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Exam 1
Exam 1
73
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
10/15/2008

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Psychology
Definition
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Term
Science
Definition
systematic methods used to observe, describe, predict, and explain behavior and mental processes
Term
Behavior
Definition
Anything an organism does
Term
Mental Processes
Definition
Internal experiences
Term
Goals
Definition
Description
Explanation
Prediction
Control
Term
Philosophy
Definition
exploring and understanding the general nature of many aspects of the world INTROSPECTION
Term
Physiology
Definition
scientific study of living organisms and their functions and processes OBSERVATION
Term
Hippocrates
Definition
biological malfunctions cause mental illness
Term
Plato
Definition
Behavior controlled by 2 distinct systems: body and mind/soul (dualism)
Term
Aristotle
Definition
mind and body are the same (monism)
Term
Rene Descartes
Definition
dualistic nature of humans is what separates us from nonhuman animals
Nativism: ideas are innate to the human mind
Men are born, not made
Term
John Locke
Definition
humans are born without knowledge; mind is a blank slate that environment writes upon (“tabula rasa”)
Empiricism: anything we know, we have learned through experience
Men are made, not born
Term
Structuralism
Definition
Goal: understand mind by analyzing its elements/basic units of thought
Wilhelm Wundt
Edward Titchener
Term
Functionalism
Definition
Goal: understand how the mind works to enable organisms to adapt to and function in their environments
William James
Term
Associationism
Definition
Goal: to examine how events or ideas can become associated in the mind, resulting in learning
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Term
Gestalt
Definition
Goal: to understand the mind as a whole; not elementary parts
Max Wertheimer
Term
Contemporary Approach:
Biological
Definition
brain, nervous system, hormones and genetics are all central to understanding human mental processes and behavior
Term
Contemporary Approach:
Evolutionary
Definition
emphasizes the importance of adaptations and functions that promote the species
Term
Contemporary Approach:
Learning/Behavioral
Definition
study of behavioral responses and their environmental determinants
Term
Contemporary Approach:
Cognitive
Definition
study of mental processes and determining the role that mental processes play in determining behavior
Term
Contemporary Approach:
Psychodynamic
Definition
unconscious thoughts and early family experiences influence behavior
Term
Contemporary Approaches:
Sociocultural
Definition
examines the ways social and cultural environments influence behavior and mental processes
Term
Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist
Definition
Psychiatrists are physicians
Psychiatrists have MDs and Psychologists have either a Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.
Psychiatrists can prescribe medication to treat psychological disorders
Term
3 Functions of Nervous System
Definition
1. Sensory
2. Motor
3. Integrative
3.
Term
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Definition
Composed of the brain and spinal cord
Receives, processes, interprets, and stores incoming sensory information
Spinal cord = information superhighway
Term
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Definition
All neural structures that lie outside the CNS that connect brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body
Handles CNS input/output
Further divided into somatic/skeletal nervous system & autonomic nervous system
Somatic/skeletal - enables you to sense the world and control sensory musculature
Term
Autonomic Nervous System
Definition
Regulates glands and muscles of internal organs and involuntary functions (respiration, circulation, digestion)
Also plays role in many aspects of motivation, emotional behaviors and stress responses
Sympathetic – mobilize body for action
Parasympathetic – operates during relaxed states
Term
Neurons
Definition
“Communication specialists”
Term
Soma
Definition
Neuron cell body
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Neurons receive neural impulses
Term
Axons
Definition
Neurons transmits messages to other neurons, glands, or muscles
Term
Myelin/myelin sheath
Definition
insulates axon; allows for more efficient message transmittal
Term
Synapse
Definition
junction between terminal button and dendrite of receiving neuron
Term
Neurotransmitters
Definition
A chemical that diffuses across the synaptic gap and stimulates the next neuron
Acetylcholine, Endorphins, Serotonin
Term
Lateralization
Definition
specialization of the two cerebral hemispheres for particular operations
Term
Left Brain
Definition
language (Broca’s & Wernicke’s Areas); positive emotions
Term
Right Brain
Definition
nonverbal processing; negative emotions
Term
Hemispheric Lobes
Definition
Occipital – back of head; visual cortex
Parietal – top of brain; somatosensory cortex
Temporal – sides of the brain; auditory cortex
Frontal – front of brain; voluntary movement
Term
Brain plasticity
Definition
The ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on experiences
Environment plays a key role in influencing plasticity
Occurs
During normal brain development
As an adaptive mechanism to compensate for injury
Term
Data Collection Methods
Definition
Direct observation
Questionnaire/survey
Interview
Psychological/standardized test
Physiological recording
Case study
Term
Correlational Research
Definition
Permits investigators to explore relationships between variables
Term
Experimental Research
Definition
Manipulation of a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observing whether any changes in a second variable will result
Term
Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal
Definition
Cross-sectional: studying people all at one time
Longitudinal: studying the same individuals over a period of time
Term
Social desirability bias
Definition
distortions in self-report data
Term
Developmental Psychology
Definition
The study of changes in the individual that occur between conception and death
Term
Domains of Development
Definition
Physical: brain, nervous system, sensory capabilities, motor functions, needs for food, drink & sleep
Cognitive: mental abilities including learning, memory, language, problem solving, intelligence
Social: interactions with others, social relationships, enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another
Term
Issues that Guide Developmental Research
Definition
Nature vs. Nurture
Critical/Sensitive Periods
Critical: age range during which certain experiences must occur for development to proceed normally or along a certain path
Sensitive: optimal age range for certain experiences, but if these experiences occur at another time, normal development is still possible
Continuity vs. Discontinuity
Stability vs. Change
Term
Teratogens
Definition
External agents that can cause abnormal prenatal development
Common teratogens:
German measles (rubella)
X-rays/radiation/toxic chemicals
STDs
Cigarette smoking
Alcohol
Drugs
Term
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Definition
a disorder of permanent birth defects that occurs in the offspring of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy
Term
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Definition
a withdrawal syndrome of infants, caused by administration of drugs
Term
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Definition
a withdrawal syndrome of infants, caused by administration of drugs
Term
Cognitive Development
Definition
Influenced by Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
2 schools of thought:
Cognitive development was result of innately determined sequence of growth and change independent of external events
Cognitive development was the result of learning processes
Term
Piagetian Terms
Definition
Schema: Framework that organizes and interprets information
Assimilation: understanding new experiences in terms of our current schemas
Accommodation: modifying existing schemas to incorporate new information
Term
Piaget Stage:
Sensorimotor
Definition
(0-2 years): experiencing the world through their actions and consequences of those actions
Object permanence: awareness that an object continues to exist even when it is not present
Term
Piaget Stage:
Preoperational
Definition
2-7 years): represent the world symbolically through words and mental images
Egocentrism: unaware of other’s perspectives
Conservation: quantity remains the same despite changes in shape
Term
Piaget Stage:
Concrete Operational
Definition
(7- 11/12 years): achievement of conservation, beginning capacity for adult logic
Decentration: focus on more than one aspect of a situation
Term
Piaget Stage:
Formal Operations
Definition
(11/12 and beyond): thinking is abstract, systematic, form and test hypotheses
Egocentrism: difficulty separating things that are of concern to others and those that are of concern only to themselves
Imaginary audience
Personal fable
Term
Criticisms of Piaget
Definition
Underestimation of preschoolers’ and infants’ abilities
Development proceeds more inconsistently
Development is more complex
Did not consider environment
Term
Lev Vygotsky
Definition
Highlights how sociocultural context interacts with brain’s biological maturation
Apprenticeship: guidance by more knowledgeable individuals
Zone of proximal development (ZPD): range of tasks that a child can carry out with the help of someone who is more knowledgeable
Lower level: problem-solving alone
Upper level: problem-solving with help
Term
Cognitive Development in Old Age
Definition
Fluid intelligence: efficiency and speed of intellectual functioning (decline)
Crystallized intelligence: accumulated knowledge (stable)
Implicit memory – little or no decline
Intellectual decline occurs in 60s and70s
Extent of decline varies enormously from one person to the next
Term
Temperament
Definition
Mood-related personality characteristics
3 Temperament Categories
Easy
Difficult
Slow to Warm Up
Term
Attachment
Definition
Bond between infant and primary caregiver (usually the mother)
Believed to lay the foundations for all later relationships
Term
Why do children become attached to their primary caregivers?
Definition
Sigmund Freud: “I love you because you feed me.”
John Bowlby: “I was born to love you.”
Stranger anxiety (6-7 months)
Separation anxiety (peaks 12-16 months)
Harry Harlow: “I love you because it’s comfortable.”
Term
Parenting Styles (Baumrind)
Definition
Two key dimensions of parental behavior:
Warmth vs. hostility: Extent of sensitivity to child and communication of love and caring
Restrictiveness vs. permissiveness: the extent to which parents make and enforce rules, place demands on children and discipline children
Term
aphasia
Definition
any loss of language ability resulting from brain damage
Term
Broca's Area/Aphasia
Definition
speech becomes labored and telegraphic - that is, the minimum number of words are used to convey the message
Term
Wernicke's Area/Aphasia
Definition
has difficulty understanding the meanings of words that they hear and also has difficulty finding the appropriate words to express the meanings they want to convey
Term
social referencing
Definition
infants look at their caregiver's emotional expressions for clues about the possible danger of their own actions
Term
language acquisition device (LAD)
Definition
includes the inborn foundation for universal grammar plus the entire set of inborn mechanisms that guide children's learning of the unique rules of their culture's language
Term
language-acquisition supporst system (LASS)
Definition
provided by the social world into which the baby is born
Term
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
Definition
that people's awareness of how much time they have left in life affects their motivation
Term
Disengagement Theory
Definition
the disengagement of an individual from society
Term
Activity Theory
Definition
The common-sense idea behind many programs and services for older adults rests on the proposition that activities in and of themselves have important benefits and that they contribute to increased life satisfaction for everyone
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