Operational
Definition
Illusory
Correlation
Concerned with how
inherited traits affect
behavior
Mean
Psychodynamic
(Psychoanalytic)
Perspective
Evolutionary
Perspective
Confounding Variable
Naturalistic
Observation
Observing naturally
occurring behaviors
without
manipulating
environment
Biological Perspective
John Watson
Father of
Behaviorism
Experiment
Concerned with
thinking, memories and
how information is
processed
The factor in the
experiment that is being
measured
Ivan Pavlov
Behaviorist
Perspective
Case Study
Mode
Observation technique
in which on person is
studied in depth
The factor in an
experiment that
is manipulated
Independent
Variable
Socio-cultural
Perspective
Cognitive
Perspective
Correlation
A measure of how
well two factors
predict one
another
Normal Curve
Most frequently
occurring score
Range
Humanistic
Perspective
Repeating an
experiment or study
to find reliability in
results
Tendency to
exaggerate ability
to foresee future
events
Biopsychosocial
Perspective
Replication
A testable
prediction
Hypothesis
Concerned with the
unconscious mind
Sigmund Freud
Median
A representation of
scores that falls in a bell
shape with most scores
falling around the mean
Placebo Effect
B.F. Skinner
Somatic Nervous
System
Neurotransmitters
Electrochemical
messengers
Reabsorption of
remaining
neurotransmitters in
the synapse
Reuptake
Epinephrine
Sympathetic
Nervous System
System that
arouses body for
“fight or flight”
Endorphins
Pain Controlling
Neurotransmitters
Axon
Located in the Brain
and Spinal Cord
Extension of the neuron
that carries messages
away from cell body
Resting Potential
Antagonist
Hormones
The Endocrine
System
The slow chemical
communication
system
System that
calms the body
and conserves
energy
GABA
Afferent Neurons
Efferent Neurons
Agonist
Glutamate
Dendrite
Receive incoming
signals from other
neurons
Refractory period
Multiple Sclerosis
Junction between the
sending neuron and
the receiving neuron
Increases the
speed of the
neural impulse
The cells support
center
Interneurons
Myelin Sheath
Soma
The Nervous
System
Caused by the
degradation of the
axon’s protective
casing
The fast
electrochemical
communication
system
Action Potential
Level of stimulation
required to create
a neural impulse
Motor Neurons
Sensory Neurons
Autonomic
Nervous System
Parietal Lobe
Pons
Tissue damage in
the brain
Lesion
Imperative for
Sight
Occipital Lobe
Emotional control
specifically
Aggression and Fear
Amygdala
Reticular
Formation
Frontal Lobe
Plasticity
Old belief that
bumps on the skull
effected personality
Phrenology
Shows the effects of
the two hemispheres
working separately from
one another
Split Brain Studies
Voluntary Motor
Movement
Cerebellum
Thalamus
Corpus Callosum
Detects brain waves
Wernicke’s Area
Hippocampus
Explicit Memories
Damage to left
hemisphere causing
permanent language
impairment
Limbic System
Lateralization
Temporal Lobe
Broca’s Area
Brain Stem
Sensory Cortex
Decision making and
judgments
Shows the importance of
the frontal lobe being in
communication with the
inner brain
Outer layer of the
brain responsible for
higher level
functioning
Medulla Oblongata
EEG
Phineas Gage
Cerebrum
Fibrous connective
tissue between the
right and left
hemisphere
CT Scan
PET Scan
MRI
Hypothalamus
Lens
The laboratory device
that tests the depth
perception of infants
Visual cliff
Outer Ear
Optic Nerve
Carries the neural
impulse from the
eye to the brain
Difference
Threshold
The point at which
the optic nerve
leaves the eye
Receptor cells in the eye
that convert light energy
into neural signals
The retina contains only
red, green, and blue color
detectors
The conversion of one
form of energy into
another – sensation to
electrochemical message
Rods and Cones
When one sense
influences
another (taste
and smell)
Hammer
Sensitive to color,
clarity, and are in the
very center of the eye
Young Hemholtz
(Trichromatic)
Theory
Diminished sensitivity to
constant stimulation
Transduction
Perception
Organizing and
interpreting
information
Stirrup
