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Definition
| a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and muscle movement |
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Definition
| a process in classical conditioning by which the association of a neutral stimulus with a natural stimulus is first established |
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Definition
| the electrical process by which information is transmitted the length of an axon |
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Definition
| the idea that dreams are the result of the cerebral cortex interpreting and organizing random flashes of brain activity, originating in the lower brain structures, especially the pons |
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Definition
| source of the hormone norepinephrine which affects arousal |
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Definition
| drugs which mimic the activity of neurotransmitters |
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Definition
| the most frequently used and abused CNS depressant in most cultures; its use affects mood, judgment, cognition |
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Definition
| seen when an individual is in a relaxed, unfocused, yet still awake state |
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Definition
| limbic system component associated with emotion, particularly fear and anger |
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Definition
| an eating disorder in which one starves oneself even though significantly underweight |
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Definition
| drug which blocks the activity of neurotransmitters |
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Definition
| condition in which the sympathetic nervous system is in control |
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Definition
| impairment of language usually caused by damage to the left hemisphere |
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Definition
| condition in which the sympathetic nervous system is in control |
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Definition
| interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schema |
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Definition
| areas of the cerebral cortex which have no specific motor or sensory repsonsibilities, but rather are involved in thinking, memory and judgment |
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Definition
| learning in which an organism learns that certain events occur together, such as my cat knowing that she will be fed when I get home from work |
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| theory developed by Harlow; types include secure and insecure |
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Definition
| the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum |
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Definition
| style of parenting in which the parent creates strict rules for the child and the child has little or no input into determining the rules |
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Definition
| division of the nervous system that control the glands and organs; its divisions arouse or calm |
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Definition
| this cognitive shortcut features the idea that events which are vividly in memory seem to be more common |
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Definition
| extension of the neuron which carries, via an action potential, information that will be sent on to other neurons, muscles or glands |
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Definition
| stage of language development at about 4 months when an infant spontaneously utters nonsense sounds |
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Definition
| perspective on psychology that sees psychology as an objective science without reference to mental states |
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Definition
| situation in which one's beliefs continue despite the fact that the ground for the beliefs have been discredited |
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Definition
| perspective that stresses links between biology and behavior |
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Definition
| mood disorder in one experiences both manic and depressed episodes |
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Definition
| oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells upon entering the skull; controls fundamental survival processes like heartrate and breathing |
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Definition
| eating disorder characterized by excessive eating followed by purging |
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Definition
| scientific investigation in which a single subject is studied in great detail |
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Definition
| a method of creating static images of the brain through computerized axial tomography |
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Definition
| consists of the brain and the spinal cord |
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Definition
| brain structure that controls well-learned motor activities like riding a bike |
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Definition
| the fabric of interconnecting cells that blankets the brain hemispheres; the brain's center for information processing and control |
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Definition
| using operant conditioning to teach a complex response by linking together less complex skills |
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Definition
| organizing units of information into manageable units |
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Definition
| the daily biological rhythms that occur in a 24-hour period |
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Definition
| method of learning in which a neutral stimulus can be used to elicit a response that is usually a natural response to a stimulus |
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Definition
| this coiled structure in the inner ear is fluid-filled and in it the energy from sound waves stimulate hair cells |
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Definition
| perspective on psychology that stresses the importance of mental activities associated with thinking, remembering, etc |
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Definition
| in classical conditioning, the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus |
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Definition
| generally, learning in which certain experiences make certain behaviors more or less likely; there are two forms of this |
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Definition
| neurons in the retina that are responsible for color vision |
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Definition
| a tendency to search for information that supports one's preconceptions |
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Definition
| extraneous factor that interferes with the action of the independent variable on the dependent variable |
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Definition
| subjects in an experiment who do not receive application of the independent variable but are measured nonetheless for the dependent variable |
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Definition
| the transparent outer covering of the eye |
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Definition
| the fibers that connect the right and left hemispheres, enabling them to communicate |
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Definition
| the degree of relationship between two variables |
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Term
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Definition
| a positive one near 1.0 indicates two variable are positively related; a negative number indicates a negative relationship; zero indicates no relationship |
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Definition
| type of study that measures a variable across several age groups at the same time |
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Definition
| giving participants in a research study a complete explanation of the study after the study is completed |
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Definition
| largest brain waves, associated with deep, dreamless sleep |
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Definition
| a branch off the cell body of a neuron that receives new information from other neurons |
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Definition
| the variable that the experimenter measures at the end of the experiment |
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Definition
| any agent that reduces the activity of the CNS |
