Term
The following are limitations on what type of data collection?
1. Limitations in accuracy
2. Limitations in honesty
3. Certain information is not consciously accessible |
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Definition
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Term
The following are examples of what type of observation?
1. Eye tracking
2. Response measures
3. Physiological methods (cardiovascular and peripheral arousal)
4. Brain scans (see what parts of the brain are activated) |
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Definition
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Term
| What are two types of physiological methods? |
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Definition
| Cardiovascular and Peripheral arousal |
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Term
| What is an advantage to a brain scan for indirect observations? |
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Definition
| You can see what parts of the brain are activated |
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Term
| What does quantifying our data allow us to do? |
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Definition
| Quantifying our data allows us too summarize our observations in order to find meaningful patterns of results |
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Term
| What does quantifying our data mean? |
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Definition
| Quantifying our data uses numbers to summarize variables |
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Term
What is a variable?
Give 2 examples. |
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Definition
A variable is any measureable characteristic that varies
Example: age, happiness, IQ |
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Term
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Definition
| The mean is the arithmetic average of scores in a distribution and is obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores that were added together |
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Term
| What is "standard deviation"? |
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Definition
| Standard deviation is the computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean |
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Term
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Definition
Correlation is the degree of variability shared by two variables and how strongly two variables are related
Example: as height goes up, people tend to have a higher weight |
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Term
| What is a "positive correlation"? |
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Definition
A positive correlation is when variable A goes up, variable B goes up
Example: as height goes up, weight tends to go up |
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Term
| What is a "negative correlation"? |
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Definition
A negative correlation is when variable A goes up, variable B goes down
Example: the more time I spend on Facebook, the less hours I am working |
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Term
| What is "no correlation"? |
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Definition
No correlation is when variables A and B are unrelated
Example: shoe size and SAT score |
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Term
| What is "correlation coefficient (r)"? |
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Definition
| Correlation coefficient has a range from -1 to 1 (negative correlation to positive correlation), zero meaning no correlation |
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Term
| What are "quantative variables"? |
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Definition
Quantative variables are variables that can be high, low, or in between
1. Correlations are very useful for two quantative variables |
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Term
| What are some examples of "categorical variables" and what can they do? |
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Definition
Categorical variables (examples: race, school type, political party) can predict differences in means on continuous variables
Example: Watching television and answering emails |
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Term
| What is a "representative sample"? |
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Definition
| A representative sample is a sample that contains all of the variation present in a broader population |
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Term
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Definition
| A sample is the subgroup of a population examined in a particular study |
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Term
| What is "statistical significance"? |
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Definition
| Statistical significance is the likelihood that a correlation or group difference represents a real effect in the broader population |
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Term
| What makes an "observed effect" more likely to be significant? |
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Definition
An observed effect is more likely to be significant if
1. the effect is large
2. the sample is large |
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Term
| How is statistically significant represented? And what does this representation mean? |
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Definition
Statistical significance is represented by p value (because it is the probability that the observed effects were due to chance)
1. p<.05 it is "statistically significant" |
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Term
| What is the purpose of descriptive research? |
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Definition
The purpose of descriptive research is to discover the basic characteristics of people or situations. It predicts aspects of mind or behaviors
Examples:
1. Does gender predict valuing close relationships?
2. Does wealth predict happiness?
3. Does race predict intelligence? |
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Term
True or false:
Correlation implies causation |
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Definition
| False: Correlation DOES NOT imply causation |
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Term
Correlation vs. Causation
Give an example of variable A causing variable B |
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Definition
Variable A causes variable B:
gender --> valuing close relationships |
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Term
Correlation vs. Causation
Give an example of variable B causing variable A |
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Definition
Variable B causes variable A:
happiness --> wealth |
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Term
Correlation vs. Causation
Give an example of both variables A and B being associated with variable C |
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Definition
Variables A and B are associated with variable C:
race and intelligence are both associated with access to educational resources |
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Term
| What is "experimental research"? |
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Definition
Experimental research is a deliberate attempt to control (not merely measure or observe) a phenomenon of interest.
