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Exam 1
Chapters 1-3
185
Psychology
Undergraduate 2
09/18/2011

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Definition of Psychology
Definition
Scientific study of behavior and mental process
Term
4 Attitudes of Scientific Approach
Definition

Critical Thinking

Curiosity

Skepticism

Objectivity

Term

Careers in Psychology

(Top 4 in order)

Definition

1. Academic

2. Clinical

3. Private Practice

4. Industrial

Term
Roots
Definition

Western Philosophy (main science; mother or all)

 

Biology and Physiology

Term
Pioneers (3)
Definition

Wilhelm Wundt

William James

Charles Darwin

Term

Structuralsism

1. Who was it?

2. Definition

3. Two Facts about creator

 

Definition

Wilhem Wundt

  • German Philosopher
  • First Psycology Laboratory (founded basic building blocks or mental activity)
  1. Identifies elements or structures of mental process
  2. Introspection primary method of investigation
  3. started with 5 senses
Term

Functionalism

1. Who was it?

2. One fact about him

3. Definiton

4. Examples

 

Definition

William James

  • American Psychologist and Philosopher
  1. Identify purposes, or functions, of the mind
  2. Why is human thought adaptive?
  3. Natural flow of thought, or stream on consciousness
  4. Ex. Why act sick? To get out of something? Sympathy?
Term

Evolution and Natural Selection

1. Who was it?

2. One fact about him?

3. Defintion

 

Definition
Charles Darwin
  • British Naturalist
  1. Natural Adaption is adaptive and functional
  2. Nature favors traits that promote reproduction and survival
  3. Successful characteristics become dominant

 

Term
Contemporary Approaches (7)
Definition

Biological

Behavioral

Psychodynamic

Humanistic

Cognative

Evolutionary

Sociocultural

Term
Behavioral Approach
Definition
Emphasis on observable behavioral responses (not thoughts or feelings) and their environmental determinants
Term

Notable Behavioralists (2)

 

Definition

John B. Watson

B.F. Skinner

Term

Psychodynamic Approach

 

Definition

Empahsis on:

  • Unconscious (sexual and aggresive) impulses
  • Conflict between biological drives and society
  • Childhood early family experiences
  • Humans are animals
  • Conflict of instinct vs. societal
Term
Founding father of Psychodynamic approach
Definition

Sigmund Freud

  • neurologist
  • Jewish
Term
Humanistic Approach
Definition

Emphasis on:

  • Positive human qualities
  • Capacity for positive growth
  • Freedom to choose and destiny
  • At the core humans are good they are just put into bad situations
  • Create a place where humans feel safe and free
Term
Notable Humanistic Psychologists
Definition

Carl Rogers

Abraham Maslow

Term
Cognative Approach
Definition

Emphasis on mental processes involved in knowing and thinking 

 

How we:

Direct Attention

Perceive, remember, think

Solve problems

Term
Evolutionary Approach
Definition

Use of evolutionary ideas:

Adaptation

Reproduction

Natural Selection

 

As basis for explaining specific human behaviors

  • Ex. Men look for mate who is attractive; women look for resources
  • Has to do with survival
  • Commin charactersitics in humans
Term
Sociocultural Approach
Definition

Examination of ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior

 

Focus on comparisons of behavior across

  • Countries
  • Ethnic and cultural groups within countries
Term
Scientific Method: Observation
Definition

Choose a varible

Develop a theory

Term
Scientific Method: Research
Definition

Establish an operational definition

  • Objective description of variable
  • How will variable be measured
Term

Types of Psycological Research 

(3)

Definition

Descriptive research

Correlational research

Experimental research

Term
Descriptive Research
Definition

Describing some phenomemnon, without answering questions of how and why

 

  • Observation
  • Surveys and Interviews
  • Case Studies
Term
Correlational Research 
Definition
Examining whether and how variable are related and change together
Term
Confounds
Definition
Third Variables
Term

Longitudinal Designs

 

Definition

Obtaining measures of variables of interest in multiple waves over time

 

