explicit memory formation.

Cerebral Cortex

Makes up 80% of the brain and is responsible for higher cognitive functions.

Corpus Callosum

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Occipital Lobe

Responsible for vision.

Parietal Lobe

Involved in sensory processing and recognition based on sensitivity.

Frontal Lobe

Involved in planning, social skills, abstract thinking, and personality.

Temporal Lobe

Involved in hearing and language.

Split Brain Research

Studies how the two hemispheres of the brain specialize in different functions.

Prosopagnosia

Inability to recognize faces while still being able to respond emotionally.

Implicit Memory

Memory that is demonstrated through actions, like skills learned unconsciously.

Explicit Memory

Memory that involves conscious recollection of information.

Lateralization

The degree to which certain functions are performed predominantly in one hemisphere of the brain.

Hindbrain

Controls basic vital functions such as consciousness and arousal.

Reticular Formation

Part of the hindbrain that regulates consciousness and arousal.

Midbrain

Act as a relay station for sensory information and is involved in motor movement.

Thalamus

Acts as a routing center for sensory information.

Hypothalamus

Regulates eating, sleep, sex, emotions, and homeostasis.

Amygdala

Responsible for emotional memory, learning, anxiety, and fear.

Hippocampus

Critical for explicit memory formation.

Cerebral Cortex

Makes up 80% of the brain and is responsible for higher cognitive functions.

Corpus Callosum

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Occipital Lobe

Responsible for vision.

Parietal Lobe

Involved in sensory processing and recognition based on sensitivity.

Frontal Lobe

Involved in planning, social skills, abstract thinking, and personality.

Temporal Lobe

Involved in hearing and language.

Split Brain Research

Studies how the two hemispheres of the brain specialize in different functions.

Prosopagnosia

Inability to recognize faces while still being able to respond emotionally.

Implicit Memory

Memory that is demonstrated through actions, like skills learned unconsciously.

Explicit Memory

Memory that involves conscious recollection of information.

Lateralization

The degree to which certain functions are performed predominantly in one hemisphere of the brain.

Endocrine System

Glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream; e.g., adrenaline (epinephrine) helps prepare the body for 'fight or flight.'

Nervous System

Controls and coordinates bodily functions and processes sensory information; main components include the brain, spinal cord, and neurons.

Neuron

Basic unit of the nervous system, function as on-off devices, either firing or not.

Neural Communication

Neurons send electrical signals that turn into chemical signals, with each neuron connecting to about 1,000 to 30,000 others.

Types of Neurons

Afferent neurons carry messages to the brain; efferent neurons carry messages from the brain to the body; interneurons connect sensory and motor neurons.

Parts of a Neuron

Dendrites (receive signals), axon (transmits signal), myelin sheath (insulates axon), terminal buttons (release neurotransmitters).

Action Potential

The process where dendrites receive stimulation, an electrical signal travels down the axon, terminal buttons release neurotransmitters, which bind to receptors on the next neuron.

Self-Report

Methods such as tests, surveys, and polls that are easy to administer and allow personal insight, but may be biased.

Behavioral Measures

Observing what people do rather than what they say, e.g., measuring reaction times.

Projective Tests

Tests with no right or wrong answers where individuals project their personality, like the Rorschach Inkblot Test.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in real-world settings without interference, such as children interacting on a playground.

Case Studies

In-depth study of a single person or group over time, for example, studying a patient with unique brain damage.

Experiments

Research method involving manipulation of variables to determine cause and effect.

Informed Consent

Ethical principle that requires participants to agree to the study knowingly.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Ensures that psychological research follows ethical guidelines.

Critical Period

A skill must be learned at a particular time (e.g., language acquisition).

Sensitive Period

A skill is best learned at a particular time but can still be acquired later.

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

Attachment to a primary caregiver is essential for survival.

Stages of Life - Erik Erikson

Development from infancy to death; each stage presents a developmental task that can be resolved positively or negatively.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Stages include Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational, each with key cognitive developments

Learning

An enduring change in the way a person responds based on experience.

Classical Conditioning

Learning process whereby a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response.

Operant Conditioning

Learning process whereby behavior is influenced by reinforcement or punishment.

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Learning is influenced by the recency and frequency of experiences; responses followed by satisfaction are more likely to occur.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a stimulus to strengthen a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing a stimulus to strengthen a behavior.

Learned Helplessness

Condition where individuals believe they have no control over their situation after repeated exposure to uncontrollable events.

Insight Learning

Problem-solving technique exhibited by chimps in Kohler’s study, involving a sudden understanding of how to achieve a goal.