1. Manipulation of an independent variable
2. Examine the effect of manipulating the independent variable on the dependent variable |
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Term
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Definition
| Agonists increase or mimic the effects of a given neurotransmitter |
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Term
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Definition
| Antagonists decrease the effects of a given neurotransmitter |
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Term
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Definition
| Neurons are cells that comprise the brain and rest of the nervous system. Neurons communicate to other neurons and organs by transmitting electrical signals |
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Term
| What does the cell body of a neuron do? |
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Definition
| The cell body of a neuron is the cell's life-support center, comprised of the nucleus, mitochondria, etc. |
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Term
| What does the axon of a neuron do? |
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Definition
| The axon of a neuron passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands |
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Term
| What are the terminal branches of the axons for a neuron? |
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Definition
| The terminal branches of an axon within the neuron form junctions with other cells, the part that has actual interface with other cells and parts of the body |
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Term
| What is the synapse of a neuron? |
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Definition
| The synapse of a neuron is the gap between two neurons, or the gap between a neuron and an organ. This is where the electrical signal travels along the neuron and then it stops |
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Term
| What are "neurotransmitters"? |
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Definition
| Neurotransmitters are chemicals that travel through the synapse that transmit (carry) information allowing the message to be passed on from neuron to neuron or neuron to organ |
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Term
| What is the neurotransmitter "acetylcholine" responsible for? |
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Definition
| The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is involved in muscle action, learning, and memory |
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Term
| What is the neurotransmitter "dopamine" responsible for? |
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Definition
| The neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in movement, learning, attention and pleasure. |
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Term
| What is the neurotransmitter "serotonin" responsible for? |
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Definition
| The neurotransmitter serotonin is involved in mood, hunger, and sleep. Serotonin is very important in clinical psychology |
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Term
| What is the neurotransmitter "norepinephrine" responsible for? |
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Definition
| The neurotransmitter norepinephrine is involved in alertness and arousal. |
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Term
| What is the neurotransmitter "GABA" responsible for? |
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Definition
| The neurotransmitter GABA is involved in general inhibition. Neurons that use GABA tend to slow everything down, especially mental processes |
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Term
| What are "afferent/sensory neurons"? |
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Definition
Afferent/sensory neurons are neurons that carry signals from sensory organs to the brain, and brain regions that process this information
SENSory neurons SENSE things |
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Term
| What are "efferent/motor neurons"? |
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Definition
Efferent/motor neurons are neurons that carry signals from the brain to muscles/organs and brain regions that coordinate this activity. This is what allows us to move our fingers or our digestive system to do its job.
Efferent neurons EXit the brain
MOtors MOve things |
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Term
| What does "autonomic" mean? |
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Definition
| Autonomic controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands. We cannot change these things deliberately, our body just does it |
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Term
| What is the sympathetic nervous system involved with? |
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Definition
The sympathetic nervous system is involved in:
1. increased heart rate
2. increased blood pressure
3. increased respiratory rate
4. higher pulse rate
5. increased oxygen consumption
6. increased muscle tension
7. increased glucose (energy) consumption
8. Decreased digestion |
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Term
| What is the sympathetic nervous system? |
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Definition
| The sympathetic nervous system is made up of neurons that use norepinephrine and facilitates arousal and energy usage |
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Term
| What is the parasympathetic nervous system? |
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Definition
| The parasympathetic nervous system facilitates relaxation and energy intake/conservation and is made up of neurons that use acetylcholine |
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Term
| What is involved with the parasympathetic nervous system? |
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Definition
The parasympathetic nervous system is involved in:
1. decreased heart rate
2. decreased blood pressure
3. lower pulse rate
4. diminished respiratory rate
5. decreased oxygen consumption
6. decreased muscle tension
7. decreased glucose (energy) consumption
8. increased digestion |
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Term
| What does "somatic" mean? |
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Definition
| Somatic controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles |
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Term
| Where does overlap between autonomic and somatic occur? |
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Definition
| There is overlap between autonomic and somatic when we breathe and blink |
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Term
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Definition
| Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and human behavior |
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Term
| Why is psychology a "hard" science? |
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Definition
| Psychology is a "hard" science because it is very difficult to think scientifically about the human mind and behavior because our intuitions are often wrong |
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Term
| What is "hindsight bias"? |
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Definition
| Hindsight bias keeps us from recognizing when we have been wrong |
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Term
| What is the challenge of psychology as a science? |
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Definition
| The challenge of psychology as a science has empirical evidence that challenges our intuitive assumptions and forming hypothesis corrects hindsight bias |
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Term
| what is "naturalist (direct) observation"? |
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Definition
| Naturalistic (direct) observation is observing and recording behavior without trying to manipulate or control the situation which cannot be done with thoughts or emotions, a problem of psychology |
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Term
| What does the "medulla" do? |
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Definition
| The medulla is responsible for heartbeat and breathing |
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Term
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Definition
| The reticular formation is responsible for arousal |
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Term
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Definition
| The thalamus routes most sensory input |
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Term
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Definition
| The cerebellum is responsible for balance and coordination |
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