Help
Options
Question
Empiricism
click to flip
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't know
Question
Structuralism
Remaining cards (184)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:02
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
#cgrigorieffap
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Empiricism | the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation |
| Structuralism | an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind |
| Functionalism | a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function -- how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish |
| Level of Analysis | the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon |
| Confounding Variable | a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment |
| Illusory Correlation | the perception of a relationship where none exists |
| Action Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
| Amygdala | two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion |
| Aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
| Association Areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
| Behavioral Genetics | the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior |
| Broca's Area | controls language expression -- an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
| Cerebral Cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
| Dual Processing | the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks |
| Endocrine System | the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| Endorphins | "morphine witihin" -- natural opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure |
| Functional MRI (fMRI) | a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function |
| Genes | the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing protein |
| Genome | the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes |
| Glial Cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons |
| Heritability | the proportion of variation among individuals that we attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied |
| Limbic System | doughnut-shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheresl associated with emotions and drives |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy |
| Medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
| Molecular Genetics | the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes |
| Motor Cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
| Motor Neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands |
| Mutation | a random error in gene replication that leads to a change |
| Neurogenesis | the formation of new neurons |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body |
| Pituitary Gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
| Positron Emission Tomography (PET) | a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
| Reticular Formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| Sensory Cortex | area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
| Sensory Neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and the spinal cord |
| Somatic Nervous System | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system |
| Split Brain | a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
| Threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| Wernicke's Area | controls language reception -- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe |
| Absolute Threshold | the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
| Accommodation | the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near of far objects on the retina |
| Audition | the sense or act of hearing |
| Cochlear Implant | a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea |
| Conduction Hearing Loss | hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea |
| Cones | retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. These cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations |
| Difference Threshold | the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time |
| Feature Detectors | nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of a stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement |
| Fovea | the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster |
| Frequency | the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| Frequency Theory | the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch |
| Gate-Control Theory | the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain |
| Gestalt | an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes |
| Grouping | the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups |
| Hue | the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, etc |
| Inattentional Blindless | failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere |
| Inner Ear | the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs |
| Intensity | the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude |
| Kinesthesis | the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts |
| Lens | the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina |
| Middle Ear | the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window |
| Monocular Cues | depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone |
| Opponent-Processing Theory | the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. Some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red |
| Optic Nerve | the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain |
| Parallel Processing | the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision |
| Perception | the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events |
| Perceptual Set | a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another |
| Phi Phenomenon | an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent light blink on and off in a quick succession |
| Pitch | a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
| Place Theory | the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated |
| Priming | the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response |
| Psychophysics | the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them |
| Pupil | the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters |
| Retina | the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information |
| Retinal Disparity | a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance -- the greater disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object |
| Rods | retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond |
| Sensation | the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment |
| Sensorineural Hearing Loss | hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness |
| Subliminal | below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness |
| Vestibular Sense | the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance |
| Wavelength | the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next |
| Weber's Law | the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must duffer by a constant percentage |
| Young-Hemholtz Trichromatic Processing Theory | the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors -- one sensitive to red, green, and blue -- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color |
| Amphetamines | drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes |
| Barbiturates | drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment |
| Delta Waves | the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
| Ecstasy (MDMA) | a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risk and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition |
| Hallucinations | false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus |
| LSD | a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid |
| Methamphetamines | a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels |
| NREM Sleep | non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep |
| Opiates | opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety |
| Posthypnotic Suggestion | a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors |
| Psychoactive Drug | a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods |
| REM Rebound | the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep) |
| Sleep Apnea | a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings |
| Stimulants | drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions |
| THC | the major addictive ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations |
| Acquisition | in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response |
| Associative Learning | learning that certain events occur together |
