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pysch 101
intro
105
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
02/05/2008

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
what is psychology?
Definition
the systematic study of behavior and experience
Term
developmental psychologists
Definition
study of how behavior changes with age "from womb to tomb"
Term
learning and motivation
Definition
studies how behavior depends on the outcomes of past behaviors and current motivations
Term
cognition
Definition
thought and knowledge
Term
cognitive psychologist
Definition
studies processes of thought and knowledge
Term
biopsychologist
Definition
tries to explain behaviors in terms of biological factors such as electrical and chemical activies in the nervous system, the effects of drugs and hormones, genetics and evolutionary pressures
Term
social psychology
Definition
study of how an individual influences other people and how the group influences an individual
Term
cross cultural psychology
Definition
compares the behavior of people from different cultures
Term
therapist
Definition
has no specific definition

someone who provides therapy to others
Term
clinical psychology
Definition
have an advanced degree in psychology with a specialty and understanding of people with psychological problems
Term
psychaitry
Definition
branch of medicine that deals with emotional disturbances
Term
clinical social worker
Definition
similar to clinical psychologist but with different training
Term
counseling psychologist
Definition
help people with educcational, vocational, marraige, health related, and other decisions

ex: has a degree in PhD, PsyD, EdD
Term
forensic psychologist
Definition
those who provide advice and consultation to police, lawyers, courts, or other parts of the criminal justice system
Term
industrial/organizational psychology
Definition
psychological study of people at work
Term
erganomist
Definition
attempts to facilitate the operation of machinery so that ordinary people can use it efficiently and safely
Term
school psychology
Definition
specialists in the physical condition of students
Term
who employs psychologists?
Definition
1. hospitals, clinics, businesses

2. colleges and universities

3. private practices

4. government

5. other educational
Term
how did psychology get started?
Definition
mostly began with aristotle and other philosophers and scientists

1879 Wundt established the first psychology lab in Germany
Term
Wilhem Wundt
Definition
interests ranged from physiology to cultural differences in behavior

studied sensations and feelings

used introspection
Term
introspect
Definition
to look within yourself
Term
Edward Titchner
Definition
student of Wundt

taught psych at cornell

main question is nature of mental experiences

invented structuralism
Term
structuralism
Definition
an attempt to describe the structures that compose the mind

-color
-shape
-texture
-etc..
Term
William James
Definition
founder of american psychology

author of the principles of psychology in 1890

taught at Harvard

focused on what mind does, not what it is

invented functionalism

posed questions for others to answer and research
Term
functionalism
Definition
learning how people process useful behaviors
Term
behaviorism
Definition
field of psychology that concentrates on observable, measurable behaviors and not on mental processes
Term
falsifiable
Definition
a well formed theory must be stated in such clear, precise terms that we can see what evidence would count against it
Term
induction
Definition
process of inferring a general principle from observations
Term
burden of proof
Definition
obligation to present evidence to support one's claim
Term
hypothesis
Definition
a clear predicative statement
Term
replicable results
Definition
those that anyone can obtain, at least approximately by following the same procedures
Term
methods
Definition
a way of testing your hypothesis
Term
results
Definition
investigator must follow clear rules on what constitutes as data

are the results impressive enough to make an explanation?
Term
interpretation
Definition
determining what the results mean
Term
parsimony
Definition
stinginess

scientists choose the theory or hypothesis with assumptions that are fewer, simpler or more consistent with other well established theories
Term
description
Definition
making a detailed record
Term
prediction
Definition
forecasting behavior
Term
explanation
Definition
uncovering causes of behavior
Term
control
Definition
altering conditions that affect behavior
Term
popper
Definition
no observation can prove a theory to be true
Term
meta-analysis
Definition
determining the overall average effect of results from many different experiments
Term
operational definition
Definition
a definition that specifies the procedures used to produce or measure something or give it a numerical value

ex: to measure sense of humor, # of times someone laughs or smiles over a course of time
Term
population
Definition
group of individuals being studied
Term
convenience sample
Definition
group chosen because it is easy to study
Term
representative sample
Definition
closely resembles the population in its percentage of males and females, race, age, where someone lives and other characteristics that are likely to affect results
Term
random sample
Definition
every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected
Term
cross cultural samples
Definition
groups of people from at least two cultures
Term
experimenter blas
Definition
tendency of an experimenter (unitentionally, usually) to distort or misinterperet results of an experiment based on the expected outcome
Term
blind observer
Definition
an observer who can record the data without knowing what the researcher predicted
Term
placebo
Definition
a pill with no known pharmacioligical effects
Term
single blind study
Definition
either the observer or the participants are unaware of which participants recieved which treatment
Term
double blind study
Definition
both the participants and the observer are unaware which patricipants recieve treatment
Term
demand characteristics
Definition
cues telling a participant what is expected of them and what the experimenter hopes to find
Term
naturalistic observations
Definition
careful examination of what happens under more or less natural conditions
Term
case history
Definition
a thourough description of the person including abilities and disabilities, medical conditions, life history, unusual experiences and other things relavent
Term
survey
Definition
the study of the prevalence of certain beliefs, attitudes or behaviors based on peoples responses to specific questions
Term
correlational study
Definition
a measure of the relationshiop between two variables without controlling either of them

correlation range is -1.0 to +1.0

the higher the absolute value the stronger the relationship
Term
illusionary correlation
Definition
apparent relationship based on casual observations of unrelated or weakly related events
Term
experiment
Definition
study in which the investigator manipulates at least one variable while measuring at least one variable
Term
ways to measure brain activity
Definition
EEG (electroencephalograph)

