Psychology Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from Psychology lecture notes.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Observable actions.

Mental Processes

Thoughts, emotions.

Biological Perspective

Brain structures, neurotransmitters, genetics.

Behavioral Perspective

Observable behavior; learning via rewards/punishments.

Cognitive Perspective

Thoughts, memory, problem-solving.

Humanistic Perspective

Free will, self-actualization, personal growth.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Unconscious drives, childhood experiences.

Sociocultural Perspective

Culture, social norms, family influence.

Evolutionary Perspective

Adaptive behaviors shaped by natural selection.

Empirical Approach

Relying on evidence from experiments/observations, not intuition.

Critical Thinking

Questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, avoiding biases.

Structuralism

Analyzes consciousness into basic elements (Wundt).

Functionalism

Studies how mental processes aid adaptation (James).

Operant Conditioning

Learning via rewards/punishments (Skinner).

Hypothesis

Testable prediction about variables.

Operational Definition

Clearly defining variables (e.g., stress = cortisol levels).

Validity

Measures what it claims (e.g., a IQ test that actually measures intelligence).

Reliability

Consistency (e.g., same results on retest).

Spinal Cord

Transmits sensory/motor signals between brain and body.

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary skeletal muscles (e.g., waving your hand).

Sympathetic Nervous System

Activates during stress (e.g., increased heart rate, dilated pupils).

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Calms the body (e.g., slows heart rate, stimulates digestion).

Dendrites

Receive chemical signals from other neurons.

Axon

Transmits electrical impulses (action potentials).

Myelin Sheath

Fatty insulation that speeds up signal transmission (damaged in multiple sclerosis).

Terminal Buttons

Release neurotransmitters into the synapse (gap between neurons).

Refractory Period

Brief recovery time before neuron can fire again.

Dopamine

Reward, movement, motivation.

Serotonin

Mood, sleep, appetite.

Acetylcholine

Memory, muscle contraction.

GABA

Calms the brain (primary inhibitory NT).

Endorphins

Natural painkillers, pleasure.

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movement, balance (affected by alcohol).

Reticular Formation

Filters sensory input; maintains alertness/consciousness (damage → coma).

Hypothalamus

Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, sexual behavior.

Amygdala

Fear, aggression (damage → no fear response).

Hippocampus

Forms new memories (damage → anterograde amnesia).

Prefrontal Cortex

Decision-making, impulse control (develops until age 25).

Motor Cortex

Voluntary movement (homunculus shows body part sensitivity).

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes touch/pain (homunculus map).

Wernicke's Area

language comprehension (damage → fluent but nonsensical speech).

Adrenals

Release cortisol (stress), adrenaline (fight-or-flight).

Neurogenesis

New neuron growth (occurs in hippocampus).

Sensation

Detection of physical stimuli by sensory receptors.

Perception

Interpretation and organization of sensory input.

Transduction

Conversion of physical energy (e.g., light, sound) into neural signals.

Absolute Threshold

Minimum stimulus intensity needed to detect it 50% of the time.

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference - JND)

Smallest change in stimulus that can be detected.

Sensory Adaptation

Reduced sensitivity to constant stimuli.

Optic Nerve

Carries visual info to the brain (thalamus → occipital lobe).

Trichromatic Theory

Three cone types (red, green, blue).

Gate-Control Theory

Spinal cord 'gates' regulate pain signals.

Consciousness

Our moment-to-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, and external stimuli.

Hypnosis

A trance-like state of heightened suggestibility.

Tolerance

Needing more of a drug for the same effect.

Psychological Dependence

Craving the drug.

Physical Dependence

Withdrawal symptoms (e.g., tremors).

Little Albert

Conditioned fear of white rats in a baby.

Shaping

Using reinforcement to shape behavior.

Encoding

Transforming sensory input into a form the brain can process.

Acoustic

Encoding sounds.

Visual

Encoding images.

Semantic

Encoding meaning.

Echoic Memory

Lasts 2–4 sec.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Capacity: 7±2 items (Miller’s Law).

Implicit Memory

unconscious recall

Explicit Memory

conscious recall

Context-Dependent Memory

Better recall in the same environment.

State-Dependent Memory

Better recall in the same emotional/physical state.

Encoding Failure

Info never entered LTM.

Proactive Interference

Old info disrupts new.

Retroactive Interference

New info disrupts old.

Misinformation Effect

False memories created by misleading info.

Source Amnesia

Forgetting where a memory came from

Chunking

Group info

Concepts

Mental categories (e.g., 'birds,' 'furniture')

Phonemes

Smallest sound units.

Morphemes

Smallest meaningful units.

Social psychology

the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others.

Attribution Theory

Explains how we infer causes of behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental discomfort when behavior contradicts beliefs

Conformity

Adjusting behavior to match group norms.

Obedience

Following orders from authority, even if harmful.

Prejudice

Negative attitude toward a group.

Stereotype

Generalized belief about a group.

Discrimination

Negative behavior toward a group.

Altruism

selfless helping