german physiologist who founded psychology as a formal science; opened first psychology research laboratory in 1879
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Biopsychosocial Approach
An evaluation that takes into account the biological
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Applied Research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. ex: A study on how to improve illiteracy in teenagers
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Operational Definitions
a statement of the procedures used to define research variables. ex: If it floats in water
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independent variable
The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. ex: Someone's age
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Neuron
Dendrite- receive the message
Axon- Sends the message
Myelin Sheath- Goes fast
Synapse- drops the message
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Serotonin
A neurotransmitter that affects hunger
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Dopamine
a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior
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Agonist
Any drug that mimcks a nerurotransmitter. ex: heroin
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Antagonist
blocks neurotransmitter. ex: Chlorpromazine and haloperidol
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CT scan
a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body
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fMRI
A technique for revealing blood flow and
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CAT scan
a method of creating static images of the brain through computerized axial tomography
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MRI
a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain
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PET scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
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Brain stem
Connection to spinal cord. Filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain.
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Thalamus
relays messages between lower brain centers and the cerebral cortex. Relays motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. It also regulates sleep
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Cerebellum
Balance and coordination. It plays a role in learning to ride a bicycle or play a musical instrument
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Midbrain
Region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight.
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Hypothalamas
Fight
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pariteal lobe
processes info about touch
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frontal lobe
associated with reasoning
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Weirnecke's area
In charge of comprehension
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temporal lobe
A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.
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ocipital lobe
visual cortex
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Right side of the brain
controls emotional expression
it processes information globally and cannot influence speech
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Left side of the brain
seems to control language
processes information sequentially
and enables one to speak
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Top-down processing
perception
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Bottom-up processing
Sensation
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Cocktail party effect
Example of selective attention
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Inattentive blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
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Change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
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signal detection theory
theory regarding how stimuli are detected under different conditions
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Webbers law
the percentage to notice a difference. 100lb person lose 10 to notice
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Eye: Cornea
the outer
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Eye: Retina
Light sensitive layer of the eye; contains rods and cones
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Perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
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Educational Psychologist
a psychologist who is concerned with helping students learn
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Sensory adaptation
the tendency of sensory receptor cells to become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging
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Perceptional adaptation
the ability to adjust to changed sensory input
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Gate-control theory
theory that explains how the nervous system blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain
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Vistibular sense
the sense of body movement and position
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Circadian rhythm
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle
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Stage 1 sleep
\-Light sleep
\-The brain emits alpha waves--> consistent with a relaxed state of wakefulness
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Stage 2 of sleep
A sleep deeper than that of stage 1
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stage 3 sleep
third stage of sleep; deep sleep characterized by low frequency
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REM sleep
Rapid eye movement sleep
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Sleep apnea
a disorder in which the person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep
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Replication
Copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA
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Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
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Random Sampling
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
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Experiment
a set of controlled observations that test the hypothesis
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Random Assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance
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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.
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Withdrawal
the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
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Depressants
drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
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Anti-depressants
drugs that combat depression by affecting the levels or activity of neurotransmitters in the brain
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classical conditioning
a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
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operant conditioning
a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher
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Positive punishment
\+- ex: Giving a kid slap on the wrist to stop behavior
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Negative punishment
\+- ex: Taking away a toy to stop behavior
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Positive reinforcement
\++ Giving a someone $10 for passing a test
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Negative reinforcement
\-+ A kid doesnt want to be yelled at so they clean their room
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Fixed-interval schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed
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Variable-ratio schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses, ex: rolling admission
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Memory
Encode information
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Priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory, ex: seeing someoene and remembering memories
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Explicit memory
the act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences
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Inplicit memory
retention independent of conscious recollection. Also called prodcedural memory
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Dependent Variable
The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.
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Mean
average
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Median
Middle number
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Mode
most frequently occurring score
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Range
Distance between highest and lowest scores in a set of data.
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Statistically Significant
an observed effect so large that it would rarely occur by chance
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Reuptake
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
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Endorphins
"morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
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Plasticity
the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
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Corpus Callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
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Transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another
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Context Effects
memory is aided by being in the physical location where encoding took place
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Visual Acuity
sharpness of vision
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Frequency Theory
theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane
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Tinnitus
ringing in the ears
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Physiological Dependence
a condition in which the user has a chemical need for a drug
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Methamphetamines
Highly addictive drug that stimulates CNS. Reduces dopamine levels.
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Unconditioned Stimulus
something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism
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Unconditioned Response
in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus
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Anterograde Amnesia
an inability to form new memories
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Retrograde Amnesia
an inability to retrieve information from one's past
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Misinformation Effect
incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event
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Acoustic encoding
the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
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Chunking
organizing items into familiar, manageable units
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Intrinsic Motivation
A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake. ex-participating in a sport because it's fun and you enjoy it rather than doing it to win an award.
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Internal Locus of Control
the perception that you control your own fate
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Mirror Neurons
neurons in the brain that are activated when one observes another individual engage in an action and when one performs a similar action
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Proactive interference
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information
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internal locus of control
the perception that you control your own fate. ex- students with an internal locus of control might blame poor grades on their failure to study
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Broca's area
Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
Studied by 2 people
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