Midterm 1 Flashcards
(142 cards)
1
Q
Psychology is the study of__________
A
behaviour and mental processes
2
Q
__________ is a testable prediction about processes that can be observed or measured.
A
Hypothesis
3
Q
A theory is ______
A
an explanation for a broad range of observations
4
Q
Pseudoscience can be described as _________
A
an idea that is presented as scientific but does not utilize basic principles of scientific thinking or procedure
5
Q
scientific method is
A
a way of learning about the world through collecting observations, developing theories to explain them and using the theories to make predictions
6
Q
Biopsychosocial model is a _____
A
means of explaining behaviour as a product of biological, psychological and sociocultural factors
7
Q
Scientific literacy can be described as _______
A
the ability to understand, analyze and apply scientific information
8
Q
Critical thinking _____
A
involves exercising curiosity and skepticism when evaluating the claims of others with our own assumptions or beliefs
9
Q
The 4 major perspectives of psychology are _______
A
Biological, cognitive, behavioural and sociocultural
10
Q
_______ psychology can be described as using ______ factors such as genetics, physiological etc to explain human behaviour
A
Biological, biological
11
Q
Cognitive psychology is the study of ______
A
mental processes
12
Q
Behavioural psychology is the study of ______
A
observable behaviour
13
Q
______ is the study of how culture influences human behaviour
A
sociocultural psychology
14
Q
Using the biopsychosocial model, identify the biological, psychological and sociocultural factors in this situation:
Your remember a family argument and you become upset
A
Biological: Memory causing a hormone release
Psychological: upset feeling triggered by the memory
Sociocultural: The family
15
Q
What are the 4 steps of the scientific literacy model?
A
- knowledge gathering
- scientific explanation
- critical thinking
- application
16
Q
Some skills for developing critical thinking are:
A
- be curious
- examine the source
- examine assumptions or bias
- avoid overly emotional thinking
- Tolerate the uncertainty of all answers
- Consider alternative viewpoints
17
Q
Objective measurements are ______
A
The measure of an entity or behaviour that within an allowed margin of error is consistent across instruments and observers
18
Q
a Variable is _____
A
The object or concept or event being measured
19
Q
_____ examines whether scores on a given measure of behaviour are consistent across test sessions
A
Test Retest reliability
20
Q
Alternate forms reliability can be described as______
A
Examines whether different forms of the same test produce the same results
21
Q
Inter-rater reliability can be described as _____
A
Meaning the raters agree on the measurements that were taken
22
Q
Generalizability
A
Refers to the degree to which one set of results can be applied to other events, situations or individuals
23
Q
_____ is a sampling technique in which every individual of a population has a fair chance of being included
A
Random Sampling
24
Q
Convenience sampling can be described as
A
Samples of individuals who are most readily available
25
_____ Means the results of a lab study can be applied or repeated in the natural environment
Ecological Validity
26
________ when the researcher has preconceived ideas about the participants or experiment
Researcher Bias
27
Participant Bias can be described as_______
The subjects try to figure out the the basis of the experiment and then alter their behaviour to fit how they believe they are expected to act
28
____ describes a behaviour change that occurs as a result of being observed
Hawthorne Effect
29
Demand Characteristics
Cues given off by the researcher that provide information about how participants are expected to behave
30
Social Desirability
Subjects respond in ways that increase their chances of being viewed favourably
31
____ is a measurable and experienced improvement in health or behaviour that cannot be attributed to the medication or treatment
Placebo Effect
32
Single blind study
The subjects do not know the true purpose of the study or they do not know what treatment they will be receiving
33
Double blind study
a study in which neither subject or researcher know what individual is receiving what treatment
34
Anecdotal Evidence
An individual's story or testimony about an observation or event that is used to make a claim as evidence
35
Independent Variable is _____
The variable that the researcher manipulates
36
The variable the researcher observes and compares across all test groups
Dependent Variable
37
Within subjects design
same participants respond to all types of stimuli
38
Between subjects design
We compare the performance of participants in different groups
39
Naturalistic Observation
Viewing a subject in their natural setting without interruption
40
Subjects are chosen due to predetermined characteristics
quasi experimental research
41
In positive correlation the two variables _____
take the same direction
42
In a negative correlation, the two variables ____
Take opposite direction
43
what is a limitation of a case study?
