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General Psychology > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

(85 cards)

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0
Q

Pseudoscience

A

Seems scientific but isn’t.

Lacks safeguards against confirmation bias and belief perseverance.

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1
Q

Basal Ganglia

A

2 structures in the forebrain that control movement.

Helps obtain rewards and anticipate rewards.

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2
Q

Thalamus

A

“Bedroom/chamber”

Gateway to sensory areas

Majority of sensory info passes through it

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3
Q

Behaviorism

A

General laws to learning by looking at observable behavior

“Black box psychology”

John Watson
BF Skinner

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4
Q

Critical Thinking Skills

A

Set of skills for evaluating claims in an open minded and careful fashion

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5
Q

Limbic System

A

Processes info about internal states, motivation, smell and the emotional center.

Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus

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6
Q

Amygdala

A

“Almond”

Excitement, arousal, fear and fear conditioning

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7
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Regulates internal states, emotion, motivation, hunger, thirst, temperature and sexual motivation.

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8
Q

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

A

Connects central nervous system to the rest of the body

Somatic
Autonomic

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9
Q

Parietal Lobes

A

Somatosensory Cortex- touch, pressure, temperature, pain, tracks objects, location, shape, orientation, processes others actions, represents numbers, communicates visual and touch information to the motor cortex.

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10
Q

Frontal Lobes

A

Executive function. Motor cortex. Prefrontal cortex- thinking planning. Boca’s Area- language. Mood, personality, self awareness and abstract thinking.

Phineas Gage

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11
Q

Cerebral Cortex

A

Most mental processes- think, talk, reason.

Forebrain

12-20 billion neurons

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12
Q

Autonomic System

A

Controls involuntary actions of internal organs, and participates in emotional regulation with the Limbic System

Sympathetic
Parasympathetic
ONLY ONE AT A TIME!

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13
Q

Hippocampus

A

Memory, spatial memory (mental maps)

Damage = no new memories

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14
Q

Somatic

A

(Skeletal)

Carries messages from CNS to muscles. Controls movement and coordinates voluntary movement.

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15
Q

Temporal Lobes

A

Hearing, understanding, storing memories.

Auditory cortex- hearing

Wernike’s Area- language

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16
Q

Functionalism

A

Charles Darwin

Adaptive purposes of psychological characteristics

Asks “why”

William James

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17
Q

Dendrites

A

Projection that picks up impulses from other neurons

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18
Q

Pseudoscience warning signs

A 
Exaggerated claims
Over reliance on anecdotes
No self correction
No connection to research
No peer review
"Proof" or "evidence"
Psychobabble
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19
Q

Structuralism

A

Identify basic elements of psychological experience

Create “map” of consciousness

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20
Q

Why can we be fooled?

A

Most mistaken thinking is cut from the same cloth as our most useful thoughts

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21
Q

Cognitivism

A

Thinking affects behavior

Thinking is central to psychology

Opens “black box”

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22
Q

Hindsight Bias

A

“I knew it all along affect”

Overestimate how well we could have successfully forecasted known outcomes.

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23
Q

Neurons

A

Nerve cells specialized for communication

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24
Wilhelm Wundt
1879 First psychology lab in Germany Student founded structuralism
25
Texture gradient
Texture is less apparent the further away it is
26
Neuroplasticity
Ability of the nervous system to change
27
Random assignment
Randomly sorting into two groups
28
Linear perspective
Lines tend to converge into a point with distance
29
Monocular cues
Our perceived 3D and distance perception in one eye
30
Convergence
The closer things are the eyes start to turn into each other
31
Retinal disparity
Difference in where we see things with different eyes
32
Binocular cues
Brain compares visual cues from both eyes to determine depth and 3D
33
Control group
Group not receiving manipulation
34
Experimental group
Group that receives manipulation
35
Over reliance on anecdotes
"Woman practiced yoga daily for three weeks, and hasn't been depressed a day since"
36
Pupil
Opening in the iris that let's light enter the eye
37
Occam's Razor
If two explanations fit, go with the simple one KISS = keep it simple stupid
38
Evidence
Provides support for a claim or theory Make sure evidence isn't an extraordinary claim
39
Replicability
When findings can be replicated
40
Falsifiability
Capable of being disproven
41
Correlation isn't causation
Error in thinking that if one thing is related to another than one causes another
42
Iris
Cored area of the eye that is a muscle with controls the size of the pupil
43
Independent variable
Variable being manipulated by the experimenter
44
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain Spinal cord Controls the mind and behavior
45
Depth perception
Ability to judge distance and 3D cues
46
Parasympathetic
Active during digestion and rest
47
Scientific thinking, why we need it
To eliminate biases
48
Sympathetic
Active during crisis, flight or fight or emotional arousal
49
Node
Gap in myelin sheath that helps conduct impluses
50
Synapse
Point of axon branch that releases neurotransmitters
51
Closure
The mind fills in what it thinks is missing
52
Similarity
Group items based on their similar appearance
53
Transduction
The process of transforming external energy into neural energy
54
Scientific skepticism
Approach to evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them
55
Belief perseverance
Tendency to stick to our beliefs, even when evidence contradicts them
56
Proximity
Things that are close together are thought to be a whole
57
Figure ground
Decision to focus on what we think is the central figure and ignore the background
58
Gestalt Laws
Laws that explain how we organize our perceptual information Whole = more that the sum of the parts
59
Cones
Receptor cells in the retina that allow us to see colors
60
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud Internal psychology we are unaware of, especially sex and aggression. "Unconscious"
61
Rods
Receptor cells that allow us to see in low light and to see black and white
62
Fovea
Spot on the retina where light is lost sharply focused. Cones are here
63
Retina
Membrane in the back of the eye responsible for converting light into neural energy
64
Perception
The brains interpretation of raw sensory inputs Interpretation
65
Experimental Designs
Random assignment Control group Independent variable
66
Myelin sheath
Fatty coating that insulates axons an speeds up transmission of impulses
67
Axon
Nerve fiber projecting from the cell body of a neuron that carries impluses
68
Correlation
``` 0 = none +1 = positive A⬆️B⬆️ or A⬇️B⬇️ -1 = negative A⬆️B⬇️ or A⬇️B⬆️ ```
69
Naturalistic observation
Watching behavior in natural "real world" setting
70
Overconfidence
Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions
71
Sensation
The detection of physical energy by sense organs that is sent to the brain Detection
72
Cerebral Hemispheres
Alike but with different functions
73
Occipital Lobes
Visual cortex
74
Lack of peer review
"50 studies by a company show amazing success!"
75
Exaggerated claims
"3 simple steps to change your life forever!"
76
Cell Body
Makes materials needed by the neuron
77
Nervous system
Made up of two divisions
78
Dependent variable
Variable measured to see if independent variable had an effect Effect
79
Heuristics
Rules of thumb or mental shortcuts
80
Naive realism
Belief we see the world exactly as it is
81
Corpus callosum
Band of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex
82
William James
First American psychology lab "Stream of consciousness"
83
Case studies
One person or a small group of people that are studied in depth, usually for a long period of time
84
Confirmation Bias
Tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypothesis, and neglect or distort contradictory evidence

General Psychology (3 decks)

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