College Psychology Exam #1

an addictive depressant used to relieve anxiety or induce sleep

barbiturate

The surface of the cerebrum - the cerebral cortex - is wrinkled, or convoluted, with ridges and valleys. These valleys are known as______.

fissures

numbers of waves per second

frequencies

helps focusing on the present rather than ruminating about problems

mindfulness meditation (MM)

_______, is the tendency to perceive an object as being just as luminous even though lighting conditions changes its intensity.

Brightness constancy

The brain and the spinal cord make up the_________, which controls and commands bodily functions.

Central Nervous System

-Rejuvenates the body -Helps one recover from stress -Helps one consolidate learning -May promote development of infants' brains

Functions of Sleep

_______remove dead neurons and waste products from the nervous system

Glial cells

The_________is a group of structures involved in memory, motivation, and emotion that forms a fringe along the inner edge of the cerebrum

Limbic system

Messages from the brain or spinal cord are transmitted to muscles or glands through______.

Motor neurons

_______is the concept that holds adaptive genetic variations among members of a specie enable individuals with those variations to survive and reproduce.

Natural selection

___________are specialized cells of the nervous system that receive and transmit messages

Neurons

________tells us whether we are falling and provides cues to whether our body is changing speed.

The vestibular sense

_______propose reasons for relationships among events that allow us to derive explanations and predictions.

Theories

Slow brain waves produced during the hypnagogic state

Theta waves

- First period in stage four sleep is the longest - Sleep becomes lighter as the night wears on - REM sleep becomes longer through the night - Last REM period may last for 30 minutes

Typical Night of Sleep

Which of the following senses is dominant in human beings?

Vision

the minimal amount of every that can produce a sensation

absolute threshold

A neuron has a(n)_______that extends like a trunk from the cell body.

axon

One of the advantages of________ is that by distributing questionnaires and analyzing answers with a computer, psychologists can study many thousands of people at a time.

surveys

Concentrates on mantras and produces relaxation response

transcendental meditation (TM)

A person with normal color vision is labeled a________.

trichromat

Cycle connected with the 24-hour period of earth's rotation (cycle of wakefulness and sleep is 24 hours long)

Circadian Rhythm

_________is the tendency to perceive an object as being the same hue even though lighting conditions change its appearance.

Color consistency

Which of the following statements is true of applied research

It is designed to find solutions to specific personal or social problems

Which of the following is a function of the medulla of the brain?

It lays roles in sleeping, sneezing, and coughing

Which of the following is true of humanistic - existential perspective?

It views people as free to choose and as being responsible for choosing their own behavior

synthetic hallucinogen that produces vivid and colorful hallucinations

LSD

First four stages of sleep

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

_______is a monocular cue for depth based on the coming together of parallel lines as they recede into the distance

Perspective

________has been characterized as research for its own sake

Pure research

stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, which have been linked to dreaming

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

________is best described as the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system.

Sensation

________is the process by which we organize or make sense of the sensory impressions caused by the light that strikes our eyes.

Visual perception

_______is the fraction of the intensity by which a source of physical energy must be increased or decreased so that a difference in intensity will be perceived.

Weber's constant

Rapid low-amplitude brain waves that have been linked to feelings of relaxation

alpha waves

can produce a euphoric feeling (individuals may fall into sleep or depression)

amphetamines

Heights, an index of strength

amplitudes

a concept with many meanings, including sensory awareness of the world outside, direct inner awareness of one's thoughts and feelings, personal unity, and the waking state

consciousness

According to the law of_______, there is a tendency to perceive a series of points or lines as having unity.

continuity

An association among variables is known as_________.

correlation

A(n)________expresses the strength and direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables

correlation coefficient

The loudness of a sound is expressed in_______.

decibels(dB)

strong, slow brain waves emitted during stage 4 sleep

delta waves

drugs that lowers the rate of activity of the nervous system

depressants

minimal difference in intensity required between two sources of energy so that they will be perceived as being different

difference threshold

Nicotine, alcohol, and many other drugs are pleasurable because they heighten levels of____________.

dopamine

The_______is a thin membrane inside the ear that vibrates in response to sound waves.

eardrum

monitors muscle tension and is used by sports psychologists to train athletes in relaxing specific muscle groups so that anxiety and tension are controlled

electromyograph (EMG)

The______is the body's system of ductless glands that secrete hormones and release them directly into the bloodstream.

endocrine system

distorted perceptions or hallucinations that occur days or weeks after LSD usage but mimic the LSD experience

flashbacks

When following the scientific method, psychologists usually begin a study by...

