question

Introspection

answer

Focusing on inner sensations, images and feelings. Wundt used this approach as did James with the stream of consciousness.

question

Behaviorists

answer

John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner dismissed introspection and redefined psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior.

question

Humanistic Psychology

answer

Rebelled against both Behaviorism and Freudian psychology. Pioneers Carl Rogers and Maslow emphasized the importance of current environmental influences on our growth potential.

question

Psychology

answer

Science of behavior and mental processes.

question

Nature-nurture issue

answer

The controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience to the development of our traits and behaviors.

question

Biopsychosocial approach

answer

Considers the influences of biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors.

question

Applied research

answer

practical research- industrial organizational psychologists

question

Hindsight bias

answer

The tendency to believe after learning an outcome, that we would have foreseen it. The I knew it all along phenomenon)

question

Overconfidence

answer

Humans tend to think they know more than they do.

question

Theory

answer

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

question

Hypothesis

answer

Testable prediction

question

Case study

answer

Examines one individual in depth in hope of revealing things true of us all

question

Naturalistic observation

answer

Observing and recording behavior in a naturally occurring situation without trying to manipulate or control the situation

question

Correlation

answer

the extent to which two factors vary together. Positive/negative ranges from -1 to 1. Correlation does not imply causation.

question

Experiment

answer

Enable to the researcher to focus on the possible effects of one or more factors by 1) manipulating the factors of interest and 2) holding constant other factors

question

Experimental group

answer

receives a treatment

question

Control group

answer

receives a pseudotreatment

question

double-blind procedure

answer

neither the participants nor the research assistants collecting the data will know which group is receiving the treatment

question

Dendrite

answer

the neurons busy branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

question

Axon

answer

The neurons extension that passes messages through its branching terminal fibers that form junctions with other neurons

question

Action potential

answer

short electrical charge that travels down its axon

question

Synapse

answer

the meeting point between neurons

question

neurotransmitters

answer

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons. will travel across the synapse and bind to the receiving neuron

question

Somatic nervous system

answer

Enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles

question

Autonomic nervous system

answer

controls our glands and the muscles of our internal organs

question

Sympathetic nervous system

answer

arouses and expends energy. will accelerate your heartbeat, etc.

question

Parasympathetic nervous system

answer

produces opposite effects it conserves the energy as it calms you by decreasing your heart beat and lowering your heart beat.

question

Adrenal glands

answer

on top of the kidneys and release epinephrine and norepinephrine.

question

Pituitary gland

answer

located in the center of the brain and is controlled by the hypothalamus: master gland.

question

brainstem

answer

the oldest part and central core of the brain: is responsible for autonomic survival

question

medulla

answer

the base of the brainstem controls your heartbeat and breathing

question

pons

answer

helps coordinate movements

question

thalamus

answer

brains sensory switchboard: it receives information from all of the senses except for smell and routes it to higher brain regions

question

reticular formation

answer

filters incoming stimuli and relays important information to other areas of the brain

question

cerebellum

answer

"little brain" coordinating movement output and balance

question

limbic system

answer

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres associated with emotions and drives

question

amygdala

answer

influence aggression and fear

question

hypothalamus

answer

important link in the chain of command governing bodily maintenance: hunger, thirst, body temperature, sexual behavior. linked to emotion and reward

question

cerebral cortex

answer

a thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells

question

aphasia

answer

impaired use of language

question

Broca's area

answer

damage to this area disrupts speaking

question

Wernicke's area

answer

damage to this area disrupts understanding

question

plasticity

answer

the brains ability to modify itself after some types of damage

question

corpus callosum

answer

the wide band of axon fibers connecting the two hemispheres and carries messages between them

question

selective attention

answer

your conscious awareness focuses like a flashlight on a very limited aspect of your experience

question

cocktail party effect

answer

your ability to attend to only one voice among many

question

inattentional blindness

answer

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere (gorilla experiment)

question

change blindness

answer

failing to notice changes in the environment

question

circadian rhythm

answer

the biological clock: regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24 hour cycle

