Introducing Psychology
What is psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind (mental processes) and behavior.
What is the scientific method?
A set of assumptions, rules, and procedures scientists use to conduct research.
What are the two subsystems that make up the nervous system?
Central nervous system (CNS) and Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What is classical conditioning?
Learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that naturally produces a behavior.
What is memory?
The ability to store and retrieve information over time.
What is the difference between a fact and a value?
Facts can be verified, while values cannot.
What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
A committee of at least five members whose goal is to determine the cost-benefit ratio of research conducted within an institution.
What three major parts make up a neuron?
- Cell body (Soma)
- Dendrites
- Axons
What is Skinner's Box?
A structure that is big enough to fit a rodent or bird that contains a bar or a key that the organism can press or peck to release food or water. It also contains a device to record the animal’s responses.
True or false
Iconic memory is a type of sensory memory that focuses on auditory information.
False.
Iconic memory is a type of sensory memory that focuses on visual information.
Which psychologist's work greatly influenced what we know today as the psychodynamic perspective or psychodynamic theory?
Sigmund Freud
What are three of the five principles listed by the APA Ethics Code that psychologists must abide by when conducting research?
1) No harm
2) Informed Consent
3) Confidentiality
4) Deception
5) Debriefing
What are the four lobes of the brain?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning?
Classical conditioning is learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that naturally produces a behavior, while operant conditioning is learning that occurs based on the consequences of behaviour.
What is the Primacy effect?
It refers to a tendency to better remember stimuli that are presented early in a list, rather than in the middle or at the end.
What is one of the fundamental questions or topics that psychology seeks to answer?
1) Nature vs. Nurture
2) Free will vs. Determinism
3) Conscious vs. Unconscious processing
4) Differences vs. Similarities
5) Accuracy vs. Inaccuracy
What are independent and dependent variables?
Independent variables are variables that are created or manipulated by the experimenter.
Dependent variables are the variables that are expected to be influenced by the manipulation.
Which gland is responsible for producing melatonin?
Pineal gland
What is the difference between positive reinforcement and positive punishment?
Positive reinforcement strengthens a response by adding something pleasant, while positive punishment adds something unpleasant after a response.
Name one of the two of the three processes psychologists use to conceptualize memory.
1) Encoding
2) Storage
3) Retrieval
What are (any) four disciplines of psychology?
- Sports psychology
- Clinical psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Counseling psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Biological psychology
...
What are the three types of research conducted by psychologists?
- Correlational research
- Experimental research
What type of aphasia makes it impossible to understand speech?
Wernicke's aphasia
Give an example of the following:
- Negative reinforcement
- Negative punishment
Names a reinforcement that strengthens a response by reducing or removing something unpleasant (negative reinforcement).
Names a reinforcement that weakens a response by reducing or removing something pleasant (negative punishment).
What is the proper sequence in which memory is created?
Sensory memory---> Short-term memory---> Long-term memory