psych words i dont know

Central tendency

a statistical measure that uses a single value to represent the middle or center of a data distribution

Prefrontal cortex

Involved in decision making

Variation

the existence of qualitative differences in form, structure, behavior, and physiology among the individuals of a population, whether due to heredity or to environment.

Range

highest difference minus lowest; measure of variability within a data set

Regression toward the mean

a phenomenon where extreme scores on a variable tend to revert toward the average on subsequent measurements

Social desirability bias

a common response bias in social science research where people answer questions in a way they think will be viewed favorably by others.

qualitative research

Focuses on how and why

quantitative research

Focuses on numerical data

Likert scales

a psychometric survey tool that measures opinions, attitudes, and perceptions by presenting respondents with statements and asking them to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement

Representation of participants

a subset of a population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the larger group, allowing researchers to make generalizations about the entire population based on findings from the sample

Effect size

tells you how meaningful the relationship between variables or the difference between groups is. A large effect size means that a research finding has practical significance, while a small effect size indicates limited practical applications.

Statistical significance

a statistical test conclusion that indicates a difference between two groups or variables. It's a mathematical way to prove that a result is reliable and not due to chance

Directionality problem

a limitation of correlational research that occurs when it's unclear which variable influences the other, making it difficult to establish causal relationships

Somatic nervous system

a component of the peripheral nervous system associated with the voluntary control of body movements via skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system

AUTOmatic. a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal

Glial cells

support cells in the nervous system that maintain the environment for neurons to function

Reflex arc

the neural pathway that translates a sensation into a physical reflex response

Neural transmission

the process of transferring information between neurons via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters

action potential

a rapid electrical impulse that transmits signals throughout the body via a temporary shift in a neuron's membrane potential

Depolarization

a process where the electrical charge difference across a cell membrane becomes less negative (more positive). This shift in charge occurs when positively charged ions, like sodium, move into the cell or negatively charged ions move out

Resting potential

the stable electrical charge difference across a cell membrane when the cell is not actively sending signals.

Multiple sclerosis

A disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves (Myelin sheath)

Multiple sclerosis = MS

myelin sheath = MS

MS=MS

Myasthenia gravis

chronic autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness, specifically affecting the voluntary muscles of the body (somatic nervous system)

Excitatory neurotransmitters

increase the likelihood of a neuron firing an action potential, promoting communication between nerve cells. Examples include glutamate, acetylcholine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that reduce or prevent the transmission of signals between neurons

Norepinephrine

chemical messenger and hormone that plays a crucial role in the body's stress response and various bodily functions (Fight or flight, blood pressure, heart rate)

Youre running through the PINES

Glutamate

a crucial amino acid and the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (Also does memory function)

Substance p

a neuropeptide involved in various physiological processes, including pain transmission, inflammation, and immune responses

P for pain

Reticular activating system

network of neurons in the brainstem that regulates sleep-wake transitions and arousal

Limbic system

regulate emotions and play a crucial role in memory formation and storage

Pituitary gland

produce and release hormones that regulate various bodily functions, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction

Association areas

regions of the brain's cerebral cortex that integrate and interpret information from various sensory and motor areas

Somatosensory cortex

the part of the brain that processes sensory information from the body, including touch, temperature, pain, and proprioception

Broca’s

Speech production

“BROken doll (aphasia)”

Wernicke

Speech comprehension

Higher order thinking

involves cognitive processes that go beyond basic recall of information and require deeper engagement with concepts, including analysis, evaluation, and creation.

Motor cortex

Controls voluntary movements

Hemispheric specialization

The left hemisphere is generally associated with logic, language, and analytical tasks, while the right hemisphere is more involved in spatial reasoning, emotions, and creative functions. 

Left is Logic

Right is spatial Reasoning

Neuroplasticity

the brain's ability to change and reorganize itself throughout life by creating new neural pathways and modifying existing ones in response to new experiences, learning, or even damage

EEG

a medical test that measures the electrical activity of the brain

fMRI

neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow

NREM stage 1

the lightest stage of sleep, serving as a transition between wakefulness and deeper sleep

Hypnagogic sensations

vivid and often dream-like experiences that occur as a person falls asleep. They can involve visual, auditory, tactile, or other sensory perceptions

NREM stage 2

light sleep deeper than stage 1

NREM stage 3

the deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep

REM sleep

a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, and the occurrence of most dreams

REM rebound

a temporary phenomenon where the brain compensates for lost or suppressed REM sleep by spending more time in that stage during subsequent sleep cycles

Restoration of resources

the process of replenishing depleted psychological resources through experiences that provide a sense of calm and well-being

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking

REM sleep behavior disorder

parasomnia where people physically act out their dreams during REM sleep

Transduction

the process of converting one form of energy, like light or sound, into a different form, specifically into neural impulses that the brain can process

Absolute threshold

the lowest intensity of a stimulus that can be detected 50% of the time

Weber’s law

the ability to detect a change in a stimulus depends on the intensity of the original stimulus. 

aka the smallest amount of change it takes for a just noticeable difference

Sensory interaction

the complex process by which the brain integrates and processes information from all five senses to create a coherent perception of the world

Lens (eye)

transparent, curved structure located behind the pupil that focuses light onto the retina, enabling vision

Visual nerve

responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain

Photo receptor

light-sensitive cells in the retina that convert light into electrical signals, initiating the visual process

Ganglion cells

the final output neurons in the retina, responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain

Prosppagnosia

Face blindness

a neurological disorder that makes it difficult to recognize people by their faces

Blindsight

individuals with damage to the primary visual cortex can still respond to visual stimuli in their blind field, even though they report being unaware of seeing anything.