question

REM sleep

answer

rapid eye movement: where vivid dreams often occur

question

insomnia

answer

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

question

narcolepsy

answer

sufferers experience periodic overwhelming sleepiness

question

sleep apnea

answer

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated awakenings

question

manifest content

answer

according to freud the remembered story line of a dream

question

latent content

answer

according to freud the underlying meaning of a dream

question

depressants

answer

drugs such as alcohol and opiates that calm neural activity and slow body functions

question

stimulants

answer

temporarily excite neural activity and arouse body functions

question

social learning theory

answer

assumes that children learn gender-linked behaviors by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

question

Continuity vs stages

answer

Is development in a gradual continuous process or does it proceed through a sequence of separate stages

question

Stability vs change

answer

do our early personality traits persist through life or do we become different persons as we age?

question

rooting reflex

answer

when something touches their cheek babies turn toward that touch open then mouth and root for a nipple.

question

Schemas

answer

concepts or molds into which we pour our experiences

question

assimilate

answer

piaget stated that we interpret new things in terms of our current understanding (schemas)

question

accommodate

answer

adjust our schemas to incorporate information provided by new experiences

question

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

answer

1. Sensorimotor- experiencing world through senses 2. Preoperational- representing things with words 3. concrete operational- thinking logically 4. formal operational- abstract reasoning

question

object permanence

answer

out of sight/out of mind. The awareness that objects continue to exist when not perceived.

question

conservation

answer

the principle that the quantity remains the same despite changes in shape

question

egocentric

answer

preschool childrens difficultly perceiving things from another's point of view

question

theory of mind

answer

peoples ideas about their own and others mental states

question

critical period

answer

an optimal period when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development

question

imprinting

answer

the process by which certain animals form attachments

question

authoritarian parenting style

answer

impose rules and expect obedience

question

permissive parents

answer

submit to their children's desires

question

authoritative

answer

parents that are both demanding and responsive.

question

kohlbergs stages of morality

answer

1. preconventional morality- self interest 2. conventional morality- caring for others 3. actions are judged "right" because they flow from peoples rights

question

Erikson's stages of psychosocial development

answer

1. trust vs. mistrust 2. autonomy vs shame 3. initiative vs guilt 4. industry vs inferiority 5. identity vs role confusion 6. intimacy vs isolation 7. generativity vs stagnation 8. integrity vs despair

question

crystallized intelligence

answer

our accumulated knowledge as reflected in vocab and tests

question

fluid intelligence

answer

our ability to reason speedlily and abstractly

question

Sensation

answer

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from the environment

question

perception

answer

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

question

bottom-up processing

answer

sensory analysis that starts at the entry level

question

top-down processing

answer

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes as we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

question

absolute threshold

answer

minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular stimulus. the point at which we detect a stimulus half the time

question

difference threshold

answer

also called the just noticeable difference is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time

question

Webers law

answer

for their difference to be perceptible, two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion

question

sensory adaptation

answer

our diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus

question

wavelength

answer

the distance from one wave peak to the next

question

hue

answer

the color that we experience

question

intensity

answer

the amount of energy in a light wave: influences our perception of its brightness

question

cornea

answer

light enters the eye here (bends the light and protects the eye)

question

rods

answer

retinal receptors that detect black white and gray and are necessary for peripheral and twilight vision

question

cones

answer

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight. they detect fine detail

question

optic nerve

answer

carries information to your brain (where the thalamus will receive and distribute the information)

question

blind spot

answer

where the optic nerve leaves the eye

question

fovea

answer

the retina's area of central focus

question

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

answer

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, and one to blue which in combination can produce the perception of any color.

question

Hering's opponent-process theory

answer

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision.

question

kinesthesis

answer

your sense of position and movement of your body parts

question

nociceptors

answer

sensory receptors that detect harmful temperatures, pressures, or chemicals.

