Psychology Final Study Guide

Your relative is experiencing memory loss related to Alzheimer disease. Research suggests that there may be insufficient production of the neurotransmitter ___________ in this individual's brain.

ACh

___ are generally measured under controlled conditions where optimal sensitivity can be determined.

Absolute thresholds

Tamika hypothesizes that women are more helpful than men. She decides to conduct an experiment to see if she's right. During lunchtime, she goes to the crowded food court and deliberately drops her notebook. She then notes whether the person standing closest to her helps her pick up her papers and whether the person is male or female. What is the operational definition of "helpful" in Tamika's study?

Bending down to pick up the papers

Dr. Okawa is interested in studying the effect that neurological trauma can have on short-term memory. First, he collects detailed information from a small number of individuals who have experienced brain damage. Then, using information provided by medical records, interviews, and observations, Dr. Okawa attempts to create an in-depth portrait of each individual. What type of research method was used in this study?

Case study

Which of the following statements about correlational research is FALSE?

Correlational methods are useful for establishing cause-and-effect relationships between two variables.

Freud believed that our dreams represent an opportunity to gain access to our subconscious mind through dreams and content analysis.

False

Organisms that learn to associate events that repeatedly happen together are using operant conditioning to learn.

False

The empirical method is based on forms of logical argument or previous authorities.

False

Top-down processing is when sensory receptors gather external information and bring it to the brain for interpretation

False

True or False: NTs are stored in the synaptic vesicles that are located in the soma and travel down the axon for release into the synaptic gap.

False

True or False: Oxytocin is categorized exclusively as a neurotransmitter that is important in our experiences related to love and social bonding.

False

Visual input follows which processing pathway in the brain

First to the thalamus, then to the occipital lobe

The neurotransmitter that is important for inhibiting the firing of neurons is

GABA

___ is the field of psychology that is based on the idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts.

Gestalt

Steven was in a serious automobile accident that caused a severe injury to his hippocampus. What type of deficiency will Steven likely experience as a result of this brain damage?

He will probably have difficulties with memory formation

Which of the following statements is false?

In order to eliminate ambiguity, every variable should have only one operational definition.

___ refers to the fact that we perceive depth when we see two parallel lines that seem to converge in an image.

Linear perspective

Which of the following is considered a drawback to conducting survey research?

People may offer socially desirable responses that make themselves "look good" as opposed to offering honest and valid answers. Surveys can only measure a person's conscious thoughts and feelings. Unconscious thoughts and feelings are not measurable. The language and structure (open vs. closed-ended) of questions can shape the content of responses.

The theory of hearing that specifically talks about the importance of different nerve cells being sensitive to different pitches is called

Place Theory

We define psychology based on three specific criteria, they are

Science, behavior, mental processes

Sonal had a stroke. Doctors told her she sustained substantial damage to the occipital lobes. What type of deficiencies will Sonal likely experience as a result of this brain damage?

She may be blind or unable to see clearly

___ constancy is when something is the same size despite retinal input.

Size

Which division of the peripheral nervous system is responsible for producing physiological symptoms (such as increased heart rate and butterflies in the stomach) under conditions of stress?

Sympathetic

Several studies find that among college students, use of illegal drugs is negatively correlated with grade-point average. Which conclusion, if any, do these results justify?

The results do not justify any of these conclusions

Functionalism involves understanding how mental activities help an organism adapt to their surroundings

True

Opponent process theory allows us to understand why we perceive certain colors when they are not actually visible at that moment.

True

True or False: Agonists such as morphine work to increase the effects of neurotransmitters produced in the body

True

True or False: The small brain area that is important for regulating sleep/wake cycles through retinal input is called the SCN.

True

Wilhelm Wundt's contribution to psychology included the creation of the first psychology lab involving the study of reaction time to stimuli.

True

The minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected is called

absolute threshold

___ is generally measured under very controlled settings that are optimal for sensitivity.

absolute threshold

_____ glands help regulate mood, energy, and the ability to cope with stress.

adrenal

Depressants act as an ___ that work similar to GABA and can cause the slowing down of the central nervous system.

agonist

An ____ is a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effects. An ____ is a drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effect.

agonist/antagonist

Sally is feeling very sick, but she takes some medicine and suddenly feels like doing some crazy things she wouldn't normally do. Which state of consciousness is she likely in?

altered states

Discrimination of objects that are necessary for survival (such as appropriate food) as well as emotional awareness and expression involves the _____.

amygdala

Critical thinking is the process of

asking questions, thinking deeply and actively, and evaluating evidence

When we form connections between certain stimuli or events that occur together in the environment we are exhibiting ____.

associative learning

If a person's cerebellum were damaged in an accident, you would expect the person to have a problem with _____.

balance and muscle coordination

Evolutionary psychology involves the study of universal patterns of ___ and ___ processes and how they have helped a species evolve over time.

behavior, cognitive

All of the following are considered monocular cues except:

binocular disparity

Psychologists who adopt a ____ approach examine behavior and mental processes by focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.

biological

When perceptions are built and put together based on the sensory input received, this is known as ___.

bottom-up processing

The term plasticity refers to the____.

brain's special capacity for modification and change

The most complex mental functions, such as thinking and planning, take place in the _____.

