Psychology Quiz #1

Uncritical acceptance

A failure to evaluate claims with sufficient logical rigor

Metacognition

awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Stimulant

\n Increases activity in the body and nervous system.

Manifest content of dreams

visible, obvious content of a dream

trichromatic theory of vision

three types of cones in the retina that can detect the three colors (hence trichromatic) of blue, green, and re

biological predisposition

Presumed hereditary readiness of humans to learn certain skills, such as how to use language or a readiness to behave in particular ways.

Heredity

The passage of physical and psychological traits through genes from parents to offspring at conception.

Psychoanalysis

The Freudian approach to psychotherapy using free association, dream interpretation, resistances, and transference to uncover unconscious.

Confirmation bias

remembering or noticing things that confirm out expectation and ignoring the rest.

Animal model

principals in animals that apply to humans

Structuralism

the study of sensation and personal experience analyzed as basic elements. Focused on introspection and eventually died out.

Gestalt psychology

the study of thinking, learning, and perception in whole units not by analysis of individual parts (opposite of structuralism)

Functionalism

school of psychology that considers behaviors in terms of active adaptations. Used Darwin’s ideas. They wanted to find out how mind, habits, emotions, etc, help us adapt and survive. Brought animals into psychology and promoted education.

Behaviorism

school of thought that emphasizes study of observable actions rather than the study of mind

B. F. Skinner

conditioning, radical behaviorist that believed introspection was flawed and the study of mental events suchs as thinking were inappropreate topics for scientific psychology.

freud

created dynamic unconsious, thought many unconsious thoughts were repressed. created psychoanalysis.

Cognitive psychology

study of info processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving.

Determinism

the idea that behavior is determined by forces beyond out control. free will is impossible

Humanistic psychology

study of people as good and consciously motivated to learn and improve.

Meta analysis

combining the results of many studies into one large study

Extraneous variable

a condition or factor that may change and is excluded from influencing the outcome of an experement

Independent variable

manipulated by researcher

Dependent variable

mesures the effect of the manipulation

Falsification

deliberate attempt to uncover how a commonsense belief or theory might be false

Psychological perspective

traditional view that behavior is shaped by psychological processes occuring at the level of the individial

Social perspective

the focus on the importance of social context in influencing behavior

Evolutionary perspective

emphasis inherited, adaptive aspects of behavior and mental procesess

Biological perspective

explaining behavior in terms of biological principals

Psychodynamic theory

any theory of behavior that emphasized internal conflicts, motives, and unconsious forces

Central nervous system (CNS)

The brain (conrains most of your neurons) and does most of the “computing” also contains the spinal cord.

Spinal cord

large collumn of nerves that sends info between the brain and the peripheral nervous system

Peripheral nervous system (PMS)

parts of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord

Want to throw a ball? decision is made in the ____,__ transmitted to the ___, the ___ relays the message to the ___, which directs your body to move.

brain, spinal cord, spinal cord, PNS

Neuron

a cell in the nervous system that transmits info. neurons are tiny and you need a microscope to see them.

Nerve

bundle of axons, can see without microscope

Axon

many neuron fibers

Cranial nerves

major nerves that leave the brain without passing through the spinal cord. They connect the PNS to the brain directly and dont pass through the spinal cord.

half of the PNS - Somatic nervous system

the network linking the spinal cord with the body and sense organss. controls volantary behavior

half of the PNS - Automic nervous system

the collection of neurons (axons) that carry info to and from internal organs and glands. Autonomic means self governing, so activities controled by the ANS (heart rate, digestion) are mostly automatic. Without ANS we would have liittle emotions

parts of ANS - Sympathetic nervous system

division of the ANS that coordinates flight or fight arousal - your sympathetic nervous system carries signals that put your body's systems on alert,

Parts of ANS - Parasympathetic nervous system

division of ANA that quiets the body and conserves energy - your parasympathetic carries signals that relax those systems.

parts of a neuron - Dendrites

tree fibers that recieve incoming messages

parts of a neuron - cell body or soma

recieve info from dendrites and contains the nucleus

Axon

long fiber that carries info out of cell body

Axon terminals

bulb shaped structures at the end of axons that form synapses with denrites and cell bodies of other neurons

Glial cells

provide physical support, remove waste, give nutrients, outnumber neurons 9-1

Ion

electrically charged molecules found inside and out of each neuron. Positve or negavive charge

resting potential

electric charge of an inactive neuron. messsages received can excite the neuron and raise resting potential

threshold

the point when a nerve impulse is triggered.

