Psyc

What is psychology?

The scientific study of mind and behavior.

What is the difference between mind and behavior?

Mind refers to private events inside a person not seen by others, whereas behavior refers to public events, things said and done that can potentially be observed.

What is dualism in psychology?

The belief that the body and mind are separate entities.

Who is associated with the principle of materialism?

The mind is viewed as a product of physical processes in the brain.

What is realism in psychology?

The perception of the physical world is produced entirely by sensory organ information.

What is idealism in psychology?

Perceptions of the physical world are the brain’s best interpretation of incoming information.

Define empiricism.

The belief that all knowledge is acquired through experience.

Define nativism.

The theory that some knowledge is innate rather than acquired.

Who is Wilhelm Wundt?

The first psychologist to publish a textbook, teach a course, and open a psychological laboratory.

What is structuralism?

An approach that attempts to isolate and analyze the mind’s basic elements.

What does functionalism emphasize?

The adaptive significance of mental processes.

What is psychoanalysis?

A therapeutic approach focusing on bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness.

What does behaviorism claim?

Psychology should restrict itself to observable behavior only.

What is the significance of reinforcement in behaviorism?

Behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is not rewarded is less likely to recur.

What is Gestalt psychology?

An approach emphasizing how the mind creates perceptual experiences.

Who is Noam Chomsky?

A linguist who argued that behaviorist principles could not explain language learning.

What does cognitive psychology study?

The study of human information processing.

What is the purpose of a hypothesis?

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory.

What should define the operational definition?

Description of a property in measurable terms.

What constitutes a good detector in measurement?

Reliability and power.

What are some methods to overcome demand characteristics?

Observing without knowledge, naturalistic observation, and providing privacy.

What is the difference between a population and a sample in research?

A population is the complete collection of people, while a sample is a partial collection drawn from that population.

What is statistical significance?

When the differences are larger than what could reasonably be explained as a chance occurrence.

What are neurons?

Cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another for information processing.

What is the role of neurotransmitters?

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses between neurons.

Define the central nervous system (CNS).

The brain and spinal cord.

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

Prepares the body for action (fight or flight).

What is the primary function of the pituitary gland?

Regulating other glands in the endocrine system.

What is brain plasticity?

The brain's ability to change in response to experience and environment.

What is the corpus callosum?

A large bundle of myelinated axons that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes.

Explain the all-or-nothing principle of action potentials.

Once the threshold is reached, the action potential either occurs fully or not at all.