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general psych final
n/a
49
Psychology
Undergraduate 2
12/10/2013

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Experimental psychology 
Definition
psychologists who apply experimental methods to study behavior and the processes behind it
Term
cognitive psychology
Definition
study of mental processes such as attention, language use, perception, memory, problem solving, and thinking
Term
developmental psych
Definition
study of changes that occur over the course of the human life
Term
health psychology
Definition
study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare
Term
clinical psychology
Definition
an integration of science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychological distress or dysfunction and to promote well being
Term
social psychology
Definition
study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others
Term
cultural psychology
Definition
the study of how psychological and behavior tendencies are rooted and embedded in culture
Term
neuropsychology
Definition
studies structure and function of the brain as they relate to specfic processes and behavior
Term
evolutionary psychology
Definition
examines psychological traits from a modern, evolutionary perspective 
Term
Hippocrates' views
Definition
humaral theory with different body fluids 
Term
Aristotle's views
Definition
catharsis; purging of emotions through the experiences of others
Term
Descartes' view
Definition
we are driven by the brain like animals; we are animal spirits 
Term
Know about the formal establishment of psychology as a science, where? By whom? 
Definition
Wilhem Wundt in Germany, 1879
Term
behaviorism
Definition
BF Skinner; criticism of the inner workings of the mind; objective study of human behavior
Term
gestalt psychology
Definition
the whole does not equal the sum of it's parts
Term
humanistic psychology
Definition
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslaw; free will, full potential, and self-actualization
Term
structuralism
Definition
in order to understand people, you have to understand how different parts of the body work
Term
functionalism
Definition
cannot look at the organism by itself, must be seen as a whole
Term
psychodynamic
Definition
Frued; behavior motivated by inner conflicts which operate within the realm of unconsciousness
Term
Explain the process of the scientific method
Definition

question 

hypothesis 

test hypothesis 

evaluate hypothesis

Term
Archival
Definition
using already existing data
Term
Naturalistic observation 
Definition
observing naturally occuring phenomenon
Term
Survey method 
Definition
example of correlational method
Term
Case study 
Definition
in depth study of a person or a group of people
Term
Correlational research 
Definition
systematically measures the relationship between two or more variables
Term
Experimental method 
Definition
systematically controls and manipulates variables
Term
Why do researchers replicate a study? 
Definition
to see if the findings hold true more than once
Term
What do we mean by random assignment? 
Definition
articipants have an equal chance of being in any condition 
Term
What does experimenter’s bias refer to? 
Definition
you might unknowingly make your hypothesis come true simply because you want it to
Term
What is a double-blind study?   
Definition
both tester and testee are unaware of the true purpose of the study 
Term

What characteristics of a nerve cell makes it unique/different from other cells? 

Definition
the characteristics are the dendrites, the axon, and the myelin sheath
Term
Dendrite
Definition
receive messages from other neurons
Term
Axon
Definition
carries messages to other cells 
Term
myelin sheath
Definition
protective coating; speed of nerve impulse
Term
Synapse
Definition
bridges the gap between two neurons
Term
Receptor sites of the dendrite of the receiving cell 
Definition
accept the neurotransmitters and then pass along the message
Term
What takes place during an action potential? 
Definition
an electric nerve impulse travels down the axon to the terminal buttons
neuron fires all electrons
Term

Describe the process of communication between/among neurons. 

Definition
axon/terminal buttons of one neuron pass along neurotransmitters to dendrites of another neuron
Term
What are neurotransmitters?
Definition
produced and stored in terminal buttons
released into synaptic cleft
fits into only one receptor cell
Term
Once the neurotransmitter fits into a receptor site, it delivers one of two messages, excitatory or inhibitory. Describe this process.  
Definition
exitatory: makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire
inhibitory: prevents a receiving neuron from firing
Term
How are neurotransmitters removed from the synaptic cleft? 
Definition
through reuptake: reabsorbed by terminal buttons
Term
Describe the functions of sensory, motor, and interneurons
Definition

sensory: carry info from sensory receptors to the CNS
motor: communicate info from CNS to muscles and glands
interneurons: communicate messages between sensory and motor neurons
Term
what is a "reflex arc"?
Definition
step on tack
receptors in skin stimulated
sensory neurons carry impulse to spinal cord
the message loops through the spinal cord
goes back to foot muscles
Term
Describe the structure and function of the old brain (including its substructures: Medulla, Cerebellum, Pons, Reticular Formation). 
Definition
central core: controls basic functions such as eating and sleeping
medulla: breathing
cerebellum: balance
pons: coordination, motor activity
reticular formation: attention, concentration
Term
thalamus
Definition
gateway to the cortex
Term
hypothalumus
Definition
maintains homeostasis
Term
corpus collosum
Definition
functions as a bridge between the left and right hemisphere
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