Brainy Business
This lobe of the brain is responsible for processing visual information.
What is the occipital lobe?
He founded the first psychology laboratory and is known as the “father of psychology.”
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
These are the basic building blocks of the nervous system.
What are neurons?
Persistent sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest describe this disorder.
What is major depressive disorder?
Most dreaming occurs during this stage of sleep.
What is REM sleep?
The idea that our expectations and prior knowledge shape what we perceive is called this.
What is top-down processing?
This school of thought, led by William James, focused on how mental processes help people adapt.
What is functionalism?
These chemicals transmit messages across the synapse between neurons.
What are neurotransmitters?
Repetitive unwanted thoughts and ritual behaviors characterize this condition.
What is OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)?
The body’s natural 24-hour sleep–wake cycle is called this.
What is the circadian rhythm?
This term describes the smallest amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.
What is the absolute threshold?
The approach that studies only observable behaviors—not mental processes—is this.
What is behaviorism?
The brain’s left hemisphere typically specializes in this function.
What is language?
Shifts between depressive episodes and manic episodes indicate this disorder.
What is bipolar disorder?
Sudden “sleep attacks,” where a person falls asleep uncontrollably, occur in this disorder.
What is narcolepsy?
The brain’s tendency to see objects as stable even when lighting or distance changes is known as this.
What is perceptual constancy?
Freud believed this hidden part of the mind influences thoughts and behaviors.
What is the unconscious?
This gland is known as the “master gland” of the endocrine system.
What is the pituitary gland?
Delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking are hallmarks of this disorder.
What is schizophrenia?
The theory that dreams help sort, store, and process memories is called this.
What is the information-processing theory of dreams?
When the brain switches between two possible interpretations of a visual image—like the Necker Cube—it’s called this.
What is perceptual bistability?
This modern perspective emphasizes personal growth, self-fulfillment, and free will.
What is the humanistic perspective?
This emotional brain region is linked to fear, anger, and threat detection.
What is the amygdala?
Flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance after trauma describe this condition.
What is PTSD?
REM sleep is often called this paradoxical term because the brain is active but the body is immobile.
What is paradoxical sleep?