cerebral cortex

The type of psychology that focuses on thoughts and their relationship to experiences and actions is

cognitive psychology

When the axons of healthy neurons help damaged cells grow and make new connections, this is known as ___.

collateral sprouting

All of the following are part of the scientific method EXCEPT:

conducting an interview

When we are able to look at an object and see that as it moves further and further away from us, it still maintains the same relative size, we would called this perceiving

constancy

____ is the method by which neurons communicate with one another.

electrochemical transmission

Research information that is grounded in objective and tangible evidence is known as

empirical knowledge

___ are natural opiates that are mainly useful for protecting the body from extreme pain.

endorphins

Dr. Steinguard wants to demonstrate a cause and effect relationship between stress and memory. Which of the following research methods should he use?

experimental method

The type of imaging that allows us to see changes in brain activity over time by tracking blood flow and oxygen levels is known as ___ scans.

fMRI

The complex molecule that carries genetic information is called

genes

When we are about to take a very important test that could determine our grade for the semester, we are likely to respond at a

high level of awareness

The _____ is a small forebrain structure that monitors pleasurable activities (e.g. eating, drinking, and sex), emotion, stress, and reward.

hypothalamus

Dr. Lopez found a significant positive correlation between stress and illness. Why can't she conclude that stress causes illness?

illness may cause stress a third variable such as poverty may be responsible for the correlation between stress and illness stress and illness could have mutual or bidirectional causal effects

The finding that identical twins reared together are more similar in intelligence than identical twins reared apart is evidence for the

importance of environmental factors

The failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention is called ___

inattentional blindness

According to the principle of ____, researchers must disclose the purpose of the study to their participants and inform them of any potential risks and benefits that are associated with taking part in the study.

informed consent

___ is unlearned knowledge and that thought to be more prevalent in lower animals than in humans

instincts

The brain's ability to coordinate information from all five senses best reflects which of the following characteristics of the nervous system?

integration

Consciousness is awareness of ____ and ____ stimuli; often described as a continuum ranging from full awareness to deep sleep.

internal. external

It has been reported that people who use marijuana are more likely than other people to commit crimes. Why is this NOT evidence that marijuana use leads to crime?

it confuses correlation and causation

Skepticism is important in understanding psychology because

it helps us to question whether something makes sense, it allows for continued critical thinking, it helps us to determine if there could be another explanation

The sense that is important in providing us information about movement, posture, and orientation is called the ____ sense.

kinesthesia

Operant conditioning is

learning the relationship between one's own behavior and the consequences that result

Independent variables are ____.

manipulated by researchers

Which part of the nervous system regulates breathing?

medulla

The reason that we may notice a sensory stimulus despite the background noise is known as ___.

motivation

According to the all-or-nothing principle, _____.

once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity (its threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity

Theories are a set of organized ideas and propositions that

organize and explain observable behaviors

The fact that we are able to organize, interpret, and consciously experience our world is due to our ability of ___.

perception

The "bridge" between the hypothalamus and the rest of the endocrine system is through the ___ which serves to regulate the activity of other glands.

pituitary gland

Professor Jordan has suggested to his students that as study time increases, grades increase. The professor is describing a ____.

positive correlation

______ involves using a chance procedure to guarantee that each participant has an equal probability of being assigned to either the control or experimental group.

random sampling

The assertion that our genes set the boundaries within which they operate is known as

range of reaction

To say that a test is reliable is to say that its results are

replicable

Certain psychoactive drugs can be very addictive. The reason for this is because many drugs work along ____ pathways in the brain.

reward

In Pavlov's classical conditioning procedure with the dog, which of the following was the UCR?

salivating to the food

A researcher is conducting an experiment to test the effects of violent video game play on aggression. Which of the following could be the dependent variable in this example?

scores on an aggressive behavior survey

Which of the following are factors that influence our perceptual experience?

sensory adaptation motivation attention

The ability to identify a stimulus that is embedded in a distracting background sound is called ___.

signal detection theory

We keep many food items in the refrigerator. The way that we perceptually group these items together is based on their

similarity and proximity

Hearing is to audition as touch is to ___.

somatosensation

The reticular formation is primarily responsible for _____.

stereotyped patterns such as walking, sleeping

The difference threshold is impacted by the ___.

stimulus intensity

Biopsychology involves

studying plasticity of the nervous system, studying neurodevelopment, studying reproductive behavior

The ___ mobilizes the body's resources and prepares it for action.

sympathetic NS

Psychology is

the study of human behavior, the study of mental processes, a type of science

Our understanding that organisms that are better suited for their environments and will survive and reproduce is attributed to

theory of evolution

Conversion of sensory stimulus energy to action potential is

transduction

Depression is associated with low levels of what neurotransmitter?

5HT

The ____ establishes ethical guidelines for psychologists. The ____ evaluates the ethical nature of research conducted at colleges and universities.

American Psychological Association (APA) / Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The type of psychology that involves focusing on controlling behaviors and their interaction with inborn qualities is

Behaviorism

The cells that respond to pressure and lower frequency vibrations are the

Meissner's corpuscles

When a neuron is at its resting state, what is the status of the charges on each side of the cell membrane?

Negative on the inside and positive on the outside

_____ provide an objective description of how variables are going to be measured and observed in a particular study.

Operational definitions