Psychological Science
This type of claim is testable, observable, and falsifiable.
What is a scientific claim?
This is how information is transmitted from one neuron to the next across a synapse.
What is a neurotransmitter?
This substance is released through the sustained activation of the HPA axis during stress.
What is cortisol?
A survey finds that participants who get more sleep will report increased happiness. What conclusion should the researcher draw?
Sleep and happiness are correlated, but these findings DO NOT establish causation.
The researcher manipulates this variable to test its effect on another variable.
What is the independent variable?
This neuron structure receives incoming messages.
What are dendrites?
You come to my office hours to ask for clarification and help managing your busy course load.
What is problem-focused coping?
A researcher wants to know if music inhibits reading comprehension. Participants are assigned to read in silence or with music playing in the background. What are the independent and dependent variables?
IV = music condition
DV = reading comprehension
The type of research finding that suggests variables are related and does NOT imply causation.
What is correlation?
Increased heart rate and breathing reflect this type of nervous system activity (hint: fight vs flight).
What is a sympathetic nervous system response?
A difficult but manageable task is seen as a motivating opportunity to grow.
What is eustress?
This cerebral lobe is responsible for executive functioning, decision-making, and motor control.
What is the frontal lobe?
A researcher blindly assigns participants to conditions with the goal of distributing participant differences across groups.
What is random assignment?
This cerebral lobe processes visual information.
What is the occipital lobe?
This explains a differing stress response when the same event feels manageable to one person but threatening to another.
What is cognitive appraisal?
What is one thing you learned from module 1, and why does it matter?
You tell me!