  • can suggest relationship
Term
Experimental Research
Definition

Determining whether causual relationship exists between variables

 

Experiment

 

Random Assignment

Term
External Validity
Definition
Do experimental research apply, or generalize, to real world?
Term
Internal Validity
Definition
Are changes in dependent variable due to independent variables
Term
APA Ethic Guidelines
Definition

Informed Consent 

Confidentiality

Debriefing

Deception

Term
Nervous System Definition
Definition
The body's electrochemical communication circuitry
Term
Neuroscience
Definition
The field that studies the nervous system
Term

Characteristics of the Nervous System (4)

 

Definition
  1. Complexity- the braina and nervous system are enourmously complex
  2. Integration- on average each nerve cell communicates with 10,000 others (instantaneous)
  3. Adaptability- Plasticity (brain's capacityfor change)
  4. Electrochemical Transmission- is the means of  information-processing in the brain and nervous system
Term
Afferent Nerves
Definition

Sensory nerves

Information to brain and spinal chord

Term
Efferent Nerves
Definition

Motor nerves

Information out of brain and spinal chord

Term
Central Nervous System
Definition

Contains >99% of all nerve cells in the body

 

Brain and Spinal Chord

Term
Peripheral Nervous System
Definition

Network of nerves connecting CNS to body

 

Two Subdivisions

  1. Somatic Nervous System (sensory and motor nerves)
  2. Autonomic Nervous System
Term
Somatic Nervous System
Definition
Sensory information from skin and muscles to CNS
Term
Autonomic Nervous System
Definition

Messages to and from internal organs

 

Two Subdivisions

  1. Sympathetic Nervous System - arousing
  2. Parasympathetic Nervous System- calming
Term
Fight or Flight Reaction
Definition
Function of sympathetic nervous system
Term
Corticosteroids
Definition

allow us to focus our attention on what needs to be done now

 

Stress Hormones (adrenaline)

Term
Acute Stress
Definition
momentary
Term
Chronic Stress
Definition
continuous
Term
Sympathetic Divison 
Definition

Eyes Dilate (see better)

Inhibits flow of Saliva (stops digestion)

Heart (Accelerates)

Dialtes bronchi (more O2)

Inhibits Digestion ( Get blood elsewhere)

Liver releases glycogen (energy)

Inhibits Bladder Contraction (Dont want to worry anout it)

Term
Parasympathetic
Definition

Maintain normal function

Stressful situation ends

Term
Neurons
Definition

Nerve cells

Information Processing

Term
Glial Cells
Definition

Support

Nutritional Benefits

Term
Cell Body
Definition
contains nucleus
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Fibers projecting from neuron
Term
Axon
Definition
Carries information from cell body toward other cells
Term
Myelin Sheath
Definition
Layer of fat cells, encasing and insulting most axons
Term
Resting Potential
Definition

Stable, Negative charge of inactive neuron

-primarily negative

Term
Action Potential
Definition

Brief, positive electrical charge, or firing

Abides by the all-or-nothing principle

Term
Synapses
Definition
Space between neurons (synaptic gap)
Term
Neurotransmitters
Definition
  • Stored in synaptic vesicles (sacs) within terminal buttons
  • Chemical signals which allow electrical impulses to cross synaptic gaps
Term

Acetycholine (ACh)

 

Definition
  • Stimulating firing of neurons
  • Involves in action of muscles, learning, memory
  • Alzheimer disease: ACh deficiency
Term

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)

 

