Psychology Key Terms and People

TERM DEFINITION UNIT ONE 1. Structuralism Focused on the basic structure of consciousness 2. Psychology The study of behavior and mental processes 3. Behavioral Approach Focuses on how we learn through rewards and punishment through observation 4. Case Study Intensive observational study of one or few individuals for a long time with the aim of making overall generalizations 5. Experimental Research Shows cause and effect related to behaviorsinterference 6. Double Blind Experiment Both subjects and researchers do not know which subjects are the control and experimental groups 7. Placebo Harmless substance in lieu of real substances that is used in drug studies Ex. sugar pill 8. Biological Approach Focuses on how our biological structures and substances underlie behaviors 9. Psychologist Branch of psychology that studies, asses, and treats people with psychological disorders(requires an advanced degree) 10. Psychiatrist Branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders(requires a medical degree- can prescribe drugs) UNIT TWO 11. Lesioning Removal or destruction of part of the brain 12. Brainstem Oldest part of the brain, automatic survival functions 13. Thalamus Sensory switchboard, directs messages to the cortex 14. Left Hemisphere Logical, analytical(reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and comprehension skills) 15. Right Hemisphere Non verbal tasks/ perceptual(spatial relationships, musical/artistic ability and mental imagery 16. Corpus Callosum Wide band of axon fibers that connects the two hemispheres and allows them to communicate 17. Sensory Neurons Afferent neurons, carry incoming information from sense receptors to the CNS 18. Motor Neurons Efferent neurons, carry outgoing information from the CNS to muscles and glands 19. Sympathetic Nervous System “Arouses” during stress(fight, flight, or freeze) 20. Parasympathetic Nervous System “Calms” during peace(rest and digest) 21. Nervous System Two parts: Central nervous system(brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system(network of nerve cells 22. Endocrine System Internal network of glands that release hormones into the bloodstream 23. Neurotransmitters Chemicals that send signals- excitatory=to fire and inhibitory=not to fire 24. Selective Attention Refers to the fact that we can only pay attention to one aspect of the object at a time 25. Schemas Concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information. 26. Death Perception Enables us to judge distances 27. Vestibular Sense Monitors the head position and helps with maintaining balance 28. Gate Control Theory Suggests that the spinal cord contains neurological “gates” that either block pain or allow it to be sensed 29. Sensation (Bottom-Up Processing) Detecting a physical energy/a stimulus Reuptake Reabsorbed 30. UNIT THREE 31. Classical Conditioning Learning to associate one stimulus with another 32. Operant Conditioning Learning to associate a response with a consequence 33. Shaping Operant conditioning procedure in which the reinforcer guides behavior towards the desired target behavior through successive approximation 34. Reinforcement Increases/strengthens behavior 35. Punishment Decreases/weakens the behavior 36. Sensory Memory The immediate very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system 37. Short-term Memory Activated memory that holds a few items briefly before the information is stored or forgotten 38. Long-term Memory The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system 39. Iconic Memory Stores visual information 40. Echoic Memory Stores sound 41. Retrograde Amnesia Lose old memories but can form new ones 42. Anterograde Amnesia Lose new memories but still has old 43. Insight A sudden realization of a solution to a problem 44. Extrinsic Motivation exterior, perform behavior because of promised rewards or threats 45. Drive-Reduction Theory Psychological need creates an aroused state that motivates us to satisfy the need 46. James-Lange Theory of Emotion The theory that our experiences of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousal stimuli 47. Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the arousal and emotion at the same time 48. Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion To experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal and label the emotion 49. Stress Process of how we see and respond to certain events that we perceive as threatening or challenging 50. Confirmation Bias The tendency to search for information that confirms a personal bias UNIT FOUR 51. Zygote The fertilized cell 52. Intelligence The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations 53. Savant Syndrome Describes a person with limited ability, but has a specific exceptional skill 54. Creativity To produce novel and valuable ideas 55. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) The most widely used adult intelligence test 56. Mental Age The chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance 57. Imprinting Process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period 58. Separation Anxiety Fear of being left(ages 3-5) 59. Erogenous Zones Sensitive body areas 60. Aptitude Predicts ability to learn new skill UNIT FIVE 61. Cognitive Therapy Therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and actions 62. Schizophrenia A group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions 63. Delusions False beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders 64. Mood Disorders Psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes 65. Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger one 66. Attitude Feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events 67. Conformity Adjusting to one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard 68. Normal Social Influence Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval 69. Informational Social Influence Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality 70. Social Facilitation Stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others PSYCHOLOGISTS AND THEIR STUDIES 1. William Stern IQ(Intelligence Quotient) 2. Louis Terman Intelligence testing 3. Erik Erikson Psychosocial development 4. Jean Piaget Theory of Cognitive Development 5. Harry Harlow Attachment study(use monkeys with “cloth mothers”) 6. Wilhelm Wundt Father of Modern Psychology (Structuralist) 7. Stanley Hall Created the first psych lab in America at John Hopkins 8. William James Father of American psychology(Functionalist) 9. Lawrence Kohlberg Three levels of moral reasoningpreconventional morality, conventional morality, postconventional morality 10. Lev Vygotsky Theory of child development- social interactions are a necessity