The retina contains three color
detectors for opposing colors
(red-green, blue-yellow, whiteblack)
Sensory Interaction
Sensory Adaptation
Sensation
Receiving information
from the environment
Color Constancy
Absolute Threshold
ESP
Pupil
Anvil
Opponent Process
Theory
Proximity
The coiled, bony,
fluid-filled
structure in the
inner ear
The brains ability to
adapt to an inverted
or distorted visual
field
Cochlea
Controls the
amount of light
entering the eye
The light sensitive
inner surface of
the eye, containing
rods and cones
Perceptual
Adaptation
Figure-ground
Binocular cues
Monocular cues
Psychoactive Drug
Uncontrollable
sleep attacks –
sending sufferer
straight to REM
Narcolepsy
A very powerful
stimulant
Methamphetamine
When hypnagogic
sensations happen
NREM-1
Physical dependence
Dream
The body’s biological
wakefulness cycle
Circadian Rhythm
REM
When memories are
consolidated
Sleep Apnea
Characterized by
temporary bouts
of stopped
breathing
4
Night Terrors
Opiate
Reoccurring inability
to fall asleep
Nicotine
Addictive and
stimulating substance
in cigarettes
Number of NREM
sleep stages
Consciousness
Sleep
Hypnosis
Activation
Synthesis Theory
Depressant
Hallucinogen
A powerful
hallucinogen
Withdrawal
Manifest Content
Slows down brain and
body functioning
Speeds up brain and
body functioning
Causes loss of
touch with reality
through delusions
and hallucinations
LSD
Discomfort or
distress after a
user stops taking
a drug
Latent Content
Delta Waves
The story of the
dream – what’s
usually remembered
NREM-2
Theta Waves
Tolerance
Fixed-Ratio
A learned
response to a
neutral stimulus
Conditioned Response
Classical
Conditioning
Type of learning
where two stimuli
are linked together
to anticipate events
A relatively
permanent change in
behavior due to
experience
Learning
Associative Learning
Variable-Interval
Giving a reinforcement
every time the participant
gets closer and closer to
the desired behavior
Unconditioned
Stimulus
Something that
naturally triggers
a response
Secondary Reinforcer
Discouraging a behavior
by taking away a
desired stimulus
Variable-Ratio
The reappearance of a
diminished conditioned
response
Spontaneous
Recovery
An unlearned naturally
occurring response to a
certain stimulus
Unconditioned
Response
Conditioned
Stimulus
Originally neutral stimulus
that with association
creates a conditioned
response
Chaining
Fixed-Interval
Skinner’s Box
Pavlov’s Dogs
Thorndike’s Puzzle
Box
Primary
Reinforcer
Negative Punishment
Negative
Reinforcement
Learning by use of
reinforcements
and punishments
Positive Punishment
Operant Conditioning
Discouraging
behavior by adding
an undesired
stimulus
Encourages
behavior by
adding a desired
stimulus
Observational
Learning
Positive
Reinforcement
Generalization
Extinction
Learning by watching
others
Insight
Latent Learning
Learned
helplessness
Babble
Syntax
Language rules
Early speech in which
child speak with mostly
nouns and verbs like
“go car”
Telegraphic Speech
Language Meaning
Semantics
Decision Making
Two-Word Stage
Insight
A sudden
realization of the
solution to a
problem
The way an issue is
posed, which has the
ability to effect the
decision
Framing
Heuristics
Simple thinking
strategies that allow
us to solve problems
efficiently
Problem Solving
One-Word Stage
A mental image or best
representation of a
category
The Mind
Intuition
The smallest unit of
speech that carries
meaning
Morpheme
A methodical step-bystep processes that
guarantees an accurate
solution
Babbling Stage
Speech
Thinking
Thoughts
Prototype
Mental activities
associated with
thinking
The tendency to search of
ideas that support personal
ideas and disregard contrary
evidence
Availability
Heuristic
Confirmation Bias
Making decisions based
on how readily available
information is in
memory
A mental grouping
of similar objects
Making judgements
based on how well
things match our
prototypes
Concept
The smallest
distinctive sound
unit in a word
Creativity
Representative
Heuristic
Language
Fixation
Functional
Fixedness
Elizabeth Loftus