Definition
  • Keeps many neurons from firing
  • Anxiety: Low levels of GABA
Term
Norepinephrine
Definition
  • Inhibits firing of neurons in CNS
  • Excites heart muscle, intestines, urogenital tract
  • Depression:Too little norepinephrine
  • Agitated, panic states: Too much norepinephrine
Term
Dopamine
Definition
  • Helps to control voluntary movement 
  • AAffects sleep, mood, attention, learning, rewards, pleasure
  • Parkinsons disease: low levels of dopamine
  • Schizophrenia: High levels of dopamine
Term
Serotonin
Definition
  • Involves in regulation of sleep, mood, attention, and learning
  • Depression: Lowered levels of serotonin
Term
Endorphins
Definition
  • Natural opiates that mainly stimulate firing of neurons
  • Sheild body from pain
  • Elevate feelings of pleasure
  • Athletes
Term
Oxytocin
Definition
  • Hormone and neurotransmitter
  • Important role in experience of love and social bonding
Term
Agonist
Definition
Drug the mimics or increases effects of neurotransmitters
Term
Antagonist
Definition
Drug that blocks effects of neurotransmitters
Term
Brain Lesioning
Definition
How we learned of the brain and determined effects of brain tissue disruption on behavior
Term
Electrical Recording
Definition
Detects brain wave activity
Term
CT (CAT) scan
Definition
3-D images
Term
PET scan
Definition
metablic changes- inject in brain
Term
MRI
Definition
Brain Structure
Term
fMRI
Definition
brain function
Term
Hindbrain
Definition
Adjacent to top part of spinal chord
Term
Midbrain
Definition
Rises above hindbrain
Term
Forebrain
Definition
Uppermost region of the brain
Term
Medulla
Definition
  • Controls vital functions, such as breathing and heart rate
  • Regulates reflexes
Term
Cerebellum
Definition
Plays important role in motor coordination
Term
Pons
Definition
Involved in sleep and arousal
Term
Brain Stem
Definition
  • Includes much of hindbrain (but not cerebellum) and midbrain
  • Determines alertness
  • Regulates basic survival functions
Term
Reticular Formation
Definition
Involved in stereotyped patterns of behavior, such as walking and sleeping
Term
Forebrain (5)
Definition

Limbic System

Thalamus

Basal Ganglia

Hypothalamus

Cerebral Cortex

Term
Limbic System
Definition
Important in memory and emotion
Term
Amygdala
Definition

Involved in discrimination of objects necessary for survival

 

kinda like Homeland Security

Term
Hippocampus
Definition
Has special role in storage of memories
Term
Thalamus
Definition
Serves as relay station for information
Term
Basal Ganglia
Definition
Works with cerebellum and cerebral cortex to control and coordinate voluntary movements
Term
Hypothalamus
Definition
  • Monitors eating drinking sex and emotion stress and reward
  • Helps direct endocrine system
  • Regulator of body's internal state
  • Involved in pleasurable feelings
Term
Corpus Callosum
Definition
Bridge of fibers passing information between the two cerebral hemispheres
Term
Thalamus
Definition
Relay center for incoming sensory information
Term
Cerebrum
Definition
Involved in sensing, thinking, learning, emotion,consciousness, and voluntary movement
Term
Amygdala
Definition
Limbic system structure involved in emotion and aggression
Term
Hippocampus
Definition
Limbic system structure involved in learning and memory
Term
Cerebellum
Definition
Coordinates fine muscle movement, balance
Term
Spinal Chord
Definition
Transmits information between brain and rest of body; handles simple reflexes
Term
Reticular Formation
Definition

Group of fibers that carries stimulation related to sleep and arousal through brain stem

 

sleep patterns

Term
Medulla
Definition
Regulates vital functions such as breathing and circulation
Term
Pons
Definition
Involved in sleep and arousal
Term
Pituitary Gland
Definition

"Master" gland that regulatesother endocrine glands

 

sex organs

 

insulin

Term
Hypothalamus
Definition
Regulates basic biological needs: hunger, thirst, temperature control
Term
Occipitak Lobes
Definition
Responding to visual stimuli
Term
Temporal lobes
Definition
Hearing, language processing, memory
Term
Frontal Lobes
Definition
Personality, intelligence, control of voluntary muscles
Term
Parietal lobes
Definition
Registering spatial location, attention, motor control
Term
Somatosensory Cortex
Definition
  • Located at front of parietal lobes
  • Processes information about body snesations
Term
Motor Cortex
Definition
  • Located just behind frontal lobes
  • Processes information about voluntary movement
Term
Association Cortex
Definition
  • Make up 75% of cerebral cortex
  • Integrates information
Term
Corpus Callosum
Definition
  • Large bundle of axons connecting brain's two hemispheres 
  • Relays information between two sides
Term
Left Hemisphere
Definition
  • Recieves information from right side of the body
  • Language processing, such as speech and grammer
Term
Right Hemisphere
Definition
  • Recieves information from left side of the body
  • Processing non-verbal information, such as spatial perception, visual recognition, and emotion
Term
Endocrine System
Definition

