Unit 1: Intro to Psychology & Research Methods
What is the main focus of psychology?
a) The study of plants and animals
b) The study of behavior and mental processes
c) The study of diseases
d) The study of dreams
b) The study of behavior and mental processes
Which brain structure is responsible for regulating emotions like fear and aggression?
a) Hippocampus
b) Cerebellum
c) Amygdala
d) Thalamus
c) Amygdala
Which stage of Piaget’s theory is characterized by egocentric thinking?
a) Sensorimotor
b) Preoperational
c) Concrete Operational
d) Formal Operational
b) Preoperational
Which term refers to the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information?
Perception
Wilhelm Wundt is considered the “father of psychology” because he established the first ______ ______ in 1879.
psychology laboratory
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit a)________ between neurons to communicate information throughout the brain and body. The part of the neuron that receives the signals is called b)_______ .
a) signals b) dendrites
Attachment refers to the strong a) ________ bond between a b) ________ and their caregiver, crucial for healthy c) _______.
a) emotional b) child c) development
a) _____ _____conditioning is a type of learning where b) _____ _____ are linked to anticipate events, as demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov's experiment with dogs.
a) classical conditioning b) two stimuli
What research method involves observing behavior without manipulation or interaction with participants?
Naturalistic observation.
What is brain plasticity, and why is it important?
Brain plasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt by forming new connections, crucial for learning and recovery after injury.
Key Terms: reorganize, adapt, learning, injury
How do twin studies help researchers understand nature and nurture?
Twin studies compare identical and fraternal twins to determine the relative influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on behavior.
Key Terms: compare, genetics (nature), environment (nurture), behavior
The reduced sensitivity to a constant stimulus is called _______ ______.
Sensory adaptation
The a)_______ perspective was founded by Sigmund Freud, focuses on b)_______ drives and early c)_______ experiences and the d)_______ perspective was championed by John Watson and B.F. Skinner, this perspective studies observable e)_______ .
a) psychoanalytic b) unconscious c) childhood d) behavioral e) behavior
Name an excitatory neurotransmitter and an inhibitory neurostransmitter. What do they increase and what do they decrease?
Excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate increase the likelihood of an action potential, while inhibitory neurotransmitters like GABA decrease it.
Key Words: glutamate, GABA, action potential
What is Erikson’s stage of development for adolescence, and what is its main conflict?
Identity vs. Role Confusion; the conflict is forming a clear sense of identity versus feeling uncertain about one’s role in life.
Key Terms: Identity vs. Role Confusion
What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus, while negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus to increase behavior.
Why is replication important in psychological research?
Replication confirms the reliability of findings by ensuring results can be consistently reproduced under the same conditions.
Key Terms: reliability, consistent, reproduced
What condition is often linked to abnormal activity in the auditory cortex, resulting in auditory hallucinations?
Schizophrenia
a) _______ studies how environmental factors influence gene expression without altering b) _______, such as stress affecting gene activation.
a) Epigenetics b) DNA
What is the difference between negative reinforcement and positive punishment in operant conditioning?
Positive reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior, while positive punishment adds an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior