AP Psychology Midterm

experimental psychology

experiment with the behavior of humans and animals including motivation, memory, perception, and attention

Humanistic Psychology

Study of the whole person through the eyes of the observer and person doing the behaving

Behaviorism

manipulating observable behavior

Functionalism

mental life and behavior based on someones environment

Cognitive Psychology

scientific study of mind and mental function, including learning, memory, attention, perception, and reasoning

Structuralism

school of psychology that used introspection to study the structure of the human mind

Evolutionary psychology

attempts to explain useful mental and psychological traits as the functional products of natural selection

Levels of Analysis

biological, psychological, sociocultural focuses of psychology

Natural Selection

how living organisms pass on surviving traits to their offspring

socio-cultural psychology

influence of culture and environment on behavior

Nature - Nurture Debate

Nature involves the genetic make up of us and nurture involves the environment we are raised in

Psychology

study of mental functioning and behavior

Counseling Psychology

maintains a focus on facilitating personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span

Industrial Organizational Psychology

use psychological principles and research methods to solve problems in the workplace and improve the quality of life

Developmental Psychology

conduct research on age related behavioral changes

Educational Psychology

studying the mental processes involved in learning

Clinical Psychology

studies and assess psychological disorders in various people

Psychiatry

medical doctors who specialize in psychological disorders (can prescribe drugs)

Surveys

practical way to gather data on attitudes, beliefs, and experience of a large groups of people

Longitudinal Studies

study of the same group of people at regular intervals over long periods of time

Cross-Sectional Studies

study the same questions in groups of similar people all at different stages in their lives

Positive correlation

when one aspect studied increases so does the other

Negative correlation

one aspect studied increases the other decreases

Independent variables

aspect manipulated by researchers

dependent variables

remain undisturbed by researcher throughout an experiment

Experimental groups

subjects in experiment who have the variable changed

Control groups

subjects in experiment who do not have the variable changed

Single blind study

experiments where the research subjects do not know if they are in the control or experimental group

Double blind study

experiments where the researchers and the research subjects do not know if they are in the control or experimental group

Placebo

a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.

Correlation

a connection between two variables, not that one thing causes the other

Naturalistic Observation

watching and taking notes of a subject in an undisturbed environment

Case Study

intensive study and observation of one person or group

Illusory Correlations

imagined and non-existent correlations our brains create that statistic disprove

Validity

if an experiment test what it is supposed to test and measures what it is supposed to measure

Mode

most frequently occurring scores

Median

midpoint or 50th percentile of the scores

Mean

total sum of all of the scores divided by the number of scores

reliable

results can be applied to the larger population as a whole

Standard Deviation

measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values.

Range

difference between the largest and smallest values

Parietal Lobe

sensory input of touch and movement and processing of vision

Temporal Lobe

auditory receptors and processors- Controls memory for sight, music and hearing

Brain Stem

Brains oldest and innermost region- controls basic bodily functions, breathing, moving and drinking

Occipital Lobe

it controls sight, reading, and visual images

Corpus Callosum

It is the bridge between the left and right parts of the brain

Cerebellum

Little Brain that Enables nonverbal learning, memory, judging time and modulating motions

Hippocampus

Short term memory, long term memory, navigation and spatial orientation

Frontal lobe

Controls Language, movement, plans, judgement, and personality

Thalamus

Relay center for senses

Hypothalamus

homeostasis, body temperature, link between endocrine system

Motor Cortex

the part of the cerebral cortex in the brain where the nerve impulses originate that initiate voluntary muscular activity.

Sensory Cortex

It's in charge of all senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, smell

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

coordinates movement

Reticular Formation

Neuron network which goes from the spinal cord through the thalamus and enables arousal

Amygdala

impacts aggression and fear

Association Areas

all areas of the cerebral cortex that do not receive sensory information or output motor functions

Dendrite

bushy fibers that receive information and conduct it to cell body

Axon

Lengthy fibers that pass information out to other neurons

Myelin Sheath

layers of fatty tissue that insulates and speeds impulses through the Axon

Action Potential

brief electrical charge that travels down a neuron in response to a stimulus

Resting Potential

The cell is at homeostasis with its ions balanced

Refractory Period

positively charged ions are pumped back into the Axon to restore homeostasis

Central Nervous System

Brain and spinal cord - the body's decision maker

Peripheral Nervous System

Make up of the bodies nerves -gathers information and transmits information throughout the body

Nerves

electrical cables formed by axons- link the CNS with the PNS

Somatic Nervous System

voluntary control of our skeletal muscles

Autonomic Nervous System

controls our glands and the muscles of our internal organs- heartbeat and digestion

Sympathetic nervous system

arouses and expends energy- accelerates heartbeat and slows digestions

Parasympathetic Nervous System:

conserves energy as it calms you down- decreases heartbeat and blood sugar

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur.

hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

insomnia

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

narcolepsy

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

night terrors

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, these occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered.

hypnosis

a social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.

psychoactive drug

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods.

depressants

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

opiates

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety.

stimulants

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

Ecstacy (MDMA)

a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.

hallucinogens

psychedelic ("mind-manifesting") drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.

LSD

a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide).

THC

the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations.

Reasons for Sleep

sleep protects us (evolutionary), helps us to recuperate (brain consolidates memories), helps restore body tissues, plays a role in the growth process

Stage 1 of sleep cycle

5-15 minutes, Slowed breathing, irregular brain waves, hallucinations, sensation of falling or floating

Stage 2 of sleep cycle

20 minutes, More relaxed than stage 1, brain waves begin to lengthen

Stage 3 of Sleep cycle

deep sleep , brain generates slow delta waves, hard to wake

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 helping us make sense of the world around us

selective attention

The ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input

inattentional blindness

failure to see visible objects when our attention in directed elsewhere

change blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment/scenes, even when you appear to be attending to the information

Cocktail party effect

the ability to attend to only one voice among many

absolute threshold

the smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected in half the time

difference threshold

smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that can be detected (just noticeable difference)