Set of glands that regulate activities of certain organs

 

slower but longer lasting than neurotransmitters

Term
Glands
Definition
Organs or tissues that create chemicals that control bodily functions
Term
Hormones
Definition
Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands
Term
Pituitary Gland
Definition
Controls growth and regulates glands
Term
Adrenal Glands
Definition
Regulate mood, energy level, and ability to cope with stress
Term
Pancreas
Definition
Performs both digestive and endocrine functions
Term
Ovaries and Testes
Definition
Produce hormones related to sexual development and reproduction
Term
Collateral Sprouting
Definition
Axons of healthy neurons adjacent to damaged cells grow new branches
Term
Substitution of Function
Definition
Damaged region's function is taken over by another brain area
Term
Neurogenesis
Definition
New Neurons are generated
Term
Brain Grafts
Definition
Implants of healthy tissue into damaged brains
Term
Stem Cells
Definition
Primitive cells with capacity to edvelop into most types of human cells
Term
Molecular Genetics
Definition
Manipulation of genes using technology to determine their effect on behavior
Term
Sensation
Definition

Process of recieving stimulus energies from external environment

 

raw sensory information

Term
Perception
Definition

Process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

 

sensation and interpretation

Term
Bottom-Up Processing
Definition

Information about External environment

 

Sensory Receptors -> Brain

 

Making sense of information

Term
Top-Down Processing
Definition
Starts with cognative processing at higher levels of brain
Term
Sensory Receptors
Definition
Specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to sensory (afferent) nerves and brain
Term
Photoreception
Definition
Detection of Light percieved as sight
Term
Mechanoreception
Definition
Detection of pressure, vibration, and movement that is perceived as touch, hearing, and equilibrium
Term
Chemoreception
Definition
Detection of chemical and stimuli that is percieved as smell and taste
Term
Synaesthesia
Definition
One sense induces experience in another sense (we may see music or taste sound)
Term
Subliminal Perception
Definition
Detection of information below level of conscious awarness
Term
Difference Threshold
Definition
Degree of difference that must exist between two stimuli before difference is detected
Term
Weber's Law
Definition
Principle that two stimuli must differ by a conscious minimum percentage to be perceived as different 
Term
Attention
Definition

Selective

-Cocktail party affect

 

Shiftable

-Novelty, size, color, movement

Term
Preceptual Set
Definition

Predispostion or readiness to perceive something a particular way (top-down processing)

 

Reading something one way because you assume you know what it says

Term
Sensory Adaptation
Definition

Change in responsiveness of sensory system based on average level or surrounding stimulation

 

*adjusting to cold water in a pool*

Term
Extrasensitive Perception (ESP)
Definition
Preception in absence of concrete sensory input
Term
Parapsychology
Definition

Scientific study of ESP

 

Absence of empirical data for existence of ESP

Term
Wavelength
Definition
Hue or Color
Term
Amplitude
Definition
Brightness
Term
Purity
Definition
Saturation or richness (no white)
Term
Sclera
Definition

White, outer part of the eye

 

Helps maintain shape of eye

 

Protects eye from injury

Term
Iris
Definition
Colored Part of Eye
Term
Pupil
Definition

Opening in Center of Iris

 

Size Controlled by muscles in Iris

 

(like lens of a camera)

Term
Cornea
Definition

Clear membrane just in front of the eye

 

Cardiax

Term
Lens
Definition

Transparent, somewhat flexible, disk-like structure

 