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Definition
| treating members of different races, religions, ethnic groups differently; usually associated with prejudice |
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Definition
| a neurotransmitter that is associated with Parkinson's disease (too little of it) and schizophrenia (too much of it) |
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Definition
| occur most often during REM sleep; may be caused by activation-synthesis, or may be a way of cementing memories |
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Definition
| also called the tympanic membrane |
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Definition
| term that describes memory of sounds |
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Definition
| initials of a method of representation of brain waves |
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Definition
| in a toddler, the belief that others perceive the world in the same way that he or she does |
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Term
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Definition
| conversion of sensory information into a form that can be retained as a memory |
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Definition
| the slow messenger system of the body; produces hormones that affect many bodily functions |
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Term
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Definition
| neurotransmitters that give one a feeling of well-being, euphoria or eliminate pain |
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Term
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Definition
| form of scientific investigation in which one variable is tested to determine its effect on another |
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Term
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Definition
| subjects in an experiment to whom the independent variable is administered |
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Term
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Definition
| in classical conditioning, the process of eliminating the previously acquired association of the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response |
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Term
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Definition
| term that describes motivations that drive behavior in order to gain rewards from outside forces |
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Definition
| sometimes the result in a child of the mother's excessive drinking while pregnant, characterized by low birth weight, facial abnormalities, mental retardation |
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Term
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Definition
| describes the schedule of reinforcement wherein a worker receives a paycheck every Friday |
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Definition
| describes a schedule of reinforcement wherein a worker is paid for a certain sum for each product produced |
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Term
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Definition
| the central focus area of the retina |
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Term
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Definition
| their axons form the optic nerve |
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Term
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Definition
| this acts as a support system for neurons |
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Term
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Definition
| a false sensory perception that seems to be real but for which there is not an actual external stimulus |
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Term
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Definition
| a substance capable of producing a sensory effect in the absence of real external sensory stimuli |
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Term
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Definition
| a useful, but unprovable, cognitive shortcut, such as a "rule of thumb" |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency, after an event occurs, to overestimate the likelihood that an event could have been predicted |
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Term
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Definition
| limbic system component associated with memory |
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Definition
| chemical substance secreted by endocrine glands that affect body processes |
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Definition
| limbic system component that regulates hunger, body temperature and other functions |
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Definition
| term that describes the memory of images |
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Term
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Definition
| evidence of critical period in some animals; they follow the first moving thing they see after hatching |
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Term
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Definition
| type of variable manipulated by the experimenter |
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Definition
| Adler's conception of a basic feeling of inadequacy stemming from childhood experiences |
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Definition
| cells in the spinal cord through which reflexes travel without going to the brain |
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Definition
| term that describes motivations that derive from one's interest in the object of the motivation, rather than from rewards that one might gain |
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Term
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Definition
| Thorndike's rule that behaviors which have positive outcomes tend to be repeated |
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Term
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Definition
| lack of motivation to avoid unpleasant stimuli after one has failed before to escape similar stimuli |
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Term
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Definition
| a curved, transparent element of the vision system that provides focus |
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Term
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Definition
| any destruction or damage to brain tissue |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to memory that is stored effectively in the brain and may be accessed over an extended period of time |
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Term
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Definition
| a drug, often smoked, whose effects include euphoria, impairment of judgment and concentration and occasionally hallucinations; rarely reported as addictive |
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Definition
| numerical average of a set of numbers |
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Definition
| middle number of a set of numbers |
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Term
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Definition
| part of the brain nearest the spinal cord which controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| functions associated with this include encoding, storage and retrieval |
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Definition
| most commonly occurring number in a set of numbers |
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Definition
| the process of observing and imitating a behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| in language, the smallest unit that carries meaning |
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Definition
| an area of the brain, near the rear of the frontal lobes, that controls voluntary movement |
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Term
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Definition
| this carries information from the brain to the muscles; also called "efferent" |
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Term
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Definition
| a technique that enables us to see static images of the brain's structures; uses magnetism to achieve this effect |
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Term
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Definition
| a layer of fatty tissue encasing a neuron's axon that speeds transmission |
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Term
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Definition
