Psychology

Latent content

according to freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (from manifest content).

Peripheral nervous system

the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.

Neuron

a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell.

Occiputal

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

Sigmund Freud

The controversial ideas of this framed personality theorist and therapist have influenced humanity self-understanding.

What are the four main goals of psychology?

Description, Explanation, Prediction, and Control

Narcolepsy

a condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings.

Functionalism

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

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry incoming information from sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

Natural Selection

The principle that among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Somatic Nervous System

deals with our voluntary control of muscles and our five senses.

REM sleep

is the stage of sleep associated with quick, darting eye movements, the paralysis of major voluntary muscles, increased and irregular heart rate and breathing, and a high level of brain activity (comparable to brain activity when awake).

Pariental

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Wilhelm Wundt

Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the university of Leipzig, Germany.

Limbic System

a complex system of nerves and networks in the brain, involving several areas near the edge of the cortex concerned with instinct and mood. It controls the basic emotions (fear, pleasure, anger) and drives (hunger, sex, dominance, care of offspring).

Temporal Lobes

each of the paired lobes of the brain lying beneath the temples, including areas concerned with the understanding of speech.

Nervous system

the network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body.

Behavioral

How we learn observable responses.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

is a brain imaging technique that detects magnetic changes in the brain's blood flow patterns.

Autonomic Nervous System

the part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes.

Manifest Content

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden content).

Frontal lobes

each of the paired lobes of the brain lying immediately behind the forehead, including areas concerned with behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movement.

fMRI (functional MRI)

is a functional neuroimaging procedure using MRI technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

is a recording of the electrical waves of activity that occur in the brain, and across its surface. Electrodes are placed on different areas of a person's scalp, filled with a conductive gel, and then plugged into a recording device.

Sleep apnea

is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen.

Central Nervous System

the complex of nerve tissues that controls the activities of the body. In vertebrates it comprises the brain and spinal cord.

Evolutionary

How the natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes.

Positron emission tomography

which is similar to the MRI, is a scanning method that enables psychologists and doctors to study the brain (or any other living tissue) without surgery. PET scans use radioactive glucose (instead of a strong magnetic field) to help study activity and locate structures in the body.

Gestalt Psychology

the study of perception and behavior from the standpoint of an individual's response to configurational wholes with stress on the uniformity of psychological and physiological events and rejection of analysis into discrete events of stimulus, percept, and response.

Functionalism

was a philosophy opposing the prevailing structuralism of psychology of the late 19th century. Edward Titchener, the main structuralist, gave psychology its first definition as a science of the study of mental experience, of consciousness, to be studied by trained introspection.

Counseling Psychology

A branch of psychology that assits people with problems in living (school,work,or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.

Structuralism

An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind.

Case study

An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

What main goal of psychology involves changing a behavior from an undesirable one to a desirable one?

Control

Charles Darwin

Darwin argued that natural selection shapes behaviors as well as bodies.

Humanistic Psychology

Historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individuals potential for personal growth.

Social-cultural

How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures.

Psychodynamic

How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

Circadian Rhythm

Often referred to as the "body clock", the circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that tells our bodies when to sleep and regulates many other physiological processes. This internal body clock is affected by environmental cues, like sunlight and temperature.

Nature-Nurture issue

The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Behaviorism

The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2)