The most immediate
and brief recording
of information that is
usually lost
Echoic Memory
The Spacing Effect
Forgetting
7 bits of information
The tendency for
practicing retrieval
to yield better
retention
Sensory Memory
The tendency for
distributed study
to yield better
retention
Flashbulb Memory
Exceptionally clear
memories of emotionally
significant events
The disruptive effect
of prior learning on the
recall of new
information
Mnemonic Devices
Serial Position Effect
The Testing Effect
The relatively
permanent limitless
storehouse of the
memory system
Long Term Memory
The process of
getting memory
into storage
Encoding
Semantic
Encoding
Tendency to remember
when in the same mood
as information was
encoded
Proactive
Interference
The increase of synaptic firing
after brief stimulation
(thought to be the biological
basis of memory)
Long Term
Potentiation
Retrieval
The process of getting
memory out of storage
Effortful Processing
Mood-Congruent
Memory
Iconic Memory
Tip of the Tongue
Phenomenon
Explicit Memories
Implicit Memories
Chunking
The disruptive effect
of new learning on
the recall of old
information
The incorporation of
misleading information
into one’s memory of
an event
Retroactive
Interference
Storage
Persistent learning over time
and storing and retrieving of
that information
Misinformation
Effect
Source Amnesia
Amnesia
Automatic
Processing
Abilities
The Mind
Asked to create a mental
age test in Paris for
school children
Thoughts
Emotional Intelligence
Disability dealing with an
extra copy of the
chromosome 21
The chronological age
given after assessments
based on mental ability
Binet
Condition where a person
has an exceptional skill
our ability but is very low
in all other intellectual
areas
Mental Age
Normal Curve
Thought
Processes
MENSA
Bell-shaped curve showing
distribution of data where
most scores fall along the
mean
Down Syndrome
A test yielding
consistently similar
scores
Reliability
The average IQ
100
Decision Making
Test measuring what it
is supposed to measure
Savant Syndrome
The mental ability to
learn from experience,
solve problems, and
adapt to new situations
Intelligence
An assessment that
measures mental
aptitudes
Intelligence Test
Memory
Validity
WAIS
WISC
Stanford-Binet
Gardner
Testing
Designed to predict
a person’s future
performance
General Intelligence
Aptitude Tests
IQ
Achievement Tests
According to
Spearman, there was
only one underlying
mental ability
Content Validity
Standardization
Predictive Validity
Harry Harlow’s
Monkeys
Children become
increasingly likely to
react to newcomers with
tears and distress
Embryo
An experiment created by
Mary Ainsworth to test
attachment styles
The Strange
Situation
Attachment
When cheek is
touched, infant
instinctively opens
mouth to feed
Erik Erikson
Believed that
development was
shaped by changes or
crises throughout
life
The transition from
childhood to adulthood
marked by the entrance
of puberty
Adulthood
Sane people are
tested over a period
of years
The inability to see
from another’s
perspective
Stranger Anxiety
Object Permanence
Understanding an
object still exists even
without seeing it
Cross-sectional
Study
Adolescence
Study in which
people of different
ages are tested and
compared
Emerging
Adulthood
Though an object may change
shape or sixing understanding
that its properties remain the
same
Egocentricism
Piaget’s Theory as to
How Children learn to
Understand the World
Schema,
Assimilation, and
Accommodation
Piaget’s Stages of
Cognitive Development
Conservation
Diana Baumrind’s
Parenting Styles
Lev Vygotsky
Insecure attachment
Secure Attachment
Childhood
Sensorimotor, Preoperational,
Concrete Operational, and
Formal Operational
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Critical Period
Kohlberg’s Stages
of Moral
Development
Optimal time for exposure
to a particular stimulus in
order to develop a certain
ability
Preconventional,
Conventional, and
Postconventional
Agents that can
harm prenatal
development
Zygote
Babinski Reflex
Fetus
Moro Reflex