Introduction to Psychology: Exam 1 Study Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards for Psychology Exam 1, covering introductory concepts, research methods, biological bases of behavior, and sensation/perception.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Basic Psychology

Research conducted with the intent to increase the scientific knowledge base of the field.

Applied Psychology

Research conducted to solve practical, real-world problems.

Clinical Psychologist

A professional who studies, assesses, and treats individuals with psychological disorders.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor who can provide psychotherapy and is licensed to prescribe medical treatments and drugs.

Nature

The belief that behaviors and mental processes arise from genetic, innate, and biological factors.

Nurture

The belief that behaviors and mental processes arise from experience, environment, and external influences.

Biopsychosocial levels of analysis

An integrated approach to studying behavior that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.

Wilhelm Wundt

The individual considered to be the "father of modern psychology" who established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig.

Edward Titchener

A former student of Wilhelm Wundt associated with the school of structuralism.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

William James

A psychologist influenced by Charles Darwin who wrote an influential early psychology textbook.

Psychoanalysis

A school of thought founded by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences.

Freud’s Personality Structures

Id, Ego, and Superego.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs

A component of Humanistic Psychology which developed as a reaction to behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

Replication

The process of repeating a scientific study, often with different participants and situations, to see if the basic findings can be reproduced.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Reliability

The consistency and stability of research results when a study is repeated.

Validity

The extent to which a test or study actually measures what it claims to measure.

Quantitative Research

Research that involves the collection and analysis of numerical data.

Qualitative Research

Research that involves the collection and analysis of non-numerical data like descriptions or observations.

Ethogram

A catalog or inventory of the various behaviors or actions exhibited by a species.

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which two variables change together, though it does not imply causation.

Independent Variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated by the researcher to study its effect.

Dependent Variable

The outcome factor that is measured; it may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Confounding Variable

A factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone rather than the active agent being tested.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance to minimize preexisting differences between the groups.

Somatic Nervous System

The division of the Peripheral Nervous System that controls the body's skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System

The division of the Peripheral Nervous System that controls the glands and the muscles of internal organs.

Afferent Nerves

Sensory nerves that carry information from the body's receptors toward the Central Nervous System.

Efferent Nerves

Motor nerves that carry information away from the Central Nervous System toward muscles and glands.

Glia (Glial Cells)

Cells in the nervous system that provide nourishment, structural support, and insulation (myelin) for neurons.

Synapse (Gap)

The tiny junction or gap between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap to transmit signals between neurons.

Resting Membrane Potential

The electrical charge of a neuron when it is not active, maintained by the distribution of ions and requiring "$ATP$".

Depolarization

An electrical change that makes the inside of a neuron less negative, potentially leading to an action potential.

All-or-none Principle

The principle that a neuron either fires completely with a consistent intensity or it does not fire at all.

Medulla

The area of the hindbrain responsible for controlling heartbeat and breathing.

Cerebellum

The hindbrain structure associated with the coordination of movement, posture, and balance.

Thalamus

The forebrain structure that acts as the brain's sensory control center.

Neurogenesis

The formation or birth of new neurons.

Endocrine System

The body's "slow" chemical communication system, consisting of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Sensation

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Transduction

A step in sensation where stimulus energy is converted into neural impulses.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another; it is an example of top-down processing.

Chemoreceptors

Sensory receptors that respond to chemical stimuli, involved in the senses of taste and smell.

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

Fovea

The central focal point in the retina, which produces the sharpest vision.