General Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering all terms, concepts, research methods, and biological structures outlined in the General Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide.

Psychology

The core scientific discipline introduced in Chapter 1, which includes major historical schools of thought and five primary subspecialties.

Scientific/empirical method

The empirical approach to investigation, research, and evidence-gathering utilized within the field of psychology.

Structuralism

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Functionalism

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Psychoanalysis

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Behaviorism

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Gestalt psychology

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Humanism

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Cognitive revolution

One of the major historical movements and schools of thought in the development of psychology.

Cross-cultural psychology

One of the major historical schools of thought in psychology identified in Chapter 1.

Biopsychology

One of the five major subspecialties within the field of psychology, focusing on biological and neural mechanisms.

Cognitive Psychology

One of the five major subspecialties within the field of psychology.

Developmental Psychology

One of the five major subspecialties within the field of psychology.

Social Psychology

One of the five major subspecialties within the field of psychology.

Clinical Psychology

One of the five major subspecialties within the field of psychology.

Falsifiable hypothesis

A property of a proposed explanation in psychological research that allows it to be tested and potentially proven false.

Operationalization

A research process in Chapter 2 involving the definition and specification of variables into measurable terms.

Correlational designs

A category of research designs in psychology that includes case studies, observational studies, surveys, interviews, and archival research.

Case studies

A correlational research design characterized by an in-depth investigation of an individual subject or event.

Observational studies

A correlational research design that involves observing subjects in naturalistic or laboratory settings.

Surveys

A correlational research design utilized in psychology to collect reported data from subjects.

Interviews

A correlational research design involving direct questioning to gather data in psychology.

Archival research

A correlational research design that utilizes existing records and data repositories.

Timespan designs

Research designs in psychology structured around tracking subjects across time, comprising longitudinal and cross-sectional designs.

Longitudinal design

A timespan research design in Chapter 2 that observes the same subjects repeatedly over an extended period.

Cross-sectional design

A timespan research design in Chapter 2 that compares different population segments at a single point in time.

Independent variable

A variable in psychological research that is manipulated or categorized by the experimenter.

Dependent variable

A variable in psychological research that is measured to assess the effect of the independent variable.

Confound

An uncontrolled or extraneous variable in psychological research that can improperly influence study outcomes.

Control variable

A variable held constant in an experiment to prevent it from impacting the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Reliable results

A quality of a psychological study indicating that its results are dependable, consistent, and repeatable.

Valid results

A quality of a psychological study indicating that its results accurately measure or reflect what they are intended to measure.

Pairs of chromosomes

The paired genetic structures located within the human body examined in biopsychology.

Genotype

An organism's underlying genetic makeup, which can be impacted by the environment and is contrasted with phenotype.

Phenotype

An organism's observable characteristics and traits, which can be impacted by the environment and are contrasted with genotype.

Neuron

The primary cellular unit of the nervous system, characterized by specific identifiable anatomical parts.

Central nervous system

One of the two primary divisions of the nervous system, differentiated from the peripheral nervous system.

Peripheral nervous system

One of the two primary divisions of the nervous system, differentiated from the central nervous system.

Autonomic nervous system

A division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary bodily functions, contrasted with the somatic nervous system.

Somatic nervous system

A division of the peripheral nervous system associated with voluntary control, contrasted with the autonomic nervous system.

Sympathetic nervous system

A branch of the autonomic nervous system, contrasted with the parasympathetic nervous system.

Parasympathetic nervous system

A branch of the autonomic nervous system, contrasted with the sympathetic nervous system.

Frontal lobe

A lobe of the brain characterized by specific primary structures and functions.

Parietal lobe

A lobe of the brain characterized by specific primary structures and functions.

Temporal lobe

A lobe of the brain characterized by specific primary structures and functions.

Occipital lobe

A lobe of the brain characterized by specific primary structures and functions.

Hypothalamus

An important brain structure examined in biopsychology.

Hippocampus

An important brain structure examined in biopsychology.

Amygdala

An important brain structure examined in biopsychology.

Phineas Gage

A historic individual whose brain injury and subsequent changes provided foundational lessons about brain function and localization.

Chronotypes

Individual variations and patterns in circadian rhythms and sleep-wake timing defined in Chapter 4.

Melatonin

A hormone that plays a critical role in the circadian rhythm, defined by where and when it is produced in the body.

Adaptive (evolutionary) theory of sleep

A theoretical perspective on sleep based on evolutionary principles, which is evaluated alongside critiques raised against it.

Cognitive theory of sleep

A theoretical explanation of sleep supported by empirical cognitive evidence.

Four stages of sleep

The distinct phases of sleep, each characterized by specific physiological occurrences and characteristic brain wave activity.

Sensation

The initial physiological process of receiving stimuli from the environment, differentiated from perception.

Perception

The psychological process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, which is distinct from sensation and influenced by multiple factors.

Properties of waves

Physical wave characteristics—comprising wavelengths, amplitude, and frequency—that impact one another during sensory processing.

Visual transduction

The process occurring with visual sensory neurons that starts with light waves and ends with transmission through the optical nerve.

Photoreceptors

Specialized visual sensory cells categorized into rods and cones that initiate the transduction of light.

Rods and cones

The two distinct types of photoreceptor cells in the eye that differ in visual function and sensitivity.

Theories of color vision

Two competing theoretical frameworks evaluated in Chapter 5 to explain how color is perceived.

Gestalt principles

Principles of perceptual organization described in Chapter 5, including figure-ground relationship, proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure.

Figure-ground relationship

A Gestalt principle of perception involving the distinction of a focal object from its background.

Proximity

A Gestalt principle of perception regarding the grouping of stimuli that are physically close together.

Similarity

A Gestalt principle of perception regarding the grouping of stimuli that share common visual features.

Continuity

A Gestalt principle of perception stating that elements are perceived as smooth, continuous lines or patterns.

Closure

A Gestalt principle of perception stating that the mind fills in missing gaps to perceive incomplete figures as whole objects.

Multimodal perception

The simultaneous processing and integration of sensory information originating from multiple sensory modalities.