PSYC 100: Chapter 1, 2, 3

Vocabulary study guide covering key definitions and concepts from Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Introduction to Psychology.

Scientific Method

Step by step way to ask questions, test ideas, and find answers.

Empirical Method

Learning through direct observation and experience.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Idea that unconscious thoughts, feelings, childhood experiences influence behavior.

Gestalt Psychology

Understanding things as whole rather than in parts.

Behaviorism

Study of observable behavior and how it is learned through the environment.

Humanism

Emphasizes free will, personal growth, and reaching your full potential.

Theory

Explanation as to why something happens, backed by evidence.

Attrition

When participants drop out of a study.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study (Implications/Importance)

Black men with Syphilis denied proper treatment despite treatment being available. Showed the need for informed consent, honesty, and ethical treatments for research participants.

Clinical or Case Study

An in-depth study of one person or group.

Naturalistic Observation

Watching/observing behavior in its natural environment.

Survey

Collecting information by asking people questions about their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

Archival Research

Studying existing records or documents to learn about behaviors.

Longitudinal Research

Studying the same people over a long period of time.

Cross-Sectional Research

Comparing different groups of people at one time.

Positive Correlation

When two variables move in the same direction.

Negative Correlation

When two variables move in opposite directions.

Illusory Correlation

Believing two things are related when they are not.

Inter-Rater Reliability

The degree to which different research observing the same thing agree on their judgments.

Test-Retest Reliability

The degree to which a test produces similar results when the same people take it again under similar conditions.

Reliability

How consistently a test or measurements produces results.

Validity

How accurately a test or measurement measures what it is suppose to measure.

Action Potential

A brief electrical impulse that travels down a neuron’s axon to send a message.

SSRI

(Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) A type of antidepressant that increases the amount of serotonin available in the brain by blockings its reabsorption.

Synapse

The tiny gap between neurons where they communicate with each other.

Dendrite

The part of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons.

Soma

The main part of a neuron that contains the cell’s structures and keeps it functioning.

Nucleus

The part of a cell that contains DNA and controls many of the cell’s activities.

Terminal Button

The end of an axon that releases neurotransmitters to send messages to another cell.

Case of Phineas Gage (Implications/Importance)

Phineas Gage survived an accident in which an iron rod damaged his brain. His personality and behavior changed, showing that the brain, especially the frontal lobes, plays an important role in personality, decision-making, and behavior.

Chromosomes

Structures made of DNA that carry genes and genetic information.

Pituitary Gland

A small gland at the base of the brain that releases hormones and helps control other glands.

Range of Reaction

The idea that genetics set a possible range for a trait, while the environment influences where a person falls within that range.

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord, which process info and coordinates the body’s responses.

Peripheral Nervous System

All the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.