Final Exam Study Guide; Psych 101

Psychology

scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Theory

the way to explain relationships among observed events or experimental findings in ways that make them more understandable and predictable

Basic Research

acquiring knowledge without direct practical application

Applied Research

research that aims to find solutions to specific problems

interneurons and sensory neurons

two kinds of motor neurons that transmit information from the sensory organs, muscles, and inner organs to the spinal cords and brain

Dendrites

rootlike structures at the end of axons that receive neural impulses from neighboring neurons

Axons

tubelike part of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body toward other neurons

Soma (Cell Body)

contains the nucleus of the cell and carries out the cell’s metabolic functions

Cerebral Hemispheres

each of these controls feelings and movement on the opposite side of the body

Corpus Collosum

thick band of fibers that connects to the left and right hemispheres of the brain

left, right

The right side of the body is controlled by the _____ hemisphere, and the left side is controlled by the ____ hemisphere.

Sensation

process by which we receive, transform, and process stimuli from the outside world

Perception

process by which the brain integrates, organizes, and interprets sensory impressions to create a representation of the world

Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization

Figure and group, proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, connectedness

Figure and Group

gestalt principle that figures have definite shapes, but the ground is shapeless. We perceive objects as figures when they have shapes or other traits like distinctive coloring, which is set against a backdrop of the ground on which they appear

Proximity

gestalt principle that objects that are near each other will be perceived as belonging to a common set

Similarity

gestalt principle that objects that are similar will be perceived as belonging to the same group

Continuity

gestalt principle that a series of stimuli will be perceived as representing a unified form

Closure

gestalt perceptional principle that people tend to piece together disconnected bits of information to perceive whole forms

Connectedness

gestalt principle that objects positioned together or moving together will be perceived as belonging to the same group

reasons that we sleep

protective function - keeps organism out of harms way

restorative function - helps the brain restore and recover

memory consolidation - freshly formed memories become last ones

Manifest Content

events that happen in a dream

Latent Content

underlying meaning of a dream

Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis

dreams represent an attempt by the cerebral cortex to make sense of random discharges of electrical activity in the brain during REM sleep

Neo dissociation Theory

believes that there are multiple levels of awareness that can become split off or dissociated from one another

Operant Conditioning

process of learning where the consequences of a response determine the probability that the response will be repeated

Positive Reinforcement

strengthening a response by giving a desired stimulus

Negative Reinforcement

response is strengthened by taking away an unpleasant stimulus

Positive Punishment

weakening a behavior by giving an undesired stimulus

Negative Punishment

weakening a behavior by taking away a desired stimulus

Behavior Modification

the systematic application of learning principles to strengthen adaptive behavior and weaken maladaptive behavior

Extrinsic Motivation

reflects the desire for external rewards, like wealth or respect from peers

Heuristic

a rule of thumb for solving problems or making judgments or decisions

Cognitive Pyshcology

branch of psychology that focuses on mental processes like thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and the use of language

Interpersonal Intelligence

ability to understand and interact effectively with others

Interpersonal Intelligence

psychologists, therapists, and social workers have high

_________ _________.

Crystallized Intelligence

form of intelligence associated with knowledge or wisdom

Intrinsic Motivation

motivation reflecting the want for internal gratification, like self-satisfaction for completing a goal

William Masters and Virginia Johnson

What 2 people pioneered the research indicating a physical response from the body to sexual stimulation

Self-actualization

Esteem

Love and Belongingness

Safety

Physiological

What are Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (top of pyramid to bottom)

Drive Theory (Clark Hull)

belief that behavior is motivated by drives that come from biological needs that demand satisfaction (and who’s theory is it?)

General Adaptation Syndrome (Hans Selye)

term for the general pattern of bodily responses to various forms of stress (and who coined the term?)

Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura)

model where cognitions, behaviors, and environmental factors influence and are influenced by each other (and who’s model is it?)

Psychotherapy

verbal therapy derived from psychological framework that consists of one or more treatment sessions with a therapist

Eclectic Therapy

therapeutic approach that draws on principles and techniques from different schools of therapy

Cognitive Therapy

helps clients identify and correct faulty styles of thinking

Humanistic/Gestalt Therapy

helps clients develop of unified sense of self by bringing true feeling and conflicts with others to the awareness

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s method of psychotherapy that focuses on uncovering the unconscious conflicts and desires at the root of the patients problems

Free Association

technique in psychoanalysis where the client is encouraged to say anything that comes to mind

Dream Analysis

technique is psychoanalysis where the therapist analyzes the latent content of the client’s dreams

Resistance

in psychoanalysis, the blocking that happens when therapy touches upon anxiety-inducing thoughts or feelings

Transference

in psychoanalysis, the tendency of the client to reenact their conflicting relationships in the relationships they have with their therapist

John Watson

who is known for their studies of behavior and emotions?

John Watson

who believed that loud sounds naturally make infants cry and shudder with fear?

Freud’s theory of personality

theory of personality that personality and behavior are shaped by unconscious forces and conflict

Wilhelm Wundt

who was interesting in studying mental experience?

Introspection (Wundt)

attempt to directly study consciousness by having people report on what they are consciously experiencing (and who’s method is it?)

Classical Conditioning

process of learning where a previously neutral stimulus comes to evoke a response identical or similar to one that was originally evoked by another stimulus due to being paired or association of the two stimuli

Albert Bandura

who believed that children become more aggressive after observing aggressive models on TV

Observational/Social Cognitive Learning

Law of Effect (Edward Thorndike)

responses that have satisfying effects are strengthens and become more likely to be repeated while responses that lead to undesired effects become weakened and are less likely to reoccur (and who’s idea is it?)

B.F. Skinner

who believed that operant conditioning is the process of learning where the consequences of a response determines the probability that the response will be repeated?

Charles Spearman

Who’s theory believed that intelligence involves general cognitive ability, or “g”

Lev Vygotsky

who’s theory emphasizes the roles of social and cultural factors in development, or cognitive development

Triarch Theory of Intelligence (Robert Sternberg)

proposes 3 aspects of intelligence: analytic, creative, and practical (and who’s theory is it?)

Zone of Proximal Development (Jean Piaget)

the range between a child’s present knowledge and their potential knowledge if taught (and who’s idea is it?)

Lawrence Kohlberg

who developed a methodology where he presented subjects with hypothetical situations involving conflicting moral values and moral dilemmas?

Erik Erikson

Who believed that psychosocial development progresses through stages that begin in early childhood and continue through adulthood and that personalities are shaped by how we deal with various psychological crises or challenges?

Henry Murray

who developed the thematic apperception test?

Thematic Apperception Test

test where a set of pictures of ambiguous scenes is shown that can be interpreted differently. Subject is asked to tell a story about that scene, what led to it, and the outcomes.

Carl Rogers

who was an optimist that believed in the essential worth and goodness of human nature

Carl Jung

who believed that people possess both a personal unconscious (repressed memories and impulses) and a collective unconscious (repository of accumulated ideas and images, as well as archetypes)

Raymond Cattell

who believed that the structure of personality had 2 levels: surface traits and deeper level traits

Individual Psychology (Alfred Adler)

psychology with emphasis on the unique potential of each individual (and who’s theory was it?)