Psych Midterm

Psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

Behavior

anything an organism does

Mental process

the internal subjective experiences we infer from behavior

Counseling Psychologist

graduate degrees in psychology - clients have less serious problems

Clinical Psychologist

PhD in clinical psychology - study, assess, and treat people in an ongoing way with psychological disorders

Psychiatrist

medical doctors who are licensed to prescribe drugs and treat causes of psychological disorders using talk therapy

Consumer Psychology

study of individuals, groups, or organizations and all activities associated with the purchase of goods and services

Political Psychology

attempts to manipulate voters minds into thinking that their party serves their interests or that the 'other' party might not

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

examines organizational influences on worker satisfaction and productivity

Psychometrics

using statistics to analyze, explain human behavior

Positive Psychology

the science of human happiness. Studies what characteristics allow humans to reach their potential and personal fulfillment

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning the outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Overconfidence

the tendency to overestimate one's abilities and knowledge in a given area, and to underestimate the challenges that may arise

Theories

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations

Hypothesis

a testable prediction, states the relationship between two variables

Operational Definition

a statement of the procedure used to specifically define research variables

Case Study

psychologists study one individual in depth in hopes to reveal things true of us all

Survey

obtaining self reported attitudes and behaviors

Subjects

participants in the research

Sampling

process by which subjects are selected

Sample

group of subjects, the goal is for the sample to be representative of the larger population (aka generalizable)

Population

all cases in a group from which samples may be drawn for a study

Random Sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has a chance of inclusion

Sampling Bias

when members of the population are more likely to be chosen for the sample than others

Convenience Sampling

using a sample that is easy to find, but probably not representative of the population

Naturalistic Observation

watching, observing, and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Correlation

measures the relationship between two variables

Positive Correlation

as the independent variable increases so does the dependent variable

Negative Correlation

as the independent variable increases the dependent variable decreases

Correlation Coefficient

a statistical measure of the extent to which two factors relate to each other, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Experiment

a research method is one which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe/measure the effect of some behavior or mental process (dependent variables)

Experimental Condition

to expose a participant to treatment

Control Condition

contrast to the experimental condition, serves as a comparison in that this subject does not receive or receives a placebo

Random Assignment

the process by which subjects are placed into an experimental or control group by flipping a coin or drawing numbers out of a hat (only used in experimental method)

Independent Variable

the experimental factor that is being manipulated, this is the variable being studied

Dependent Variable

the experimental factor that is being measured, this is the behavior or the mental process, this variable may change depending on manipulations in the independent variable.

Placebo Effect

results caused by expectations alone (fake treatment)

Double Blind

participants and research staff are ignorant about the treatment/placebo given to each subject, can eliminate subject and experimenter bias

Descriptive Statistics

describes a set of data

Measures of Central Tendency

goal is to determine the center of the distribution

Measures of Variation

goal is to describe the diversity of the distribution

Inferential Statistics

determines if the findings can be applied to a larger population (generalizable) from which the sample was selected

Statistical Significance

when the difference between the experimental and control groups is not likely to have occurred by chance

American Psychological Association (APA)

scientific and professional organization that represent psychology in the United States, with 170,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide

Human Research Guidelines (according to the APA)

informed consent is needed, but does not have to reveal all aspects of the study, you can deceive subjects; voluntary participation there cannot be coercion; anonymity or confidentiality; participants cannot be placed at great mental or physical risk; debriefing is required, although you can use deception

Animal Research Ethics (according to the APA)

must obtain animals legally; must have a clear scientific purpose; must house in a humane way; must use the least amount of suffering feasible

Nature

genes

Nurture

environment

Behavioral Genetics

the study of how genes and environment interact to shape behavior; use twin and adoption studies to learn the influences of genes and environment

Cells in the human body

have 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total) in which they include both DNA and genes

Adoption Studies

interaction between nature and nurture when studying adopted children

Neuron

nerve cell, the building block of the nervous system

Action Potential

electrical inside the neuron, chemical outside of the neuron

Resting Potential

axon gates are closed, positive ions are on the outside and less positive ions are one the inside

Depolarization

when a neuron fires positive ions rush in and negative ions rush out

All or Nothing Response

the idea that either the neuron fires or doesn't fire

Refractory Period

time period in which the neuron can't re-fire, it needs to recharge

Synapse

junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron

Neurotransmitters

neurotransmitters cross the synaptic gap and binds to the receptor sites on the receiving neuron

Reuptake

excess neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending neuron

Acetylcholine

enables cognitive skills (learning and memory) and an undersupply marks alzheimer's disease

Dopamine

enables motor movement and an oversupply links to schizophrenia, while an undersupply is linked to parkinson's disease

Serotonin

mood control and an undersupply is linked to clinical depression

Norepinephrine

influences alertness and arousal and an undersupply can lead to a depressed mood

Endorphins

released in response to pain and vigorous activities, it's also involved in addictions in which an oversupply affects natural endorphin release

Agonist

mimic neurotransmitters and encourage firing

Antagonist

blocks neurotransmitters

Central Nervous System

brain and spinal cord (all nerves within the bones)

Peripheral Nervous System

all other nerves in the body that are not part of the brain and spinal cord (links the central nervous system to the rest of the body)

Somatic

controls the voluntary movement through the body's skeletal muscles

Autonomic

controls the automatic functions of the body

Sympathetic

mobilizes the body to respond to stress

Fight or Flight Response

state of increased physiological arousal, helps the body cope with and survive threatening situations

Parasympathetic

slows the body down after responding to stress

Sensory Neurons

take information from the senses to the brain

Interneuron

neurons of the central nervous system and they communicate between sensory and motor outputs

Reflex Arc

three types of neurons work together in the spinal cord to create a reflex arc; sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons

Motor Neurons

take info from the brain to the senses

Psychoactive Drugs

chemical substances that alter perceptions and mood

Psychological Effects

effects on the mind

Physiological Effects

effects on the body

Depressants

slows down the central nervous system (calm neural activity)

Stimulants

speed up the central nervous system (excite neural activity)

Hallucinogens

drugs that change the perception of reality and evoke images in the absence of sensory input

Withdrawal

discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing drug use

Tolerance

physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug in order to achieve the same effect

Conscious Level

the information about yourself and your environment you are currently aware of

Preconscious Level

all information in the brain that can be easily accessed

Unconscious Level

psychoanalytic psychologists believe that some events, feelings, emotions, issues are unacceptable to our conscious mind

Circadian Rhythm

24 hour sleep/wake cycle

EEG's (electroencephalogram)

are used to see how active brains are during sleep

Sleep Cycle

Last roughly 90 minutes long (Stages 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> REM -> 2 -> 3 -> 2 -> REM)

REM Rebound

when deprived of sleep, the next time the body is able to sleep normally, the body will spend more time in REM

Insomnia

problems with falling asleep or staying asleep

Narcolepsy

suffer from period of intense sleepiness

Sleep Apnea

temporary cessations of breathing during sleep

Dream

a sequence of images and emotions that pass through the mind during sleep

Activation Synthesis Theory

dreams are a meaningless byproduct of REM sleep

Consolidation Theory

dreams help sift, sort, and fix the day's experiences in our memory

Sensation

sensory receptors and the nervous system receive stimuli from our world