Psych 101 first exam

dependent variable

a factor that can change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable

placebo

a harmless substance that has no physiological effect

Independent variable

a manipulated experimental factor

confederate

a person who is given a role to play in a study so that the social context can be manipulated

random sample

a sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected

psychology

a scientific study of behavior and mental processes

hypothesis

a testable prediction that derives logically from a theory

debriefing

after the study has been completed. the researchers should inform the participants of its purpose and the methods they used

informed consent

all participants must know what their participation will involve and what risks might develop

Reuptake inhibitors

alter the naturally occurring level of neurotransmitters

Case study

an in-depth look at a single individual

operational definition

an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a particular study

third variable problem

another variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two others

demand characteristic

any aspects of a study that communicate to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave

Variable

anything that can change

7 approaches of psychology

biological, behavioral, psychodynamic, evolutionary, cognitive, humanistic, and sociocultural

Parasympathetic nervous system

calms the body

axon

carries information from cell body toward other cells

Neurons

carry electrochemical messages (cell body, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath)

stress reactions

caused by sympathetic nervous system. Increased heart rate, dry mouth, sweaty palms, release of corticosteroids

Evolutionary

centers on the idea of evolution as the explanation of human behavior Asks questions about what is similar and different between humans and non-human primate ancestors

Empirical research

collecting and analyzing data

Cell body

contains nucleus

within-participant designs

control group and experimental group are the same people, but at different times

Descriptive research

describes some phenomenon, determining its basic dimensions and defining what the thing is, how often it occurs, and so on. Methods include observation, surveys, interviews, and case studies

Multiple sclerosis

disease in which the symptoms are the result of damage to the myelin sheath (vision changes, muscle weakness/spasms, problems with cognition, mood disturbance, numbness)

Behavioral psychology

emphasizes behavior and causes of behavior/reactions (Skinner)

Humanistic

emphasizes individual's positive qualities, capacity for growth, and freedom to choose one's destiny

Psychodynamic

emphasizes unconscious thought, conflict between biological drives and society's demands, importance of childhood experiences (Freud)

dendrites

fibers projecting from neuron

biological psychology

focuses on body, brain, and the nervous system

sociocultural

focuses on the impact of social and cultural environment on behavior

Antagonist

inhibit the action of a neurotransmitter (often block receptor sites)

Attention

is both selective and shift-able

inhibitors

keep neurons from firing

myelin sheath

layer of fat cells, encasing and insulating most axons. Can grow on cells that are used frequently

Agonist

mimic the action of a neurotransmitter

Sensory Receptors

specialized cells that detect stimulus and transmit information to sensory nerves in the brain

Exciters

stimulate firing of neurons

The cocktail party effect

(selective attention) can talk to someone at a party and hear them even if it's loud

CNS

Brain and spinal cord

2 types of nervous system

Central nervous system, Peripheral nervous system

autonomic nervous system

sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system

correlational research

tells us about the relationships between two variables. its purpose it to examine whether and how two variables change together. May include a third variable problem

Plasticity

the ability of the brain to adapt, develop, and change

selective attention

the act of focusing on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others

external validity

the degree in which an experimental design really reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address

internal validity

the degree in which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable

Difference thresholds

the degree of difference that must exist between two stimuli in order to be detected as different

population

the entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions

Absolute threshold

the minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect 50% of the time

Experimental group

the participants of the experiment who receive the treatment that is of interest to the researcher

Perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

Sensation

the process of receiving stimulus energy from the external environment

deception

the researcher deceives participants about the purpose of the study, the psychologist must ensure that the deception will not harm the participants and that the participants will be told the true nature of the study as soon as possible after the study is completed

validity

the soundness of the conclusion that a researcher draws from an experiment

Synapses

the spaces between neurons (where neurotransmitters are released)

Neuroscience

the study of the structure, function development, biochemistry, and genetics

sample

the subset of the population chosen by the investigator for study

What causes us to shift attention?

things that are novel, different in color or size, and move are most likely

control group

treated in every way that the experimental group is except for the independent variable

experimental research

used to determine whether a causal relationship exists between two variables

Shift-able attentions

we can quickly turn our attention from one thing to the next

placebo effect

when participant's expectations, rather than the experimental treatment, produce an outcome

research participant bias

when the behavior of research participants during the experiment is influenced by how they think they are supposed to behave or their expectations about what is happening to them

experimenter bias

when the experimenter's expectations influence the outcome of the research

neurotransmitters

work by sending signals that either excite or inhibit, have specific receptors that can receive the chemical

sensation to perception

1).stimulus is received by sensory receptor, 2).Receptors translate stimulus properties into nerve impulses (transduction) 3).Feature detectors analyze stimulus features 4). Stimulus features are reconstructed into neural representation 5). neural representation is compared with previously stored information in the brain 6). Matching process, recognition, and interpretation

Cognitive

Emphasizes mental processes involved in "knowing"; includes attention, perception, memory, problem solving

Substitution of function

One area takes over for the other are

Bottom-up processing

Perception that consists of the progression of recognizing and processing information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to the perception of the whole

Sensory adaptation

a change in the responsiveness of the sensory system based on the average level of the surrounding stimulation

theory

a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations

experiment

a carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables that are believed to influence some other variable

sympathetic nervous system

mobilizes the body, helps respond to a stressor (fight or flight)

double-blind experiment

neither the experimenter administering the treatment nor the participants are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until the results are calculated

PNS

network of nerves that connect CNS to other parts of the body (autonomic nervous system)

collateral sprouting

neurons branch out in order to aid the damaged region

Neurogenesis

new neurons form

longitudinal design

observing and measuring the same variables periodically over time

naturalistic observations

observing behavior in a real-world setting

processing of stressors

occurs in CNS

Top-down processing

perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations

effects of chronic stress

poor immune functioning, disrupted sleep, tendency to put on fat, poor cognitive functioning, and death

Quasi-experimental designs

researcher examines participants in varying groups, but their assignment to groups is not determined by random assignment

confidentiality

researchers are responsible for keeping all of the data they gather on individuals completely confidential, and when possible, completely anonymous

random assignment

researchers assign participants by chance