psych vocab all

03/31/26

critical thinking

thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, assesses the source, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions.

curiosity, skepticism, and humility

3 parts of the scientific attitude

structralism

branch of psychology that focused on the structure of the mind, promoted by wundt

functionalism

branch of psychology that focused on how the mind functions, promoted by william james

behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies observable behavior without reference to mental processes; promoted by Watson and skinner. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

sigmund freud’s psychoanalytic psychology

emphasized the ways the unconscious mind and childhood experiences affect our behavior, theory of sexuality, and and how the mind operates outside our conscious awareness

humanistic psychologists

a historically important perspective that found both behaviorism and freudian psychology too limiting, emphasized human growth potential

cognitive psychology

the study of the mental processes involved in perceiving, learning, remembering, thinking, communicating, and solving problems, led the field of psychology back to its early interests of how the mind processes and retains information

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with mental activity (perception, thinking, memory, and language)

psychology

the science of behavior (able to be observed and recorded) and mental (internal, subjective experiences) processes.

neuroscience perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences

evolutionary perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how the natural selection of traits passed down from one generation to the next helps explain our similarities

behavior genetics perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how our genes and enviroment influence our individual differences

psychodynamic perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

behavioral perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how we learn observable responses

cognitive perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

social-cultural perspective

perspective of psychology that focuses on how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

biological psychologists

psychologists who explore the links between brain and mind

developmental psychologists

psychologists who study our changing abilities from womb to tomb

cognitive psychologists

psychologists who experiment with how we perceive, think, and solve problems

personality psychologists

psychologists who investigate our persistent traits

social psychologists

psychologists who expore how we view and affect one another

health psychologists

psychologists who investigate the the psychological, biological, and behavior factors that promote or impair our health

industiral-organizational psychologists

psychologists who study and advise on workplace-related behaviors and system and product designs

basic research

research that is conducted to build the field’s knowledge base

applied research

research that is conducted to tackle practical problems

biopsychosocial approach

an approach that integrates different but complementary views from biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints.

dual processing

the principle that our mind processes information at the same time on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

two tracks of vision

visual perception track (enables us to think about the world, recognize and plan future actions) and visual action track (guides moment-to-moment actions)

counseling psychologists

help people cope with challenges and assist others to improve their personal and social functioning

clinical psychologists

focus on assessing and treating people with mental, emotional, and behavior disorders

psychiatrists

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

community psychologists

work to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive, focuses on building a good and meaningful life

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, aer learning an outcome, that we could have predicted it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.)

overconfidence

thinking one knows more than they do, often drives them to quick (rather than correct) thinking

perceiving order in random events

pattern-seeking to make sense of our world, can be flawed

descriptive methods, correlational methods, experimental methods

3 ways to test hypotheses and refine theories

theory

an explanation using principles that organize observations and predict behaviors or events.

operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures. (Also known as operationalization.)

preregristration

publicly communicating planned study design, hypotheses, data collection, and analyses.

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

naturalistic observation

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without changing or controlling the situation.

survey

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of that group.

population

all those in a group being studied, from which random samples may be drawn

double-blind procedure

neither those taking part in the study nor those collecting the data know which group is receiving the treatment

confounding variable

in an experiment, a variable other than the variable being studied that might influence a study's results.

informed consent

permission based on researchers giving people enough information about a study to enable them to decide whether they wish to participate.

debriefing

aer an experiment ends, explaining to participants the study's purpose and any deceptions researchers used.

cognitive neuroscience

study of the links between brain activity and cognition; includes the study of perception, thinking, memory, & language

neuroplasticity

the brain constantly adjusting to everything you experience

dendrites

listeners- receive messages from other cells

axon

speakers- send out messages

action potential

electrical impulses that travel down the axon

glial cells

support our nerve cells, “worker bees / custodians” that provide resources to the neurons, such as nutrients and myelin

synapses

where there are gaps between neurons, dendrites and axons get really close but don’t touch

two types of signals that neurons recieve

excitatory (accelerates) & inhibitory (brakes)

refractory period

period that the neuron needs to rest after firing an action potential

neurotransmitter molecules

electrical signals that convert to chemical signals at the end of the axon, to cross the synapse

reuptake

process where excess neurotransmitters go away or go back to the receiving neuron

nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

central nervous system & peripheral nervous system

two systems within the nervous system

central nervous system

(brain and spinal cord) the body’s decision maker

peripheral nervous system

part of the nervous system that takes what the central nervous says and distributes it along the body, the sensory and motor neurons connecting the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

nerves

electrical cables formed from bundles of axons, link our central nervous system with our sensory receptors

somatic (skeletal) nervous system & autonomic nervous system

two parts of peripheral nervous system

somatic (or skeletal) nervous system:

the part of the peripheral nervous system that monitors sensory input and triggers motor output

autonomic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system that controls internal organs such as the heart, operates autonomously

sympathetic nervous system (arouses when stressed, mobilizes energy) and parasympathetic nervous system (makes stress die down, calms the body, conserves energy)

two parts of autonomic nervous system

central nervous system

composed of the brain and the spinal cord, very complex

spinal cord’s function in CNS

connects peripheral nervous system to brain, controls reflexes

acetylcholine🔵

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

dopamine🟢

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

serotonin💗

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal, undersupply linked to depression

norephinephrine⚡

helps control alertness and arousal, undersupply can depress mood

GABA💤 (gamma-ainobutyric acid)

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia

glutamate🔥

a major excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in memory, oversupply can overstimulate hte brain, producing migraines or seizures

endorphins😌

neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain and pleasure, opioid drugs are artificial sources

endocrine system

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands and fat tissue that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

adrenal glands

release hormones such as adrenaline or cortisol, trigger the fight or flight response, triggered by ANS (the bridge where the endocrine and nervous system meet)

pituitary gland

“master gland,” control center from endocrine glands, controlled by hypothalamus, can direct other glands

EEG (electroencephalograph)

a device that uses electrodes to record waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface, or measure electrical activity in neurons

MEG (magnetoencephalography)

a brain-imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical activity

PET scans

tracks where in the brain a temporarily radioactive form of glucose goes up while the person given it performs a task

MRI scans

people sit or lie down in a chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to map brain structure/anatomy

fMRI scans

measures blood flow to brain regions by comparing continuous MRI scans

hindbrain, midbrain, & forebrain

3 divisions of the brain

hindbrain

brain region that contains brainstem structures that direct essential survival such as breathing, sleeping, arousal, coordination, and balance

midbrain

region of the brain that controls movement and transmits information that enable seeing and hearing

forebrain

brain region that manages complex cognitive activities, sensory and associative functions, and voluntary motor activities

cerebral cortex

a thin layer of interconnected neurons covering the forebrain's cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

the brainstem

the central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

medulla

base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

thalamus

the brain’s sensory control center: it receives sensory information (all except smell) and forwards it to the other brain regions that deal with these senses, the “hub” of message traffic

pons

helps coordinate movements and control sleep

reticular formation

acts as a filter, relaying important information to different areas plays an important role in controlling arousal, crucial for consciousness

cerebellum

• helps us judge time

• discriminate textures and sounds

• controls our emotions

• aids vocabulary, reading, and ability to store information

• coordinates voluntary movement

• stores memories that you cannot consciously recall

basal ganglia

a group of subcortical nuclei located deep within the forebrain and midbrain, crucial for regulating voluntary motor control, procedural learning, habit formation, and emotional behaviors

limbic system

neural system located mostly in the forebrain -- below the cerebral hemispheres -- that includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus; associated with emotions and drives.

amygdala

two almond-shaped neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion such as aggression and fear