| A | B |
|---|
| The study that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes | Behaviorism |
| Historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth | Humanistic |
| The disciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition | Cognitive |
| Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions | Critical Thinking |
| An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events | Theory |
| A testable prediction, often implied by a theory | Hypothesis |
| A statement of the procedures used to define research variables | Operational Definition |
| Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances | Repetition |
| An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles | Case Study |
| A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group | Survey |
| All the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn | Population |
| A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion | Random Sample |
| Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation | Naturalistic Observation |
| A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus how well either factor predicts the other | Correlation |
| A statistical index of the relationship between two things | Correlation Coefficient |
| A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables | Scatterplot |
| a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process | Experiment |
| Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to different groups | Random Assignment |
| An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants | Double-Blind Procedure |
| Experimental results caused by expectations alone | Placebo Effect |
| In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable | Experimental Group |
| In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment | Control Group |
| The experimental factor that is manipulated | Independent Variable |
| The outcome factor | Dependent Variable |
| The most frequently occurring scores in a distribution | Mode |
| The arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores | Mean |
| The middle score in a distribution | Median |
| The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution | Range |
| A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score | Standard Deviation |
| Belief that the unconscious mind controls thought and action | Psychoanalytic Perspective |
| Explains thought and behavior in terms of biological processes | Biopsychology/Neuroscience |
| Study behavior and thought in terms of natural selection | Evolutionary |
| Look at variations in thought and behavior through people living in various cultures | Socio-Cultural |
| Belief that each perspective has a valid explanation in a certain situation | Eclectic |
| People take general descriptions of themselves and accept them as accurate | Barnum Effect |
| Temporary change in behavior and performance as a result of environmental change | Hawthorne Effect |
| A single score that represents a whole set of scores | Central Tendency |
| When something leads to another | Causation |
| Statistics based purely on predictions and ideas | Inferential Statistics |
| Statistics based on actual data and evidence | Descriptive Statistics |
| Asks to what degree our genes and our environment contribute to our individual differences; acknowledge the contradictory views and takes both "sides" into account | Behavioral Genetics |
| Bushy root-like parts of a neuron, receive messages from other neurons | Dendrites |
| Explains thought and behavior in terms of biological processes | Neuropsychology |
| Contains the nucleus and other life sustaining parts of the cell | Cell Body |
| The extension of a neuron, carries messages sent from the neuron to other neurons, muscles, or glands | Axon |
| Fatty tissue covering the axon; speeds up neural impulses; deterioration causes Multiple Scleroris | Myelin Sheath |
| Branched end of the axon containing neurotransmitters | Terminal Branches |
| Space between the terminal branches of one neuron and the dendrite of another | Synapse |
| Neuron that controls alertness, movement, and emotion | Dopamine |
| Responsible for mood, hunger, arousal, and sleep | Serotonin |
| Controls memory and learning | Acetylcholine (Ach) |
| The body's natural pain relievers | Endorphins |
| Neurons that take information from senses to the brain | Sensory/Afferent Neurons |
| Neurons that send messages from the brain to the body | Motor/Efferent Neurons |
| The two main Nervous Systems | Central and Peripheral |
| Controls autonomic functions of body | Autonomic Nervous System |
| Controls voluntary muscle movements | Somatic Nervous System |
| Arouses us for defensive action | Sympathetic Nervous System |
| Slows body down after stress | Parasympathetic Nervous System |
| Message doesn't go all the way to the brain | Reflex |
| Removal or destruction of part of the brain | Lesions |
| Detects brain waves | EEG |
| 3-D x-ray of the brain | CAT |
| Uses magnetic fields to measure the density and location of brain material | MRI |
| Lets researchers see what areas of the brain are most active during certain tasks | PET |
| Combines MRI and PET scans | fMRI |
| Three parts of the brain | Forebrain, Midbrain, Hindbrain |
| Consists of structures in top part of spinal chord | Hindbrain |
| Above the spinal chord; controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing | Medulla |
| Just above the medulla; controls facial espression | Pons |
| At the bottom rear of the brain ('little brain'); coordinates major muscle movements such as walking | Cerebellum |
| Just above the spinal chord; coordinates simple movements with sensory info. | Midbrain |
| Finger-shaped network of neurons; extends from hindbrain to midbrain; controls arousal and ability to focus attention | Reticular Formation |
| Controls thought and reason | Forebrain |
| Top of the brain stem; sensory switchboard | Thalamus |
| Small structure next to thalamus; controls metabolic functions | Hypothalamus |
| Two arms surrounding thalamus; important in processing memory and emotion | Hippocampus |
| Structures at end of each arm of hippocampsus | Amygdale |
| Gray, wrinkled surface of the brain | Cerebral Cortex |
| Gets messages from and controls the right side of the body; more active in logical, verbal and sequential tasks | Left Hemisphere |
| Gets messages from and controls the right side of the body; more active in creative, spatial, and emotionally intuitive tasks | Right Hemisphere |
| Nerve bundles that connect the two hemispheres of the brain | Corpus Callosum |
| Located behind forebrain and eyes; involved in speaking and muscle movements | Frontal Lobe |
| Area in left hemisphere of the frontal lobe that directs muscle movements involved in speech | Broca's Area |
