MCQ Practice #4

Set is a combination of all of the units up to MCQ Practice #4 (Ch's 1-9).

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

science

the use of systematic method to observe the natural world, including human behavior, and to draw conclusions

behavior

everything we do that can be directly observed

structuralism

approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes

functionalism

James's approach to mental processes, emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment

natural selection

Darwin's principle of an evolutionary process in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and produce offspring

biological approach

an approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system

behavioral approach

an approach to psychology emphasizing the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants

psychodynamic approach

an approach to psychology emphasizing unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives (such as the drive for sex) and society's demands, and early childhood family experiences

humanistic approach

an approach to psychology emphasizing a person's positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose one's destiny

cognitive approach

an approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceived, remember, think, and solve problems

evolutionary approach

an approach to psychology centered on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors

sociocultural approach

an approach to psychology that examines the influences of social and cultural environments on behavior

variable

anything that can change

theory

a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations and to make predictions about future observations

hypothesis

a testable prediction that derives logically from a theory

operational definition

a definition that provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a particular study

case study

also called a case history, and in-depth look at a single individual

correlational research

research that examines the relationships between variables, whose purpose is to examine whether and how two variables change together

third variable problem

the circumstance where a variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two variables; also known as confounding variables

longitudinal design

a special kind of systematic observation, used by correlational researchers, that involves obtaining measures of the variables of interest in multiple waves over time

experiment

a carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables that are believed to influence some other variable

random assignment

researchers assignment of participants to groups by chance, to reduce the likelihood that an experiment's results will be due to pre-existing differences between groups

independent variable

manipulated experimental factor, the variable that the experimenter changes to see what its effects are

dependent variable

the factor that can change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable; it's what is being measured in an experiment

experimental group

the participants in an experiment who receive the drug or other treatment understudy, that is, those who are exposed to the change that the independent variable represents

control group

the participants in an experiment who are as much like the experimental group as possible and who are treated in every way like the experimental group except for a manipulated factor, the independent variable

external validity

the degree to which an experimental design actually reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address

internal validity

the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable

experimenter bias

the influence of the experimenter's expectations on the outcome of research

demand characteristics

any aspects of a study that communicate to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave

research participant bias

in an experiment, the influence of participants' expectations, and of their thoughts about how they should behave, on their behavior

placebo effect

the situation where participants' expectations, rather than experimental treatment, produce an experimental outcome

double-blind experiment

an experimental design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until the results are calculated

placebo

in a drug study, a harmless substance that has no physiological effect, given to participants in the control group so that they are treated identically to the experimental group except for the active agent

population

the entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions

sample

the subset of the population chosen by the investigator for study

random sample

a sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected

naturalistic observation

the observation of behavior in a real-world setting

debriefing

a procedure to inform participants about the true nature of an experiment after its completion

ethics

rules of proper and acceptable conduct that investigators use to guide psychological research

informed consent

the agreement of participants to take part in an experiment and their acknowledgement that they understand the nature of their participation in the research, and have been fully informed about the general nature of the research, its goals, and methods

significant difference

in an experiment, a difference that is unlikely to have occurred because of chance alone and is inferred to be most likely due to the systematic manipulations of variables by the researcher

self-fulfilling prophecy

when a researcher's expectations unknowingly create a situation that affects the results and makes their expectations come true

measure of central tendency

a descriptive statistic that tells which result or score best represents an entire set of scores

mean

the arithmetic average of a set of scores

median

the measure of central tendency that is the data point with 50% of the scores above it and 50% below it

mode

the most frequently occurring score in a set of data

range

the spread between the highest and the lowest scores in a distribution

correlation coefficient

a number that expresses the degree and direction of the relationship between 2 variables, ranging from -1 to +1

normal distribution

approximate distribution of scores expected when a sample is taken from a large population, drawn as a frequency polygon that often takes the form of a bell-shaped curve, called the normal curve

standard deviation

a descriptive statistic that measures the variability of data from the mean of the sample

variability

the extent to which scores differ from one another

corpus callosum

large band of white neural fibers that connects to to brain hemispheres and carries messages between them

cerebrum

large part of the brain containing the cerebral cortex, as well as several subcortical (i.e., "under the cortex") structures

hippocampus

part of the limbic system and is involved in learning and forming new long-term memories

cerebellum

part of the brain that coordinates balance, movement, reflexes

medulla

part of the brain which controls living functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature

reticular formation

plays an important role in attention, arousal, sleep, and alert functions

pons

involved in sleep/wake cycles; also connects cerebellum and medulla to the cerebral cortex

amygdala

part of the limbic system; influences emotions such as aggression, fear, and self-protective behaviors

pituitary gland

regulates growth and helps control other endocrine glands; sometimes called the "master gland"

hypothalamus

regulates behaviors such as, eating, drinking, sleep, sexual behaviors, motivation

thalamus

motor sensory relay center for four of the five senses

ossicles

the three bones in the middle ear (hammer, anvil, stirrup)

cochlea

spiral cavity of the inner ear, which produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations

eardrum

membrane of the middle ear that vibrates in response to sound waves

auditory nerve

nerve that carries auditory sensory information from the cochlea of the inner ear directly to the brain

fovea

area of the retina where visual acuity is highest; the center of the field of vision

optic nerve

sends visual stimuli from the retina to the brain

pupil

the dark circular opening in the center of the iris of the eye, varying in size to regulate the amount of light reaching the retina

lens

transparent structure behind the iris that bends light to focus it on the retina

cornea

clear protective covering of the iris and pupil

nervous system

the body's electrochemical communication circuitry

plasticity

the brain's special capacity for change

afferent nerves

also called sensory nerves; nerves that carry information about the external environment to the brain and spinal cord via sensory receptors

efferent nerves

also called motor nerves; nerves that carry information out of the brain and spinal cord to other areas of the body

central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

the network of nerves that connects the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body

somatic nervous system

the body system consisting of the sensory nerves, whose function is to convey information from the skin and muscles to the CNS about condition such as pain and temperature, and the motor nerves, whose function is to tell muscles want to do

autonomic nervous system

the body system the text messages to and from the body's internal organs, monitoring such processes as breathing, heart rate, and digestion

sympathetic nervous system

the part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body to mobilize it for action and that is involved in the experience of stress

parasympathetic nervous system

the part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body

neuron

one of two types of cells in the nervous system; neurons of the nerve cells that handle the information processing function

glial cells

provide support, nutritional benefits, and other functions and keep neurons running smoothly

cell body

the part of the neuron that contains the nucleus, which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs for growth and maintenance

dendrite

tree-like fibers projecting from a neuron, which receive information and orient it toward the neuron's cell body

axon

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

myelin sheath

a layer of fat cells that encases and insulates most axons

resting potential

the stable, negative charge of an inactive neuron

action potential

the brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon

all-or-nothing principal

the principle that once the electrical impulses reach a certain level of intensity (its threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity

synapse

tiny space between neurons

neurotransmitter

chemical substance that is stored in very tiny sacs within the terminal buttons and involved in transmitting information across the synaptic gap to the next neuron

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter involved in the action of muscles learning and memory; imbalances associated with Alzheimer's disease

GABA

a primary inhibiting (calming) neurotransmitter in the brain

norepinephrine

neurotransmitter associated with depression, bipolar disorder; excites the heart, intestines, and other organs

dopamine

neurotransmitter involved in voluntary movement; affects sleep, mood, attention, learning; imbalances associated with schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease; plays key role in addictions

serotonin

neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, attention, and learning; low levels are associated with depression

endorphins

natural opiates that protects the body from pain and elevate feelings of pleasure