formulating a research question

________refers to the culturally defined concepts of masculinity and femininity

gender

The term_______is used to describe the nucleotides found along just one of the rungs of a DNA double helix

genetic code

may alter time perception and increase one's awareness of bodily sensations and heightens sexual sensations; causes disorientation that may be pleasant or threatening

hallucinogenics - marijuana

The________perspective is grounded in the work of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

humanistic - existential

an altered state of consciousness in which people are highly suggestible and behave as though they are in a trance

hypnosis

In the scientific method, a research question or reworded as a___________.

hypothesis

A participants's agreement to participate is research after receiving information about the purposes of the study and the nature of the treatments is referred to as_________.

informed consent

In Gestalt psychology, learning, especially problem solving, is accomplished primarily by________.

insight

A(n)_______ is a stereotyped pattern of behavior that is triggered in a specific situation.

instinct

Wilhelm Wundt used ________ to try to discover the basic element of experience

introspection

a sleep attack in which a person falls asleep suddenly and irresistibly

narcolepsy

drugs us ed to relieve pain and induce sleep; the term is usually reserved for opiates

narcotics

With_______, psychologists and other scientists can observe behavior where it happens, or "in the field".

naturalistic observation

Heredity defines one's______, which is based on biological structures and processes.

nature

Pain results when neurons called_______ in the skin are stimulated.

nociceptors

bodily processes that cannot be experienced through sensory awareness

nonconscious

a group of narcotics derived from the opium poppy that provide a euphoric rush and depress the nervous system

opiates

chemicals that act on opiate receptors but are derived from the opium poppy

opioids

The_______conducts sensory input to the brain, where it is relayed to the visual area of the occipital lobe.

optic nerve

active process by which sensations are organized and interpreted

perception

Through development, people develop a sense of being individuals (impressions, thoughts, and feelings make up consciousness)

personal unity

The retina consists of cells called________that are sensitive to light.

photoreceptors

the highness or lowness of a sound, as determined by the frequency of the sound waves

pitch

The________ lies below the hypothalamus and is dubbed the "master gland."

pituitary gland

The_________is a bulge in the hindbrain that lies forward of the medulla and transmits information about body movement.

pons

not currently in awareness, but readily available

preconscious

Some researchers consider the_______to be the "executive center" of the brain, where decisions are made to keep information in working memory and to solve problems

prefrontal cortex

According to the law of_______, there is a perceptual tendency to group together objects that are near one another.

proximity

drugs that have psychological effects such as stimulation or distortion of perceptions

psychoactive substances

_________is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

psychology

allows one to avoid feelings of anxiety, guilt, or shame

repression

view that response expectancies play a key role in the production of the experiences suggested by the hypnotist

response set theory

explains hypnotic events in terms of the person's ability to act as through he or she were hypnotized

role theory

focus of one's consciousness on a particular stimulus

selective attention

stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system

sensation

stimulation of sensory receptors located in the sense organs; transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system

sensation

Exposure to very loud sounds can lead to damage of the auditory nerve or hair cells, resulting in____________.

sensorineural deafness

temporary absence or cessation of breathing while sleeping

sleep apnea

frightening, dream-like experiences that occur during the deepest state of NREM sleep; nightmares occur during REM sleep

sleep terrors

drugs that increase activity of the nervous system

stimulants

sensory stimulation that is below a person's absolute threshold for conscious perception

subliminal stimulation

conscious ejection of unwanted mental events from awareness

suppression

A neuron relays its message to another neuron across a junction called a___________.

synapse

The hearing or auditory area of the cortex lies in the________lobe along the lateral fissure of the cerebral cortex

temporal

Axons end in small, bulb-shaped structures called_______.

terminal buttons

The pain message is relayed from the spinal cord to the_______and then projected to the cerebral cortex, making us aware of the location and intensity of the damage.

thalamus

B.F. Skinner proposed:

that organisms learn to behave in certain ways because their behavior has a positive outcome

unavailable to awareness under most circumstances

unconscious

continuous development of sense of self

waking state

_________stresses people's capacities for self-fulfillment and the central roles of consciousness, self-awareness, and decision making.

Humanism

Which of the following monocular cues is based on the perception that closer objects appear to have rougher surfaces.

Texture gradient

________primarily study the changes - physical, cognitive, social, and emotional - that occur throughout the life span

Developmental psychologists

Knowledge of one's own thoughts, feelings, and memories without the use of sensory organs

Direct inner awareness

_________is the school of psychology that argues that the mind consists of three basic elements - sensations, feelings, and images - that combine to form experience.

Structuralism

_________is associated with extrasensory perception.

Subliminal perception

Stimulates the pineal gland to decrease its output of melatonin once a person is awake (melatonin promotes sleep)

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)