| Biofeedback | a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension |
| Discriminative Stimulus | in operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement |
| Fixed-Interval Schedule | in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed |
| Fixed-Ratio Schedule | in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses |
| Higher-Order Conditioning | a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus |
| Law of Effect | Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely |
| Mirror Neurons | front lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so |
| Prosocial Behavior | positive, constructive, helpful behavior |
| Variable-Interval Schedule | in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals |
| Variable-Ratio Schedule | in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable number of responses |
| Acoustic Encoding | the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words |
| Automatic Processing | unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings |
| Effortful Processing | encoding that requires attention and conscious effort |
| Explicit Memory | memory of facts and experiences that one and consciously know and "declare" |
| Hippocampus | a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage |
| Implicit Memory | retention independent of conscious recollection |
| Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) | an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory |
| Priming | the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response |
| Adaptation-Level Phenomenon | our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, lights, incomes) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience |
| Anorexia Nervosa | an eating disorder in which a person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve |
| Basal Metabolic Rate | the body's resting rate of energy expenditure |
| Behavioral Medicine | an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease |
| Binge-Eating Disorder | significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging, fasting, or excessive exercise that marks bulimia nervosa |
| Bulimia Nervosa | an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise |
| Cannon-Bard Theory | the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological and the subjective experience of emotion |
| Catharsis | emotional release. The catharsis hypothesis maintains that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges |
| Drive-Reduction Theory | the idea that physiological need creates an aroused tension (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need |
| General Adaptation Syndrome | Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases -- alarm, resistance, exhaustion |
| Glucose | the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and performs the major source of energy for body tissues. When the level is low, we feel hunger |
| Homeostasis | a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level |
| James-Lange Theory | the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli |
| Lymphocytes | the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system. B form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections. T form in the thymus and lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, and viruses |
| Psychoneuroimmunology | the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health |
| Relative Deprivation | the perception that we are worse off relative to those whom we compare ourselves |
| Two-Factor Theory of Emotion | the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal |
| Type A | Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people |
| Type B | Friendman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people |
| Accommodation | adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information |
| Assimilation | interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas |
| Concrete Operational Stage | in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (6-11 years) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events |
| Conservation | the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain despite changes in the forms of objects |
| Cross-Sectional Stud | a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another |
| Embryo | the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month |
| Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) | physical and cognitive abnormalities caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking |
| Fetus | the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth |
| Formal Operational Stage | in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (12 years) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts |
| Habituation | decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation |
| Longitudinal Study | research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period |
| Preoperational Stage | in Piaget's theory, the stage (2-7 years) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic |
| Schema | a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information |
| Social Learning Theory | the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished |
| Theory of Mind | people's ideas about their own and others' mental states -- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict |
| Zygote | the fertilized egg |
| Collective Unconscious | Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history |
| Collectivism | giving priority to goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly |
| Empirically Derived Test | a test (such as MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups |
| External Locus of Control | the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate |
| Internal Locus of Control | the perception that you control your own fate |
| MMPI | the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests |
| Oedipus Complex | according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father |
| Personal Control | the extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless |
| Personality Inventory | a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of findings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits |
| Rationalization | psychoanalytic defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanation in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions |
| Reaction Formation | psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. Thus, people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings |
| Reciprocal Determinism | the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment |
| Rorschach Inkblot Test | the most widely used projective test, seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots |
| Sublimation | psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people re-channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities |
| Terror-Management Theory | a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death |
| Thematic Apperception Test | a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes |
| Achievement Tests | tests designed to assess what a person has learned |
| Aptitude Tests | tests designed to predict a person's future performance |
| Content Validity | the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest |
| WAIS | the most widely used intelligence tests; consists of verbal and performance subtests |
| Conversion Disorder | a rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found |
| Evidence-Base Practice | clinical decision-making that integrates the best available research with clinical expertise and patient characteristics and preferences |
| Psychopharmacology | the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior |
| Psychotherapy | treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interacting between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth |
| Regression Toward The Mean | the tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average |
| Resilience | the personal strength that helps most people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma |
| Resistance | in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material |
| rTMS | the application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity |
| Tardive Dyskinesia | involuntary movements of the facial muscles, tongue, and limbs; a possible neurotoxic side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs that target certain dopamine receptors |
| GRIT | a strategy designed to decrease international tensions |
| Informational Social Influence | influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality |
Created by:
cgrigorieff
Popular Psychology sets