Myers' Psychology for AP*: AP Psychology Exam Flashcards

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation

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

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

the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method

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

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

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition

the science of behavior and mental processes

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experiences make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors

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

the integrated viewpoint incorporates various levels of analysis and offers a more complete picture of any given behavior or mental process

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

a branch of psychology that studies the links between biological and psychological processes

the study of the roots of behavior and mental processes using the principles of natural selection

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders

the scientific study of observable behavior and its explanation by principles of learning

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

pire science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

the scientific study of physical, cognitive, and social change through out the life span

the stud of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

the study of how people and machines interact an the design of safe and easily used machines and environments

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems of living and in achieving greater well being

a branch of psychology that studies, assess, and treats people with psychological disorders

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who often provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it (i knew it all along)

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

a explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

a testable prediction often implied by a theory

a statement of the procedures used to define research variables

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

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

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative random sample of the group

all the cases in a group being studied from which samples may be drawn

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

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

a measure of the extension to which two factors vary together and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

a statistical index of the relationship between two things

a graphed cluster of dots each of which represent the values of two variables

the perception of a relationship where none exist

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent) to obsess the effect on some behavior or mental process (dependent)

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

an experimental procedures in which both the research procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or the placebo

experimental results cause by expectations alone

in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the tremens, that is, to one version of the independent variable

in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to the manipulations of the independent variable

the most frequently occurring score in a distribution

the arithmetic average of a distribution

the middle score in a distribution

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean and fewer and fewer near the extremes

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough too enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

the post experimental explanation of a study including its purpose and any deceptions to its participants

a branch of psychology conceded with the links between biology and behavior

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory respecters to the brain and spinal cord

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and special cord to the muscles and glands

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory input and motor outputs

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

the extensions of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

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

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the revive neuron

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

a neurotranmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

"morphine with in" natural pain killers, linked to pain control and pleasure

the body's speedy chemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral na central nervous system

included the brain and spinal cord

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

voluntary movement; skeletal muscles

controls glands and the muscle of our internal organs (heartbeat, digestions, etc)

fight or flight

returns body to natural state

automatic responses to stimuli

interconnect in the nervous system that is a second communication system. "slow" chemical communication system; set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues, including the brain

at the top of the kidneys; help arouse the body in times of stress; release epinephrine and norepinephrine (fight or flight response)

a pea-size structure located in the core of the brain; releases hormones that influence growth

tissue destruction

amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface

examines the brain by taking X-ray photos that can reveal brain damage

depicts brain activity by showing each brain area's consumption of its chemical fuel, the sugar glucose

brain scans, the head is put in a strong magnetic field, which aligns the spinning atoms of brain molecules

can reveal the brain's functioning as well as its structure

brain's oldest and innermost region; responsible for several automatic survival functions

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

"netlike" finger-shaped network of neurons that extends from the spill cord right up to the thalamus; plays important role in controlling arousal

sitting at the top of the brainstem; the brain's sensory switchboard; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortes and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

"little brain"; deals with coordinating movement output and balance

includes: hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus; located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

located just blow the thalamus; important link in the chain of command governing bodily maintenance (eating, drinking, body temp)

a thin surface later of interconnected neural cells; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center

"glue cells"; support, nourish, and protect neurons

involved in speaking, muscles movements, planning, and judgment

in the back of the head; includes areas that receive visual information

just above the ears; receives auditory information

controls voluntary movement

controls body touch and movement sensations (involuntary movement)

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not included in primary motor or sensory functions; learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

impaired use of language

disrupts speaking

disrupts understanding

the brain's ability to change; ability to modify itself after some types of damage

formation of new neurons

large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and caring messages between them

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers

awareness of ourselves and our environment

the interdisciplinary study of the brain's activity liked with out mental processes

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influence on behavior

every non genetic influence from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes

the complete instructions for making an organism consisting of all the genetic material in that organisms chromosomes

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two creating two genetically identical organisms

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs

the proportion of variation around individuals that we can attribute to genes

the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor depends on another factor

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind using principles of natural selection

the principle that, amount the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

a random error in gene replication that leads to change

process which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works ip to the brain's integration of sensory information

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

failing to notice changes in the environment

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

predicts when we will detect weak signals; measured as our ratio to "hits" to "false alarms"

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

the activation often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

"noticeable difference" is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time

the principal that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)

our demising sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus

pupil

ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

retinal receptors that detect black, white and grey; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Gives fine detail and give rise to color sensations

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, no receptor cells are located there

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

ability to respond to a scene's specific feature

processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors

the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

the sense or act of hearing

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

in hearing the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

in hearing, the theory that the rates of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts soul waves to the cochlea

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

problems with the technical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

damage to the cochlea's hair cell receptor or their associated nerves

your sense of the position and movement of your body part

the sense of body movement and position including the sense of balance

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

the principle that one sense may influence another

an organized whole. these psychologist emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

groups of nearby figures

group similar figures together

perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

we fill in gaps to create a complete whole object

seeing object in three dimension, enables us to estimate their distance from us

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes

provides on important binocular cue to the relative distance of different objects

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective available to either eye alone

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blind on and off in quick succession

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths selected by the object

in vision, the ability to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis