PSY 101 Test 1

Behavior

All of our outward or overt actions & reactions, such as talking, facial expressions, & movement

Mental Processes

All the internal, covert (hidden) activity of our minds, such as thinking, feeling, & remembering

Systematic

According to a fixed, ordered plan

Wilhelm Wundt

Attempted to apply scientific principles to the study of the human mind. In his laboratory, students from around the world were taught to study the structure of the human mind

Object Introspection

The process of examining & measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities

Wundt

Who proposed object introspection?

Edward Titchener

Expanded on Wundt’s original ideas and called his new viewpoint “structuralism”

Structuralism

The focus of study is the structure or basic elements of the mind

Functionalism

The focus of study is on how the mind allows people to work, live, adapt & play

Gestalt Psychology

Focused on sensation & perception, particularly, the perception of patterns & whole figures 

Sigmund Freud

Neurologist that believed that all behavior stems from unconscious motivation

Psychoanalysis

An insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasizing the revealing of unconscious conflicts, Freud's term for both the theory of personality and the therapy based on it

Psychotherapy

Process in which a trained psychological professional helps a person gain into & change their behaviors

Psychodynamic Perspective

Modern version of psychoanalysis that is more focused on the development of a sense of self & the discovery of motivations behind a person’s behavior other than sexual motivations

Behavioral Perspective

Behavior responses that are followed by pleasurable consequences are strengthened or reinforced

B.F Skinner

Studied operant conditioning of voluntary behavior

Humanistic Perspective

People have free will, the freedom to choose their own destiny, & strive for self-actualization, the achievement of one’s full potential

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, problem solving, & learning

Sociocultural Perspective

Focuses on the relationship between social behavior & culture

Biopsychological Perspective

Attributes human & animal behavior to biological events occurring in the body

Evolutionary Perspective

Focuses on the biological bases for universal mental health characteristics that all humans share

1. Perceiving the question
2. Forming a hypothesis
3. Testing the hypothesis
4. Drawing conclusions
5. Report results

What are the steps to toe scientific approach?

Case Study

Study of an individual in great detail

Correlation

A measurement of the relation between 2 variables

Positive Correlation

The 2 variables increase in the same direction (as 1 goes up, the other does too)

Negative Correlation

The 2 variables have an inverse relationship

Operationalization (Operational Definition)

Specific description of a variable of interest that allows it to be measured

Independent Variable

Manipulated by the experimenter

Dependent Variable

Represents the measurable response or behavior of the subjects in the experiment

Experimental Group

Subjects in an experiment that are subject to the independent variable

Control Group

Subjects in an experiment that are not subject to the independent variable & may be exposed to a placebo

Experimenter Effect

Tendency of an experimenter’s expectations for a study to unintentionally influence the results of the study

Single-Blind Study

The subjects don’t know if they’re in the experimental or control group

Institutional Review Boards

Groups of psychologists or other professionals that look over a proposed study & judge it according to its safety & consideration of the participants

Functionalism

Which school of psychology focuses on how mental processes help people adapt to their environment?

Behavioral Perspective

The basic belief of the_____ is that human behavior develops in response to rewards and punishment received.

Structuralism

Which school of psychology breaks down conscious experience into parts such as objective sensations and subjective feelings?

Experiment

Which research method in psychology allows the experimenter to make inferences about cause & effect?

Surrealist Movement

Sigmund Freud began which psychological movement?

Psychology

Scientific study of behavior & mental processes

Temporal

The lobes are responsible for processing auditory (hearing) information

Nerves

Bundles of axons coated in myelin that travel together through the body

Glial Cells

Provide support for the neurons to grow on and around, deliver nutrients to neurons, produce myelin to coat axons, clean up waste products & dead neurons, influence information processing, & during prenatal development, influence the generation of new neurons

Dendrites

Small, slender extensions of the cell body which receive incoming information

Soma

The cell body of the neuron responsible for maintaining the life of a cell

Excitatory Neurotransmitter

Synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to fire

Inhibitory Neurotransmitter

Synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to stop firing

Electrically charged

A neuron at rest (not currently firing a neural impulse or message) is

Ion

Charged particle

Negative

The relative charge of ions inside a cell is mostly

Positive

The relative charge of ions outside a cell is mostly

Electrostatic Pressure

The relative balance of electrical charges when the ions are at rest

Synapse (Synaptic Gap)

Microscopic fluid-filled space between the axon

Synaptic Vesicles

Sac-like structures found inside the synaptic knob containing chemicals

Neurotransmitter

Chemicals found in the synaptic vesicle that, when released, has an effect on the next cell

Antagonists

Chemical substances that block/reduce a cell’s response to the action of other chemicals or neurotransmitters

Agonists

Chemical substances that mimic or enhance the effects of a neurotransmitter on the receptor sites of the next cell, increasing or decreasing the activity of that cell

Left

Which of the brain that is more focused on analysis and sequence?

Brain & Spinal Cord

What are the parts of the Central Nervous System?

Receptor Sites

3D proteins on the surface of the dendrites or certain cells of the muscles & glands, which are shaped to fit only certain neurotransmitters

Brain

The core of the nervous system. It makes sense of the info. received from the senses, makes decisions, & sends commands out to the muscles, & the rest of the body, if needed

Spinal Cord

A long bundle of neurons that serves 2 vital functions for the nervous system

Sensory (Afferent) Neuron

Carries information from the senses to the CNS

Motor (Efferent Neuron)

Carries messages from the CNS to the muscles of the body

Interneuron

Receives info. from the afferent neurons & sends commands to the muscles through the efferent neurons

Interneurons

Which neurons make up the bulk of the neurons in the brain?

Reflex Arc

The connection of the afferent neurons, to the interneurons to the efferent neurons, resulting in a reflex action

Neuroplasticity

The ability within the brain to constantly change both structure & function of many cells in response to experience or trauma

Neurogenesis

Formation of new neurons; Occurs primarily during prenatal development, but may also occur at lesser levels in some brain areas during adulthood

Peripheral Nervous System

All nerves & neurons that aren’t contained in the brain & spinal cord that run through the body itself

Somatic Nervous System

Consists of nerves that carry information from the senses to the CNS & from the CNS to the voluntary muscles of the body

Sensory Pathway

Nerves coming from the sensory organs to the CNS consisting of afferent neurons

Motor Pathway

Nerves coming from the CNS to the voluntary muscles, consisting of efferent neurons

Autonomic Nervous System

Controls everything else in the body; organs, glands, & involuntary muscles

Parasympathetic Division

Restores the body to normal functioning & is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the organs & glands; “Rest & digest system”

Endocrine Glands

Secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream

Hormones

Chemicals released into the bloodstream by the endocrine glands

Hormones

Affect behavior & emotions by stimulating muscles, organs, or other glands of the body

Glands

Organs in the body that secrete chemicals

Pineal Gland

Located near the bases of the cerebrum; secretes melatonin

Thyroid Gland

Found in the neck; regulates metabolism 

Pancreas

Controls the level of sugar in the blood

Gonads

Sex glands; secretes hormones that regulate sexual development & behavior, as well as reproduction

Adrenal Glands

Secrete over 30 different hormones to deal with stress, regulate salt intake, & provide a secondary source of sex hormones affecting the sexual changes that occur during adolescence

Adrenal Medulla

Releases epinephrine & norepinephrine when people are under stress. It also aids in sympathetic arousal

Pituitary (Master) Gland

Located in the brain & secretes human growth hormone & influences all other hormone-secreting glands

Pituitary Gland

\-Located just below the brain & is connected to the hypothalamus

\-Controls/influences all the other endocrine glands

Oxytocin

Hormone released by the posterior pituitary gland that’s involved in reproductive & parental behaviors

Functional MRI (fMRI)

Which brain imaging tool can be used to see brain function (as opposed to structure)?

Gonads

The ____ are the glands primarily responsible for sexual and reproductive behavior

Synapse

The space between two neurons

Reuptake

Process by which neurotransmitters are taken back into the synaptic vesicles

Enzymatic Degradation

Process by which structure of neurotransmitter is altered, so it can no longer act on a receptor

Enzyme

A complex protein that’s manufactured by cells

Psychoneuroimmunology

Study of the effects of psychological factors such as stress, emotions, thoughts, & behavior on the immune system

Leisioning Studies

Insertion of a thin, insulated electrode into the brain through which an electrical current is sent, destroying the brain cells at the tip of the wire

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Uses scalp electrodes to pass very low amplitude direct current to the brain to change the excitability of cortical neurons directly below the electrodes

Mapping Structure

Allowed scientists to image the brain’s structure while the person is still alive

Computed Tomography (CT)

Brain-imaging method using computer-controlled X-rays of the brain

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Recording of the electrical activity of large groups of cortical neurons just below the skull, most often using scalp electrodes