Biopsychologist
field Behaviorism of psychology that concentrates on observable, measurable behaviors and not on mental processes specialist who tries to explain behavior in terms of biological factors, such as electrical and chemical activities in the nervous system, the effects of drugs and hormones, genetics, and evolutionary pressures someone with an advanced degree in psychology, with a specialty in understanding and helping people with psychological problems person with a degree in social work instead of psychology, who helps people with psychological problems in ways similar to those of a clinical psychologist processes of thinking, gaining knowledge, and dealing with knowledge specialist who studies thought processes and the acquisition of knowledge specialist who compares different animal species someone trained to help people with educational, vocational, marriage, health-related, and other decisions a psychologist who compares the behavior of people from different cultures assumption that all behavior has a cause, or determinant, in the observable world specialist who studies the behavioral capacities of different ages and how behavior changes with age view that the mind is separate from the brain psychologist with engineering skills who works to facilitate the operation of machinery so that the average person can use it as efficiently and as safely as possible one who tries to explain behavior in terms of the evolutionary history of the species, including reasons evolution might have favored a tendency to act in particular ways one who provides advice and consultation to police, lawyers, courts, or other parts of the criminal justice system doctrine that behavior is caused by a person's independent decisions, not by external determinants attempt to understand how mental processes produce useful behaviors
Clinical psychologist Clinical social worker Cognition Cognitive psychologist Comparative psychologist Counseling psychologist Cross-cultural psychologist Determinism Developmental psychologist Dualism Ergonomist Evolutionary psychologist Forensic psychologist Free will Functionalism
Industrial/organizational psychological study of people at work (I/O) psychology Introspection Learning and motivation Mind-brain problem Monism Nature-nurture issue Psychiatry Psychoanalyst Psychology Psychophysical function School psychologist Social psychologist Structuralism looking within oneself study of how behavior depends on the outcomes of past behaviors and on current motivations philosophical question of how the conscious mind is related to the physical nervous system, including the brain view that consciousness is inseparable from the physical brain question of the relative roles played by heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) in determining differences in behavior branch of medicine that deals with emotional disturbances psychotherapist who relies heavily on the theories of Sigmund Freud systematic study of behavior and experience mathematical description of the relationship between the physical properties of a stimulus and its perceived properties specialist in the psychological condition of students psychologist who studies social behavior and how individuals influence other people and are influenced by other people attempt to describe the structures that compose the mind
95% confidence range within which the true population mean lies with 95% certainty interval Blind observer observer who can record data without knowing what the researcher has predicted
Burden of proof obligation to present evidence to support one's claim Case history Control group Convenience sample Correlation Correlation coefficient Correlational study Cross-cultural samples Deduction Demand characteristics Dependent variable Descriptive statistics Double-blind study Experimental group Experimenter bias Experiments Extrasensory perception (ESP) Falsifiable Hypothesis Illusory correlation Independent variable Induction Inferential statistics Informed consent Mean Median Meta-analysis thorough description of a single individual, including information on both past experiences and current behavior group treated in the same way as the experimental group except for the procedure that the experiment is designed to test group chosen because of its ease of study measure of the relationship between two variables, which are both outside the investigator's control mathematical estimate of the relationship between two variables, ranging from +1 (perfect positive relationship) to 0 (no linear relationship) to -1 (perfect negative relationship) procedure in which investigators measure the correlation between two variables without controlling either of them groups of people from at least two cultures process of deriving a conclusion from premises already accepted cues that tell a subject what is expected of him or her and what the experimenter hopes to find item that an experimenter measures to determine how changes in the independent variable affect it mathematical summaries of results, such as measures of the average and the amount of variation study in which neither the observer nor the subjects know which subjects received which treatment group that receives the treatment that an experiment is designed to test tendency of an experimenter to unintentionally distort procedures or results based on the experimenter's own expectations of the outcome of the study studies in which the investigator manipulates at least one variable while measuring