PBSI 107 - Exam 1 Complete Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions across Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 for PBSI 107 Exam 1 Review.

Psychology

The scientific study of mind and behavior.

Introspection

Examining one’s own consciousness.

Structuralism

Founded by Edward Titchener; focused on breaking down cognitive processes into basic elements for study.

Functionalism

Founded by William James; psychological phenomena likely evolved to serve some advantageous function.

Adaptation

A trait of an organism that has a function for survival and reproduction because it has been naturally selected.

Gestalt psychology

Focuses on the idea that perception is greater than the sum of individual sensory elements, where relationships among elements create the meaningful experience.

Behaviorism

Founded by John B. Watson; focused on observable behaviors and the study of learned behavior and its interaction with inborn qualities.

Humanism

Emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans and considers the whole person rather than isolated elements.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Models how human needs motivate certain behaviors, moving from physiological to security, social, esteem, and self-actualization.

Cognitive revolution

Movement initiated by Noam Chomsky and others to reincorporate mental functioning into psychology and treat the mind as a subject of scientific inquiry.

Sensation

Sensory information such as sights, sounds, touch, and smell.

Perception

Experience of the world influenced by attention, previous experiences, and cultural background.

Inductive reasoning

Logical reasoning where general conclusions are drawn from specific observations or scenarios.

Deductive reasoning

Logical reasoning where predictions are derived from general premises.

Theory

A well-developed set of ideas that proposes an explanation for observed phenomena.

Hypothesis

A tentative and testable prediction about the relationship between two or more variables.

Falsifiability

The requirement that a scientific hypothesis must be capable of being shown false by evidence.

Observer bias

When expectations influence how observations are interpreted or recorded in research.

Attrition

A reduction in the number of research participants because some drop out of a longitudinal study.

Correlation coefficient (r)

A number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between variables.

Confounding variable

An outside factor that affects the variables of interest and can create a false impression about their relationship.

Illusory correlation

Seeing a relationship between variables when no relationship exists.

Confirmation bias

Ignoring or discounting evidence that disproves one’s beliefs or ideas.

Operational definition

A description of the actions and operations used to measure the dependent variable and manipulate the independent variable.

Single-blind study

A study in which participants do not know whether they are in the experimental or control group to control participant expectations.

Double-blind study

A study in which neither participants nor interacting researchers know group assignments to control both participant and researcher expectations.

Statistical significance

When the odds that observed results occurred by chance are 5% or less.

Reliability

Consistency and reproducibility of a given result.

Validity

Accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants.

IACUC

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; reviews proposals involving nonhuman animals.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an individual based on DNA inherited from the parents.

Phenotype

An individual’s observable characteristics.

Epigenetics

The study of gene–environment interactions, including how the same genotype can lead to different phenotypes.

Astrocytes

Star-shaped glial cells that transport nutrients across the blood–brain barrier, regulate the surrounding environment, insulate synapses, recycle debris, and support neurons.

Oligodendrocytes

Glial cells that produce myelin for axons within the central nervous system.

Microglia

Immune cells of the central nervous system that engulf and digest debris and invaders through phagocytosis.

Resting potential

The neuron’s interior charge at rest, approximately -70 mV relative to the outside.

Threshold of excitation

The minimum charge required to initiate an action potential, typically around -50 mV relative to the outside.

Action potential

An electrical impulse that travels down the length of a neuron’s axon; a depolarization of the membrane potential.

Saltatory conduction

Movement of an action potential under myelin segments toward the next node of Ranvier in a myelinated axon.

Agonist

A drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter.

Antagonist

A drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a neurotransmitter.

Somatic nervous system

Division of the peripheral nervous system that relays sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system.

Autonomic nervous system

Division of the peripheral nervous system that controls internal organs and glands.

Sympathetic nervous system

Division of the autonomic nervous system involved in stress-related activities that prepares the body for fight or flight.

Parasympathetic nervous system

Division of the autonomic nervous system associated with routine, day-to-day operations under relaxed conditions.

Corpus callosum

A structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Broca’s area

A left-hemisphere region essential for language production.

Wernicke’s area

A region important for speech comprehension.

Thalamus

The brain’s relay center through which most senses except smell pass before being directed elsewhere for processing.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A nucleus of the hypothalamus that generates circadian rhythms.

Melatonin

A hormone released by the pineal gland that is stimulated by darkness to induce sleepiness and inhibited by daylight.

Sleep spindle

A rapid burst of high-frequency brainwaves during NREM stage 2 sleep.

K-complex

A very high-amplitude pattern of brain activity during NREM stage 2 sleep.

Hypnogram

A diagram of sleep stages as they occur during a period of sleep.

Cataplexy

Loss of muscle tone while awake, sometimes involving paralysis of voluntary muscles.

Tolerance

The need for more of a drug to achieve effects previously experienced at lower doses.

Withdrawal

Negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued.

Hypnosis

An extreme focus on the self involving suggested changes in behavior and experience with increased susceptibility to suggestion.

Meditation

The act of focusing on a single target to increase awareness of the moment, involving relaxed but focused awareness.

Continuous development

Views development as a cumulative process that gradually improves existing skills.

Discontinuous development

Views development as occurring in unique stages at specific times or age ranges.

Schema

A concept used to categorize and interpret information.

Assimilation

Incorporating new information into existing schemata.

Accommodation

Changing schemata based on new information.

Teratogen

Any environmental agent—biological, chemical, or physical—that damages the developing embryo or fetus.

Object permanence

Understanding that an object continues to exist even when it is out of sight.

Secure base

A caregiver’s presence that gives a child safety while exploring surroundings.

Authoritative parenting

Parenting style characterized by reasonable demands and consistent limits, warmth and affection, and attention to the child’s viewpoint.

Authoritarian parenting

Parenting style that places high value on conformity and obedience, is rigid, and expresses little warmth.

Permissive parenting

Parenting style where parents make few demands and rarely use punishment.

Uninvolved parenting

Parenting style where parents are indifferent and uninvolved, do not respond to needs, and make relatively few demands.

Crystallized intelligence

Information, skills, and strategies gathered through experience; remains steady or improves in middle adulthood.

Fluid intelligence

Information-processing ability, reasoning, and memory; begins to decline in middle adulthood.

Socioemotional selectivity theory

States that as people age, social support networks and friendships become smaller in number but remain as close or closer than before.