structuralism
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind
functionalism
a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish
behaviorism
the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes
humanistic psychology
historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception,thinking,memory, and language)
psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes
nature-nuture 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 nuture
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
levels of analysis
the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, from analyzing any given phenomenon
biopsychosocial approach
an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
basic research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
counseling psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being
clinical psychology
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organize observations and predicts behaviors of events
hypothesis
a testable prediction, often implied by theory
operational definition
a statement of the procedures used to define research variables
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
case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
correlatoin coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things
double-blind procedure
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have recieved the treatment or a placebo
experimental group
the group that is exposed to the treatment (to one of the independent variables)
control group
the group that is not exposed to treatment
independent variable
factor that is manipulated, effect is being studied
dependent variable
variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
normal curve
bell shaped curve
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
biological psychology
brach of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
neuron
a nerve cell
sensory neurons
neurons that carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
motor neurons
neurons that carry outgoing info from the brain/spinal cord to the muscles and glands
interneurons
neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
dendrite
the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that recieve messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
axon
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
mylein sheath
a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
action potential
a neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon
threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the recieving neuron
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurson. travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the recieving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will gernerate a neural impulse
reuptake
a neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron
endorphins
morphine within"- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure
nervous system
the body's speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
nerves
bundled axons that from neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
somatic nervous system
the division of the peripheral nervous system than controls the body's skeletal muscles (skeletal nervous system)
autonomic nervous system
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs
sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
parasympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
reflex
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
endocrine system
the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream
hormones
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the blood stream, and affect other tissues
adrenal glands
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secret hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress
pituitary gland
the endocrine system's most influential gland, under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
lesion
tissue destruction
electroencephalogram
an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. measured by electrodes placed on scalp
PET scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive from of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
MRI
a technique uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, show brain anatomy
fMRI
a technique for revealing bloodflow, show brain function
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
medulla
the base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing
reticular formation
a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal
limbic system
neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
amygdala
tow lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system, emotion
hypethalamus
a neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs several maintence activities, helps govern endocrine system via the pituitary gland, linked to emotion and reward
frontal lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgement
parietal lobes
top of head, cerebral cortex, touch and body position
occipital lobes
back of head, cerebral cortex, visual fields
temporal lobes
above ears, auditory areas, recieve info from opposite ears
structuralism
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind
functionalism
a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish
behaviorism
the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes
humanistic psychology
historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception,thinking,memory, and language)
psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes
nature-nuture 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 nuture
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
levels of analysis
the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, from analyzing any given phenomenon
biopsychosocial approach
an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
basic research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
counseling psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being
clinical psychology
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organize observations and predicts behaviors of events
hypothesis
a testable prediction, often implied by theory
operational definition
a statement of the procedures used to define research variables
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
case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
correlatoin coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things
double-blind procedure
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have recieved the treatment or a placebo
experimental group
the group that is exposed to the treatment (to one of the independent variables)
control group
the group that is not exposed to treatment
independent variable
factor that is manipulated, effect is being studied
dependent variable
variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
normal curve
bell shaped curve
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
biological psychology
brach of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
neuron
a nerve cell
sensory neurons
neurons that carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
motor neurons
neurons that carry outgoing info from the brain/spinal cord to the muscles and glands
interneurons
neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
dendrite
the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that recieve messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
axon
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
mylein sheath
a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
action potential
a neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon
threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the recieving neuron
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurson. travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the recieving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will gernerate a neural impulse
reuptake
a neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron
endorphins
morphine within"- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure
nervous system
the body's speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
nerves
bundled axons that from neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
somatic nervous system
the division of the peripheral nervous system than controls the body's skeletal muscles (skeletal nervous system)
autonomic nervous system
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs
sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
parasympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
reflex
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
endocrine system
the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream
hormones
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the blood stream, and affect other tissues
adrenal glands
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secret hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress
pituitary gland
the endocrine system's most influential gland, under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
lesion
tissue destruction
electroencephalogram
an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. measured by electrodes placed on scalp
PET scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive from of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
MRI
a technique uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, show brain anatomy
fMRI
a technique for revealing bloodflow, show brain function
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
medulla
the base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing
reticular formation
a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal
limbic system
neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
amygdala
tow lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system, emotion
hypethalamus
a neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs several maintence activities, helps govern endocrine system via the pituitary gland, linked to emotion and reward
frontal lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgement
parietal lobes
top of head, cerebral cortex, touch and body position
occipital lobes
back of head, cerebral cortex, visual fields
temporal lobes
above ears, auditory areas, recieve info from opposite ears