psych miderm 1

==adaptation==

a trait of an organism has a function for the survival and reproduction of the individual

==American Psychological Association (APA)==

professional organization representing psychologists in the US

==behaviourism==

focus on observing and controlling behaviour

==biopsychology==

study of how biology influences behaviour

==biopsychosocial model==

perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individuals health.

==clinical psychology==

area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behaviour

==cognitive psychology==

study of cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to experiences and actions

==counselling psychology==

area of psychology that focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and. other aspects o the lives of psychologically healthy individuals.

==developmental psychology==

scientific study of development across a lidespan

==dissertation==

long research paper about research that was conducted as a part of the candidate’s doctoral training

==empirical method==

method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument of previous authorities

==forensic psychology==

area of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system

==functionalism==

focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment

==humanism==

perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans

==introspection==

process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts

==natural selection==

the process in which differences in an organisms characteristics arise leading to better adaptation to their environment

==-ology==

suffix that denotes “scientific study of”

==personality psychology==

study of patterns of thoughts and behaviours that make each individual unique

==PhD==

(doctor pf philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences

==postdoctoral training program==

allows programs to broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field

==psychoanalytic theory==

focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behaviour

==psychology==

scientific study of the mind and behaviour

==PsyD==

(doctor of psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research-oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context

==sport and exercise psychology==

area of psychology that focuses on the interactions between mental and emotional factors and physical performance in exercise, sports, and other activities

==structuralism==

understanding the conscious experience through introspection

@@archival research@@

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patters or relationships

@@attrition@@

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

@@cause-and-effect relationship@@

changes in one variable which causes the changes in another variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design

@@clinical or case study@@

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

@@confirmation bias@@

tendancy to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

@@confounding variable@@

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable cause changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

@@control group@@

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study - by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

@@correlation@@

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

@@correlation coefficient@@

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r

@@cross-sectional research@@

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

@@debriefing@@

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told to complete truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

@@deception@@

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

@@deductive reasoning@@

results are predicted based on a feneral premise

@@dependant variable@@

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independant variable had

@@double-blind study@@

experiment in which both he researcher and participants are blind to the group assignments

@@empirical@@

grounded in objective, tangible evidene that can be observed time and tme again, regardless of who is observing

@@experimental group@@

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation that chance

@@experimenter bias@@

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

@@fact@@

objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research

@@falsifiable@@

able to be disproven by experimental results

@@generalize@@

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

@@hypothesis@@

(plural: hypotheses) tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables

@@illusory correlation@@

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

@@independant variable@@

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter: in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group

@@inductive reasoning@@

conclusions are drawn from observations

@@informed consent@@

process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate

@@Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)@@

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals

@@Institutional Review Board (IRB)@@

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants

@@inter-rater reliability@@

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

@@longitudinal research@@

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

@@naturalistic observation@@

observation of behaviour in its natural setting

@@negative correlation@@

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

@@observer bias@@

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

@@operational definition@@

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

@@opinion@@

personal judgements, conclusions, or attitudes that may or not be accurate

@@participants@@

subjects of psychological research

@@peer-reviewed journal article@@

article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication

@@placebo effect@@

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

@@polulation@@

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

@@positive correlation@@

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

@@random assignment@@

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group

@@random sample@@

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

@@reliability@@

consistency and reproducibility of a given result/

@@replicate@@

repeating an experiment using different samples to determining the research’s reliability

%%action potential%%

electrical signal that moves down the neurone’s axon

%%agonist%%

drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter

%%all-or-none%%

phenomenon that incoming signal from another neurone is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation

%%amygdala%%

structure in the limbic system involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories

%%antagonist%%

drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter

%%auditory cortex%%

strip of cortex in the temporal lobe that is responsible for processing auditory information

%%autonomic nervous system%%

controls our internal organs and glands

%%axon%%

major extension of the soma

%%biological perspective%%

view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems

%%Broca’s area%%

region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production

%%central nervous system%%

brain and spinal cord/

%%cerebellum%%

hindbrain structure that controls out balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and it is thought to be important in processing some types of memory

%%cerebral cortex%%

surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities

%%computerized tomography (CT) scan%%

imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x-rays of a given area

%%corpus callosum%%

thick band of neural fibres connecting the brain’s two hemispheres

%%degration%%

the process by which an enzyme breaks neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft down into their components so that they can no longer interact with the receptors on the post synaptic neurone

%%dendrite%%

branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurones

%%electroencephalography (EEG)%%

recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp

%%fight or flight response%%

activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity so that we might fight off a given threat or run away to safety

%%forebrain%%

largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex, the thalamus, and the limbic system, among other structures

%%frontal lobe%%

part of the cerebral cortex involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language; contains motor cortex

%%functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)%%

MRI that shoes changes in metabolic activity over time

%%glial cell%%

nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurones, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste support

%%gyrus%%

(plural: gyri) bump or ridge on cerebral cortex

%%hemisphere%%

left or right side of the brain

%%hindbrain%%

division of the brain containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum

%%hippocampus%%

structure in the temporal lobe associated with learning and memory

%%homeostasis%%

state of equilibrium-biological conditions, such as body temperature, are maintained at optimal levels

%%hypothalamus%%

forebrain structure that regulates sexual motivation and behaviour and a number of homeostatic processes; serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system

%%lateralization%%

concept that each hemisphere of the brain is associated with specialized functions

%%limbicsystem%%

collection of structures involve in processing emotion and memory