PSYCHOLOGY TERMS FOR FINAL EXAM
UNIT 1: HISTORY, PERSPECTIVES,
RESEARCH MEHODS
Wilhelm Wundt & Structuralism
William James & Functionalism
Gestalt Psychology
Sigmund Freud & Psychoanalysis
John Watson & Behaviorism
Psychodynamic Perspective
Evolutionary/Biological Perspective
Humanistic Perspective
Cognitive Perspective
Behavioral Perspective
Social-Cultural Perspective
Psychologist v. psychiatrist
Clinical v. counseling psychologist
Subfields of psychology
Empiricism
Observational methods
Case Study
Naturalistic Observation
Generalization
Experimenter/observer bias
Survey
Social desirability bias
Volunteer bias
Correlation
Positive/negative correlation
Illusory correlation
Experiment
Operational definition
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Population
Sample
Random sample
Control & experimental group
Random assignment
Placebo
Blind study & double-blind study
Statistics: Mean, median, mode
UNIT 2: BIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
Neuron
Dendrites
Soma
Axon
Axon terminals
Myelin sheath
Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Neural impulse
Resting potential
Action potential
Refractory period
All-or-none period
Synapse
Neurotransmitters
Receptor sites
Excitatory effect
Inhibitory effect
Sensory nerves (neurons)
Interneurons
Motor nerves (neurons)
Simple reflex
Agonists
Antagonists
Acetylcholine
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
GABA
Endorphins
Brainstem
Medulla
Reticular formation
Thalamus
Cerebellum
Limbic system
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus
Amygdala
Corpus callosum
Cerebral cortex
Frontal lobes
Parietal lobes
Occipital lobes
Temporal lobes
Motor cortex
Somatosensory cortex
Cerebrum
Functions of left hemisphere
Functions of right hemisphere
Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area
Split-brain
Phineas Gage
CAT or CT Scan
PSYCHOLOGY TERMS FOR FINAL EXAM
MRI scan
EEG (electroencephalogram)
PET
fMRI scan
UNIT 3: SENSATION & PERCEPTION
Sensation
Bottom-up processing
Perception
Top-down processing
Absolute threshold
Subliminal messages
Difference threshold
Signal detection theory
Sensory adaptation
Selective attention
Inattentional blindness
Change blindness
Hue, brightness
Cornea
Iris
Pupil
Lens
Retina
Receptor cells (photoreceptors)
Rods & cones
Fovea
Blind spot
Optic nerve
Trichromatic (three-color) theory
Opponent process theory
Afterimage
Pitch (hertz)
Loudness (dB)
Auditory canal
Eardrum (tympanic membrane)
Ossicles ( hammer, anvil, stirrup)
Cochlea & hair cells
Auditory nerve
Sound localization
Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami
Taste receptor cells
Supertasters or non-tasters
Olfactory receptors
Taste/smell interaction
Gate-control theory
Kinesthetic sense
Vestibular sense
Synaesthesia
Gestalt
Figure-ground relationships
Grouping: similarity, proximity, closure,
continuity
Depth perception
Visual cliff
Binocular cues: retinal disparity,
convergence
Monocular cues: relative size, relative
motion, interposition, relative height,
texture gradient, relative clarity, linear
perspective
Motion perception: stroboscopic motion,
phi phenomenon
Perceptual constancies: shape, size,
lightness
Perceptual set
Perceptual adaptation
Extrasensory perception: precognition,
telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance
UNIT 4: CONSCIOUSNESS
Consciousness – what is it?