Action potention

brief change in a neurons electrical charge

Mylelin sheeth

insolationg material around some axons

Ion channels

openings through the axon membraine

Negative after potential

drop in electrical charge below the resting potential after action potential

Synapse

space over which messages pass between 2 neurons

Synaptic transmission

chemical process that carries info from one neuron to another

Neuroplasticity

ability of the brain to adapt in response to experience

Neurogenesis

production of new brain cells

Computed tomography scans (CT scans)

computer enhansed X ray image of the brain or body

Magnetic resonace imaging (MRI)

an imaging technique that results in a three D image based on its response to a magnetic field

Localization of function

research stratagy of linking specific structures in the brain to spesific psychological or behavioral functions

Electrode

any device used to stimulate the brain (ESB) or destroy nerve tissue or record activity.

Ablation

removing tissue from the surface of the brain

Deep lesioning

removal of tissue within the brain using an electrode

EEG

device that records electrical activity in brain like /\\/\\/\\/\\//\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\\\\\\\\\/\\//\\\\//\\//\\/

Pet scan

high resolution image tecnique that captures brain activities by attaching radioactive particles to glucose molecules

Cerebral cortex

thin, wrinkled outer layer covering the brain in which high level processing takes place. Contains 70% of the neurons in the central nervous system

Corpus callosum

thick band of axon fibers that connect the 2 hemispheres

Lateralization

differences between the 2 sides of the body and brain

Lobes of the cerebral cortex - frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital.

areas on the left and right cortex bordered by major fissures or defined by their functions

Frontal lobe

area associated with movement, the sense of self, and higher mental functions. Largest lobe, damage can lead to personality change

parietal lobe

Located in the upper back, processes info relating to taste touch and temperature.

temporal

Located behind the ears. Processes auditory info, understands language, object and face recognition.

occipital lobe

Back of the head. responsible for visual perception and memory formation,

Prefrontal cortex

Very front part of the frontal cortex. Sense of self, executive functions, planning.

Association areas

all areas of cerebral cortex that are not primaraly sensory or motor in function. Helps process info.

Primary motor cortex

control of movement

Mirror neurons

neurons that become active when motor action is carried out AND when another organism is observed doing the same thing.

Parietal lobes

areas where body sensation register

Primary somatosensory area

recieves body sensation

Temporal lobes

site where hearing registers

Occipital lobes

visual processing

Visual agosia

unable to identify seen objects due to brain damage along the pathways that connect the occipital lobe with the parietal or temporal lobe.

Facial agosia

unable to reconize faces

Subcortext

all brain structures under the cerebral cortex divided into 3 layers - Brainstem or hindbrain; Midbrain; and forebrain.

Hindbrain

most primative part of the brain, contains the medulla, pons, retucular formation and cerebellum

Medulla

structure that connects the brain with the spinal cord and contains vital life fuctions.

Pons

bridge between medulla and other areas

reticular formation

collection of cells/fibers in medulla and pons involved in arousal and attention

Cerebellum

part of the hindbrain that controls coordination and balence

Midbrain

connects the hindbrain to forbrain

Forebrain

contains limbic system, thalamus, hypothalumousl, and cortex that governs high mental processes

Thalamus

relays sensory info to the cerebral cortex. The relay station of the brain.

Hypothalumus

emotional behaviors and basic biological needs

Limbic system

set of structures that regulate emotion and memory

Amygdala

rapidly processes emotion, (fear)

Hippocampus

part of the limbic system that stores memories

Endocrine system

glands that release hormones

Pituitary gland

master gland of the system, controls all other glands.

Pineal gland

Body rhythm and sleep cycle - your body’s internal clock.

Thyroid gland

regulates metabolism