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Psych Exam 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| The Nervous System | electrical communication circuitry |
| bottom up processing | sensory receptors register info about environment and send it to brain for interpretation |
| What is Psychology? | the scientific study of behavior and mental processes |
| Goals of Psychological science | describe, predict, and explain behavior |
| Empirical method | based on evidence |
| How old is psychology? | 142 years old - Wilhelm Wundt founded the first psychology lab in 1879 |
| Structuralism | -identifying basic elements of mental processes -attributed to Wilhelm Wundt |
| Functionalism | -emphasizes functions/purposes of mind and behavior in the individuals adaptation to the environment -attributed to William James |
| The Principle of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin | -organisms that are better adapted survive and reproduce -organisms compete for resources -species change through genetic mutation |
| Biological Approach | focuses on body, specifically the brain and nervous system |
| Behavioral Approach | study of observable behavioral responses |
| B.F. Skinner | rewards and punishments determine behavior |
| Psychodynamic Approach | -unconscious thought -early childhood experiences |
| Psychoanalysis - Sigmund Freud | unlocking a person's unconscious conflicts by talking to them about their childhood memories, dreams, thoughts/feelings |
| Humanistic Approach | -emphasizes the positive qualities of a person -capacity for positive growth -free will |
| Cognitive Approach | mental processes involved in knowing |
| Evolutionary Approach | evolutionary idea are basis for explaining human behaviors (aggression, fears, mating patterns) |
| Sociocultural Approach | -cultural context is important in behavior -comparing cultures/ethnic groups |
| Scientific Method | observe phenomena, formulate hypothesis, test hypothesis, draw conclusions, evaluate theory |
| Empiricism | knowledge from the senses |
| Descriptive Research | -describes phenomena -case studies -surveys |
| Correlational Research | -examines relationship between two variables to see how they change together -cross sectional design- measured at one point in time -longitudinal design- measuring over time |
| Experimental Research | -manipulating one or more variables -only way to determine cause |
| Quasi-Experiments | -does not have random assignment -can't make strong causal conclusions -used if experiment is unethical/impossible with random assignment |
| Demand Characteristic | any aspect of a study that communicates to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave |
| Plasticity | the brain's physical capacity to change |
| Central Nervous System | brain and spinal cord |
| Double Blind Experiment | experimenter and participant are unaware of who is in control and experimental group |
| Afferent/sensory nerves | carry info to brain and spinal cord |
| efferent/motor nerves | carry info out of brain and spinal cord to muscles, glands, etc (E for Exit) |
| Peripheral Nervous System | Connects brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body -Somatic NS- sensory and motor nerves -autonomic NS- sympathetic(action/stress) parasympathetic(calms down) |
| Neurons | nerve cells that handles information processing |
| glial cells | keep neurons running smoothly |
| action potential | brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon |
| synapses | spaces between neurons |
| 4 lobes of the brain | frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal |
| corpus collosum | bundle of axons that relay info between hemispheres |
| left hemisphere | language processing and production |
| right hemisphere | processing nonverbal information (spatial perception, visual recognition, emotion) |
| sensation | process of receiving stimulus energy from the external environment and transforming it into electrochemical energy |
| perception | the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information so it makes sense |
| top down processing | we begin with framework and apply info we are getting to it |
| absolute threshold | the minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus |
| difference threshold | the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection |
Created by:
evelina1
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