Definition of Psychology – the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior

Biological Theory – Found by Charles Darwin, focuses on the belief that behaviors are inherited and shaped by adaptation to one's external environment.

Cognitive Theory – Found by Jean Piaget, a school of psychology that believes that thinking is central to understanding human behavior

Psychodynamic Theory – Found by Sigmund Freud, focuses on internal psychological processes of which we are unaware of happening

Humanistic Theory – Founded by Carl Rogers, focuses on the belief that humans are inherently good

Trait Theory – Founded by Gordon Allport, focuses on the study of personality and what shapes it

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – Founded by Abraham Maslow, proposes that people must satisfy physiological needs of safety and security before focusing on complex needs

Unconscious - internal psychological processes of which we are unaware of happening

Id – the reservoir of the most primitive impulses, entirely unconscious

Ego – boss of personality, principal decision maker

Superego – sense of morality, contains senses of right and wrong

Defense Mechanisms – unconscious maneuvers intended to minimize anxiety

Repression – motivated forgetting of emotionally threatening memories or impulses

Denial – refusal to acknowledge or outright deny distressing aspects of reality

Rationalization – providing reasonable sounding explanations for unreasonable behaviors or failures

Displacement – directing an impulse from a socially unacceptable target onto an acceptable one

Psychosexual Stages of Development – theory created by Sigmund Freud, describes how the personality is developed throughout childhood

Oral – psychosexual stage that focuses on the mouth

Anal – psychosexual stage that focuses on toilet training

Phallic – psychosexual stage that focuses on the genitals

Latency – stage dealing with sexual impulses submerged in the unconsciousness

Genital – stage at which sexual impulses awaken and mature into romantic attraction toward others

Survey – asking questions from a random sample of the population

Case Study – When researchers examine one person, or a small group of people over an extended period

Correlation – numbers representing the strength of the relationship (-1.00 0 +1.00)

Positive Correlation – When one variable goes up, the other variable goes in the same direction

Negative Correlation – When two variables go in opposite directions of each other

Experiment – testing of a hypothesis

Hypothesis – educated guess

Independent Variable – the cause in an experiment

Dependent Variable – the outcome of an experiment

Placebo – substance that has no therapeutic effect

Medulla – Part of the brainstem that controls basic functions such as heartbeat and breathing

Motor Cortex – found in the frontal lobe, responsible for voluntary movement

Hypothalamus – Part of the brain that controls homeostasis and hormones

Hippocampus – Part of the brain that controls spatial memory

Limbic System – Network of regions involved in emotion regulation, motivation, learning, and memory

Frontal lobe – Forward part of the cerebral cortex responsible for motor function, language, decision-making, and planning

Temporal lobe – Lower part of the cerebral cortex that plays roles in hearing, understanding language, and memory

Parietal lobe – Upper middle part of the cerebral cortex behind the central sulcus, specializes in touch and perception

Occipital lobe – Back of the brain that controls vision

Central Nervous System – Part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord that controls the mind and behavior

Peripheral Nervous System – Nerves outside the CNS that consist of the somatic nervous system which controls voluntary behavior and interacts with the external environment, and the autonomic nervous system which controls nonvoluntary behavior and interacts with our internal environment

Sympathetic Nervous System – part of the autonomic nervous system engaged during crises (fight or flight)

Parasympathetic Nervous System – part of the autonomic nervous system that controls digestion and rest

Alzheimer’s disease – disease that affects memory and cognitivism

Parkinson’s disease – Disease caused by damage to the basal ganglia, consists of tremors, muscular rigidity, and complications performing voluntary actions

Endorphins – neuropeptides that play roles in pain reduction

Dopamine – neurotransmitter that plays a role in motivation

Stage 1 - transition between sleep and wakefulness

Stage 2 - light sleep stage

Stage 3 - Stage 3 sleep is also known as deep sleep, and it is harder to wake someone up if they are in this phase. Muscle tone, pulse, and breathing rate decrease

REM Sleep – stage of sleep where the brain is most active, where dreaming occurs

Insomnia – difficulty falling or staying asleep

Sleep Apnea – blockage of airway during sleep causing daytime fatigue

Narcolepsy – rapid and unexpected onset of sleep

Night Terrors – sudden awakening causing perspiration, screaming, or confusion, followed by a return to deep sleep

Addiction – compulsive substance use

Withdrawal Symptoms – unpleasant effects of reducing or stopping the consumption of a drug that users used habitually

Tolerance – reduction of the effect of a drug due to repeated use

Ivan Pavlov– Russian scientist who demonstrated the processes of association

Classical Conditioning – form of learning where animals respond to previous stimuli that were paired with stimuli that elicit automatic responses

B.F. Skinner – behaviorist that believed human behavior is a response to the environment

Operant Conditioning – learning controlled by the consequences of one’s behavior

Reinforcement – outcome or consequence of behavior that strengthens probability of said behavior

Punishment – outcome or consequence of behavior that lowers the probability of said behavior

Generalized Anxiety Disorder – chronic state of worry and tension without provocation

Panic Disorder – brief intense episodes of fear

Major Depression – lingering depressed mood diminishing interest in pleasurable activities

Bipolar Disorder – mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings

Paranoid Personality Disorder – sustained pattern of behavior characterized by paranoia, mistrust and suspiciousness of others.

Antisocial Personality Disorder – behavior characterized by disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others

Avoidant Personality Disorder – behavior characterized by feelings of extreme social inhibition, and feelings of inadequacy and inferiority

Paranoid Schizophrenia – characterized by predominantly positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including delusions and hallucinations

Disorganized Schizophrenia – disorganization of thought processes, behavior, and affect regulation

Catatonic Schizophrenia – serious neurological or psychological condition in which two kinds of behaviors are typically displayed: stupor and motor rigidity or excitement

Delusions– strongly fixed belief that has no basis in reality

Hallucinations – sensory perception that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus

Somatoform disorder – physical symptoms that are inconsistent with or cannot be fully explained by any underlying general medical or neurologic condition

Conversion disorder – condition in which a person experiences blindness, paralysis or other nervous system symptoms that cannot be explained by illness or injury