753921419 | 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 (2). | 0 | |
753921420 | humanistic psychology | Emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth. | 1 | |
753921421 | cognitive neuroscience | The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with mental activity (including perception, thinking, memory, and language.) | 2 | |
753921422 | psychology | The science of behavior and mental processes. | 3 | |
753921423 | critical thinking | Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions. | 4 | |
753921424 | biopsychosocial approach | An integrated approach that incorporates different but complementary views from biological, psychological, and social-cultural perspectives. | 5 | |
753921425 | culture | The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. | 6 | |
753921426 | 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 psychological science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture. | 7 | |
753921427 | dual processing | The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks. | 8 | |
753921428 | positive psychology | The scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive. | 9 | |
753921429 | hindsight bias | The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that we could have predicted it. | 10 | |
753921430 | theory | An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events. | 11 | |
753921431 | hypothesis | A testable prediction, often implied by a theory. | 12 | |
754007215 | operational definition | A statement of the procedures used to define research variables. | 13 | |
753921432 | replication | Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances. | 14 | |
753921433 | case study | A descriptive technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. | 15 | |
753921434 | survey | A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of a population. | 16 | |
753921435 | random sample | A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion. | 17 | |
753921436 | naturalistic observation | A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation. | 18 | |
753921437 | correlation | A measure of the extent to which two events vary together, and thus of how well either one predicts the other. The correlation coefficient if the mathematical expression of the relationship, ranging from -1 to +1. | 19 | |
753921438 | illusory correlation | The perception of a relationship where none exists. | 20 | |
753921439 | experiment | A method in which researchers vary one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). | 21 | |
753921440 | random assignment | Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by change, thus minimizing and differences between the groups. | 22 | |
753921441 | experimental group | The group in an experiment that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable. | 23 | |
753921442 | control group | The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the treatment and therefore serves as a comparison with the experimental group for evaluating the effect of the treatment. | 24 | |
753921443 | placebo | An inactive substance or condition that is sometimes given to control group members in place of the treatment given to the experimental group. | 25 | |
753921444 | double-blind procedure | A procedure in which participants and research staff are ignorant about who had received the treatment or a placebo. | 26 | |
753921445 | placebo effect | Results caused by expectations alone. | 27 | |
753921446 | independent variable | The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. | 28 | |
753921447 | dependent variable | The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable. | 29 | |
753921448 | SQ3R | Survey, question, read, rehearse, review. | 30 | |
754007216 | biological psychology | A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. | 31 | |
754007217 | dendrites | Neuron extensions that receive messages and conduct them toward the cell body. | 32 | |
754007218 | axon | Neuron extension that sends messages to other neurons or cells. | 33 | |
754007219 | neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. | 34 | |
754007220 | action potential | A nerve impulse. | 35 | |
754007221 | synapse | Junction between the axon tip of a sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of a receiving neuron. | 36 | |
754007222 | threshold | Level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. | 37 | |
754007223 | all-or-none response | A neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing. | 38 | |
754007224 | neurotransmitters | Neuron-produced chemicals that cross synapses to carry messages to other neurons or cells. | 39 | |
754007225 | opiate | Chemical, such as opium, morphine, and heroin, that depresses neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety. | 40 | |
754007226 | endorphins | "Morphine within" -- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. | 41 | |
754007227 | nervous system | The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems. | 42 | |
754007228 | central nervous system (CNS) | The brain and spinal cord. | 43 | |
754007229 | peripheral nervous system (PNS) | The sensory and motor neurons connecting the central nervous system to the rest of the body. | 44 | |
754007230 | nerves | Bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs. | 45 | |
754007231 | sensory neuron | Neuron that carries incoming information from the sensory receptors to the central nervous system. | 46 | |
754007232 | motor neuron | Neuron that carries outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands. | 47 | |
754007233 | interneuron | Neuron that processes information between sensory input and motor outputs. | 48 | |
754007234 | somatic nervous system | Peripheral nervous system division controlling the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system. | 49 | |
754007235 | autonomic nervous system | Peripheral nervous system division controlling the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. Its sympathetic subdivision arouses; its parasympathetic subdivision calms. | 50 | |
754007236 | sympathetic nervous system | Autonomic nervous system subdivision that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. | 51 | |
754007237 | parasympathetic nervous system | Autonomic nervous system subdivision that calms the body, conserving its energy. | 52 | |
754007238 | endocrine system | The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream. | 53 | |
754007239 | hormones | Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues. | 54 | |
754007240 | adrenal glands | Pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secret hormones (epinephrine and norephinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress. | 55 | |
754007241 | pituitary gland | Most influential endocrine gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. | 56 | |
754007242 | brainstem | The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions. | 57 | |
754007243 | medulla | The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing. | 58 | |
754007244 | thalamus | Area at the top of the brainstem; directs sensory messages to the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla. | 59 | |
754007245 | reticular formation | Nerve network running through the brainstem and thalamus; plays an important role in controlling arousal. | 60 | |
754007246 | cerebellum | The "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating the movement output and balance. | 61 | |
754007247 | limbic system | Neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives. | 62 | |
754007248 | amygdala | Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion. | 63 | |
754007249 | hypothalamus | A neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion. | 64 | |
754007250 | cerebral cortex | Thin layer of interconnected neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center. | 65 | |
754007251 | frontal lobes | Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscles movements and in making plans and judgements. | 66 | |
754007252 | parietal lobes | Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position. | 67 | |
754007253 | occipital lobes | Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receives information from the visual fields. | 68 | |
754007254 | temporal lobes | Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes areas that receives information from the ears. | 69 | |
754007255 | motor cortex | Cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal loves; controls voluntary movements. | 70 | |
