AP psych 5 steps to a 5 vocab and terms

Humanistic approach

psychological perspective concerned with individual potential for growth and the role of unique perceptions in growth toward one's potential

Biological approach

psychological perspective concerned with physiological and biochemical factors that determine behavior and mental processes

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic approach

psychological perspective concerned with how unconscious instincts, conflicts, motives, and defenses influence behavior

Sigmund Freud

Father of pscyhoanalysis

Jung, Adler, Horney, Kohut

psychodynamic psychologists

Sports psychologists

help athletes refine their focus on competition goals, increase motivation, and deal with anxiety and fear of failure

Cognitive approach

psychological perspective concerned with how we receive, store, and process information; think/reason; and use language

Jean Piaget

studied cognitive development in children

Sociocultural approach

Psychological perspective concerned with how cultural differences affect behavior

Neuropsychologists

explore the relationships between brain/nervous systems and behavior. Neuropsychologists are also called biological psychologists or biopsychologists, behavioral geneticists, physiological psychologists, and behavioral neuroscientists

Engineering psychologists and human factors psychologists

do research on how people function best with machines

Behavioral approaches

psychological perspective concerned with behavioral reactions to stimuli; learning as a result of experience.

Ivan Pavlov

known for classical conditioning of dogs

John Watson

known for experiments in classical aversive conditioning

B.F. Skinner

known for experiments in operant conditioning

Counseling psychologists

help people adapt to change or make changes in their lifestyle

Experimental psychologists

do research to add new knowledge to the field

Educational psychologists

focus on how effective teaching and learning take place

Forensic psychologists

apply psychological principles to legal issues

School psychologists

assess and counsel students, consult with educators and parents, and perform behavioral intervention when necessary

Health psychologists

concentrate on biological, psychological, and social factors involved in health and illness

Personality psychologists

focus on traits, attitudes, and goals of the individuals

Rehabilitation psychologists

help clients with mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and disabilities resulting from stroke or accidents adapt to their situations

Theories

organized sets of concepts that explain phenomena

Hypothesis

prediction of how 2 or more factors are likely to be related

Replication

repetition of the methods used in previous experiment to see whether the same methods will yield the same results

Independent variable

the factor the researcher manipulates in a controlled experiment (the cause)

Dependent variable

the behavior of mental process that is measured in an experiment or quasi-experiment (the cause)

Population

all of the individuals in the group to which the study applies

Sample

the subgroup of the sample that receives the treatment or independent variable

control group

the comparison group; the subgroup of the sample that is similar to the experimental group in every way except for the presence of the independent variable

Random assignment

division of the sample into groups so that every individual has an equal chance of being put in any group or condition

Confounding variables

factors that cause differences between the experimental group and the control group other than the independent variable

operational division

a description of the specific procedure used to determine the presence of a variable

Experimental bias

a phenomenon that poccurs when a researchers expectations oe preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained

Demand characteristics

clues participants discover about the purpose of the study that suggest how they should respond

Single-blind procedure

research design in which participants don't know whether they are in the experimental or control group

Double blind procedure

research design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group

Placebo

a physical or psychological treatment given to the control group that resembles the treatment given to the experimental group, but contains no active ingredient

Placebo effect

a change in a participant's illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect rather than from the actual treatment

Reliability

consistency or repeatability of results

Validity

the extent to which an instrument measures or predicts what is supposed to measure or predict

Statistics

a field that involves the analysis of numerical data about representative samples of population

Descriptive statistics

numbers that summarize a set of research data obtained from a sample

Frequency distribution

an orderly arrangement of scores indicating the frequency of each score or group of scores

Central tendency

average or most typical scores of a set of research data or distributions

mode

the most frequently occurring scores in a distribution/data

median

the middle score, the middle score in a distribution/data

mean

the arithmetic average of a set of scores

Variability

the spread or dispersion of a set of research data or distribution

Range

the difference between the largfest score and the smallest score

Standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Normal distribution

bell-shaped curve that results when the values of a trait in a population are plotted against their frequency

Percentile score

the percentage of scores at or below a certain score

Correlation coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1).

