psych exam prep Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is adaptive behaviour?
Behaviour that allows effective functioning in daily life and adjustment to demands.
What is maladaptive behaviour?
Behaviour that interferes with a person’s ability to carry out everyday tasks effectively.
Define mental health.
A state of wellbeing where an individual can cope with life’s challenges and contribute to the community.
Define mental illness.
A diagnosed psychological disorder that affects thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
What is typical development?
Development that follows the expected and predictable pattern for most individuals.
What is atypical development?
Development that significantly differs from the norm and may indicate challenges.
What are the three types of developmental changes?
Cognitive, emotional, and social development.
What is an independent variable (IV)?
The variable that is deliberately changed in an experiment.
What is a dependent variable (DV)?
The variable that is measured to assess the effect of the IV.
What is a hypothesis?
A testable prediction that states the expected relationship between variables.
What is the experimental group?
The group exposed to the IV in an experiment.
What is the control group?
The group not exposed to the IV, used as a baseline for comparison.
What is convenience sampling?
Selecting participants who are easiest to access.
What is random sampling?
A sampling method where every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected.
Name five ethical principles in psychological research.
Informed consent, voluntary participation, withdrawal rights, confidentiality, no harm.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
The brain and spinal cord – the body’s control centre.
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
All nerves outside the CNS, sending messages to and from the body.
What is brain plasticity?
The brain’s ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage.
What is adaptive plasticity?
The brain’s ability to reorganise and recover following injury.
Who was Phineas Gage?
A railroad worker who survived a frontal lobe injury, demonstrating its role in personality and decision-making.
What does the frontal lobe control?
Thinking, planning, personality, impulse control – develops last in adolescence.
What does nature refer to in development?
Genetic and biological influences on development (heredity).
What does nurture refer to in development?
Environmental influences such as upbringing, culture, and experience.
What is a critical period?
A narrow window in development when certain skills must be learned or will never fully develop.
