Ap psych midterm

Wilhelm Wundt

german physiologist who founded psychology as a formal science; opened first psychology research laboratory in 1879

Biopsychosocial Approach

An evaluation that takes into account the biological

Applied Research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. ex: A study on how to improve illiteracy in teenagers

Operational Definitions

a statement of the procedures used to define research variables. ex: If it floats in water

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. ex: Someone's age

Neuron

Dendrite- receive the message

Axon- Sends the message

Myelin Sheath- Goes fast

Synapse- drops the message

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects hunger

Dopamine

a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior

Agonist

Any drug that mimcks a nerurotransmitter. ex: heroin

Antagonist

blocks neurotransmitter. ex: Chlorpromazine and haloperidol

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

fMRI

A technique for revealing blood flow and

CAT scan

a method of creating static images of the brain through computerized axial tomography

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

PET scan

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

Brain stem

Connection to spinal cord. Filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain.

Thalamus

relays messages between lower brain centers and the cerebral cortex. Relays motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. It also regulates sleep

Cerebellum

Balance and coordination. It plays a role in learning to ride a bicycle or play a musical instrument

Midbrain

Region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight.

Hypothalamas

Fight

pariteal lobe

processes info about touch

frontal lobe

associated with reasoning

Weirnecke's area

In charge of comprehension

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

ocipital lobe

visual cortex

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

Top-down processing

perception

Bottom-up processing

Sensation

Cocktail party effect

Example of selective attention

Inattentive blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment

signal detection theory

theory regarding how stimuli are detected under different conditions

Webbers law

the percentage to notice a difference. 100lb person lose 10 to notice

Eye: Cornea

the outer

Eye: Retina

Light sensitive layer of the eye; contains rods and cones

Perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Educational Psychologist

a psychologist who is concerned with helping students learn

Sensory adaptation

the tendency of sensory receptor cells to become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging

Perceptional adaptation

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input

Gate-control theory

theory that explains how the nervous system blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain

Vistibular sense

the sense of body movement and position

Circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

Stage 1 sleep

\-Light sleep

\-The brain emits alpha waves--> consistent with a relaxed state of wakefulness

Stage 2 of sleep

A sleep deeper than that of stage 1

stage 3 sleep

third stage of sleep; deep sleep characterized by low frequency

REM sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep

Sleep apnea

a disorder in which the person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep

Replication

Copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Random Sampling

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Experiment

a set of controlled observations that test the hypothesis

Random Assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance

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.

Withdrawal

the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug

Depressants

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Anti-depressants

drugs that combat depression by affecting the levels or activity of neurotransmitters in the brain

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.

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Positive punishment

\+- ex: Giving a kid slap on the wrist to stop behavior

Negative punishment

\+- ex: Taking away a toy to stop behavior

Positive reinforcement

\++ Giving a someone $10 for passing a test

Negative reinforcement

\-+ A kid doesnt want to be yelled at so they clean their room

Fixed-interval schedule

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed

Variable-ratio schedule

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses, ex: rolling admission

Memory

Encode information

Priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory, ex: seeing someoene and remembering memories

Explicit memory

the act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences

Inplicit memory

retention independent of conscious recollection. Also called prodcedural memory

Dependent Variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.

Mean

average

Median

Middle number

Mode

most frequently occurring score

Range

Distance between highest and lowest scores in a set of data.

Statistically Significant

an observed effect so large that it would rarely occur by chance

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Endorphins

"morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Corpus Callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another

Context Effects

memory is aided by being in the physical location where encoding took place

Visual Acuity

sharpness of vision

Frequency Theory

theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane

Tinnitus

ringing in the ears

Physiological Dependence

a condition in which the user has a chemical need for a drug

Methamphetamines

Highly addictive drug that stimulates CNS. Reduces dopamine levels.

Unconditioned Stimulus

something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism

Unconditioned Response

in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Anterograde Amnesia

an inability to form new memories

Retrograde Amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

Misinformation Effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

Acoustic encoding

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units

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.

Internal Locus of Control

the perception that you control your own fate

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

Proactive interference

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

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

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.