Preconscious
Unconscious
Biological rhythms
Circadian rhythms
Ultradian rhythms
Infradian rhythms
Sleep deprivation/debt
Why we sleep
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Awake versus relaxed consciousness
NREM sleep (Stages 1-4)
Stage 1
Stage 2
Sleep spindles
Stages 3 & 4 (slow-wave sleep)
REM (paradoxical) sleep
Insomnia
Sleep apnea
Narcolepsy
Somnambulism
Night terrors
Information processing theory of dreams
Physiological function of dreams
Activation-synthesis theory of dreams
Cognitive development & dreams
Freud’s wish-fulfillment theory
*Latent v. manifest content
Hypnosis
Social influence (role) theory of hypnosis
Ernest Hilgard & divided consciousness
theory of hypnosis
PSYCHOLOGY TERMS FOR FINAL EXAM
Hidden observer
Hypnotizability
Hypnotic suggestions
Posthypnotic suggestion
Hypnosis & memory
Placebo effect in hypnosis
Age regression in hypnosis
Hypnosis in pain control
Psychoactive drugs
Dependence (physiological or psychological)
Withdrawal
Tolerance
Expectations & drug’s effects
Depressants
Alcohol
Blood alcohol content
Effects of alcohol
Stimulants
Caffeine
Nicotine
Cocaine
Amphetamines
Hallucinogens/psychedelics
LSD
Ecstasy
Marijuana
UNIT 5: LEARNING
Classical conditioning
Ivan Pavlov
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Unconditioned response (UCR)
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Conditioned response (CR)
Generalization
Discrimination
Extinction
Spontaneous recovery
Operant Conditioning
Edward Thorndike’s Law of Effect
B.F. Skinner & “Skinner’s Box”
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
Primary v. secondary reinforcement
Immediate v. delayed reinforcement
Continuous v. partial reinforcement
Fixed-ratio schedule of partial
reinforcement
Variable-ratio schedule of partial
reinforcement
Fixed-interval schedule of partial
reinforcement
Variable-interval schedule of partial
reinforcement
Latent learning
Observational learning
Bandura’s “bobo doll” study
Modeling
Mirror neurons
UNIT 6: MEMORY
Processes of memory: encoding, storage,
retrieval
Stages of memory: sensory, short-term,
long-term
Automatic v. effortful encoding
Visual v. acoustic v. semantic encoding
Serial position effect (primacy & recency
effects)
Mnemonics
Method of loci
“Peg-word” system
Chunking
Sensory memory: echoic, iconic, haptic (&
capacities)
Capacity of short-term memory (7 +/- 2
items, 30 sec.)
Unlimited capacity of long-term memory
Recall v. recognition tasks
Herman Ebbinghaus & nonsense syllables
Encoding failure & forgetting
Storage decay & forgetting
Proactive & retroactive interference
Retrograde & anterograde amnesia
Repression
UNIT 7: PERSONALITY
Freud’s “iceberg” metaphor for
consciousness
Psychosexual stages & personality
Id (pleasure principle)
Ego (reality principle)
Superego (morality principle)
Defense mechanisms of the ego
Denial
Displacement
Repression
Regression
Reaction formation
Rationalization
Projection
Sublimation
Adler’s inferiority complex
PSYCHOLOGY TERMS FOR FINAL EXAM
Carl Jung’s collective unconscious
Projective tests (Thematic Apperception
Test, Rorschach Inkblot test)
Trait theory of personality
Big 5 Traits (Extraversion,
conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness,
neuroticism/emotional stability)
Objective tests (inventories)
Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) test
Humanistic perspective & personality
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Self-actualization
Carl Roger’s ideal self v. real self
Unconditional positive regard
Social-cognitive perspective on personality
Reciprocal determinism
UNIT 8: DISORDERS & TREATMENT
What characterizes disorders
Rosenhan’s labeling study
DSM-V manual
Anxiety disorders
Causes
Specific phobias
Social phobia
Agoraphobia
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD)
Dissociative disorders
Causes
Dissociative amnesia/fugue
Dissociative identity disorder
Mood Disorders
Causes
Major depression
Bipolar disorder
Personality Disorders
Antisocial personality
Borderline personality
Avoidant personality
Schizoid personality
Dependent personality
Schizophrenia
Causes
Hallucinations
Delusions
Flat affect
Disorganized schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia
Catatonic schizophrenia
Undifferentiated schizophrenia
Psychoanalysis
Free association
Transference
Psychodynamic treatment
Behavioral therapy
Counterconditioning
Systematic desensitization
Aversive conditioning
Token economy
Behavior modification
Cognitive therapy
How it works
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Humanistic therapy
Carl Roger’s client-centered (personcentered) therapy
Active listening
Unconditional positive regard
Advantages to group & family therapy
Biomedical therapies
Anti-anxiety medications
Anti-depressants
Anti-psychotics
Lithium
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
rTMS
Psychosurgery/lobotomy