PSY 101 Straighterline Final Exam with 100% Correct Answers – Grade A+

Psychology - the scientific study of behavior and mental processes Science - psychology uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions Behavior - everything we do that can be directly observed Mental process - The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly Critical thinking - thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. Empirical method - gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the collection of data, and logical reasoning Structuralism - focus on identifying the elemental parts or structures of the human mind; William Wundt Functionalism - A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish; William James Natural selection - A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits; Charles Darwin Neurons - a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system Glial cells - cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons Cell body - Largest part of a typical neuron; contains the nucleus and much of the cytoplasm Dendrites - Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information. Axon - the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands Myelin sheath - fatty layer that covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses Resting potential - The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane; neg inside, pos outisde