at least one other variable alleged ability of certain people to acquire information without using any sense organ and without receiving any form of physical energy making sufficiently precise predictions that we can at least imagine evidence that would contradict the theory (if anyone had obtained such evidence) clear predictive statement apparent relationship based on casual observations of unrelated or weakly related events in an experiment the item that an experimenter manipulates to determine how it affects the dependent variable process of inferring a general principle from observations statements about large populations based on inferences from small samples subject's agreement to take part in an experiment after being told what to expect sum of all the scores reported in a study divided by the total number of scores middle score in a list of scores arranged from highest to lowest method of taking the results of many experiments, weighting each one in proportion to the number of
participants, and determining the overall average effect Mode Naturalistic observation Normal distribution (or normal curve) Operational definition Parsimony Placebo Population Random assignment Random sample Range Replicable result Representative sample Single-blind study Standard deviation (SD) Survey Theory score that occurs most frequently in a distribution of scores careful examination of what many people or nonhuman animals do under natural conditions
symmetrical frequency of scores clustered around the mean definition that specifies the operations (or procedures) used to produce or measure something; a way to give it a numerical value (literally, stinginess) scientists' preference for the theory that explains the results using the simplest assumptions inactive pill that has no known pharmacological effect on the subjects in an experiment entire group of individuals to be considered chance procedure for assigning subjects to groups so that every subject has the same probability as any other subject of being assigned to a particular group group of people picked in random fashion so that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected statement of the highest and lowest scores in a distribution of scores result that can be repeated (at least approximately) by any competent investigator who follows the same procedures used in the original study selection of the population chosen to match the entire population with regard to specific variables study in which either the observer or the subjects are unaware of which subjects received which treatment measurement of the amount of variation among scores in a normal distribution study of the prevalence of certain beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors based on people's responses to specific questions comprehensive explanation of observable events
Action potential Alcohol Autonomic nervous system Axon Binding problem Cell body Central nervous system Cerebellum Cerebral cortex Corpus callosum Dendrite Depressants Dopamine Electroencephalograph (EEG) Endocrine system Endorphins Epilepsy Evolutionary explanation Frontal lobe Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Glia Hallucinogens Hemisphere Hormone
excitation that travels along an axon at a constant strength, no matter how far it must travel class of molecules that includes methanol, ethanol, propyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and others section of the nervous system that controls the functioning of the internal organs, such as the heart single, long, thin, straight fiber that transmits information from a neuron to other neurons or to muscle cells question of how separate brain areas combine forces to produce a unified perception of a single object part of the neuron that contains the nucleus of the cell brain and spinal cord (Latin for "little brain") hindbrain structure that is active in the control of movement, especially for complex, rapid motor skills and behaviors that require precise timing outer surface of the forebrain large set of axons connecting the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex and thus enabling the two hemispheres to communicate with each other one of the widely branching structures of a neuron that receive transmissions from other neurons drugs that predominantly decrease arousal neurotransmitter that promotes activity levels and facilitates movement device that measures and amplifies slight electrical changes on the scalp that reflect brain activity set of glands that produce hormones and release them into the bloodstream chemicals produced by the brain that have effects resembling those of opiates, such as inhibiting pain condition characterized by abnormal rhythmic activity of brain neurons an explanation that relates behavior to the evolutionary history of the species portion of each cerebral hemisphere at the anterior pole, with sections that control movement and certain aspects of memory technique that uses magnetic detectors outside the head to measure the amounts of hemoglobin, with and without oxygen, in different parts of the brain and thereby provides an indication of current activity levels in various brain areas cell of the nervous system that insulates neurons, removes waste materials (e.g., dead cells), and performs other supportive functions drugs that induce sensory distortions left or right half of the brain chemical released by glands and conveyed by the blood to other parts of the body, where it alters activity