754007256 | sensory cortex | Cerebral cortex area at the front of the parietal lobes; registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. | 71 | |
754037554 | hallucination | False sensory experience, such as hearing something in the absence of an external auditory stimulus. | 72 | |
754037555 | association areas | Cerebral cortex area involved primarily in higher mental functions, such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking. | 73 | |
754037556 | Broca's area | Frontal lobe area, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech; controls language expression. | 74 | |
754037557 | Wernicke's area | Brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, involved in language comprehension and expression; controls language reception. | 75 | |
754037558 | plasticity | The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience. | 76 | |
754037559 | neurogenesis | Formation of new neurons. | 77 | |
754037560 | corpus callosum | Large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them. | 78 | |
754037561 | split brain | Condition in which the brain's two hemispheres are isolated by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them. | 79 | |
754037562 | consciousness | Our awareness of ourselves and our environment. | 80 | |
754037563 | selective attention | Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. | 81 | |
754037564 | inattentional blindness | Failure to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere. | 82 | |
754037565 | circadian rhythm | Internal biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle. | 83 | |
754037566 | REM (rapid eye movement) sleep | Recurring stage of sleep during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active. | 84 | |
754037567 | alpha waves | Relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state. | 85 | |
754037568 | sleep | Periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. | 86 | |
754037569 | insomnia | Recurring problem in falling or staying asleep. | 87 | |
754037570 | narcolepsy | Sleep disorder in which a person has uncontrollable sleep attacks, sometimes lapsing directly into REM sleep. | 88 | |
754037571 | sleep apnea | A sleep disorder in which a sleeping person repeatedly stops breathing until blood oxygen is so low it awakens the person just long enough to draw a breath. | 89 | |
754037572 | dream | Sequence of images, emotions, and thought passing through a sleeping person's mind. | 90 | |
754037573 | manifest content | According to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream. | 91 | |
754037574 | latent content | According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream. | 92 | |
754037575 | REM rebound | The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation. | 93 | |
754037576 | EEG (electroencephalograph) | Device that uses electrodes places on the scalp to record waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. | 94 | |
754037577 | PET (position emission tomography) scan | A view of brain activity showing where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task. | 95 | |
754037578 | MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) | A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generates images of soft tissue; shows brain anatomy. | 96 | |
754037579 | fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) | A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans; shows brain function. | 97 | |
754129147 | developmental psychology | Branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. | 98 | |
754129148 | chromosomes | Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. | 99 | |
754129149 | DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | A molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes. | 100 | |
754129150 | genes | The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA. | 101 | |
754129151 | heredity | The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring. | 102 | |
754129152 | genome | The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes. | 103 | |
754129153 | environment | Every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to social support later in life. | 104 | |
754129154 | interaction | The interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity). | 105 | |
754129155 | zygote | The fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo. | 106 | |
754129156 | embryo | The developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month. | 107 | |
754129157 | identical twins | Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating genetically identical siblings. | 108 | |
754129158 | fraternal twins | Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than non-twin brothers and sisters, but they share a prenatal environment. | 109 | |
754129159 | fetus | The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth. | 110 | |
754129160 | teratogen | An agent, such as a chemical or virus, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. | 111 | |
754129161 | fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) | Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions. | 112 | |
754129162 | reflex | An unlearned, automatic response to a sensory stimulus. | 113 | |
754129163 | temperament | A person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. | 114 | |
754129164 | maturation | Biological growth processes leading to orderly changes in behavior, independent of experience. | 115 | |
754129165 | critical period | A period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is needed for proper development. | 116 | |
754129166 | schema | A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information. | 117 | |
754129167 | cognition | All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. | 118 | |
754129168 | sensorimotor stage | In Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities. | 119 | |
754129169 | object permanence | The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived. | 120 | |
754129170 | preoperational stage | In Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7) in which a child learns to use language but cannot yet perform mental operations of concrete logic. | 121 | |
754129171 | conservation | The principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in shapes. | 122 | |
754129172 | egocentrism | In Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view. | 123 | |
754129173 | theory of mind | People's ideas about their own, and others' mental states- about their feelings, perception, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict. | 124 | |
754129174 | autism | A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' state of mind. | 125 | |
754129175 | concrete operational stage | In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (6 or 7 to 11) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. | 126 | |
754129176 | formal operational stage | In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning around age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts. | 127 | |
754129177 | stranger anxiety | The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age. | 128 | |
754129178 | attachment | An emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver, and showing distress on separation. | 129 | |
754129179 | basic trust | According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers. | 130 | |
754129180 | adolescence | The transition period fro childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence. | 131 | |
754129181 | puberty | The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing. | 132 | |
754129182 | menarche | The first menstrual period. | 133 | |
754129183 | identity | Our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles. | 134 | |
754129184 | social identity | The "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships. | 135 | |
754129185 | intimacy | In Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in early adulthood. | 136 | |
754129186 | emerging adulthood | A period from about age 18 to mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults. | 137 | |
754129187 | menopause | The end of menstruation. In every day use, it can also mean the biological transition a woman experiences from before to after the end of menstruation. | 138 | |
754129188 | crystallized intelligence | Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age. | 139 | |
754129189 | fluid intelligence | Ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood. | 140 | |
754129190 | social clock | The culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement. | 141 |
Psychology in Everyday Life Chapters 1-3 Flashcards
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