McMahon AP Psych G-P

Garcia, John

Studied taste aversions in rats

Gazzaniga, Michael

Split-brain research

gender identity

the gender that you identify with

gender roles

A set of expected behaviors for males and for females

gender schemas

how children learn about and view gender

gender stereotype

generalizations about how gender roles

generalization

The inability to discriminate between different stimuli, eg. little albert was afraid of all furry things

genetics

Our biology determines our traits

gestalt

whole picture

Gilligan, Carol

Criticized Lawrence Kohlberg for being sexist

grasping reflex

when babies put their fingers around whatever touches their palm

group polarization

likeminded individuals get more extreme after discussions with each other

groupthink

poor decision making in a group

hair cells

nerves in the cochlea

hallucinogens

distort our perception of reality

Harlow, Harry

studied the importance of contact comfort

heuristic

a mental shortcut

hierarchy of needs

Maslow's pyramid that tells us what our goals are

hippocampus

responsible for memory formation

homeostasis

an internal balance

Hormone

released from the endocrine system into the blood

Horney, Karen

womb envy theorist

hypothalamus

part of the brain responsible for biological drives

hypothesis

a prediction

id

the animalistic, pleasure seeking principle of the personality

implicit memory

memory that was acquired unconsciously

imprinting

emotional attachment that is formed by seeing the first moving thing when born

independent variable

the variable that you manipulate in an experiment

individualism

The focus is on the self, rather than the group

Inferential statistics

Statistics that talk about what the data means in terms of significance

inferiority complex

people are preoccupied with feeling less than superior

information-processing theory

dream theory that we process what has happened during our days

informed consent

telling people what the study will be about before the agree to participate

ingroup bias

we prefer our own group

insight

an "aha" moment

intellectualization

defense mechanism that undertakes research to feel better

internal locus of control

we are responsible for what happens to us

insomnia

the inability to sleep

intimacy

vs. isolation

intrinsic motivation

when you do something because you see the value in it, not because you are rewarded

introvert

we recharge by being along or in small groups

Institutional Review Board

the committee that reviews the ethic and parameters of an experiment

Iris

the muscle in your eye that dilates and constricts the pupil

James-Lange theory

Physical arousal happens first, then we experience emotion

Jung, Carl

neofreudian, focused on the collective unconscious

Just world bias

the belief that everything is fair and you get what you deserve

Kinesthetic sense

bodily sense, Transduction receptors are in our joints, the awareness of our limbs

Kinsey, Alfred

researched sexual behavior in thousands of people, most famous for the scale of homosexuality-heterosexuality

Klinefelter's syndrome

a boy born with XXY

Kohlberg, Lawrence

studied moral development

Latent content

the meaning behind our dreams

latent learning

learning without trying, you just "pick it up"

lens

the part of the eye that focuses

limbic system

another word for forebrain, the emotional center of the brain

Loftus, Elizabeth

Studied reconstructed memories and eyewitness testimonies

long-term memory

memories that could last a lifetime

longitudinal study

we study people for a number of years

Lorenz, Konrad

studied imprinting in ducks

MRI

a scan that shows structure only, using magnets

manifest content

what appears in our dreams

marijuana

a hallucinogenic drug

Maslow, Abraham

Humanist who made a hierarchy of needs

maturation

genetic, natural acquisition of abilities

medulla

part of the brain responsible for breathing and heart rate

melatonin

hormone that makes us sleepy

mental set

when we approach a problem in the same way every time

method of loci

a mnemonic device where we imagine a house and walk through it while placing objects along the way

mere exposure effect

the more we see it, the more we like it

Milgram, Stanley

Obedience to authority experiment

mnemonic device

tricks used to memorize something

modeling

being an example of behavior

monocular cues

depth perception clues that only require one eye

Monozygotic twins

identical twins

moro reflex

when we're startled as babies, we fling our arms back and then pull them in

morpheme

smallest unit of meaning in a language

motor cortex

the back of the frontal lobe, responsible for movement

motor neurons

exit the brain and go to other parts of the body

narcolepsy

suddenly falling asleep

naturalistic observation

observing without interfering

Nature

our genetics shape us

neuron

a nerve cell

neurotransmitter

released from neurons that jump across the synapse

nicotine

a stimulant drug, found in cigarettes

nurture

our environment shapes us

obedience

doing as you are told

observational learning

Albert Bandura, watching others teaches us how to behave

operational definition

The description of how we are measuring variables in an experiment

opponent-process theory

we see colors because our cones are in pairs, red-green, blue-yellow, black-white

optic nerve

blind spot is here, connects the retina to the thalamus

p value

a statistical measurement of statistical significance

parasympathetic division

calms us down after the fight or flight response

parietal lobes

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for our sense of touch

passionate love

"can't keep your hands off each other" love

Pavlov, Ivan

studied Classical conditioning in dogs

Peripheral Nervous System

Everything but the brain and spinal cord

Piaget, Jean

Studied cognitive development in children

phoneme

smallest unit of sound

PKU

a disorder where you cannot digest protein

pluralistic ignorance

looking to others to see what to do

positive reinforcement

adding something pleasant to increase a behavior