Magnetoencephalograph device that records rapid changes magnetic during brain activity (MEG) Medulla Narcotics Neurons Neurotransmitters Occipital lobe Opiates Parietal lobe structure that is located in the hindbrain and is an elaboration of the spinal cord; controls many muscles in the head and several life-preserving functions, such as breathing drugs that produce drowsiness, insensitivity to pain, and decreased responsiveness to events cells of the nervous system that receive information and transmit it to other cells by conducting electrochemical impulses chemicals that are stored in the terminal of an axon and that, when released, activate receptors of other neurons rear portion of each cerebral hemisphere, critical for vision either drugs derived from the opium poppy or synthetic drugs that produce effects similar to those of opium derivatives portion of each cerebral hemisphere; the main receiving area for the sense of touch and for the awareness of one's own body and perception of location of the body in spac e
Parkinson's disease Peripheral nervous system Physiological explanation Pons Positron-emission tomography (PET) Postsynaptic neuron Prefrontal cortex Primary motor cortex Primary somatosensory cortex Reflexes Resting potential Spinal cord Stem cells Stimulants Synapse Temporal lobe Terminal bouton Tranquilizers (or anxiolytic drugs)
condition that affects about 1% of people over the age of 50; the main symptoms are difficulty initiating voluntary movement, slowness of movement, tremors, rigidity, and depressed mood bundles of axons that convey messages between the spinal cord and the rest of the body an explanation describes the mechanism that produces a behavior structure adjacent to the medulla that receives sensory input from the head and controls many muscles in the head technique that provides a high-resolution image of brain activity by recording radioactivity emitted from injected chemicals neuron on the receiving end of a synapse area in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, critical for planning movements and for certain aspects of memory strip in the posterior (rear) part of the frontal cortex that controls fine movements, such as hand and finger movements strip in the anterior (forward) part of the parietal lobe that receives most touch sensations and other information about the body rapid, automatic responses to stimuli electrical polarization that ordinarily occurs across the membrane of an axon that is not undergoing an action potential part of the central nervous system that communicates with sensory neurons and motor neurons below the level of the head undifferentiated cells drugs that boost energy, heighten alertness, increase activity, and produce a pleasant feeling specialized junction between one neuron and another; at this point one neuron releases a neurotransmitter, which either excites or inhibits the next neuron portion of each cerebral hemisphere; the main processing area for hearing, complex aspects of vision, and certain aspects of emotional behavior bulge at the end of an axon from which the axon releases a chemical called a neurotransmitter medications that help people to relax
Absolute sensory threshold Accommodation of the lens Binocular cues Blind spot Brightness contrast Capsaicin Cataract Closure Cochlea Color constancy Common fate Conduction deafness Cones Continuation Convergence Cornea Cutaneous sensation Dark adaptation Depth perception Electromagnetic spectrum Endorphins Feature detector Figure and ground Fovea Frequency principle Ganglion cells Gate theory Gestalt psychology Glaucoma Good figure Hertz (Hz) Hyperopia Induced movement
intensity at which a given individual can detect a sensory stimulus 50% of the time; a low threshold indicates the ability to detect faint stimuli adjustment of the thickness of the lens to focus on objects at different distances visual cues that depend on the action of both eyes areas where the optic nerve exits the retina increase or decrease in an object's apparent brightness because of the effects of objects around it chemical that stimulates the release of substance disorder in which the lens of the eye becomes cloudy in Gestalt psychology tendency to imagine the rest of an incomplete, familiar figure snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure that contains the receptors for hearing tendency of an object to appear nearly the same color under a variety of lighting conditions tendency to perceive objects as part of the same group if they change or move in similar ways at the same time hearing loss that results when the bones connected to the eardrum fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea visual receptors that are adapted for color vision, daytime vision, and detailed vision in Gestalt psychology the tendency to fill in the gaps in an interrupted line degree to which the eyes turn in to focus on a close object rigid, transparent structure on the surface of the eyeball the product of many kinds of receptors, each sensitive to a particular kind of information gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light perception of distance, which enables us to experience the world in three dimensions continuum of all the frequencies of radiated energy, chemicals produced by the brain that have effects resembling those of opiates, such as inhibiting pain neuron in the visual system of the brain that responds to the presence of a certain simple feature, such as a horizontal line object and its background