PSY101 Examination #1 Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics, terms, and concepts from Chapters 1 and 2 outlined in the PSY101 Examination #1 Review Sheet.

Descriptive Methods

Research methods outlined in Chapter 1, including naturalistic observation, participant observation, case studies, and population vs. sample comparisons.

Third-Variable Problem

A problem that arises in correlational research when an unmeasured third variable may account for the relationship between variable A and variable B.

Spurious Correlation

An apparent relationship between two variables (A and B) that exists because of a third variable rather than a direct causal relationship.

Experimental Group vs. Control Group

In an experiment, the experimental group receives the treatment or independent variable, whereas the control group serves as a comparison group without the treatment or with a placebo.

Operational Definition

A precise statement of the exact procedures or measures used to define a research variable in an experiment.

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are blind about whether the participants have received the treatment or a placebo.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical procedure for combining and analyzing the results of multiple individual studies to determine overall patterns or effects.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistical measures used to summarize and describe data sets, including mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation.

Skewed Distribution

A distribution of scores that is asymmetrical, lacking the balanced bell shape of a normal distribution.

Nervous System Subdivisions

The structural and functional divisions of the nervous system, including central vs. peripheral, somatic vs. autonomic, and sympathetic vs. parasympathetic systems.

Neuron Physiology Components

Key structures and processes involved in neuronal function, including the axon, cell body, dendrite, myelin sheath, synapse/synaptic gap, receptor site, neurotransmitter, and reuptake.

Agonists and Antagonists

Chemicals that affect neurotransmitter function, each having 2 distinct ways of producing their effects on synaptic transmission.

James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schacter-Singer Theories

Early and more recent theories of emotion discussed in Chapter 2 that explain how physiological responses and cognitive assessments relate to emotional experience.

Brainstem

A region of the brain that includes the medulla, pons, reticular formation, cerebellum, and thalamus.

Limbic System

A brain region containing the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer neural tissue region containing the four lobes, motor and somatosensory cortices, visual and auditory cortices, association cortex, and corpus callosum.

Phineas Gage

A historical case study used to illustrate the extent to which specific functions are localized in particular brain areas.

Broca's and Wernicke's Areas

Specific brain areas involved in processing language, damage to which leads to distinct types of aphasia.

Split-Brain Patient Research

Studies conducted on individuals with a severed corpus callosum to examine brain lateralization and differences between the left and right hemispheres.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change, adapt, and reorganize its structure and function.