All gen psych FSU

What is the official definition of psychology?

The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior.

What is critical thinking in psychology?

Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to favor information that confirms one's beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

What is the correlation causation fallacy?

Mistaking correlation for causation without considering a third variable.

What is hindsight bias?

Believing an event was predictable after it has already occurred.

What is the availability heuristic?

Judging the likelihood of events based on how easily they come to mind.

What is the base rate fallacy?

Ignoring statistical information in favor of specific information.

What is self-serving bias?

Attributing success to internal factors and failure to external ones.

What is the largest subfield of psychology?

Clinical psychology, accounting for 47% of the field.

What are the goals of science in psychology?

Description, prediction, and explanation.

What is a hypothesis?

A testable, practical prediction grounded in theory.

What is descriptive research?

Observing and recording behavior without manipulation.

What is a correlational design?

Research method that assesses relationships between variables without establishing causality.

What does an r value of 0 indicate?

No correlation between variables.

What is the main goal of experimental design?

To explore cause and effect relationships.

What is internal validity?

The extent to which effects are due to the independent variable and not confounds.

What is external validity?

The generalizability of study results to other contexts.

What does informed consent require?

Knowledge of participation, understanding of the study, and voluntary agreement.

What is memory?

The ability to retain and retrieve skills and knowledge.

What are the three stages of memory?

Encoding, storage, and retrieval.

What is sensory memory?

Very brief storage of sensory information, lasting less than one second.

What is working memory?

Active memory system holding information for current use, involving both storage and manipulation.

What is explicit memory?

Memory requiring conscious recall, including episodic and semantic memory.

What is implicit memory?

Memory that occurs without deliberate awareness, such as procedural memory.

What is elaborative rehearsal?

Encoding information in a meaningful way to enhance memory.

What is the serial position effect?

The tendency to remember items at the beginning and end of a list better than the middle.

What is proactive interference?

When old information interferes with the recall of new information.

What is blocking in memory?

Temporary inability to recall information.

What is the Big Five trait associated with creativity and openness to experience?

Openness.

What does conscientiousness describe in the Big Five model?

Organization, responsibility, and dependability.

What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis in psychology?

A theory explains and predicts relationships, while a hypothesis is a testable prediction derived from a theory.

What is the Law of Parsimony?

The principle that the simplest explanation is usually the best.

What are the benefits of correlational studies?

They allow researchers to study naturally occurring variables that would be unethical or impractical to manipulate.

What is a third variable problem?

A situation where an unmeasured third variable influences both variables in a study.

What is the function of the independent variable in an experiment?

It is the factor that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect.

What are descriptive statistics?

Statistics that summarize and describe data, such as mean, median, and mode.

What does standard deviation measure?

The average distance of each data point from the mean.

What does a p-value less than .05 indicate?

The result is statistically significant and unlikely due to chance.

What is the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

To ensure research is conducted ethically and that participants' rights are protected.

What is consolidation in memory?

The process of stabilizing and strengthening memories, often during sleep.

Which brain region is responsible for working memory?

The prefrontal cortex.

What brain region stores spatial memory?

The hippocampus.

What is the function of chunking in memory?

Organizing information into meaningful units to improve retention in short-term memory.

What is the difference between semantic and episodic memory?

Semantic memory involves facts; episodic memory involves personal experiences.

What are retrieval cues?

Stimuli that help access information in long-term memory.

What is context-dependent memory?

Recall is better when the retrieval context matches the encoding context.

What is state-dependent memory?

Memory retrieval is enhanced when an individual's internal state matches the state during encoding.

What is the testing effect?

Testing enhances long-term memory more than restudying.

What is retroactive interference?

When new information interferes with the recall of old information.

What is suggestibility in memory?

The development of false memories due to misleading information.

What is the role of the neuron in the nervous system?

It receives, integrates, and transmits information.

What are the three types of neurons?

Sensory, motor, and interneurons.

What is the function of the myelin sheath?

It insulates the axon and speeds up neural transmission.

What is the synapse?

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are exchanged.

What is the all-or-none principle in neural firing?

A neuron either fires completely or not at all.

What are the three ways neurotransmitters are cleared from the synapse?

Reuptake, enzyme deactivation, and autoreception.

What does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?

The brain and spinal cord.

What is the role of the sympathetic nervous system?

It prepares the body for fight-or-flight responses.

What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?

It calms the body and conserves energy (rest and digest).

What does the cerebellum control?

Fine motor skills and balance.

What is the function of the medulla?

It controls basic life functions like heart rate, circulation, and respiration.

What is the function of the amygdala?

It processes emotions, particularly fear and emotional memories.

What is the hippocampus responsible for?

Creating new episodic memories and aiding in spatial navigation.

What does the thalamus do?

Acts as a sensory relay station for all senses except smell.

What is the corpus callosum?

A bundle of fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

What is Broca's area responsible for?

Speech production.

What happens when Wernicke's area is damaged?

Speech becomes fluent but meaningless, and understanding is impaired.

What does an EEG measure?

Electrical activity in the brain.

What does an fMRI measure?

Changes in blood oxygen levels to indicate brain activity.

What are agonists in psychopharmacology?

Drugs that increase the action of neurotransmitters.

What are antagonists in psychopharmacology?

Drugs that block the function of neurotransmitters.

What does SSRI stand for?

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

What is the main psychoactive substance in tobacco?

Nicotine.

What neurotransmitters does cocaine block the reuptake of?

Dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

What is transduction in perception?

The conversion of physical stimuli into neural signals.

What is sensory adaptation?

Reduced sensitivity to constant stimulation.

What is inattentional blindness?

Failing to notice visible objects when attention is focused elsewhere.

What is change blindness?

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

What is top-down processing?

Using prior knowledge and experience to interpret sensory information.

What are binocular cues?

Depth perception cues that require both eyes, such as binocular disparity.

What is occlusion in depth perception?

A monocular cue where blocked objects are perceived as being farther away.

What is developmental psychology?

The study of physical, cognitive, and social changes across the lifespan.

What is a teratogen?

An agent that can harm a developing embryo or fetus.

What is brain plasticity?

The brain's ability to change in response to experience and environment.

What is synaptic pruning?

The elimination of weak or unused neural connections during development.

What is a critical period in development?

A specific time during which certain experiences are essential for normal development.

What are newborn reflexes?

Involuntary behaviors present at birth like sucking, grasping, and rooting.

What sense is least developed at birth?

Vision — newborns see best at 8-10 inches.

What is attachment?

A strong emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver.

What is the purpose of infant attachment behaviors?

To promote proximity to and care from adults.

What is the Strange Situation test?

A lab procedure to assess the quality of infant attachment through separations and reunions.

What are the three main adult attachment styles?

Anxious, avoidant, and secure.

What are characteristics of anxious attachment?

Fear of abandonment, excessive need for closeness, and visible distress when separated.

What are characteristics of avoidant attachment?

Discomfort with intimacy, emotional distance, and low support-seeking.

What are characteristics of secure attachment?

Comfort with closeness, trust in relationships, and stable emotions.

What is attachment theory?

A theory that early attachment experiences shape later emotional bonds and relationships.

What are consequences of insecure attachment in adulthood?

Higher risk of breakups, dissatisfaction, and poor conflict resolution.

What can help overcome insecure attachment?

Therapy, self-reflection, dating secure partners, and affirming relationships.

What is adolescence?

The transitional stage from puberty to adulthood.

What triggers puberty?

Hormones released by the pituitary gland.