Psychology Lecture Notes Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of question-and-answer flashcards covering major concepts, terminology, brain structures, theories, and debates from the provided psychology lecture notes.

What is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes called?

Psychology

Which medical specialty treats psychological disorders and can prescribe medication?

Psychiatry

What idea states that humans are free to make their own choices?

Free will

Which philosophy claims every action results from causes beyond personal control?

Determinism

Which term refers to inherited characteristics influencing development?

Nature

Which term refers to environmental influences on development?

Nurture

What structures comprise the central nervous system (CNS)?

The brain and spinal cord

Which system consists of sensory and motor neurons connecting the CNS to the body?

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Which brain region processes information and coordinates posture, balance, and speech?

Cerebellum

Which is the brain’s largest part, responsible for voluntary activity, thought, and memory?

Cerebrum

Which nervous system controls involuntary actions like heartbeat and digestion?

Autonomic nervous system

Which nervous system controls voluntary skeletal‐muscle movements?

Somatic nervous system

What tissue mass serves as the main control center of the nervous system?

The brain

What travels up and down the spinal cord allowing body segments to communicate with the brain?

Electrical communication (nerve impulses)

Where are the cervical vertebrae located?

In the neck

Where are the thoracic vertebrae located?

In the chest

What do spinal nerves do?

Carry impulses to and from the spinal cord

What part of a neuron receives signals from other neurons?

Receptor (on the dendrite)

Which pathway carries information from a receptor to the CNS integrating center?

Afferent pathway

What is the CNS region that relays impulses from sensory to motor neurons?

Integrating center

Which pathway transmits information from the integrating center to an effector?

Efferent pathway

What is the organ that carries out a motor neuron’s command called?

Effector organ

Which brain area regulates survival functions like breathing and heartbeat?

Brain stem

Which neurotransmitter imbalance is linked to certain sleep disorders such as insomnia?

Serotonin

How do learning experiences affect neural connections?

They increase connections between neurons

What happens to neural connections when memories are not used?

Connections are reduced

Which hormone is primarily responsible for making us feel sleepy?

Melatonin

According to Robert Plutchik, how many primary emotions exist?

Eight

Which brain structure is NOT part of the limbic system: hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum, or hypothalamus?

Cerebellum

What are the three stages of memory in order?

Encoding, storage, and retrieval

Ethan’s missed golf putt in front of a crowd may have resulted from what type of motivation?

Extrinsic motivation

What term describes a severe performance decline under high pressure?

Choking

Who is professionally employed to provide social services to the disadvantaged?

A social worker

What is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information called?

Perception

What is the process by which sensory receptors receive stimulus energies from the environment?

Sensation

What debate asks whether behaviors are freely selected or caused by outside factors?

Free‐Will vs. Determinism debate

What classic debate contrasts heredity with environment?

Nature vs. Nurture

What is the ability to focus on one stimulus among many called?

Selective attention

What does divided attention refer to?

Concentrating on more than one activity at the same time

Define intelligence in psychological terms.

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and adapt to new situations

Which psychologist developed the theory of multiple intelligences?

Howard Gardner

Give one advantage of IQ tests.

They help allocate additional resources to students who need them most

Give one disadvantage of IQ tests.

Labeling students can create self‐fulfilling prophecies

What is short-term memory?

Activated memory that holds a few items briefly

What is long-term memory?

Storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years

Which brain structure was stated to control short-term and long-term memory in the notes?

The cerebellum

What progressive disease destroys memory and important mental functions?

Alzheimer’s disease

What class of medication is commonly prescribed for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s?

Cholinesterase inhibitors

Name the two broad types of motivation.

Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation

What is intrinsic motivation?

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

What is extrinsic motivation?

A desire to perform a behavior to receive rewards or avoid punishment

Who proposed a model with eight basic emotions such as joy and fear?

Robert Plutchik

List Plutchik’s eight primary emotions.

Joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, anticipation, anger, and disgust

According to the James-Lange theory, what produces emotion?

Awareness of physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli

What does the Cannon-Bard theory assert about emotion and physiological reactions?

They occur simultaneously

What is the key idea of the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory?

Emotion requires physiological arousal plus cognitive interpretation

How does the Cannon-Bard theory differ from James-Lange?

Cannon-Bard says arousal and emotion happen at the same time, not sequentially

What academic field studies psychological aspects of the legal system?

Psychology and the law

What does an IQ test measure?

Intellectual aptitude or ability to learn in school

In literature, what is a character’s incentive or reason for acting called?

Motivation

Define arousal in psychological terms.

Activation of the CNS, autonomic nervous system, muscles, and glands

What does the arousal theory of motivation propose?

People seek to maintain an optimal level of arousal

Who studies the relationship between psychological variables and athletic performance?

Sport psychologists

Why is psychology important in sport according to the notes?

It helps performance, builds positivity, and aids injury recovery

What is consciousness?

A person’s subjective experience of the world and mind

Place these on the consciousness continuum: sleep, controlled processing, coma.

Controlled processing → sleep → coma

What does the Inverted-U theory link together?

Arousal and performance, suggesting optimal performance at moderate arousal

What does low arousal often cause?

Extreme tiredness

What does excessively high arousal often impair?

The ability to concentrate

List three functions of the brain mentioned in the notes.

Controls thoughts, memory, and speech; movement; organ regulation

What is the main function of the Peripheral Nervous System?

Serves as communication lines among sensory organs, CNS, and effectors

Name the two parts of the PNS.

Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

Which brain region is associated with making new memories?

Cerebral cortex

What does the hippocampus do?

Processes explicit memories for storage

What is the corpus callosum?

A band of axons connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

What do sensory neurons do?

Carry impulses from sense organs to the spinal cord and brain

What is the role of the sensory cortex?

Registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

What is the primary role of the thalamus?

Directs sensory messages to the cortex and replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Which cortical area is dedicated to hearing?

Primary auditory cortex

Which lobe contains hearing and speech centers?

Temporal lobe

Which lobe receives sensory input for touch and body position?

Parietal lobe

Which lobe governs reasoning, planning, and movement?

Frontal lobe

What structure connects the brain to the spinal cord and filters information flow?

Brain stem

Which cortex controls voluntary movements?

Motor cortex

Which limbic structure is key to fear and aggression?

Amygdala

Name a brain structure that directs eating, drinking, temperature, and links to emotion.

Hypothalamus

What part of the brainstem controls heart and lung functions?

Medulla oblongata

Which lobe processes visual information?

Occipital lobe

What is the brain’s primary visual processing area?

Primary visual cortex

What insulating layer speeds neural impulses along an axon?

Myelin sheath