| name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| in operant conditioning, removing something unpleasant in order to elicit more of a particular behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to interconnected neurons cells |
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Term
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Definition
| the fundamental building block of the nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| a chemical that is released by a neuron for the purpose of carrying information across the gaps (synapses) between neurons |
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Term
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Definition
| describes a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that shows the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to sleep during which there is no rapid eye movement |
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Definition
| recognition that things continue to exist even though hidden from sight; infants generally gain this after 3 to 7 months of age |
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Definition
| change in behavior due to watching other people behave |
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Definition
| this lobe contains the primary vision processing function |
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Definition
| the first brain structure to pick up smell information from the nose |
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Definition
| a method of influencing behavior by rewarding desired behaviors and punishing undesired ones |
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Definition
| the axons of the ganglion cells form this |
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Term
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Definition
| membrane at the enterance to the cochlea through which the ossicles transmit vibrations |
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Definition
| the branch of the nervous system that automatically calms us down when the reason for arousal has passed |
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Definition
| lobe that contains the sensory cortex |
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Term
| peripheral nervous system |
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Definition
| the subsystem of the nervous system that does not include the CNS |
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Definition
| method of brain imaging using positron emissions |
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Definition
| in language, smallest distinctive sound unit |
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Definition
| gland that is the master gland of the endocrine system |
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Definition
| an inert substance given to the control group in an experiment |
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Definition
| phenomenon that some people get better even though they receive not medication but an inert substance which should have no medical effect |
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Definition
| the ability of the brain to adapt to damage by reorganizing functions |
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Definition
| part of the brain, works with the cerebellum in coordinating voluntary movement; neural stimulation studied in activation synthesis theory may originate here |
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Definition
| Piaget's second stage of cognitive development, when egocentrism declines |
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Definition
| can be either positive or negative, intended to reduce the occurrence of a behavior |
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Definition
| resting time; occurs in both neuron firing and in human sexual response |
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Definition
| conscious repetition of information in order to fix it in memory, such as practicing a list of terms to memorize |
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Term
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Definition
| in operant conditioning any event that strengthens the behavior it follows |
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Definition
| describes sleep in which vivid dreams typically occur; this type of sleep increases as the night progresses while stage 4 sleep decreases |
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Definition
| this cognitive short cut enables one to generalization based on how closely a stimulus matches a typical member of a class |
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Term
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Definition
| a network of cells in the brainstem that filters sensory information and is involved in arousal and alertness |
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Definition
| the sensory reception system of the eye; includes rods and cones |
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Definition
| the process of recovering information stored in memory |
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Definition
| when new learning disrupts the recall of previously-learned information |
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Definition
| responsible for black and white vision |
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Definition
| name for a graph of data points in a two variable correlation |
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Term
| schedule of reinforcement |
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Definition
| these include fixed interval and variable ratio |
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Definition
| a collection of basic knowledge about a category of information; serves as a means of organization and interpretation of that information |
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Definition
| in language, study of meanings of words |
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Definition
| describes Piaget's stage in which the child explores the world through interaction of his mouth and hands with the environment |
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Definition
| the parts of the brain that receive information from the sensory receptors |
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Definition
| nervous system cells that receive information from the environment |
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Term
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Definition
| this tells us that the best recall of a list of items will be of those at the beginning of the list |
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Definition
| a neurotransmitter; associated with improved mood and other positive emotions |
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Definition
| an operant conditioning technique in which reinforces guide behavior to closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior |
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Definition
| type of memory that holds a few items briefly before they are lost |
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Definition
| a disorder characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep |
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Definition
| short bursts of brain waves detected in stage 2 sleep |
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Definition
| a condition in which the two brain hemispheres are isolated by cutting the corpus callosum |
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Definition
| in classical conditioning the re-occurence of conditioning after it had appeared to be extinct |
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Definition
| a computation of how much scores vary around a mean |
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Definition
| part of the nervous system that controls the "flight or fight" response |
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Definition
| space between the axon terminal of one neuron and the receptors of the next neuron |
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Definition
| in language the set of rules that describe how words are arranged to make sentences |
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Definition
| the lobe that controls audition |
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Definition
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Definition
| in a neuron, reaching this causes the neuron to fire |
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Definition
| a common method of investigating whether nature or nurture affects behavior |
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Definition
| in conditioning the behavior elicited by the unconditioned stimulus |
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Definition
| in conditioning it elicits the UCR |
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