| The area behind the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements | Motor Cortex |
| Located behind the frontal lobes; registers and processes body sensations | Parietal Lobes |
| Area in front of the parietal lobe that registers and processes body sensations | Sensory Cortex |
| Located in back of head; receives visual info. from opposite visual field | Occipital Lobes |
| Processes sound sensed by ears | Temporal Lobes |
| Brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; in left temporal lobe | Wernicke's Area |
| Parts of the brain that can learn to perform the functions of other parts of the brain | Brain Plasticity |
| the system of glands that secrete hormones affecting many different biological processes in the body | Endocrine System |
| Chemical messengers | Hormones |
| Produces adrenaline ("fight or flight") | Adrenal Gland |
| Pea size structure in the base of the brain; master gland of the Endocrine System | Pituitary Gland |
| Affects only women; has only an X chromosome; causes shortness and a webbed neck | Turner's Syndrome |
| Affects only men; has an extra X chromosome; are very tall; have less body hair; minimal sexual development | Klinefelter's Syndrome |
| Has an extra chromosome on the 21st pair; mentally retarded | Down's Syndrome |
| Argument over which contributes more to personality; environment or genetics | Nature vs. Nurture |
| Argument over whether development is gradual or continuous | Continuity vs. Stages |
| Argument over whether personality traits exist through life | Stability vs. Change |
| Research that looks at different ages in one point in time | Cross-Sectional Research |
| Research that examines one group of people over a long period of time to see changes | Longitudinal Research |
| Harmful chemicals or environmental agents ingested or contracted by mother that negatively attracts the fetus | Teratogens |
| What drinking alcohol during pregnancy can result in | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
| Rules of understanding the world | Schemas |
| Incorporating new information into schemas; fits expectations | Assimilate |
| Having to adjust schemas to fit new information | Accommodate |
| An emotional tie with another person | Attachment |
| Optimal period after birth when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development | Critical Periods |
| Animals imprint the first things they see during the critical period | Imprinting |
| 5 stages of grief | Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance (DABDA) |
| The activation of senses | Sensation |
| The process of understanding sensations | Perception |
| Sensory analysis starts at entry level | Bottom-Up Processing |
| Sensory analysis from own experience and expectations | Top-Down Processing |
| Smallest amount of stimulus detected | Absolute Threshold |
| How much a stimulus needs to change to notice a difference | Difference Threshold |
| Decoding a weak stimulus, or signal, depends not only on the signal's strength but also on psychological strength | Signal Detection Theory |
| Step 1 of Vision | Gathers Light |
| Step 2 of vision | Within the eye |
| Step 3 of vision | Transduction |
| Step 4 of vision | In the brain |
| The hair cells in the cochlea respond to different frequencies of sound based on where they are in the cochlea | Place Theory |
| Sensing pitch because the hair cells fire at different rates in the cochlea | Frequency Theory |
| When something goes wrong with the system of conducting the sound to the cochlea | Conduction Deafness |
| Occurs when hair cells are damaged | Sensorineural Deafness |
| Determines loudness | Amplitude |
| Determines pitch | Frequency |
| Explains the experience of pain | Gate Control Theory |
| Chemical senses | Taste and Smell |
| 4 types of taste | Sweet, salty, bitter, sour |
| The combination that makes up flavor | Taste and Smell |
| Only sense not to go through thalamus | Smell |
| Talks about overall body position in spacde | Vestibular Sense |
| Feedback about position of specific body parts | Kinesthetic Sense |
| Objects close together are perceived together | Proximity |
| Objects similar in appearance are perceived together | Similarity |
| Objects that are in continuous form are perceived together | Continuity |
| Objects that make up recognizable images are perceived together | Closure |
| Knowing that an object does not get bigger or smaller as it moves towards or away from a person | Size Constancy |
| Objects viewed from different angles produce different shapes on the retina | Shape Constancy |
| We perceive objects in constant color, even as light reflecting off objects changes | Brightness |
| Information encoded with little or no effort | Autonomic Processing |
| Information encoded and remembered only with effort and attention | Effortful Processing |
| Two ways to get information out of memories | Recognition and Recall |
| Encoding what is attended to or what is important to | Selective Attention |
| Split second perfect photo of a scene | Iconic Memory |
| Perfect split second memory for sounds | Echoic Memory |
| Organizing memory into meaningful units | Chunking |
| Memory aids | Mneumonic Devices |
| Repetition of information | Rehearsal |
| Specific events stored in sequential series | Episodic |
| General knowledge of world facts and meanings | Semantic |
| Skills and how to perform them | Procedural |
| Conscious memories of facts or events we actively try to remember | Explicit Memories |
| Brain forms new memories by connecting that meaning and context with meaning already in memory | Semantic Network Theory |
| Encoding context surrounding the event | Flashbulb Memory |
| Greater likelihood of recalling an item when we are in the same mood we were in when the event occurred | Mood Congruent Memory |
| Recalling events encoded while in a particular state consciousness | State Dependent Memory |
| Forgetting because the memory has not been used for a long time | Decay |
| New Information interferes with recall of older info. | Retrospective Interference |
| Old info. interferes with recall of newer info. | Proactive Interference |
| Memory system self censors painful info. by pushing it out of the conscious and holding it in the unconscious | Repression |
| Cognitive rules used to categorize stimuli | Concepts |
| Step by step to try every possible solution | Algorithms |
| Rule of thumb that is generally, but not always, true | Heuristics |
| Judge a situation based on examples of similar situations that come to mind | Availability |
| Judge a situation based on how similar the aspects are to prototypes the person holds in mind | Representative |
| Overestimating how accurate knowledge and judgements are | Belief Bias |