Cannot be generalized to the public as it is too individually based
44
Neurons are found in the nervous system and are responsible for _____
sending out and receiving messages throughout the body
45
Dendrites are _____
small branches radiating from the cell body that receive and transmit messages to and from cells
46
___ transport information in the form of electrochemical reactions from the cell body to the end of the neuron
Axons
47
Neurotransmitters allow neutrons to
communicate with each other
48
Sensory neurons
receive info rom the bodily senses and brings it toward the brain
49
motor neurons are responsible for
extension and flexation of muscles
50
What are the main purposes of Glial cells?
Mounting immune responses, removing waste, and synchronizing the activities of neurons
51
Myelin is a _______
fatty sheath that insulates axons resulting in increased speed and efficiency of neural communication
52
_____ is the relatively stable state during which the cell is not transmitting messages
Resting Potential
53
Electrostatic Gradient
The inside and outside of a cell have different charges
54
Action potential
a wave of electrical activity that originates at the base of the axon and rapidly travels down its length
55
Refractory period
The brief period when a neuron cannot fire
56
____ the microscopically small spaces that separate nerve cells
synapses
57
all or none principle
individual nerve cells all fire at the same strength every time action potential occurs
58
synaptic cleft
the minute space between the axon terminal and the dendrite
59
_____ neurotransmitter molecules that have been released into the synapse are reabsorbed into the axon terminals
reuptake
60
Glutamate
most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the brains of vertebrates
61
GABA prevents
neurons from generating action potentials
62
acetylcholine is very important for
voluntary movement
63
Agonists
enhance or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters action
64
antagonists
inhibit neurotransmitter activity by blocking receptors
65
The hypothalamus _____
regulates basic biological needs and motivational systems
66
Amygdala
facilitates memory formation for emotional events, mediates fear response and interpreting emotional stimuli
67
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for
regulating the activity of organs and glands
68
basal ganglia is involved in
facilitating planned movements, skill learning, and integrating sensory and movement information with the brains reward system
69
The cerebellum is involved in
monitoring movement, maintaining balance, attention and emotional responses
70
cerebral cortex
involved in higher functions such as thought, language, and personality
71
____ is a collection of neural fibres connecting the two hemispheres in the brain and allows communication between the two hemispheres
corpus callosum
72
the forebrain is responsible for
emotion, memory, thinking and reasoning
73
frontal lobes
involved in planning, regulating emotions and impulses, language production and voluntary movement
74
hippocampus
critical for learning and memory especially the formation of new memories
75
Hindbrain
supports vital bodily processes
76
limbic system
integrated network involved in emotion and memory
77
Midbrain
functions as a relay between the sensory and motor areas
78
neuroplasticity
the brains ability to repair and change itself
79
occipital lobes
where visual info is processed
80
Parasympathetic nervous system
helps maintain homeostatic balance in the presence of change
81
somatic nervous system
nerves that control skeletal muscles which control voluntary and reflexive movement
82
partietal lobes
involved in touch and bodily awareness
83
peripheral nervous system
transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body
84
sympathetic nervous system
Responsible for the flight or fight response
85
temporal lobes
involved in hearing, language
86
thalamus
involved in relaying sensory information to different regions of the brain
87
CT scan
x rays are sent through the brain by a tube that rotates around the head
88
DTI
allows researchers to measure white matter pathways
89
EEG
measures brain activity with multiple electrodes attached to the scalp
90
FMRI
measures brain activity through oxygen rich blood
91
Functional neuroimaging
provides info on which parts of the brain are active during specific activities
92
MRI
Clear images of the brain are produced based on how different neural regions absorb and release energy while in a magnetic field