Loses flexibility with age

Term
Retina
Definition

Mulitlayered, light-sensitive surface at back of the eye

 

Converts visual stimuli to neural impulses

Term
Rods
Definition

Sensitive to Light

 

Not very useful for color vision

 

Function well under low illumination

Term
Cones
Definition

Used for color perception

 

Require more light than rods

 

Initial acceptors

Term
Fovea
Definition

Tiny area in center of the retina at which vision is best

 

Contains only cones

Term
Path of vision
Definition
Rods and Cones -> Bipolar Cells -> Ganglion Cells -> Optic Nerve
Term
Blind Spot
Definition

PLace on Retina where there are no cones or rods

 

Where optic nerve leaves eye

Term
Pathway
Definition
Optic Nerve -> Optic Chiasm (where vision switches) -> Visual Cortex
Term
Feature Detectors
Definition
Neurons in primary visual cortex that respond to particular features of a stimulus
Term
Paralled Processing
Definition
Simultaneous distribution of information across different neural pathways
Term
Binding
Definition
Integration of what is processed by different pathways or cells into complete, coherent image
Term
Three types of cones 
Definition

red

blue

green

Term
Afterimages
Definition

Sensations that remain after stimulus is removed

 

Not explained by trichromatic theory

 

Explained by opponent-process theory

Term
Gestalt Psychology
Definition

School of thought interested in how people naturally organize perception according to certain patterns

 

Whole is different from sum of its parts

Term
Binocular Cues
Definition

Combined images from two eyes

 

Disparity

 

Convergence (eyes converge when looking close up)

Term
Monocular Cues
Definition

Available from image in one eye

 

Familiar size

Height in field of view

Linear perspectiveand relative size

Overlap

Shading 

Texture Gradient

Term
Apparent Movement
Definition
Perception of stationary object as moving (IMAX experience)
Term
Outer Ear
Definition

Collects and Channels Sound

 

Pinna

 

Extternal Auditory Canal

Term
Middle Ear
Definition

Channels Sound to Inner Ear

 

Eardrum

 

Hammer, Anvil, and Stirrup

Term
Inner Ear
Definition

Converts sound into neural impulses

 

Oval Window

 

Cochlea

 

Basilar Membrane -> Hair Cells -> Tectorial Membrane

Term
Place Theory
Definition

Each frequency produces vibrations at a particular spot on basilar membrane

 

But...theory explains high-frequency, not low frequency sounds

Term
Frequency Theory
Definition

Perception of frequency depends on how often auditory nerve fires

 

But...single neurons have maximum firing rates (1,000/sec)

Term
Volley Principle
Definition

Modification of frequency theory

 

Clusters of nerve cells can fire neural impulses in rapid succession 

Term
Ear Pathway
Definition
Inner Ear -> Auditory Nerve -> Temporal Nerve
Term
Echolocation
Definition

System based on returning echoes of sounds

 

Used by bats; humans less accurate

Term
Vestibular
Definition
Balance and Movement
Term
Temperature
Definition

Warm and cold sensory nerve endings, or thermoreceptors

 

 

Term
Pain
Definition
Widely-dispersed receptors with much higher thresholds for different types of physical stimuli (pressure and heat)
Term
Prostaglandins
Definition
Stimulate pain receptors and cause experience of pain
Term
Fast Pathway
Definition
Directly to thlamaus
Term
Slow Pathway
Definition
Through limbic system
Term
Endorphins
Definition
Neurotransmitters involved in turning pain signals on/off
Term
Papillae
Definition

Bumps on surface of tongue

 

Contain taste buds, receptors for taste

Term
4 taste qualities
Definition

bitter

salty

sweet

sour

Term
Olfactory epithelium
Definition

Lines roof of nasal cavity

 

Superhighway to emotion and memory

Term
Proprioceptive Feedback
Definition
Information about relative position of limbs and body
Term
Semicircular Canals
Definition
Contain sensory receptors to detect head motion
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