Unit 1 + 2 + 3

Wilhelm Wundt

Founded structuralism and the first psychology lab

Introspection

Looking inside yourself to find out why you're acting a certain way / doing a certain thing

John Walton

Founded behaviorism

William James

Considered the founder of psychology, is a known functionalist

John Locke

Said your mind is born with a blank state

Socrates and Plato

Believed the mind was separable from the body

Aristotle

Disagreed with socrates and plato, said knowledge not pre-existing, but instead grows from experiences and memories

Empiricism

The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation

Structuralism

early school of psychology, used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind

Functionalism

school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavior processes function and enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish

Experimental Psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using experiments

Behaviorism

The thought that psychology should be based off of observable events, not the mind

Humanistic Psychology

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Cognitive Neuroscience

disciplinary study of the brain like with perception, thinking, and memory

Psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

Nature-Nurture Issue

Controversy over the contributions GENES and EXPERIENCE make to the development of psychological traits and behavior

Natural Selection

Traits needed to survive will most likely be passed to future generations

Biological Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies the links between biological and psychological processes usually has to do with GENES or HEREDITY

Evolutionary Psychology

the study of the roots of behavior and mental processes using natural selection as a guide

Psychodynamic Psychology

studies how UNCONSCIOUS DRIVES and conflicts influence behavior

Behavioral Psychology

the study of observable behavior and its explanation by principals of learning

Cognitive Psychology

Study of all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Social Cultural Psychology

how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

Focus: how behavior and thinking vary across different situations and cultures

William Titchener

Was a student of Wundt's, used introspection to study people's inner sensations and mental images

Psychometrics

the scientific study of measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Developmental Psychology

scientific study of physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

Educational Psychology

how psychological processes affect and enhance teaching and learning

Personality Psychology

the study of an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Social Psychology

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

Applied Research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Industrial Organizational Psychology

application of psychological concepts and methods to optimize behavior in the workplace

Human Factors psychology

how people and machines interact and the design of safe and easily used machines and environments

Counseling Psychology

assists people in problems in living and in achieving a greater well being

Clinical Psychology

Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

Psychiatry

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; psychiatrists medical treatments, psychological therapy, and are considered doctors

Mary Whinton Calkins

Tutored by William James, first woman president of the APA

Charles Darwin

Evolutionist, argued natural selection shapes behavior and bodies

Dorothea Dix

Changed the way the mentally ill were treated in the 1800's

Sigmund Freud

Developed the influential psychoanalytic theory of personality

Ivan Pavlov

His dog test proved humans and animals can be taught to act in a definite way in response to stimulus

Jean Piaget

Best known for his cognitive development and study of child psychology

Carl Rodgers

Found behaviorism too mechanistic, was a humanistic psychologist who focused on the affect of the current environment

B.F. Skinner

Behaviorist who rejected introspection, studied how consequences shape behavior

Maragret Floy Washburn

First woman to get a Ph.D in psychology

John B. Watson

Worked with Rayner, proved psychology to be the study of behavior

Hindsight Bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Operational Definition

a statement used to define research variables

Case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Survey

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Random sample

a sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected

Naturalistic Observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

Correlation coefficient

A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. (from -1 to 1)

Experiment

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Random Assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

Double-blind procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Placebo

an inert substance given to the control group in an experiment

Experimental group

A subject or group of subjects in an experiment that is exposed to the factor or condition being tested.

Control group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Independent Variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

Dependent Variable

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Confounding variable

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.

Mode

the most frequent value of a random variable

Mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution

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

Normal Curve

the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Overconfidence

Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions

Descriptive Statistics

statistics that describe the main features of a collection of data

Inferential Statistics

numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance

Neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Sensory Neuron

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Dendrite

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Axon

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Myelin Sheath

a layer of fatty tissue encasing a neuron's axon that speeds up transmission

Action Potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Synapse

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

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Endocrine System

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

Adrenal Glands

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

Pituitary Gland

the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this gland regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Nervous System

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Central Nervous System

the brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

Nerves

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Somatic Nervous System

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

Autonomic Nervous System

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Sympathetic Nervous System

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Parasympathetic Nervous System

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Reflex

quick automatic response to a stimulus

Absolute Refractory Period

the minimum length of time after an action potential during which another action potential cannot begin

Acetylcholine (ACH)

a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory and muscle movement

Dopamine

neurotransmitter that influences voluntary movement, attention, alertness; lack of this is linked with Parkinson's disease; too much is linked with schizophrenia

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the body; related to anxiety and mood disorders