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Psychology Module 1-9
UC Merced
66
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
02/14/2007

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Confucius
Definition
Stressed the power of ideas and of an educated mind
Term
Socrates, Student Plato
Definition
Believed that the mind was separate from the body, that it continued to exist after death, and that ideas were innate.
Term
Aristotle
Definition
Soul is not separable from the body and that knowledge (ideas) grow from experience.
Term
Locke
Definition
Mind is a blank sheet at birth and experience writes on it.
Term
How are ideas formed?
Definition
Ideas Inborn: Socrates, Plato
The Mind a Blank Slate: Locke, Aristotle
Term
William James
Definition
suggested that it would be more fruitful to consider the evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings than simply studying the elements of mind.
Term
Sigmund Freud
Definition
emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.
Term
Watson and Skinner
Definition
emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology.
Term
Biological influences
Definition
- genetic predispositions
- genetic mutations
- natural selection of adaptive physiology and behaviors
- genes responding to environment
Term
Psychological Influences
Definition
- learned fears and other learned expectations
- emotional responses
- cognitive processing and perceptual interpretations
Term
Social-cultural Influences
Definition
- presence of others
- cultural, societal, and family expectations
- peer and other group influences
compelling models (such as media)
Term
Neuroscience
Definition
How the body and brain enables emotions.
Term
Evolutionary
Definition
How the natural selection of traits the promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes.
Term
Behavior Genetics
Definition
How much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences.
Term
Cognitive
Definition
How we encode, process, store and retrieve information.
Term
Social-Cultural
Definition
How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures.
Term
Neuron
Definition
[image]
Term
Cell Body
Definition
Life support center of the neuron.
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Branching extensions at the cell body. Receives messages from other neurons.
Term
Axon
Definition
Long single extension of a neuron
Term
Myelin Sheath
Definition
To insulate and speed up messages through neurons. Goes around the Axon.
Term
Terminal Branches of Axon
Definition
Branched ending of axons. Transmitting messages to other neurons.
Term
Action Potential
Definition
A Neuron Impulse. A brief electrical charge that travels down the axon.
Term
Refractory Period
Definition
After a neuron has fired an action potential it pauses for a short period to recharge itself to fire again.
Term
Sodium Potassium Pumps
Definition
Sodium-potassium pumps pump positive ions out from the inside of the neuron, making them ready for another action potential.
Term
Synapse
Definition
a junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. Critical to flexibility of the brain
Term
Reuptake
Definition
Neurotransmitters in the synapse are reabsorbed into the sending neurons through the process of reuptake. This process applies brakes on neurotransmitter action.
Term
Serotonin Pathways
Definition
involved with mood regulation.
Term
Dopamine Pathways
Definition
involved with diseases like schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.
Term
Acetlylcholine
Definition
Enables muscle action, learning, memory.
Term
Dopamine
Definition
Influences memory, learning, attention, and emotions.
Term
Sertonin
Definition
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal
Term
Norepinephrine
Definition
Helps control alertness and arousal.
Term
GABA
Definition
A major inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Term
Glutamate
Definition
A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory
Term
Runner's High
Definition
Natural opiates called endorphins.
Term
Parkinson's Disease
Definition
Not enough Dopamine
Term
Lou Gherig's Disease
Definition
Motor neurons die
Term
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Definition
The Brain and Neural Networks
Interconnected neurons form networks in the brain. Theses networks are complex and modify with growth and experience.
Term
Endocrine System
Definition
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system. Communication is carried out by hormones synthesized by a set of glands.
Term
Hypothalamus
Definition
brain region controlling the pituitary gland
Term
Pituitary Gland
Definition
Secretes many different hormones, some of which effect other glands.
Term
Thyroid Gland
Definition
affects metabolism among other things.
Term
Parathyroids
Definition
help regulate the level of calcium in the blood
Term
Adrenal Glands
Definition
inner part, called the Medulla, helps trigger the flight or fight response.
Term
Pancreas
Definition
Regulates the level of sugar in the blood
Term
Ovary
Definition
secretes female sex hormones
Term
Testis
Definition
Secretes male sex hormone
Term
Brainstem
Definition
oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. Responsible for automatic survival functions.
Term
Thalumus
Definition
Sensory Switchboard
Term
Reticular Formation
Definition
nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.
Term
Medulla
Definition
base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing.
Term
Cerebellum
Definition
The “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem. It helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance.
Term
Limbic System
Definition
doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebrum, associated with emotions such as fear, aggression and drives for food and sex. It includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.
Term
The Cerebral Cortex
Definition
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres. The body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
Term
4 Brain Hemispheres
Definition
frontal lobes (forehead), parietal lobes (top to rear head), occipital lobes (back head) and temporal lobes (side of head).
Term
Motor Cortex
Definition
area at the rear of the frontal lobes controls voluntary movements.
Term
Sensory Cotex
Definition
receives information from skin surface and sense organs.
Term
Heritability
Definition
extent to which the differences among people are attributable to genes.
Term
Molecular Genectists
Definition
trying to identify genes that put people at risk for disorders.
Term
Schemas
Definition
mental molds to understand experience
Term
Assimilation
Definition
incorporate new experiences into current schema
Term
Sensiomotor
Definition
stage babies take in the world — through looking, hearing, touching, mouthing and grasping.
Term
Preoperational State
Definition
capable of mental representations
Term
Concrete Operational State
Definition
Children are able to operate logically on concrete materials
Term
Formal Operation State
Definition
Around age 12, our reasoning ability expands from concrete thinking to abstract thinking. We can now use symbols and imagined realities to systematically reason
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