Confusing Pairs

Research Methods

• Independent Variable: what is tested
  vs.
  Dependent Variable: what is measured

• Experimental Group: group that is tested
  vs.
  Control Group: compared to the experimental, receives the placebo in a drug experiment

• Random Sample: those participating in the study
  vs.
  Random Assignment: assigning the members of the sample to either the control or experimental group

Brain and Nervous System

• Left Brain: language and logic
  vs.
  Right Brain: creative and spatial

• Corpus Callosum: divides the brain
  vs.
  Cerebral Cortex: covers the brain

• Sympathetic Nervous System: “fight or flight”
  vs.
  Parasympathetic Nervous System: calming – parachute

• Neurotransmitters: in the nervous system
  vs.
  Hormones: in the endocrine system

• Lateral Hypothalamus: stimulates hunger
  vs.
  Ventromedial Hypothalamus: suppresses hunger

• Broca’s Area: makes words
  vs.
  Wernicke’s Area: comprehends words

• Broca’s (left frontal lobe, language production)
  vs.
  Wernicke’s (left temporal lobe, language comprehension)

• Afferent Neurons: sensory, body to brain
  vs.
  Efferent Neurons: motor, brain to body

Developmental Psychology

• Identical Twins: same fertilized egg
  vs.
  Fraternal Twins: two separate eggs

• Assimilation: all four-legged animals are “doggies”
  vs.
  Accommodation: “doggies” are different than “kitties”

• Concrete Operations: logical thinking
  vs.
  Formal Operations: philosophical thinking

Sensation and Perception

• Sensation: bottom-up processing
  vs.
  Perception: top-down processing

• Rods: night vision, more rods are at the periphery of the retina
  vs.
  Cones: color vision, more cones in middle of the retina

Learning and Memory

• Classical Conditioning: involuntary, link two stimuli
  vs.
  Operant Conditioning: voluntary, link a behavior with a consequence

• Primacy Effect: first items remembered
  vs.
  Recency Effect: last items remembered

• Proactive Interference: old memories screw up newer memories
  vs.
  Retroactive Interference: new memories screw up old memories

• Implicit Memory: non-declarative; skills, procedural memory
  vs.
  Explicit Memory: declarative, facts

• Recall Memory: no cues
  vs.
  Recognition Memory: some hints

Thinking and Intelligence

• Algorithms: step-by-step, takes longer
  vs.
  Heuristics: rule-of-thumb or intuitive, takes less time

• Representative Heuristics: stereotypes or prototypes
  vs.
  Availability Heuristics: based on available info

• Phonemes: basic sound units, e.g., “ch”
  vs.
  Morphemes: basic units of meaning, e.g., “-ology”

• Fluid Intelligence: processing speed
  vs.
  Crystallized Intelligence: acquired knowledge

Testing and Individual Differences

• Validity: test measures what it should
  vs.
  Reliability: same scores on a retest

• Achievement Test: what you’ve learned
  vs.
  Aptitude Test: potential

Motivation and Emotion

• Intrinsic Motivation: for personal satisfaction
  vs.
  Extrinsic Motivation: for rewards

• Internal Locus of Control: you control the environment, more optimistic
  vs.
  External Locus of Control: environment controls you, less optimistic

Abnormal Psychology and Treatment

• Lithium: treats bipolar
  vs.
  Librium: treats anxiety

Personality and Stress

• Type A: high stress, higher risk of heart disease
  vs.
  Type B: low stress

Drugs and Neurotransmission

• Agonist: a drug that binds to a receptor and triggers a response – mimics action of a naturally occurring substance
  vs.
  Antagonist: acts against and blocks an action