PSY100 Final Exam Flashcards
(183 cards)
What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?
OFTDE:
- Observing a phenomenon
- Formulating hypotheses and predictions
- Testing through empirical research
- Drawing conclusions
- Evaluating the theory
What is the empirical method of research?
Gaining knowledge by collecting objective evidence; conducting systematic inquiries, collecting data + analyzing the information.
What is an operational definition?
A definition that provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured + observed in a study.
What is self-determination theory?
A theory proposing that people are likely to feel fulfilled when their lives meet 3 important needs:
- Relatedness (relations w/ others)
- Autonomy (independence)
- Competence (mastering new skills)
What is the nervous system?
The body’s electrochemical communication circuitry, composed of nerves and cells which carry messages to and from the brain + spinal cord/various parts of the body.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
The brain and spinal cord. The brain processes and interprets sensory information sent from the spinal cord, which acts as a pathways for messages btwn the brain and body, and controls many reflexes.
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
Consists of all the other neural elements, including peripheral nerves and sensory receptors.
Divided into:
- Somatic nervous system (voluntary movements)
- Autonomic nervous system (involuntary movements)
What is the somatic nervous system?
A part of the PNS that controls voluntary movements of the body (e.g. moving your arm to grab something)
What is the autonomic nervous system?
The part of the PNS that controls involuntary body functions, like breathing and heart rate.
Divided into:
- Sympathetic (prepares body for stress + action)
- Parasympathetic (calms body + conserves energy)
What are neurons?
Cells in the body that receive, process and communicate information thru the nervous system.
What are glial cells?
Non-neuronal cells in the nervous system that don’t conduct nerve impulses but instead play supporting roles (providing protection, nutrients, maintenance and repair).
What is **plasticity*?
The brain’s special physical capacity for change.
What are afferent or sensory nerves?
Nerves that carry information about the external environment to the brain and spinal cord, via sensory receptors.
Afferent nerves arrive at the brain and spinal cord.
What are efferent or motor nerves?
Nerves that carry information out of the brain and spinal cord to other areas of the body.
Efferent nerves exit the brain and spinal cord.
What is the hindbrain composed of?
The cerebellum, pons and medulla.
What is the midbrain composed of?
A small central part of the brain stem acting as a bridge to connect the forebrain, hindbrain and spinal cord. Processes info btwn the brain & eyes + ears.
What is the forebrain composed of?
The limbic system, including amygdala and the hippocampus (a group of brain structures that deal w/ emotions, memories and arousal (stimulation)), the thalamus (area in the brain that receives + sorts sensory information), basal ganglia, hypothalamus (acts as a control center for homeostasis), and cerebral cortex (outermost layer of the brain divided into 4 lobes).
What are mirror neurons?
Nerve cells in the brain that are activated (in human and nonhuman primates) both when an action is performed and when the organism observes the action being performed by another.
What are the 5 anatomical structures that neurons share?
Cell bodies, dendrites, axons, axon terminals, and cell membranes.
What is the cell body?
The part of the neuron that contains the nucleus, which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs for its growth and maintenance and to communicate w/ other cells.
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemical messengers (molecules) released into the synapses that allow the nervous system to send messages between neurons, or from neurons to muscles.
What are dendrites?
Branchlike fibres projecting from a neuron, which receive information and orient it toward the neuron’s cell body.
What is an axon?
The part of the neuron that carries info away from the cell body toward other cells.
What are axon terminals?
The end of an axon, where chemicals are stored and intermittently released to affect the functioning of neighbouring neurons.