question

gestalt

answer

an organized whole. Psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

question

figure-ground

answer

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings

question

grouping

answer

the tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

question

visual cliff

answer

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and animals

question

associative learning

answer

linking two events that occur closely together

question

classical conditioning

answer

we learn to associate two stimuli and thus anticipate events. ivan pavlow

question

operant conditioning

answer

we learn to associate a response (our behavior) and its consequence and thus to repeat acts followed by good results

question

observational learning

answer

we learn from others experiences

question

acquisition

answer

initial learning of the stimulus-response relationship

question

extinction

answer

the diminished responding that occurs when the CS (tone) no longer signals an impending US (food)

question

generalization

answer

tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS

question

discrimination

answer

being able to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other irrelevant stimuli

question

respondent behavior

answer

actions that are automatic responses to a stimuli

question

law of effect

answer

B.F. Skinner- rewarded behavior is likely to recur

question

shaping

answer

reinforcers gradually guide an animals actions toward a desired behavior

question

reinforcer

answer

any even that strengthens a preceding response

question

positive reinforcement

answer

strengthens a response by presenting a typically pleasurable stimulus after a response

question

negative reinforcement

answer

strengthens a response by reducing or removing something undesirable or unpleasant

question

primary reinforcers

answer

getting food when hungry. are unlearned

question

second reinforcers (conditioned reinforcers)

answer

get their power through learned association with primary reinforcers

question

continuous reinforcement

answer

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

question

partial (intermittent) reinforcement

answer

responses are sometimes reinforced, sometimes not

question

fixed-ratio schedules

answer

reinforce behavior after a set number of responses

question

variable-ratio schedules

answer

provide reinforcers after an unpredictable number of responses

question

punishment

answer

any consequence that decreases the frequency of a preceding behavior

question

mirror neurons

answer

frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or observing another doing so (use PET scan)

question

encoding

answer

the processing of information into the memory system

question

storage

answer

the retention of encoded information over time

question

retrieval

answer

the process of getting information out of memory storage

question

short-term memory

answer

activated memory that holds a few item briefly

question

long-term memory

answer

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system

question

working memory

answer

active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information

question

rehearsal

answer

conscious repetition (Ebbinghaus)

question

spacing effect

answer

we retain information better when our rehearsal is distributed over time

question

mnemonic

answer

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery

question

chunking

answer

we can more easily recall information when we can organize it into familiar manageable chunks

question

magic number seven plus or minus two

answer

short-term memory is limited to storing about seven bits of information (George miller)

question

long-term potentiation

answer

an increase in a synapses firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation

question

flashbulb memories

answer

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

question

amnesia

answer

unable to form new memories

question

implicit memory

answer

retention independent of conscious recollection

question

explicit memory

answer

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

question

hippocampus

answer

a neural center that is located in the limbic system: helps process explicit memories for storage

question

priming

answer

the activation of particular associations in memory

question

proactive interference

answer

occurs when something you learned earlier disrupts your recall of something you experience later

question

retroactive interference

answer

occurs when new information makes it harder to recall something you learned earlier

question

misinformation effect

answer

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

question

source amnesia

answer

we retain the memory of the event but not of the context in which we acquired it

question

algorithms

answer

step by step procedures that guarantee a solution

question

heuristics

answer

a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments efficiently: usually speedier

question

confirmation bias

answer

we seek verifying ideas more eagerly than we seek evidence that might refute them

question

representative heuristic

answer

judging the likelihood of things in terms o how well they seem to represent, or match particular prototypes

question

availability heuristic

answer

operates when we base our judgments on the mental availability of information

question

babbling stage

answer

around 4 months of age babies enter this stage in which they spontaneously utter a variety of sounds

question

one-word stage

answer

around 1 children enter this stage and the stage in which most children speak in single words

question

two-word stage

answer

beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks two-word statements

question

telegraphic speech

answer

early speech stage in which a child speaks in mostly nouns and verbs

question

general intelligence

answer

(g) according to spearman underlines specific mental abilities

question

emotional intelligence

answer

the ability to perceive emotions, understand emotions, and use emotions

question

Standford-Binet

answer

the widely used American revision of binets original intelligence test

question

IQ

answer

defined as the mental age/chronological age

question

hierarchy of needs

answer

maslows pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that first must be satisfied