PET (position emission tomagraphy)

FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
Term
EEG scan
Definition
uses electrodes on the scalp to record rapid changes in brain electrical activity
Term
PET scan
Definition
records radioactivity of various brain areas emitted from injected chemicals
Term
MRI scan
Definition
uses magnetic detectors outside the head to compare the amounts of hemoglobin with and without oxygen in different brain areas
Term
central nervous system
Definition
brain and spinal cord
Term
peripheral nervous system
Definition
bundles of nerves between the spinal cord and the rest of the body
Term
autonomic nervous system
Definition
controls internal organs, such as the heart involuntarily or atomatially

part of peripheral nervous system

sympathetic nervous system

parasympathetic nervous sytem
Term
somatic nervous system
Definition
controls voluntary actions and communicates with the skin and muscles

part of peripheral nervous system
Term
the forebrain: cerebral cortex
Definition
two hemispheres, left and right

4 lobes
-frontal
-temporal
-occipital
-parietal

subcortical areas
-hypothalamus
-amygdala
-hippocampus
Term
left and right hemispheres
Definition
controls sensation and motor functioning for opposite side of body

communicate with eachother through corpus callosum
Term
frontal lobe
Definition
located in front of brain

responsible for organization, planning an action, and aspects of memory
Term
temporal lobe
Definition
located on left and right side of the head

main area for hearing and complex aspects of vision
Term
occipital lobe
Definition
located in the back of the head

main area is vision
Term
parietal lobe
Definition
just in front of occipital lobe

specialized for senses
-touch
-pain
-temperature
-body awareness
Term
hypothalamus
Definition
controls hunger, thirst, temperature regulation, sex, and other motivated behaviors
Term
amygdala
Definition
key area for emotion
Term
hippocampus
Definition
important for memory
Term
pons and medulla
Definition
control muscles of the head
Term
cerebellum
Definition
important for any behavior requiring timing or aim, and coordination
Term
spinal cord
Definition
controls muscles from the neck down and some reflexes
Term
sympathetic nervous system
Definition
controlled by a chain of cells just outside of spinal cord

increases heart rate, breathing rate, sweating, etc..

fight or flight
Term
parasympathetic nervous system
Definition
controlled by cells at top and bottom of spinal cord

decreases heart rate, increases digestive activities
Term
endocrine system
Definition
set of glands that produce hormones and release them into the blood
Term
sensation
Definition
conversion of energy from the environment by the nervous system to register information
Term
perception
Definition
how we interpret sensations
Term
stimuli
Definition
energy from the environment that effects what we do
Term
receptors
Definition
specialized cells in our body that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system
Term
cones
Definition
vision receptor specialized for color vision, day time, and detail
Term
rods
Definition
vision receptors used for vision in dim light
Term
dark adaptation
Definition
your eyes adjusting to darker lighting
Term
color blindness
Definition
green-red is most common

yellow-blue is least commmon
Term
sound waves
Definition
vibrations in the air or another medium (water)
Term
frequency
Definition
measured in hertz (Hz)

number of vibrations or cycles of the sound wave per second

pitch is determined by frequency
Term
amplitude
Definition
determines intensity and loudness
Term
cochlea
Definition
location of hearing receptors
Term
hearing loss (2 types)
Definition
conduction deafness

nerve deafness
Term
conduction deafness
Definition
results when the 3 bones in the ear fail to transmit sound waes properly to the cochlea
Term
nerve deafness
Definition
results from damage to the structures that recieve and transmit the impulses

ex: too much loud music
Term
cutaneous senses
Definition
skin senses
Term
pain
Definition
pain receptors are simple nerve endings that travel to the spinal cord

perception of pain is a complex mixture of sensation and perception that can be swayed by emotion or a distraction
Term
ways of decreasing pain
Definition
placebo effect

endorphins
Term
taste
Definition
detects chemicals on tongue

controls and motivates our eating
Term
taste buds
Definition
located on the folds of the surface of the tongue

contain majority of human taste receptors
Term
olfactory (smell) senses
Definition
located in mucous membranes in our back air passages

very important for nonhuman animals
Term
pheremones
Definition
chemicals released into the environment and are important for sexual communication
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