Intro to Psychology Exam 1

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing key terms and concepts for Intro to Psychology Exam 1.

Psychology

Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Major perspectives in psychology

Biological, psychoanalytical, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, cross-cultural, evolutionary

Biological psychology

Physiological bases of behavior (functions)

Psychoanalytical psychology

Unconscious influences of behavior (experience in early childhood)

Behavioral psychology

Effects of the environment on behavior (Observational events)

Humanistic Psychology

Unique aspects of human experience (Free-will)

Cognitive Psychology

Thoughts and mental processes

Cross-cultural psychology

Diversity of behavior across cultures (social influences)

Evolutionary psychology

Evolutionary bases of behavior (natural selection)

Scientific Method

Set of assumptions and procedures used as a guide to create questions, generate evidence, and draw conclusions

Steps of scientific method

1. Formulate a hypothesis 2. Design a study and collect data 3. Analyze data and draw conclusions 4. Report the findings

Purpose of Scientific Method

To create questions, generate evidence, and draw conclusions

Correlation

2 variables change together

Causation

1 variable directly causes the change

Independent variable

The cause, the part you change; variable the researcher manipulates

Dependent variable

The effect; variable the researcher measures to see whether it changes

Experimental Research

Used to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationship

Descriptive research

Research that observes and records behavior without manipulating variables

Difference between experimental and descriptive research

Experiments manipulate variables to test cause and effect, while descriptive research observes without manipulation

Associated (correlational) experimental design

A research design used to examine relationships between variables without proving causation

Ethical Standards in Research: Human

1. Informed consent and voluntary participation 2. Students as research participants 3. The use of deception 4. Confidentiality of information 5. Debriefing

Ethical Standards in Research: Animal

1. Must justify the research 2. All personnel are trained in the care and use of the animals 3. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Central nervous system

Brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

All nerves lying outside the CNS

Somatic nervous system

Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system

Controls involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion

Sympathetic nervous system

Activates the fight-or-flight response

Parasympathetic nervous system

Calms the body and supports rest-and-digest functions

Dendrites of a neuron

Receive incoming information

Axon of a neuron

Carries and sends information

Cell body of a neuron

Contains the nucleus, maintains neuron functions, and provides energy and nutrients

How neurons communicate

Neurons release neurotransmitters across a synapse to another neuron

Synapse

The small gap where neurons communicate

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons

The Hindbrain

Connects the spinal cord to the rest of the brain; regulates basic life functions and coordinates motor functions

The Midbrain

Processing visual and auditory information

The Forebrain

Higher level cognitive function

Hippocampus

Memory and spatial cognition

Amygdala

Processing emotional responses (fear)

Hypothalamus

Maintaining homeostasis

Thalamus

Relaying sensory information

Occipital lobe

Receives and processes visual information

Temporal lobe

Receives and processes auditory information

Parietal lobe

Processes sensory information from the body (touch and somatic sensations)

Frontal lobe

Higher-level cognitive functions, motor control, and reasoning

Somatosensory cortex

Receives and processes bodily sensory inputs

Primary motor cortex

Controls voluntary movement

Prefrontal cortex

Executive functions, decision-making, planning, and movement regulation

Brain Lateralization

Certain psychological/cognitive functions are processed primarily on one side of the brain

Split brain syndrome

Occurs with a damaged corpus callosum

Sensation

Detecting a physical stimulus, such as light, sound, heat, or pressure

Perception

Integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations

Absolute Threshold

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

Difference Threshold

Smallest possible difference between 2 stimuli that can be detected half the time

Sensory Adaptation

Gradual decline in sensitivity to a constant stimulus

Bottom-up processing

Build perception based on the incoming sensory information

Top-down processing

Start with the experience/bigger picture and break it down

Cornea

Clear membrane that collects light

Pupil

The opening in the iris that changes size to let in different amounts of light

Iris

Colored structure of the eye

Lens

Transparent structure that focuses, or bends, light as it enters

Retina

Light-sensitive membrane that contains sensory receptors

Ganglion cells

Specialized neurons send visual information to the brain

Rods

Photoreceptors sensitive to light

Cones

Photoreceptors that detect color

Fovea

The area with the greatest visual acuity - composed entirely of cones

Optic nerve

Nerve that carries visual info to visual cortex in the brain

Blind spot

Where the optic nerve exits the eye, therefore has no photoreceptors

Optic chiasm

Point at which optic nerve fibers cross in the brain

Color Vision

How our brains are perceiving different wavelengths of light reflecting off objects

Convergence

Degree to which muscles rotate your eyes to fixate on an object; the larger the angle the closer the object

Binocular Disparity

Each eye sees a slightly different image

Frequency

Number of sound waves per second, determines pitch (high and low of the sound)

Amplitude

Height of wave, determines loudness

Olfactory receptors

Receptors used for smell, connected to the olfactory bulb

Taste receptor cells

Specialized cells in taste buds that detect chemicals in food and transmit taste information

Nociceptors

Touch/pain receptors found in skin, muscles, and internal organs that send info to the brain

Endocrine system

A system of glands that release hormones (chemical messengers) into the bloodstream

Resting potential in a neuron

More potassium (K⁺) inside and sodium (Na⁺) outside, resting at -70 mV

Action potential in a neuron

Na⁺ moves in and K⁺ moves out, sending an electrical signal down the axon

Basic pathway of hearing

Outer ear → eardrum → middle-ear bones → cochlea → auditory nerve → brain

Cochlea function

Converts sound vibrations into neural signals

Auditory nerve function

Carries auditory information from the cochlea to the brain

Trichromatic theory

Color vision relies on three types of cones: red, green, and blue

Opponent-process theory

Color is processed in opposing pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, black-white

Wavelength

The distance between wave peaks; determines perceived color