Inferential statistics

statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions

Statistical significance

Statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

Ethical guidelines

suggested rules for acting responsibly and morally when conducting research or in clinical practice

neuropsychologist

those who explore the relationship between brain/nervous system and behavior. Neuropsycholists are also called biological psychologists or biopsychologist, behavioral geneticist, physiological psychologists and behavioral neuroscientists

lesions

precise destruction of brain tissue, enables, more systematic study of the loss of function resulting from surgical removal, cutting of neural connections or destruction by chemical application

computerized axial tomography

creates a computerized image using x-rays passed through the brain to show structure and or/the extent of a lesion

magnetic resonance imaging

creates more detailed computerized images using a magnetic field and pulses of radio waves that cause emissions of signals that depend upon the density of tissue

EEG

an amplified tracing of brain activity produced when electrodes positioned over the scale transmit signals about the brain's electrical activity to an electroencephalograph machine

evoked potentials

EEGs resulting from a response to a specific stimulus presented to the subject

positron emissions tomography

shows brain activity when radioactively tagged glucose rushes to active neurons and emits positrons

functional MRI

shows brain activity at higher resolution than the PET scan when changes in oxygen concentration near active neurons alter magnetic qualities

central nervous system

brain and spinal chord

peripheral nervous system

portion of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord; includes all of the sensory and motor neurons and subdivisions called the autonomic and somatic nervous system

autonomic nervous system

subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system that includes motor nerves that innervate smooth and heart muscle. Its sympathetic nervous system prepares that body for "fight or flight"'; the parasympathetic nervous system causes bodily changes for maintenance or rest

sympathetic nervous system

subdivision of PNS and ANS whose stimulation results in response that help your body deal with stressful events

parasympathetic nervous system

subdivision of PNS and ANS whose stimulation calms your body following sympathetic stimulation by restoring normal processes

somatic nervous system

subdivision of PNS that includes motor nerves that stimulates skeletal muscles

spinal cord

portion of the central nervous system below the level of the medulla

brain

portion of the central nervous system above the spinal cord

hindbrain

the medulla, pons and cerebellum

midbrain

small region with parts involved in eye reflexes and movements

forebrain

including the limbic system, hypothalamus, thalamus and cerebral cortex

old mammalian brain

limbic system, hypothalamus, thalamus

new mammalian brain

the cerebral cortex

convolutions

folding-in and out of the cerebral cortex that increases surface area of the brain

contralaterality

control of one side of your body by the other side of your brain

medulla oblongata

regulates heart rhythm blood flow, breathing rate, digestion, vomiting

pons

includes portion of reticular activating system or reticular formation critical for arousal and wakefulness; sends information to and from medulla, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex

cerebellum

controls posture, equilibrium and movement

basal ganglia

results initiation of movements, balance, eye movements, and posture

thalamus

relays visual, auditory, taste and somatosensory information to/from appropriate areas of cerebral cortex

hypothalamus

controls feeding behavior, drinking behavior, body temperature, sexual behavior, threshold for rage behavior, activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, and secretion of hormones of the pituitary

amygdala

influences emotions such as aggression, fear and self-protective behaviors

hippocampus

enables formation of new long-term memories

cerebral cortex

center for higher-order processes such as thinking, planning, judgement; receives and processes sensory information and directs movements

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that do not have specific sensory or motor functions, but are involved in higher mental functions such as thinking, planning and communicating

occipital lobes

primary area for processing visual information

parietal lobes

front strip is somatosensory cortex that processes sensory information including touch, temperate, and pain from body parts, association areas perceive objects

frontal lobes

interpret and control emotional behaviors, make decisions, carry out plans; motor cortex strip just in front of somatosensory cortex initiates movements and integrates activities of skeletal muscles

Broca's area

the frontal lobe area that produces speech

temporal lobes

primary area for hearing, understanding language, understanding music/tonality, processing smell

Wernicke's area

the temporal lobe area responsible for understanding language

aphasia

impairment of the ability to understand or use language

glial cells

supportive cells of the nervous system that guide the growth of developing neurons, help provide nutrition for and get rid of wastes of neurons, and for an insulating sheath around neurons that speeds conduction

neuron

the basic unit of structure and function of your nervous system. Neurons perform three major functions: receive information, process it, and transmit it to the rest of your body.