psych ch 1 and 2 review take 2

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Young children

Plasticity is especially evident in the brains of

plasticity

the ability for the brain to develop new neural pathways OR the brain's ability to modify itself after damage

clinical psychologist

psychologist that assesses and treats people with

mental, emotional, behavior disorders

description, correlation, experimentation

The three research methods that psychologists use

Placebo

treatment with an effect that involves results caused by expectations alone.

Corpus callosum

The ______ connects the two hemispheres of the brain

hypothesis

A theory-based prediction

Parasympathetic nervous system

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body and conserve energy

experiment

A deliberate manipulation to see if corresponding changes in

behavior result, allowing the determination of a cause-effect relationship

Temporal lobe

The part of the brain that lies just above the ears and contains the auditory cortex

informed consent

Giving potential subjects enough information about a study so they can choose whether or not they wish to participate

Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

What are the 5 steps of the SQ3R method?

dendrites

The “tree-like” parts of the neuron that receive messages from other neurons

Pain or vigorous exercise

Endorphins are released in the brain in response to:

amygdala, hippocampus

What are the parts of the limbic system?

medulla

The part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathings

Lips

This body region has the greatest representation in the somatosensory cortex

Left hemisphere

This region of the brain excels in processing language

left hemisphere

logical, verbal, analytical

right hemisphere

creative, emotionally expressive, imaginative

Cognitive psychology

The psychological perspective that explores how information processing, storage, and retrieval influence behavior

Naturalistic observation

A method of observation in which the researcher studies people or animals in their natural settings

frontal lobe

This part of the cerebral cortex enables judging and planning

left side

The right motor cortex controls this side of the body

Hypothalamus

The neural structure that most directly regulates eating, drinking, and body temperature

Wilhelm Wundt

established the first school of psychology

B.F. Skinner

behaviorist who studied how consequences change behavior

brain, spinal cord

The central nervous system consists of these two things

growth potential of the individual

humanistic psychology emphasizes this perspective

Sympathetic nervous system

The division of the autonomic nervous system that initiates the “flight or fight” response

nature vs. nurture debate

The long-standing debate over the relative contributions that genes and experience to personality traits and behavior

cell body

the cell’s life support center

axon

passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Neural impulse

electrical signal traveling down the axon

myelin sheath

covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

terminal branches of axon

form junctions with other cells