Final exam review

Part I

Psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

Behavioral Psychologist

study people's behavior and try to modify it

psychodynamic approach

Approach that states that behavior reflects unconscious internal conflict between inherited instincts and society's behavioral rules

Clinical Psychologist

a psychologist who diagnoses and treats people with mental health issues

Social Psychologist

focuses on how the individual's behavior and mental processes are affected by interactions with other people

id

contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. Operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

Oedipus Complex

according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Phallic Stage

The third of Freud's psychosexual development stages in which genitals are the source of pleasure and the Oedipus Complex begins

Defense Mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Displacement

psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

Anal Fixation

In Freud's personality theory, the result of an unsatisfactory experience at the second stage that can include being withholding (of mental and emotional resources) being compulsively cautious about keeping things clean and in order, or being overly messy and disorganized

Objective Personality Test

A generic term for psychological procedures used to measure personality which rely on measurable techniques such as true/false, structured tests, self-inventories, or rating scales; in tests such as the MMPI-2

MMPI

The most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests - originally designed to identify psychological disorders

Projective Personality Test

A type of personality test in which individuals are asked to interpret unstructured or ambiguous stimuli (i.e. inkblot, or Rorschach test). Many psychologists like to use these tests because they allow clients to open up and talk.

Naturalistic Observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation; type of descriptive research

Case Study

a detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view; type of descriptive research

Independent Variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

Dependent Variable

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Positive Correlation

A correlation where as one variable increases, the other also increases, or as one decreases so does the other. Both variables move in the same direction.

Negative Correlation

the relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other variable decreases

Hypothesis

an prediction that is based on prior scientific research or observations and that can be tested

Placebo

a fake drug used in the testing of medication

Experimental Method

a research technique in which an investigator deliberately manipulates selected events or circumstances and then measures the effects of those manipulations on subsequent behavior

Control Group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Ethical Principles of Psychology

receive informed consent, debrief, minimize harm/discomfort/deception, keep confidentiality, allow participants to withdraw

Central Nervous System

the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord

Sympathetic Nervous System

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Receptors

parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and initiate a new electric signal

Axon

long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron

Occipital Lobe

division of cerebrum (cortex) that is associated with visual processing

Limbic System

a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process memories

Corpus Callosum

a broad transverse nerve tract connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

Right Hemisphere

hemisphere of brain that specializes in visual-spatial processing and quick thinking (abstract)

Thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla (except smell)

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories to the unconscious

Oral Stage

Freud's first stage of psychosexual development during which pleasure is centered in the mouth

Dendrites

branching extensions of neuron that receives messages from neighboring neurons

Somatic Nervous System

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles; voluntary system

Peripheral Nervous System

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Cognitive Psychologist

studies the process of thought and knowledge

Medulla

part of the brain nearest the spinal cord which controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure

Amygdala

organizes motivational & emotional response patterns, especially if related to aggression & fear

random assignment

placing research participants into the conditions of an experiment in such a way that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable

Myelin

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses