AP PSYCH i dont know/important terms

im screwed

naturalistic observation

observing subjects in natural environment w no interference

case study

study of a single subject or group in detail

correlational research

research determining the relationship between variables

correlation - relationship

meta analysis

a procedure for statistically combining the results from many different research studies

experiment

manipulation of 1+ independent variables to observe the effect on a dependent variable

frontal lobes

involved in speaking, muscle movements, amd making plans

prefrontal cortex

part of the frontal lobes involved in decision making and complex cognitive behavior

motor cortex

area at the rear of the frontal lobes responsible for voluntary movements

parietal lobes

located in the upper back area of the skull, responsible fir processing sensory info

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

temporal lobes

lower part of the cerebral cortex that plays roles in hearing, understanding language, and memory

occipital lobes

the back of the brain involved in visual processing

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the 2 brain hemispheres; brain bridge

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Reticular Activating System

network of neurons in the brainstem essential for arousal and attention

cerebellum

part of the brain that coordinates movement and balance

limbic system

brain region involved in emotion and drive

thalamus

brain’s relay station for sensory info

hypothalamus

brain region controlling several metabolic processes including temp and emotions

pituitary gland

the master gland of the endocrine system; regulates growth, metabolism, and reproduction through the hormones

hippocampus

essential for memory formation

amygdala

almond shaped clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion, especially fear

autonomic nervous system

controls self regulated actions of internal organs and glands

sympathetic nervous system

arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

parasympathetic nervous system

calms the body, conserving energy

somatic nervous system

controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

neurons

nerve cells that handle info processing

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

interneurons

neurons within the brain and the spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

All or nothing principle

a neuron’s reaction of either firing or not firing

glutamate

a major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in info transmission throughout the brain

inhibitory neurotransmitters

neurotransmitters that inhibit the next cell from firing

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain; calm inducer

Dopamine

a neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention, learning, and the brain’s pleasure and reward system

serotonin

a neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal

enporphins

a neurotransmitter linked to pain control and pleasure

Substance P

a neurotransmitter involved in pain perception

Aceytlcholine

a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction

ghrelin

a hormone that increases food intake and promotes fat storage

leptin

a hormone that suppresses appetite and increases energy expenditure

oxytocin

a hormone released by the pituitary gland; love hormone

adrenaline

a hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress

norepinephrine

a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in arousal as well as learning and mood regulation

broca’s area

the region of the brain in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere involved in producing speech

Broca’s aphasia

damage to broca’s area leading to broken speech

wernicke’s area

a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression

wenicke’s aphasia

damage to wernicke’s area resulting in difficulty in understanding or creating coherent speech

NREM Stage 1

The lightest stage of sleep; marked by slow breathing and heart rate

NREM Stage 2

Sleep stage characterized by periodic sleep spindles- bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain activity

NREM Stage 3

deepest sleep stage, during which the brain emits large slow delta waves

Activation-Synthesis

theory that suggests that the brain engages in lots of random neural activity; dreams make sense of this activity

consolidation theory

proposes that dreams help to process and consolidate memories from the day

Weber’s Law

the principle that to be perceived as different, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage; relative difference

trichromatic theory

theory stating that the retina contains 3 different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color

Opponent Process theory

theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

prosopagnosia

an inability to recognize the faces of familiar people, typically as a result to damage of the brain

Gate control theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

vestibular sense

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

bottom up processing

analysis starting with the sensory receptors and works up the brian’s integration of sensory info

top down processing

info processing guided by higher-level mental processes, drawing on our experiences and expectations

Gestalt psychology

an approach emphasizing that the whole of anything is greater than its parts

cocktail party effect

ability to attend to only one voice among many

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when out attention is directed somewhere else

assimilation

incorporating new experiences into our current understanding

accomodation

adjusting a schema to incorporate new info

gamblers fallacy

the belief that the odds of a chance event increase if the event hasnt occured recently

sunk-cost fallacy

the tendency to continue and endeavor once investment in money, effort, or time has been made

divergent thinking

a type of creative thinking in which one generates new solutions to problems

convergent thinking

a type of critical thinking in which one focuses on finding a single correct answer

explicit memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare

episodic memory

the collection of past personal experiences that occured at a particular time and place

semantic memory

memory for knowledge of the world

implicit memory

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection

procedural memory

a type of implicit memory that involves motor skills and behavioral habits; skill memory

prospective memory

remembering to perform a planned action or recall a planned intention at some future point in time

working memory

a newer understanding of short term memory that involves conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual spatial info

Law of Effect

principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences are less likely

Social learning theory

theory that we learn social behavior by imitating and observing and by being rewarded or punished

theory of mind

the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and to others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one’s own

concrete operational stage

the stage of cognitive development (7-11) during which children gain mental operations that enable them to think logicaly about concrete events

formal operational stage

the stage of cognitive development (beginning at 12) during which people think logically about abstract concepts

ecological systems theory

theory that describes the nested social and cultural concepts that shaoe development

microsystems

the system closest to the person and the one that have the most direct contact with , including school, family, neighborhood; immediate environment

mesosystems

the interactions between the different parts of a person’s microsystem; connected environments

exosystem

external environmental settings that a person does not experience directly but that can affect them in one of their immediate environments; indirect influence

macrosystem

the cultural values, customs, and resources that influence the other systems; broader societal context

chronosystem

the patterning of environmental events and the transitions over the life course, as well as sociohistorical circumstances; time-based influences

Stage of Psychosocial development

erik erikson’s theory that individuals pass through 8 developmental stages, each involving a specific crisis that must be successfully resolved

groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goall than while held individually accountable

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the influence of the situation and to overestimate the impact of persoal disposition

actor-observer bias

the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities

foot-in-the-door technique

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

door-in-the-face technique

the tendency for people who won’t admit to a large task, but then agree to when a smaller request is made

cognitive dissonence

the theory that we act to reduce discomfort we feel when 2 of out thoughts are in conflict

drive-reduction theory

the idea that a psychological need created an aroused state that drives the organism to reduce that need by engaging in some behavior

yerkes-dodson law

the principle that performance increases w arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

incentive theory

theory of motivation assering that behavior is directed toward attaining desireable stimuli and avoiding unwanted stimuli

self-determination theory

theory of motivation ethat is concerned with the beneficial effects of intrensic motivation and the harmful effects of extrensic motivation; autonomy in motivation

lewin’s motivational conflicts theory

theory that describes situations in which there are conflicts between different types of motivations