93
MEG
measures the tiny magnetic field created by electrical activity of the nerve cells in the brain
94
PET
low level radioisotope is injected to the blood and its movement to regions of the brain are measured
95
TMS
electromagnetic pulse is delivered to the targeted region of the brain
96
lesioning
a technique in which researchers intentionally damage an area of the brain
97
what brain scan is similar to lesioning with no side effects or permanent damage
TMS
98
sensation
detecting external events by sensory organs and turning those stimuli into neural signals
99
perception
involves attending to, organizing and interpreting stimuli that we sense
100
transduction
when specialized receptors transform physical energy from the outside world into neural impulses
101
an example of sensory adoption would be_____
hearing annoying traffic outside your window but after 5 min of repeated exposure to the stimuli your brain "forgets" it and the traffic becomes less annoying
102
absolute threshold
the amount of energy or quantity it takes to reliably detect a stimuli 50% of the time
103
difference threshold
the smallest detection that can be recognized 50% of the time (salt ex. )
104
signal detection theory
whether a stimulus was received depends on the sensory functions as well as the subjects own judgement
105
____ states that small pieces of an image have little meaning but when combined as a whole it creates a different perceived form
gestalt psychology
106
figure ground principle
objects tend to stand out against a background
107
proximity
we tend to treat things that are close together as a group
108
similarity
we tend to treat things in similar uniform as a group
109
continuity
lines tend to be continuous although they cannot be seen
110
closure
the tendency to fill in the gaps that we cannot see
111
mcgurk effect
what we see overpowers what we hear
112
top down processing
our perceptions are influenced by our expectations or prior knowledge
113
bottom down processing
when we perceive individual bits of sensory info and use them to construct a more complex perception
114
divided attention
paying attention to more than one task at a time
115
selective attention
involves focusing on one particular task at a time
116
inattentional blindless
a failure to notice a clearly visible event or object as attention is focused elsewhere
117
sclera
the white surface of the eye
118
cornea
the clear layer that covers the the portion of the eye, helps eye focus
119
pupil
regulates the amount of light into the eye
120
iris
a round muscle adjusts the size of the pupil also gives the eye colour
121
lens
focuses light into the back of the eye
122
retina
consists of specialized receptors that absorb light
123
optic nerve
a dense bundle of fibres that connect to the brain
124
rods
photoreceptors that are highly sensitive to low level lights
125
cones
photoreceptors that are highly sensitive to different wavelengths of light that we perceive as colour
126
fovea
the central region of the retina
127
trichromatic theory
colour vision is determined by three cone types that are sensitive to short (blue), medium (green) and long (red) wavelengths
128
opponent process theory
we perceive colours in opposites
129
Consciousness
subjective awareness of thoughts, perceptions, self awareness and the environment
130
circadian rhythm
driven daily cycles lasting approx. 24 hrs that affect physiological and behavioural processes
131
entrainment
bio rhythm becomes synchronized to external cues such as lights or clocks
132
endogenous rhythms
bio rhythms that are generated by our body
133
REM sleep
quickening brain waves, inhibited movement, rapid eye movement and dreaming
134
restore and repair
restore energy levels and repair body from the day
135
protect and preserve
persevering energy and protecting the body from harm
136
sleep deprivation
cannot sleep or does not sleep
137
sleep displacement
individual is prevented from sleeping at their normal time
138
jet lag
the discomfort somebody feels when their sleep cycles are out of whack with light and dark
139
activation synthesis hypothesis
dreams arise from brain activity originating from bursts of excitatory messages from the pons
140
manifest content
the images an story lines that we dream about
141
latent content
symbolic meaning of a dream built on suppressed sexual or aggressive urges
142
problem solving theory
states things that happen in your conscious mind reside in your unconscious mind
