Psychology 1100 - Exam 1 cscc Questions And Answers Rated A+

absolute threshold - the minimum level of a stimulus necessary for you to detect its presence at least half of the time. Acetylcholine - a compound that occurs throughout the nervous system, in which it functions as a neurotransmitter action potential - the release, or firing, of an electrical impulse that travels through the axon. agonist - drugs that impact the neurotransmitters amnesia - the inability to remember some or all information, either temporarily or permanently amygdala - part of the limbic system involved most directly in emotions, especially fear. antagonist - against the histamine neurotransmitter Audition - the sense of hearing autonomic nervous system - part of the peripheral nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the parts of the body you control involuntarily Axon - the part of the neuron that carries information toward other neurons Behaviorism - A perspective in psychology that emphasizes observable behavior over internal mental processes. Belief perseverance - A tendency to maintain a belief even when evidence suggests it is incorrectBinocular depth cues - qualities of visual stimuli that indicate depth when you use both eyes Biopsychosocial theory - a uniquely comprehensive popular perspective in psychology that emphasizes biological, psychological, and social factors as influences on behavior. Bottom-up processing - a way of processing information in which what you sense becomes a perception with no influence of expectation or previous experiences Brain stem - the part of the brain that connects to the spine and controls the functions most essential to staying alive Broca's aphasia - is the speech dysfunction caused by damage to Broca's area. Broca's area - a part of the left side of the frontal lobe heavily involved in speaking Case study - A small number of psychologists conduct research in which the sample consists of just one person (or a very small group) studied in great depth Cell body (soma) - the large central region of a neuron that performs the basic activities, including the production of energy, to keep the neuron functional central nervous system - the brain and the spinal cord cerebellum - the part of the brain near the bottom and back primarily involved in balance and the coordination of movement cerebral cortex - the outer layer of the cerebrum, where sensory information is processedcerebrum (forebrain) - is the upper front part of the brain, which consists of two hemispheres and is involved in sophisticated, often uniquely human abilities. change blindness - a failure to notice changes in your visual field simply because you expect otherwise chunking - grouping pieces of information together in a meaningful way to enhance memory Circadian rhythm - the 24-hour cycle on which your brain and body function Cochlea - the spiral fluid-filled structure in the inner ear that sends sound waves to the brain via the auditory nerve Cognitive psychology - A perspective in psychology that emphasizes processes such as thinking, language, attention, memory, and intelligence. Cones - are receptors cells in the retina that detect color when light is plentiful Confirmed Bias - A tendency to prefer information that confirms what you thought in the first place Consciousness - your awareness of yourself and your surroundings control group - the group of participants who did not receive the treatment that is the focus of the study corpus callosum - the bundle of neurons that connects and allows communication between the two cerebral hemisphereCorrelation coefficient - a statistic that shows the relationship between two variables, ranging from highly positive (+1) to highly negative (-1). It means that as one variable goes up, the other variable goes up with it. correlation-causation fallacy - The mistaken belief that when two variables correlate strongly with each other, one must cause the other. Correlational research - research in which the goal is to determine the relationship between two variables. cortisol - the stress hormone Critical thinking - an inquisitive, challenging approach to ideas and assumptions Decay - The dwindling or loss of information for memory due to the passing of time Dendrites - branches at the end of neurons that receive signals from other neurons Dependent variable - a variable that is expected to depend u[on the independent variable Depressants - drugs that slow bodily functions Examples: Alcohol depth perception - is your ability to judge the distance and depth of objects Descriptive research - research in which the goal is simply to describe a characteristics of the populationdifference threshold - the smallest change in a stimulus necessary for you to detect it at least half of the time. distributed practice - repetitions spread over time