question

james-lange theory

answer

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli

question

cannon-bard theory

answer

the theory that emotion-arousing stimulus stimultaneously triggers 1) physiological responses and 2) the subjective experience of emotion

question

catharsis

answer

emotional release

question

problem-focused coping

answer

attempts to alievate stress directly

question

emotion-focused coping

answer

attempting to alieviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs

question

personality

answer

a persons characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

question

free association

answer

freud told his patient to relax and say whatever came to mind no matter how trivial

question

psychoanalysis

answer

freuds theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts

question

id

answer

unconscious psychic energy that constantly strives to satisfy basic drives to survive, reproduce, and agress. Pleasure priniciple: seeks immediate gratification

question

ego

answer

reality principle: seeks to gratify the ids impulses in realistic ways that will bring long-term pleasure

question

superego

answer

moral compass that forces the ego to consider the ideal- how we ought to behave

question

psychosexual stages

answer

oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

question

defense mechanisms

answer

tactics that function to reduce anxiety

question

Karen Horney

answer

agreed with Frued that childhood is important but social, not sexual tensions are crucial for personality formation

question

collective unconscious

answer

a common reservoir of images derived from our species universal experiences (carl jung).

question

projective tests

answer

ask test-takers to describe an ambiguous stimulus or tell a story about it

question

Carl Rogers

answer

Growth-promoting climate required three conditions: 1) genuiness 2) acceptance - unconditional positive self regard and 3) empathy

question

traits

answer

people's characteristic behavior patternsn and conscious motives

question

external locus of control

answer

the perception that chance or outside forces determine your fact

question

internal locus of control

answer

the perception that they can control their own destiny

question

learned helplessness

answer

the hopelessness an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

question

spotlight effect

answer

overestimating others and noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance and blunders

question

self-serving bias

answer

our readiness to perceive ourselves favorable

question

anxiety disorder

answer

marked by distressing persistent anxiety or dysfunctional anxiety-reducing behaivor

question

somatoform disorders

answer

the distressing symptoms take a somatic form without apparent physical causes

question

conversion disorder

answer

anxiety presumably is converted into a physical symptom (blindness)

question

dissociative disorders

answer

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories

question

major depressive disorder

answer

a mood disorder in which a person experiences in the absence of drugs or a medical condition two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness

question

bipolar disorder

answer

a mood disorder in which the person alternates between mania and depression

question

eclectic approach

answer

using a blend of therapies

question

psychodynamic therapists

answer

try to help people understand their current symptoms by focusing on themes across important relationships

question

insight therapies

answer

psychoanalytic and humanistic therapies attempt to help troubled people by reducing their inner conflicts and increasing self-understanding

question

client-centered therapy

answer

carl rogers: the therapist listens to the persons conscious self-perceptions without judging, interpreting, or directing the client toward certain insights

question

exposure therapy

answer

behavior therapy: that treats anxieties by exposing people to the things they fear and avoid

question

systematic desensitization

answer

a type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increased anxiety-triggering stimuli

question

aversive conditioning

answer

opposite of systematic desensitization- its goal is to substitute a negative response for a positive response to a harmful stimulus

question

cognitive-behavioral therapy

answer

aims not only to alter the way people things but also alter the way they act

question

biomedical therapy

answer

physically changing the brains functioning by altering its chemistry with drugs, or affecting its circuitry with various kinds of direct stimulation

question

attribution theory

answer

we usually attribute others behavior either to their internal dispositions or their external situations

question

fundamental attribution error

answer

overestimating the influence of personality and underestimating the influence of situations

question

foot in the door phenonomen

answer

a tendency for people to first agree to a small action to comply later with a larger one

question

cognitive dissonance theory

answer

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

question

conformity

answer

adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard (aschs line experiments)

question

obedience

answer

milgrams experiments

question

social facilitation

answer

stronger performance in others presence

question

social loafing

answer

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts than when individually accountable

question

group polarization

answer

the enhancement of a groups prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

question

groupthink

answer

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

question

altruism

answer

the unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Major Field Test in Psychology – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards