PSYCH ALL ALL

Endorphins

"Morphine within" - natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

Somatic Nervous System

"Skeletal nervous system" - part of peripheral nervous system that enables voluntary control of skeletal muscles

Natural Selection

Darwin stated among range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction/survival will be passed on to succeeding generations

Range

Difference between highest and lowest scores in distribution

Level of Analysis

Differing complementary views from biological to psychological to social-cultural (Ex: Psychoanalysis, Neuroscience, etc.)

Functionalism

Early school of psychology that focused on how our mental/behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish

Structuralism

Early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

Pituitary Gland

Endocrine system's most influential gland; under influence of hypothalamus, regulates growth and controls endocrine glands

Culture

Enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by group of people and transmitted from one generation to next

Testing Effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply reading, information

Informed Consent

Ethical principle that research participants participants be told enough enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Cognitive Psychologists

Experiment with how we perceive, think, and problem-solve

Independent Variable

Experimental factor that's manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied

Double-Blind Procedure

Experimental procedure in which both research participants and research staff are ignorant about whether research participants have received treatment or placebo

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectation alone; any effect caused by administration of inert substance/condition, which recipient assumes is active agent (higher cost, more believable)

Theory

Explanation using integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors/events

Biological Psychologists

Explore links between brain/mind

Confounding Variable

Factor other than independent variable that might produce an effect in experiment

Myelin Sheath

Fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

Functional MRI (fMRI)

Technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans; shows brain function

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create computer-generated images of soft tissue; shows brain anatomy; atoms of brain scattered then reform to make image

Survey

Technique to ascertain self-reported attitudes/behaviors of particular group, usually by questioning representative, random sample of group

Hindsight Bias

Tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Hypotheses

Testable predictions, often implied by theory (careful: if think is true, experiment's results will be biased)

Different Kinds of Psychologists

(Biological Psychologists - Explore links between brain/mind Developmental Psychologists - Study changing abilities from life to death Cognitive Psychologists - Experiment with how we perceive, think, and problem-solve Personality Psychologists - Study persistent traits Social Psychologists - Study how we view/affect each other)

Nature-Nurture Issue

Controversy over relative contributions that genes/experience make to development of psychological traits/behaviors

Operational Definitions

Statements of procedures used to define research variables (Ex: human intelligence is "what IQ test measures)

Replication

Ability to repeat original observations with different participants, materials, situations

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Amplified recording of waves of electrical activity that sweep across brain's surface; waves measured by electrodes placed on scalp

Biological Perspective

Concerned with links between biology and behavior, including neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology

Biopsychosocial Approach

Analysis considering influences of biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors

Mean

Arithmetic average of distribution

Clinical Psychologists

Assess/treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

Random Assignment

Assignment of participants to experimental/control groups by chance, minimizing differences between those assigned to different groups

Medulla

Base of brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Endocrine System

Body's "slow" chemical communication system; set of glands that secrete hormones into bloodstream

Nervous System

Body's speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of peripheral and central nervous systems

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord

Nerves

Bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messenger that crosses synaptic gaps between neurons; when released by sending neuron, travel across synapse and bind to receptor sites on receiving neuron, influencing whether that neuron will generate neural impulse

Hormones

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by endocrine glands; travel through bloodstream; affect other tissues

Standard Deviation

Computed measure of how much scores vary around mean score

Correlation Coefficient

Statistical index of relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Scatterplots

Graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents values of two variables; slope suggests direction of relationship; amount of scatter suggests strength of correlation

Population

Group being studied, from which samples can be drawn

Experimental Group

Group in experiment that's exposed to treatment, that is, to one version of independent variable

Control Group

Group that's exposed to no or neutral treatment; contrasts with experimental group for evaluating effects

Counseling Psychologists

Help people to cope with challenges and to improve their personal/social functioning

Statistical Significance

Statistical statement of how likely it is obtained result occurred by chance

Psychodynamic (Analysis)

Studies how behavior springs from unconscious drives/conflicts

Social-Cultural (Analysis)

Studies how behavior/thinking vary across situations/cultures

Neuroscience (Analysis)

Studies how body/brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences

Synapse

Junction between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite/cell body of receiving neuron; tiny gap at junction called synaptic gap/cleft

Threshold

Level of stimulation needed to trigger neural impulse (all-or-none response)

Correlation

Measure of extent to which two factors vary together, and how well either factor predicts the other (Positive, Negative)

Psychiatrists

Medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs/treat physical causes of psychological disorders

SQ3R Study Method

Method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Median

Middle score in distribution

Mode

Most frequently occurring score(s) in distribution

Behavior Genetics (Analysis)

Studies how genes/environment influence individual differences

Evolutionary (Analysis)

Studies how natural selection of traits has promoted survival of genes

Cognitive (Analysis)

Studies how we encode, process, store, retrieve information

Behavioral (Analysis)

Studies how we learn from observable responses

Applied Research

Study aiming to solve practical problems

Developmental Psychologists

Study changing abilities from life to death

Social Psychologists

Study how we view/affect each other

Cognitive Neuroscience

Study of brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, memory, language)

Neurons

Nerve cells; basic building block of nervous system

Interneurons

Nerves within brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and mediate between sensory inputs and motor outputs

Action Potential

Neural impulse; brief electrical charge that travels down axon; can be excitatory (go) or inhibitory (stop); if excitatory minus inhibitory signals exceeds threshold, action potential triggers

Axon

Neuron extension that passes messages through branches to other neurons or to muscles/glands (speaks)

Dendrite

Neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward cell body (listens)

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry incoming info from sensory receptors to brain and spinal cord

Motor Neurons

Neurons that carry outgoing info from brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands

Reuptake

Neurotransmitter's reabsorption

Case Study

Observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principle

Naturalistic Observation

Observing/Recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate the situation

Brainstem

Oldest part and central core of brain, beginning where spinal cord swells as it enters skull; responsible for automatic survival functions

Dependent Variable

Outcome factor; variable that may change in response to manipulations of independent variable

Adrenal Glands

Pair of endocrine glands just above kidneys that secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that arous body in times of stress (Ex: Increase heart rate)

Community Psychology

Study of how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals/groups, and creates environments healthy for all

Positive Psychology

Study of human functioning to discover/promote strengths/virtues to help individuals/communities to thrive

Personality Psychologists

Study persistent traits

Normal Curve

Symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near mean

Sympathetic Division

Part of autonomic nervous system that arouses body (Ex: Increase heartbeat)

Parasympathetic Division

Part of autonomic nervous system that calms body, conserving its energy (Ex: Decreases heartbeat and blood sugar)

Autonomic Nervous System

Part of peripheral nervous system that controls glands/muscles of internal organs

Debriefing

Post-experimental explanation of study, including purpose and deceptions, to participitants

Experiment

Research method where investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe effect on some behavior/mental process (dependent variable)

Random Sampling

Sample that fairly represents population because each member has equal chance of inclusion

Psychology

Science of behavior/mental processes

Basic Research

Science that aims to increase scientific knowledge base

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Sensory and motor neurons that connect central nervous system to rest of body

Humanistic Psychologists

Showed ways current environmental influences can nurture/limit our growth potential, and importance of having needs for love satisfied

Reflex

Simple, automatic responses to sensory stimulus (Ex: Touch flame and flinch)

Critical Thinking

Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; instead examines assumptions/assesses conclusions

Behaviorists

Those who study observable aspects of behavior and exclude subjective phenomena, like emotions/motives

Lesion

Tissue destruction; brain lesion is naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan

Visual display of brain activity that detects where radioactive form of glucose goes while brain performs task