central part of the retina that has a greater density of receptors, especially cones, than any other part of the retina identification of pitch by the frequency of action potentials in neurons along the basilar membrane of the cochlea, synchronized with the frequency of sound waves neurons in the eye that receive input from bipolar cells, which in turn receive their input from the visual receptors proposal that pain messages must pass through a gate, probably in the spinal cord, that can block messages approach to psychology that seeks to explain how we perceive overall patterns condition characterized by increased pressure within the eyeball, resulting in damage to the optic nerve and therefore a loss of vision in Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive simple, symmetrical figures unit of frequency representing one cycle (vibration) per second farsightedness; the inability to focus on nearby objects perception that an object is moving and the background is stationary when in fact the object is stationary and the background is moving
Iris Lens Loudness Monocular cues Moon illusion Motion parallax Myopia Negative afterimage Nerve deafness Olfaction Opponentprocess theory Optic nerve Optical illusion Perception Phantom limb Pheromone Pitch Place principle Presbyopia Proximity Pupil Receptor Retina Retinal disparity Retinex theory
colored structure on the surface of the eye, surrounding the pupil flexible structure that can vary its thickness to enable the eye to focus on objects at different distances perception that depends on the amplitude of a sound wave visual cues that are just as effective with one eye as with both apparent difference between the size of the moon at the horizon and its size when viewed higher in the sky apparently swift motion of objects close to a moving observer and the apparently slow motion of objects farther away nearsightedness; the inability to focus on distant objects color that a person sees after staring at its opposite color for a while hearing loss that results from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve sense of smell; the detection of chemicals in contact with the membranes inside the nose theory that we perceive color in terms of a system of paired opposites: red versus green, yellow versus blue, and white versus black paired opposites: red versus green, yellow versus blue, and white versus misinterpretation of a visual stimulus as being larger or smaller, or straighter or more curved, than it really is interpretation of sensory information continuing sensation of an amputated body part odorous chemical, released by an animal, that changes how other memvers of the species respond to that animal socially perception closely related to the frequency of sound waves identification of pitch by determining which auditory neurons, coming from which part of the basilar membrane, are most active decreased flexibility of the lens and therefore the inability to focus on nearby objects (a) in Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group (b) in social psychology the tendency to choose as friends people with whom we come in frequent contact adjustable opening in the eye through which light enters specialized cell that converts environmental energies into signals for the nervous system layer of visual receptors covering the back surface of the eyeball difference in the apparent position of an object as seen by the left and right retinas theory that color perception results from the cerebral cortex's comparison of various retinal patterns
Reversible figure stimulus that you can perceive in more than one way Rods Sensation Signal-detection theory Similarity Sound waves Stimuli Stroboscopic movement Subliminal perception Substance P Synesthesia visual receptors that are adapted for vision in dim light conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system study of people's tendencies to make hits, correct rejections, misses, and false alarms Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive objects that resemble each other as belonging to a group resemble each other as belonging to a group energy in the environment that affects what we do illusion of movement created by a rapid succession of stationary images ability of a stimulus to influence our behavior even when it is presented so faintly or briefly or along with such strong distracters that we do not perceive it consciously neurotransmitter responsible for much of the transmission of pain information in the nervous system an unusual condition in which a stimulus of one type, such as sound, also gives rise to another experience, such as color
Taste Taste bud Trichromatic theory (YoungHelmholtz theory)
sensory system that responds to chemicals on the tongue site of the taste receptors, located in one of the folds on the surface of the tongue
theory that color vision depends on the relative rate of response of three types of cones
Vestibular sense specialized sense that detects the direction of tilt and amount of acceleration of the head and the position of the head with respect to gravity Visual constancy Volley principle tendency to perceive objects as unchanging in shape, size, and color, despite variations in what actually reaches the retina identification of pitch by groups of hair cells responding to each vibration by producing an action potential
Waterfall illusion phenomenon in which prolonged staring at a waterfall and then looking at nearby cliffs causes those cliffs to appear flowing upward