UBC Psychology 101

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Mind

the private inner experience of perceptions, thoughts, memories, and feelings

Behaviour

Any observable action made by a living person

Nativism

the philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn

Philosophical empiricism

the view that all knowledge is acquired through experience

Phrenology

A now defunct theory that specific mental abilities and characteristics, ranging from memory to the capacity for happiness, are localized in specific regions of the brain.

Physiology

the study of how the body and its parts work or function

Stimulus

sensory input from the environment

Reaction time

the amount of time taken to respond to a specific stimulus

Consciousness

a person's subjective experience of the world and the mind

Structuralism

the analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind

Introspection

the subjective observation of one's own experience

Functionalism

The study of the purpose mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment

Natural selection

Charles Darwin's theory that the features of an organism that help it survive and reproduce are more likely than other features to be passed on to subsequent generations.

Hysteria

a temporary loss of cognitive or motor functions, usually as a result of emotionally upsetting experiences

Unconscious

the part of the mind that operates outside of the conscious awareness but influxes conscious thoughts, feeling and actions

psychoanalytic theory

approach that emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts, and behaviours

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach that focuses on bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to better understand psychological disorders.

humanistic psychology

an approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings

response

An action or change in behavior that occurs as a result of a stimulus.

reinforcement

the consequences of a behavior determine whether it will be more or less likely to occur again

Illusions

errors of perception, memory, or judgement in which subjective experience differs from objective reality

Gestalt Psychology

a psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

Cognitive Psychology

the scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning

Behavioural Neuroscience

an approach to psychology that links psychological processes to activities in the nervous system and other bodily processes

cognitive neuroscience

A field that attempts to understand the links between cognitive processes and brain activity.

evolutionary psychology

a psychological approach that explains mind and behavior in terms of the adaptive value of abilities that are preserved over time by natural selection

social psychology

the study of the causes and consequences of sociality

cultural psychology

the study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members

Empiricism

the belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation

Scientific Method

a procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence

Theory

a hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon

Hypothesis

a falsifiable prediction made by a theory

empirical method

a set of rules and techniques for observation

operational definition

a description of a property in concrete, measurable terms

instrument

anything that can detect the condition to which an operational definition refers

Validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Reliability

the tendency for an instrument to produce the same measurement whenever it is used to measure the same thing

Power

an instrument's ability to detect small magnitudes of the property

demand characteristics

those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

naturalistic observation

a technique for gathering scientific information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments

double-blind observation

a technique whose true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed

frequency distribution

a graphical representation of measurements arranged by the number of times each measurement was made

normal distribution

a mathematically defined distribution in which the frequency of measurements is highest in the middle and decreases symmetrically in both directions

Mode

most frequently occurring score

mean

average

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Variable

a property whose value can vary across individuals or over time

Correlation

two variables are said to "be correlated" when variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other

correlation coefficient

a mathematical measure of both the direction and strength of a correlation, which is symbolized by the letter r

natural correlation

a correlation observed in the world around us

third-variable correlation

two variables are correlated only because each is causally related to a third variable

matched samples

a technique whereby the participants in two groups are identical in terms of a third variable

matched pairs technique

a technique whereby each participant is identical to one other participant in terms of a third variable

third variable problem

the fact that a causal relationship between two variables cannot be inferred from the naturally occurring correlation between them because of the ever-present possibility of third-variable correlation

experiment

a technique for establishing the causal relationship between variables

manipulation

changing a variable in order to determine its causal power

independent variable

variable that is manipulated

experimental group

the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested

control group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.

self-selection

a problem that occurs when anything about a person determines whether he or she will be included in the experimental or control group

random assignment

a procedure that lets chance assign people to the experimental or control group

internal validity

an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships

external validity

an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way

Population

a complete collection of participants who might possibly be measured

Sample

a partial collection of people drawn from a population

case method

a procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual

random sampling

a technique for choosing participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample

direct replication

an experiment that uses the same procedures as a previous experiment but with a new sample

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Debriefing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

Neurons

cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information-processing tasks

cell body

the part of a neuron that coordinates information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive

Dendrite

the part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body

Axon

the part of the neuron that carries information away from the cell body toward other cells

myelin sheath

an insulating layer of fatty material

glial cells

support cells found in the nervous system

Synapse

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

sensory neurons

neurons that receive information from the external world and convey this information to the brain via the spinal cord

motor neurons

neurons that carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement

Interneurons

neurons that connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons

resting potential

The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane

action potential

an electric signal that is conducted along a neuron's axon to a synapse

refractory period

the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

terminal buttons

knoblike structures that branch out from an axon

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

Receptors

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

Acetylcholine

a neurotransmitter involved in a number of functions, including voluntary motor control

dopamine

a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain

Norepinephrine

a neurotransmitter that is particularly involved in states of vigilance, or heightened awareness of dangers in the environment

Serotonin

a neurotransmitter that is involved in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness, eating, and aggressive behaviour

Endorphins

chemicals that act within the pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain

Agonists

drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter

antagonists

drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter

nervous system

an interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical information throughout the body

central nervous system

the part of the nervous system that is composed of the brain and the spinal cord