ap psych units 1-3

Developmental Psychologist

Studies our changing abilities from womb to tomb

Biological Psychologist

Studies the links between the brain and the mind

Cognitive Psychologist

Studies how we perceive, think, and solve problems

Educational Psychologist

Studies influences on teaching and learning

Personality Psychologist

Investigates our persistent traits

Social Psychologist

Studies how we view and affect one another

Overconfidence

When we think we know more than we actually do

Best Way to Detect Fluid on the Brain

MRI and fMRI

Reflex Occurs In

Spinal cord

Placebo

A fake version of the experimental variable

Introspection

Looking within yourself to understand your own thoughts and feelings

Lesion

Tissue damage on the brain

Association Areas

Areas involved in higher mental functions, not sensory or motor

Reticular Formation Severed (Cat Experiment)

The cat was sent into a deep coma

Social

Cultural Perspective

Peripheral Nervous System Subparts

Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic)

Axon

Carries messages away from the cell body

Action Potential

The electrical firing of a neuron

Nervous System

The body’s speedy electrochemical communication network

Population

All members of a group from which a sample may be drawn

Myelin Sheath

Fatty tissue that insulates axons and speeds neural impulses

Hormones Are Secreted Into

The bloodstream

Biological Psychology

Branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

Socrates (Mind–Body Separation)

Believed the mind and body are separate and the mind lives on after death

All

or

Synaptic Gaps

Spaces between neurons where neurotransmitters travel

Neuroscience Perspective

Examines how the brain and nervous system shape behavior

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

A disease where the immune system attacks the myelin sheath

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry information from sensory receptors to the CNS

Experimentation

A research method where variables are manipulated to observe effects

Dendrites

Receive incoming messages from other neurons

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary muscle movements

APA

Establishes ethical guidelines for psychological research

Post

Experimental Debriefing

Electrical Signal Order in a Neuron

Dendrite → Cell Body → Axon

Adrenal Glands

Glands on top of the kidneys that release stress hormones

Hemispherical Removal & Brain Plasticity

Related to lobotomy

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on mental processes like thinking, memory, and problem

Sensory Cortex

Processes sensations of touch

Motor Neurons

Carry information from the CNS to muscles and glands

Random Sampling

Every member of a population has an equal chance of selection

Medulla

Controls vital functions; damage can be fatal

Reticular Formation Location

Brain stem

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer of the brain responsible for complex thinking

Operational Definitions

Precise explanations of how variables are measured

Replication

Repeating a study to see if results are consistent

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons

Endorphins

Natural painkillers released during activities like exercise

Opiates

Drugs that depress neural activity and reduce pain

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Enables muscle action and plays a role in memory and attention

Random Assignment

Giving participants equal chances of being in any group

Evolutionary Perspective

Explains behavior through natural selection (Charles Darwin)

Functionalism

Focuses on how mental processes help us adapt

William James

Functionalist who studied how mental processes aid adaptation

Endocrine System

Produces and releases hormones

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behavior and learning

Reticular Formation

Controls arousal and alertness

Plasticity

The brain’s ability to change and adapt

Temporal Lobes

Process auditory information and language

Interneurons

Neurons that communicate within the CNS