Wilhelm Wundt
Known as the father of psychology, he created the first psychology lab and studied senses, reaction time, attention spans, and emotions.
William James
Taught first psychology class at Harvard, wrote the first psychology textbook, and created functionalism.
Sigmund Freud
Created the analytic approach, focused on the unconscious mind, and shaped psychodynamic approach.
Structuralism
Focuses on the structures of consciousness through individual parts and uses introspection.
Functionalism
Seeks to understand mental and behavioral processes as evolved functions that work together.
Gestalt psychology
Focuses on the whole consciousness, perception, sensation, learning, and problem-solving.
Humanistic psychology
Believes humans are naturally good, seek self-actualization, and reach their potential through free will.
Evolutionary approach
Studies how behaviors and mental processes exist due to natural selection.
Biological approach
Examines how brain structures and the nervous system link biological and psychological processes.
Cognitive approach
Analyzes attitudes, memories, perceptions, and expectations influencing behaviors and mental processes.
Pancreas
Located near the stomach, it produces insulin and glucagon, regulating sugar levels.
Gonads
Ovaries or testes that produce testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, allowing reproduction.
Nervous System
Comprised of the central and peripheral nervous systems, supported by glial cells, and responsible for sending messages.
Neuron
Basic unit of the nervous system, communicating through electrical and chemical signals.
Action Potential
Neuron firing process triggered by depolarization, leading to the transmission of impulses.
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that impact various functions in the body.
Agonist
Substances that enhance neurotransmitter effectiveness by mimicking or increasing production.
Antagonist
Substances that decrease neurotransmitter effectiveness by blocking release or binding.
Brain
Includes structures like Broca's area, Wernicke's area, medulla, pons, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex.
Sensation
Raw data received from sensory receptors, while Perception is the interpretation of this information.
Gestalt Principles
Include figure and ground, continuation, closure, similarity, proximity, and symmetry in visual perception.
Depth Perception
Ability to perceive relative distance using cues like binocular and monocular cues.
Sensory Transduction
Process where sensory receptors convert external stimuli into electrical signals for the brain.
Absolute Threshold
Minimum stimulation needed to experience a stimulus.
Perceptual Constancy
Maintaining the perception of objects with familiar characteristics despite changes.
Pupil
The dark part of the eye located between the iris, controlling the amount of light entering by contracting and relaxing.
Lens
A biconvex structure located behind the iris and pupil, allowing the eye to change focus.
Retina
Located in the back of the eye, made up of light-sensitive cells converting light into neural impulses for the brain to process.
Optic Nerve
Located in the back of the eye, made up of retinal ganglion cells transmitting impulses to the brain for visual processing.
Rods
Located on the outer edge of the retina, enabling vision in dim light without color information.
Cones
Located in the fovea centralis, allowing clear vision, fine details, and color perception.
Astigmatism
Irregular corneal shape affecting focus ability.
Cataracts
Clouding of the lens leading to blurry vision.
Trichromatic Theory
Explains color vision through three types of color receptors (red, green, blue) working in combinations.
Opponent Processing Theory
Describes how cones send information to ganglion cells, leading to color pairings and perception.
Achromatism
Color blindness where only black, white, and gray are perceived.
Dichromatism
Color blindness where only two colors can be seen.
Trichromatism
Normal color vision with all three cone pigments present.
Synesthesia
Condition where stimulation of one sense triggers another sense.
Top-Down Processing
Using prior knowledge to interpret perceived information.
Bottom-Up Processing
Examining information as is, without prior knowledge influence.