Midterm

Question 1

Nature v. Nurture

Answer 1

how much genes contribute and how much experience and environment contribute to the development of psychological traits and behaviors

Question 2

Biopsychosocial approach to human behavior

Answer 2

Biological: natural selection of adaptive traits, brain, hormones
Psychological: learned fears and behaviors, cognitive processing
Social-cultural: cultural and societal expectations, peer and group influences, models

Question 3

Hypothesis

Answer 3

testable prediction

Question 4

Correlation

Answer 4

measure of the extent to which two factors vary together; how well either factor predicts the other

Question 5

Random assignment

Answer 5

assigning participants to experimental and control groups; minimizes preexisting differences

Question 6

Placebo effect

Answer 6

experimental results caused by expectations alone

Question 7

Independent variable

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Dependent variable

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Confounding variable

Answer 9

factor other than independent that might produce an effect in an experiment

Question 10

Neuron

Answer 10

nerve cell

Question 11

Dendrites

Answer 11

neuron’s bushy, branching extensions; receive messages and conduct impulses

Question 12

Axon

Answer 12

Neuron extension passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 13

Myelin sheath

Answer 13

encases axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed

Question 14

Glial cells

Answer 14

cells in nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; learning and thinking

Question 15

Action potential

Answer 15

neural impulse

Question 16

Synapse

Answer 16

junction between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite/cell body of receiving neuron

Question 17

Neurotransmitters

Answer 17

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps; when released they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, influence whether that neuron will generate neural impulse

Question 18

Brainstem

Answer 18

oldest; automatic survival functions

Question 19

Medulla

Answer 19

heartbeat and breathing

Question 20

Thalamus

Answer 20

directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to cerebellum and medulla

Question 21

Reticular formation

Answer 21

controls arousal

Question 22

Cerebellum

Answer 22

sensory input, coordinates movement output and balance, nonverbal learning and memory

Question 23

Limbic system

Answer 23

emotions and drives

Question 24

Hypothalamus

Answer 24

maintenance activities, govern endocrine system via the pituitary gland; emotion and reward

Question 25

Cerebral cortex

Answer 25

control and information-processing center

Question 26

Frontal lobes

Answer 26

speaking and muscle movements; plans and judgements

Question 27

Parietal lobes

Answer 27

sensory input for touch and body position

Question 28

Occipital lobes

Answer 28

receive information from the visual fields

Question 29

Temporal lobes

Answer 29

receiving information from the opposite ear

Question 30

Motor cortex

Answer 30

voluntary movements

Question 31

Sensory cortex

Answer 31

body touch and movement sensations

Question 32

Association areas

Answer 32

higher mental functions: learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Question 33

Amygdala

Answer 33

emotion rage and fear

Question 34

Traits determined by genes

Answer 34

physical - height, hair and eye color; complex traits - happiness, intelligence, or aggressiveness

Question 35

Learning

Answer 35

process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Question 36

Classical conditioning

Answer 36

one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Question 37

Behaviorism

Answer 37

psychology should be objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes

Question 38

Neutral stimulus

Answer 38

elicits no response before conditioning

Question 39

Unconditioned response

Answer 39

naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Question 40

Unconditioned stimulus

Answer 40

stimulus that unconditionally - naturally - triggers a response (UR)

Question 41

Conditioned response

Answer 41

learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (CS)

Question 42

Conditioned stimulus

Answer 42

originally irrelevant, after association with an US comes to trigger a CR

Question 43

Extinction

Answer 43

diminishing of a CR; classical - US does not follow a CS; operant - response is no longer reinforced

Question 44

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 44

reappearance after a pause of an extinguished CR

Question 45

Operant conditioning

Answer 45

behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Question 46

Positive reinforcement

Answer 46

stimulus that is presented after a response

Question 47

Negative reinforcement

Answer 47

stimulus that is removed after a response (removing negative stimuli)

Question 48

Primary reinforcer

Answer 48

innately reinforcing stimulus; satisfies biological need

Question 49

Conditioned reinforcer

Answer 49

gains power through its association with primary reinforcer

Question 50

Punishment

Answer 50

decreases behavior that follows