Exam 1

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted an outcome after it occurred

Question 2

A Thought Experiment

Answer 2

Tell one group one thing and ask their opinion and then tell another group the opposite and ask their opinion.

Question 3

Theory

Answer 3

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations.

Question 4

Hypothesis

Answer 4

A testable prediction implied by a theory

Question 5

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 5

a statistical index (-1 to 1) between two variables

Question 6

Serendipity

Answer 6

discovering something while looking for something else

Question 7

positive relationships

Answer 7

variables go in the same direction (whether positive or negative)

Question 8

research question

Answer 8

questions that can be answered through objective observations; develop with everyday observations or behavior

Question 9

conceptual variable

Answer 9

a factor/construct that’s not observed directly

Question 10

operational definition

Answer 10

turn a conceptual variable into a variable that can be measured

Question 11

correlation method

Answer 11

measure variables as they already exist in nature (scatterplots)

Question 12

independent variable

Answer 12

variable that is manipulated

Question 13

dependent variable

Answer 13

variable that is observed

Question 14

grouping variable

Answer 14

variable that is independent but cant be manipulated

Question 15

control variables

Answer 15

held constant in experiment (random variables that affect)

Question 16

random assignment

Answer 16

each participant has an equal chance of being in any condition (necessary to establish causality in a true experiment)

Question 17

extraneous/confounding variable

Answer 17

any variable that the experimenter wants to hold constant (eliminates alternate explanations)

Question 18

Four Research Ethics

Answer 18

1. Obtain informed consent
2. Protect them from harm
3. Maintain confidentiality
4. Debrief

Question 19

Animal research ethics

Answer 19

Replacement- use alternatives if possible
Refinement- minimize distress
Reduction- use fewest animals possible

Question 20

phrenology

Answer 20

a popular wrong theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal mental abilities (Mark Twain)

Question 21

sensory neurons

Answer 21

carry messages from the body tissues and sensory organs inward to the brain and spinal cord
(out>in)

Question 22

motor neurons

Answer 22

carry messages from brain out to body tissues

in>out

Question 23

dendrites

Answer 23

receive messages

Question 24

cell body

Answer 24

the cells life support center

Question 25

myelin sheath

Answer 25

covers axon of some neurons to speed them up

Question 26

axon

Answer 26

passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, and glands

Question 27

nerve impulse

Answer 27

electrical signal traveling down the axon

Question 28

terminal branches of axon

Answer 28

form junctions with other cells

Question 29

central nervous system

Answer 29

brain and spinal cord

Question 30

autonomic nervous system

Answer 30

controls self-regulated actions of organs and glands

Question 31

somatic nervous system

Answer 31

controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

Question 32

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 32

expands energy; accelerates heart rate and raises blood pressure

Question 33

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 33

conserves energy; decelerates heart rate and lowers blood pressure

Question 34

brainstem

Answer 34

oldest, innermost part and is responsible for primitive functions; contains medulla and reticular formation

Question 35

Thalamus

Answer 35

receives information from senses (except smell) and routes it

Question 36

Cerebellum

Answer 36

attached to brainstem; coordinates voluntary movements and balance, also plays a role in learning motor skills

Question 37

The Limbic System

Answer 37

associated with emotion, drives, and memory formation; contains hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus

Question 38

hippocampus

Answer 38

involved in acquisition of memories (patient H.M.)

Question 39

amygdala

Answer 39

regulates fear and aggression

Question 40

hypothalamus

Answer 40

regulates fighting, fleeing, feeding, and reproduction

Question 41

The Cerebral Cortex

Answer 41

2/3 of mass, convoluted, enables higher level functions including perceiving, thinking, and speaking

Question 42

Occipital Lobe

Answer 42

involved vision; contains visual cortex

Question 43

Temporal lobes

Answer 43

involved in hearing, understanding language, and storing autobiographical memories; contains auditory cortex

Question 44

Parietal lobes

Answer 44

involved in sensations of touch, pain, and temperature; contains somatosensory cortex

Question 45

Frontal lobe

Answer 45

involved in motor functions, language, memory, executive functions

Question 46

Wernicke's area

Answer 46

spans the region between left temporal and parietal lobes; associated with the processing of words

Question 47

Broca's ares

Answer 47

area of left frontal lobe and is associated with the production of language

Question 48

motor cortex

Answer 48

area at the rear off frontal lobes that control voluntary movement

Question 49

association areas

Answer 49

found in all four lobes; responsible for integrating information, linking sensory inputs with stored memories

Question 50

Behavioral Genetics

Answer 50

the study of environmental and genetic factors and their interplay on differences in psychological traits

Question 51

chromosomes

Answer 51

each cell has 23 from each parent

Question 52

DNA

Answer 52

2 strands make a chromosome

Question 53

genes

Answer 53

small segments of DNA molecules; provide the code for making protein molecules

Question 54

genome

Answer 54

genetic material of an organism; includes genes and DNA

Question 55

fraternal twins

Answer 55

develop from separate eggs and share half their genes

Question 56

Goal of molecular genetics

Answer 56

to identify specific genes that influence normal human traits such as body weight, sexual orientation, and basic personality rights.

Question 57

heretability

Answer 57

mathematical estimate of the extent to which variation among individuals can be attributes of their differing genes(0-1)

Question 58

medulla

Answer 58

base that controls involuntary functions

Question 59

reticular formation

Answer 59

filters incoming stimuli and relays info

Question 60

corpus callosum

Answer 60

fibers that connect to brain hemispheres