2022 AP Psych Midterm Vocab

critical thinking

thinking that doesn’t blindly accept arguments

empiricism

knowledge come from experience

structuralism (Wundt, Titchener)

introspection to revel the structure of human mind

introspection

looking inward to observe one’s own psych processes

functionalism (William James)

how mental and behavioral processes function

behaviorism (Watson, Skinner)

study of behavior without mental processes

humanistic psych (Carl Rogers, Maslow)

emphasized human growth potential

cognitive psych (Pavlov)

study of mental processes

cognitive neuroscience

interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition

psychology

science of behavior and mental processes

nature v nurture

whether genes and experience influence the development of one’s traits and behaviors

natural selection (Darwin)

how we adapt to survive, what traits are strong and should be passed on for survival

Application: natural reproduction - traits that help with survival

e.g. the dark, snakes, tall people

evolutionary psych (Darwin)

study of evolution of behavior and mind to survive

behavior genetics

study of limits to genetic and environmental influences on behavior

positive psych

study of human growth for someone to thrive through discovery of strengths

biopsych approach

incorporates biological, psychological, and socio-cultural views

behavioral psych

study of observable behavior and its explanation by learning

biological psych

scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processess

psychodynamic psych (Freud)

study of how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior

socio-cultural psych (Asch, Zimbardo, Milgram)

explains how people think and behave in society, situations, environment, or culture

Application: individual interaction with the group ; what are you doing in the group at the time/moment; group influence on individual

psychometrics

study of measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

developmental psych

studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout life span

educational psych

how psych processes affect and enhance teaching and learning

personality psych

individuals characteristics patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

social psych

how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

industrial-organization psych

application of psych concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

human factors psych

explores how people and machines interact

counseling psych

assists people with problems in living and in achieving greater well-being

clinical psych

studies assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

psychiatry

branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders

community psych

studies how people interact with their social environment and social institutions

hindsight bias

tendency to believe after learning an outcome; “I knew it all along phenomenon”

case study

descriptive technique; person(s) studied in depth to reveal universal principles, can’t be repeated

naturalistic observation

descriptive technique; observing and recording behavior without manipulation

survey

descriptive technique; questioning people, random sample

correlation

how well one factor predicts another

correlation coefficient

from -1.00 to +1.00

illusionary correlation

perceiving a relationship where none exists

regression toward the mean

the tendency for unusual scores/events to fall back toward average

experimental group

group exposed to treatment

control group

group not exposed to treatment

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental or control groups by chance

double blind procedure

both research staff and participants don’t know who received treatment or placebo

placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone

independent variable

what’s manipulated in experiment

confounding variable

a factor other than factors studied that can influence study’s results

dependent variable

outcome measured

informed consent

giving participants enough info about study to see if they want to participate

debriefing

post experiment; explanation of study

mode

most frequently occuring

mean

average

median

middle score

skewed distribution

scores lack symmetry around their average value

range

difference between highest and lowest scores

standard deviation

how far away scores are from mean

normal curve

bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of data

neuron

nerve cell; building block of nervous system

cell body

part of neuron that contains nucleus

dendrites

neuron’s branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducts impulses toward cell body

axon

neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, glands

myelin sheath

enables faster transmission speed for neural impulses to hope from one node to another

glial cells

cells that support and protect neurons in NVS

action potential

neural impulse, an electrical charge that travels down an axon, depolarization of axon to allow a message to come through

threshold

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

refractory period

neural processing, brief resting period that occurs after neuron has fired , occurs after axon returns to resting place

all or none response

neurons either firing at full strength or not at all

synapse

tiny gap between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite or cell body of receiving neuron

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

reuptake

neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

endorphines

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

agonist

enhances or mimics the effects a neurotransmitter’s action

antagonist

molecule that blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

nervous system

body’s speedy communication network, consists of nerve cells of peripheral and central nervous systems

central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

nerves

axons that connect the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

sensory neurons

carry incoming info from body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor neurons

carry outgoing info from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

interneurons

neurons within spinal cord and brain, communicate internally and process info between sensory inputs and motor outputs

somatic nervous system

division of peripheral nervous system that control skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

part of peripheral nervous system, controls glands and muscles of the internal organs

sympathetic nervous system

part of autonomic system, arouses body, mobilizes its energy

parasympathetic nervous system

part of autonomic nervous system, calms down body, conserving its energy

reflex

automatic response to sensory stimulus

endocrine system

body’s “slow” communication system, set of glands that secrete hormones into bloodstream

hormones

chemical messengers made by endocrine glands; travel through bloodstream, and affect other tissues

adrenal glands

endocrine glands that secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

pituitary gland

endocrine system’s most influential gland; under influence of hypothalamus that regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

EEG (electroencephalogram)

recording waves of electrical activity across brain’s surface

MEG (magnetoencephalography)

measures magnetic fields from brain’s natural electrical activity

CT (computed tomography) scan

xray photos that represent slice of brain’s structure

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

visual display of brain’s activity as it performs a given task

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to show images of brain anatomy

fMRI (functional MRI)

shows brain function and structure by comparing MRI scans

brainstem

oldest part and central core of brain; responsible for autonomic survival functions

medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing; base of brainstem

thalamus

sensory switchboard except smell; directs messages to sensory receiving areas in cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla; brain’s sensory control center

reticular formation

controls arousal; nerve network that travels through brainstem into thalamus