Intro to Psychology - Exam 1 Study Guide

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering core terms, key figures, research methods, and neuroscience concepts from Exam 1 Study Guide.

Psychology

Scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.

Critical Thinking

A process of objectively evaluating, comparing, and analyzing information.

Psychologist

Provides therapy (individual, couples, group) and testing (academic, diagnosing).

Psychiatrist

Prescribes medication to treat mental health conditions (e.g., depression).

Social Worker

Connects people to community resources (government funding, food stamps, disability funding).

Zeitgeist

'Spirit of the time' / 'Sign of the time' — answers 'What makes sense?'

Materialism

the world is made up of what we see and observe.

Idealism

the world is spiritual/mental and made up of connections + love.

Empiricism

knowledge comes through the senses and requires data to prove it works.

Rationalism

answers are arrived at through reasoning + thought.

Wilhelm Wundt

'Father of Psychology' who set up the 1st psych lab, used introspection to study human behavior, transformed psychology into a science.

William James

'Father of American Psychology' who promoted Pragmatism, stating that ideas can never fully be proven true or false.

Sigmund Freud

Founder of Psychoanalysis who worked with 'hysteria' patients and theorized that adult symptoms stem from childhood trauma, controlled by the unconscious and repression.

Behaviorism

School of psychology that shifted focus to the lab to study overt (measurable) behavior

Evolutionary Continuity

there is no dividing line between man and brute, and no differences between humans and other animals.

Ellis's ABC Model

Framework for understanding psychological problems: Activating Event, Beliefs (made of 'shoulds' and 'musts'), and Consequences.

Humanistic Theory

Theory stating all humans are born good and strive to be better, emphasizingresponsibility and the 'here + now'.

Biopsychosocial Theory

perspective holding that biology, psychology, and social factors (culture) all matter.

Principal Investigator (PI)

Individual responsible for the core research idea and methodology in a study.

Inclusion Criteria

Requirements/characteristics a person must meet to participate in a research study.

Target Population

All individuals who meet the inclusion criteria for a study.

Sample

A selected group of participants taken from the target population aiming to be representative for generalization.

Informed Consent

Agreement between parties covering nature/purpose, risks, benefits, voluntary nature, and PI contact info.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

experiment tracking African American farmers, scientists lied about testing for 'bad blood', highlighting the need for informed consent.

Tarasoff v. Regents Case

a duty to warn individuals who are in danger.

Experimental Method

manipulates variables to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

Case Study

in-depth analysis of a single person or small group.

Naturalistic Observation

observing subjects in natural environments without intervention.

Correlational Method

examining relationships between two or more variables, showing strength and direction.

Independent Variable (IV)

what is manipulated

Dependent Variable (DV)

what is measured

Dendrites

(receiving neuron) receive info, send to cell body

Soma (Cell Body)

processes incoming information

Axon

sends electrical messages down the cell.

Myelin Sheath

speeds up message

Terminal Buttons

chemical transmission, releases nuerotransmitters

Dopamine

pleasure and motor control neurotransmitter; cause Parkinson's (too little) and Schizophrenia (too much).

GABA

Primary calming/inhibitory neurotransmitter (alcohol and benzodiazepines)

Glutamate

Primary excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory (excitotoxicity)

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

Strengthening of connections between neurons through stimulation or practice.

Neurogenesis

Development of new neurons.

Contralateralization

Organizational pattern where one brain hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.

Corpus Callosum

Structure connecting both brain hemispheres, enabling them to communicate.

Frontal Lobe

Brain lobe controlling executive functioning, motor cortex, and Broca's area for speech.

Phineas Gage Case

Case study where an iron rod damaged the frontal lobe, resulting in severe personality changes.

pragmatism

ideas that can never be proven true or false

hindbrain

pons, reticular formation, medulla, cerebellum

medulla

heart rate, breathing, blood pressure

cerebellum

balance, posture

forebrain

cortex (thinking) and sub cortex (surviving)

cortex (thinking)

frontal, temporal, occipital

frontal lobe

controls motor cortex, broca’s area (speech), executive functioning, decision making, planning, personality

nueroplasticity

neurons can rewire after injury

subcortex

limbic system: hypothalamus (homeostasis), amygdala (emotion), hippocampus (memory)

neuron

communicates electrochemically (within and between)

scientific method

1. start with question, review literature 2. hypothesis 3. research method and collect data 4. analyze data 5. seek scientific review 6. build theory

deception

rib reviews proposals before it takes place, must approve deception

debriefing

tell participant if they were deceived or not

demand characteristics

alter behavior when someone is watching

double blind technique

participant and coordinator both don’t know who is in which group

extraneous variables

outside variable impacts study

midbrain

vision, hearing, sleep, wakefulness, motor control