Studied by 16 people
Natural Selection
Charles Darwin’s principle stating that inherited trait variations that contribute to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed to continuing generations
neuroscience
perspective of psychological science that deals with how the body and brain create emotions, memories and sensory experiences
behavior genetics
perspective of psychological science that deals with how much our genes, environment, influence individual differences
psychodynamic
psychological science perspective dealing with how behavior comes from unconscious drives/conflicts
cognitive
how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information
social-cultural
perspective of how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
basic research
pure science that aims to increase scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study aiming to solve practical problems
clinical psychology
branch of psychology studying, assessing, and treating people with psychological disorders
psychiatry
medicinal branch concerning psychological disorders, practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy
hindsight bias
tendency to believe that one already knew after knowing the outcome
operational definition
statement of procedures (operations) used to define research variables.
Ex: Intelligence (operationally defined) - as what an intelligence test measures
repetition
repeating research study’s essence, usually different participants in different situations, to see if basic finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances
case study
observation technique - one person studies in depth in hope of revealing universal principles
false consensus effect
tendency to overestimate extent resulting in others sharing those beliefs and behaviors
naturalistic observation
observing/recording behavior in naturally occurring situations w/o trying to manipulate and control situation
correlation coefficient
statistical measure of extent to when two factors vary together —> how well either factor predicts other
illusory correlation
perception of a relationship where none exists
double-blind procedure
experimental procedure = both participants and research staff are ignorant (blind) about receiving placebo
-used in drug evals
experimental condition
exposes participants to treatment (one version of independent variable)
control
experiment condition = comparison for eval on treatment’s effects
(opposite of experimental)
independent variable
experimental factor being manipulated = variable whose effect is studied
dependent variable
experimental factor = measured, changes in response to indeendent variable
(behavior/mental process)
standard deviation
computed measure of how much scores vary around mean score
statistical significance
statistical criterion for rejecting assumption of no difference in a particular study
biological psychology
enduring study of links between biology and psychology
neuron
nerve cells = building blocks of nervous system
dendrite
neuron’s branch extensions that receive, deliver, and transport information
axon
transports messages to different muscles/glands in body
action potential
neural impulse + brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
generated by movement of positively charged atoms moving in and out of channels in axon’s membrane
myelin sheath
layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing fibers of many neurons
enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hopes from one node to the next
threshold
stimulation level required to trigger neural impulse
synapse
junction between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite (cell body of receiving neurons)
synaptic gap
space between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released to allow communication between the neurons
plays a crucial role in transmitting signals in the nervous system.
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons
released by sending neuron, travels across synapse and binds to receptor sites on receiving neuron —> generating impulse
acetylcholine
neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction
endorphins
“morphine with”
neurotransmitter releasing pain control and pleasure
nervous system
body’s speedy electrochemical communication system, consisting of all nerve cells of peripheral and central ________.
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
processing center that manages everything that your body does, from your thoughts and feelings to your movements
peripheral nervous system
sensory and motor neurons connecting to CNS and rest of body
nerves
neural “cables” containing many axons = bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system connecting to CNS, triggers muscles, glands, and sense organs
sensory neurons
carry incoming info from sense receptors to CNS
interneurons
intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs (connection between the two)
motorneurons
carry outgoing infro from CNS to muscles and glands
somatic nervous system
division of peripheral nervous system that controls body’s skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system
division of peripheral nervous system that controlling glands and muscles of internal organs
sympathetic division = arousal
parasympathetic division = calms
sympathetic nervous system
division of autonomic nervous system that arouses body, mobilizing energy in stressful situations
parasympathetic nervous system
division of autonomic nervous system and calming body, conserves energy
reflex
simple, automatic inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
neural networks
interconnected nodes that process information
learn as feedback strengthens/inhibits connections producing certain results
phrenology
ill-fated theory claiming bumps on skull could reveal mental abilities and character traits
lesion-tissue destruction
process of damaging or harming tissues due to injury, disease, or other factors, leading to structural changes and functional impairment.
(brain tissue naturally/experimentally being destructed)
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
amplified recording of waves if electrical activity sweeping across brain’s surface
measured by electrodes on scalp
Computed tomography (CT)
series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and continued by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
visual display of brain activity detecting where radioactive form of glucose goes while brain performs given task
Magnetic Resonance
technique using magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within brain
Brain stem
oldest part and central core of brain, beginning where spinal cord swells as it enters skull
responsible for automatic survival functions
Medulla
base of brain stem
controls heartbeat and breathing
reticular formation
nerve network in brain stem that plays an important rule in controlling arousal
thalamus
brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of brain stem
directs messages to sensory receiving areas in cortex, transmitting replies in cerebellum and medulla
cerebellum
“little brain” attached to rear of brain stem; helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance
limbic system
doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at border of brainstem and cerebral hemispheres
associated with emotions such as fear, aggression, drives for food and sex
(includes hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus)
amygdala
two almond-shaped neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion
hypothalamus
neural structure lying below thalamus
directs several maintenance activities
helps govern endocrine system via pituitary gland (linked to emotion)
cerebral cortex
intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering cerebral hemispheres
(body’s ultimate control and information processing center)
glial cells
cells in nervous system
supporting, nourishing, and protecting neurons
frontal lobes
portion of cerebral cortex lying just behind forehead
speaking/muscle movements/planning/judgement
parietal lobes
portion of cerebral cortex lying at the top of head and toward rear
(includes sensory cortex)
occipital lobes
portion of cerebral cortex lying at back of head
(includes visual areas)
receives visual info from opposite visual field
Wilhem Wudnt
“father of psychology”
created the first lab that was dedicated exclusively to psychology research
Willaim James
Taught the first psychology course at Harvard University
Created functionalism
Wrote the first psychology textbook
Stanley Hall
First person to earn a PhD in psychology
opened first psychology lab in US
first president of the American Psychological Association
Mary Whiton Calkins
First female president of the APA (American Psychology Association)
Made significant contributions in memory research
Marget Floy Washburn
First woman to earn Psychology degree
2nd female president of APA
Made significant contributions to animal research
Charles Darwin
Proposed idea of natural selection turning into evolutionary psychology
Dorothea Dix
Reshaped medical field by shedding light to mistreatment of medically illpeople
reformed insane asylums
Sigmund Freud
Created Psycho-Analytic Theory/Psycho-Dynamic Approach
Believed people’s personality’s are shaped by unconscious motives
Ivan Pavlov
Created classical conditioning
Most known for dog experiment
Jean Piaget
First psychologist to conduct a systematic study of cognitive development
Carl Rogers
One founder of humanistic psychology —> understanding of people’s personalities
B.F> Skinner
Expanded on theoretical approach of behavioralism Knwon for operant conditioning
John B. Watson
One founder of behaviorism
Believed psychology should be a scientific study and focued on observable things
Structuralism
focuses on different structures of consciousness through individual parts
Introspection
process of looking inward to observe yourself
Functionalism
Understand our mental and behavioral process
(Opposite of structuralism)
Gestalt Psychology
whole consciousness, includes study of perception, sensation, learning and problem solving
focuses on organization process, instead of just content of behavior
Psychoanalytic
Looks at behaviors and mental process and how they are influenced by ego and conflict with the id and superego
Free associtaion
when a word/image triggers another idea, word, or picture
Early Behaviorism
Behaviors are learned through experiences and are observable
Humanistic Psychology
Humans are naturally good and seek to reach their potential through free will
Goal to life is to reach self-actualization
Hawthorne Effect
When a participant alters their behavior because they know they are being observed
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