Wavelength

Relates to frequency and pitch

Longer wavelengths correspond to lower frequencies and lower pitches, while shorter wavelengths correspond to higher frequencies and higher pitches.

Pitch perception

refers to how the human auditory system interprets the frequency of a sound as a subjective experience of "highness" or "lowness”

Place theory

explains how the brain perceives different pitches by identifying the specific location along the basilar membrane that vibrates most strongly in response to a given sound frequency.

Volley theory

explains how the brain encodes high-frequency sounds, particularly those between 500 Hz and 5000 Hz

Frequency theory

explains how the brain perceives pitch by correlating the frequency of sound waves to the rate at which nerve impulses fire in the auditory nerve. the faster the sound wave's frequency (measured in Hertz, or Hz), the faster the nerve impulses travel to the brain, and the higher the perceived pitch

Conductive hearing loss

occurs when sound waves can't pass through the outer or middle ear to reach the inner ear

Sensorineural hearing loss

Damage to your ear. Permanent

Gustation

Taste

guSTATion sounds like taste

Warm/cold receptors

warm receptors, which respond to increases in temperature, and cold receptors, which respond to decreases in temperature.

Vestibular sense

a sensory system in the inner ear that provides information about head position, movement, and spatial orientation

Semicircular canals

three fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that help with balance and head position awareness

Gestalt: figure and ground

figure-ground perception describes the tendency of the visual system to perceive an object (the "figure") as distinct from its surroundings (the "ground")

Gestalt: similarity

elements that share visual characteristics are perceived as more related than elements that are dissimilar

Inattentional blindness

a cognitive phenomenon where individuals fail to notice a visible but unexpected object or event while their attention is focused on another task

Change blindness

perceptual phenomenon where individuals fail to notice significant changes in their visual field

linear perspective

Monocular cue

type of perspective in which the relative size, shape, and position of objects are determined by drawn or imagined lines converging at a point on the horizon.

Interposition

Monocular cue

It's the visual cue where an object that appears to be partially covering or overlapping another object is perceived as closer to the viewer.

Mental set

a temporary cognitive predisposition that influences how an individual approaches and solves problems or interprets information. It involves a fixed mindset or pattern of thinking that is based on past experiences, learned strategies, and expectations. 

Sunk cost fallacy

phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.

Semantic memory

type of long-term memory involving the capacity to recall words, concepts, or numbers, which is essential for the use and understanding of language.

Working memory model

model of short-term memory that suggests it's not a single, unitary store, but rather a multi-component system. It proposes three main components: the Central Executive, the Phonological Loop, and the Visuospatial Sketchpad

Shallow encoding

a superficial level of processing information, focusing on its basic features like appearance or sound, rather than its meaning

Categories as they pertain to grouping

the ways humans organize information, objects, and even social groups into mental categories

Hierarchies as they pertain to grouping

systems where individuals or groups are ranked according to status, power, or dominance, with some members perceived as superior or subordinate to others

Maintenance rehearsal

a cognitive strategy that involves repeating information to keep it in short-term memory

Elaborative rehearsal

memory technique that involves connecting new information to things already known in long-term memory.

Retrograde amnesia

cant remember past experiences

Anterograde amnesia

Cant remember current experiences

Testing effect

learning phenomenon where testing oneself on previously learned material significantly enhances long-term retention compared to simply rereading or reviewing the same content

Metacognition

Thinking about thinking

Constructive memory

refers to the idea that when we recall memories, we don't retrieve a perfect copy of the past event, but instead, our brains actively reconstruct the memory by combining stored information with our current beliefs, knowledge, and experiences

Imagination inflation

memory distortion where imagining an event, even a false one, increases confidence that the event actually happened.

g (general intelligence)

psychometric concept that suggests a single underlying factor influences performance on cognitive tasks.

Standardization

the process of ensuring consistent and uniform procedures when administering and scoring psychological tests

Construct validity

he extent to which a test or measurement tool actually measures the theoretical construct or concept it's designed to assess. “Does it work”

Predictive validity

the ability of a test or measurement to accurately predict future outcomes (like an SAT determining success in college)

Split half reliability

a method to assess the internal consistency of a test or survey by dividing it into two halves and comparing the scores on each half

Stereotype threat

psychological phenomenon where individuals, belonging to a group that is stereotyped negatively, experience anxiety or stress when they fear that their performance or behavior will confirm that negative stereotype

Stereotype lift

an increase in a group's test performance due to not being part of a negative stereotype. For example, men might perform better on math tests if they are primed on the stereotype that men are better than women at math

Rooting reflex

A baby’s cheek is touched so they turn to the stimulus