psych cram

Hypothesis

A testable prediction used in scientific research.

Independent Variable

The variable that is changed by the experimenter.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured by the experimenter.

Control Group

The group that doesn’t receive the treatment; used as a comparison.

Neurons

Cells that send messages through electrical and chemical signals in the brain and body.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that pass messages between neurons.

Amygdala

The brain part that controls emotions.

Hippocampus

The brain part key for forming new memories.

Brainstem

The part of the brain that controls basic life functions like breathing and heartbeat.

Classical Conditioning

Learning by association, exemplified by Pavlov’s dog experiment (bell + food = salivation).

Operant Conditioning

Learning based on rewards and punishments, as proposed by Skinner.

Short-term Memory

Memory that holds small amounts of information briefly, about 20 seconds.

Long-term Memory

Memory that stores information more permanently.

Forgetting

Caused by poor encoding, storage issues, or retrieval failure.

Developmental Psychology

The study of how people grow and change psychologically throughout life.

Motivation

The drive towards goals such as hunger or achievement.

Emotions

Feelings that influence thoughts and actions.

Personality

Consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving over time.

Freud’s View of Personality

That personality is shaped by unconscious desires and childhood experiences.

Psychological Disorder

A pattern of behavior or thoughts that causes distress or interferes with life.

Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Includes therapy (like CBT) and sometimes medication.