PSY 101 STRAIGHTERLINE FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS LATEST EDITION 2024

1. psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes 2. science psychology uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions 3. behavior everything we do that can be directly observed 4. mental process The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us expe - riences privately but that cannot be observed directly 5. critical thinking thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and con- clusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hid - den values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclu - sions. 6. empirical method gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the collection of data, and logical reasoning 7. structuralism focus on identifying the elemental parts or structures of the human mind; William Wundt 8. 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 9. 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 10. neurons a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous sys- tem 11. glial cells cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons 12. cell body Largest part of a typical neuron; contains the nucleus and much of the cytoplasm 13. dendrites Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to re- ceive information. 14. axon the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands 15. myelin sheath fatty layer that covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses 16. resting potential The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane; neg inside, pos outisde 17. action potential a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon 18. all or nothing principle The principle that once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity (its threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity. 19. synapses tiny gaps between dentrites and axons of different neu- rons 20. Neuraltransmit - ters 21. Acetylcholine (ACh) 22. Alzheimer's dis- ease transmit, or carry, information across the synaptic gap to the next neuron stimulates the firing of neurons and is involved in the action of muscles, learning, and memory degenerative brain disorder that involves a decline in memory, have an acetylcholine deficiency 23. GABA a major inhibitory neurotransmitter 24. decreased GABA lead to anxiety levels 25. glutamate exciting many neurons to fire and is especially involved in learning and memory 26. norepinephrine inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous sys - tem, but it excites the heart muscle, intestines, and uro- genital tract 27. dopamine control voluntary movement and affects sleep, mood, at- tention, learning, and the ability to recognize rewards in the environment 28. seratonin involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, attention, and learning 29. endorphins natural opiates that mainly stimulate the firing of neurons; block pain & increase pleasure 30. oxytocin hormone and neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the experience of love and social bonding 31. agonist A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter. 32. antagonist drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effects 33. brain lesioning abnormal disruption in the tissue of the brain resulting from injury or disease 34. Electroen - cephalogram (EEG) records the brain's electrical activity 35. hindbrain medulla, pons, cerebellum; located at skull's rear 36. thalamus relays info b/w lower and higher brain centers 37. hypothalamus governs eating, drinking, and sex; plays a role in emotion and stress 38. reticular forma - tion a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal & stereotyped patterns 39. medulla governs breathing and reflexes