Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Methods

• Psychology – the scientific study of behavior and mental processes (p. 4).
• Behavior – The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external or internal
stimuli (p. 4).
• Empirical evidence – information acquired by direct observation and measurement using
systematic scientific methods (p. 4).
• Psychoanalytic school – school formed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud (p. 7).
• Behaviorist perspective – objective, observable environmental influences on overt behavior;
the “mind” is like a “black box” that is unobservable and unmeasureable (p. 7).
• Humanist perspective – stresses free-will, self-actualization, and human nature as naturally
positive and growth-seeking (p.8).
• Cognitive perspective – thoughts, perception, and information processing (p. 8).
• Basic research – research conducted to advance scientific knowledge rather than for practical
application (p. 8).
• Scientific method – cyclical and cumulative, and scientific progress comes from repeatedly
challenging and revising existing theories and building new ones (p. 12).
• Informed consent – a participant’s agreement to take part in a study after being told what to
expect (p. 14).
• Debriefing – informing participants after a study about the purpose of the study, the nature of
the anticipated results, and any deception used (p. 14).
• Experiment – a carefully controlled scientific procedure that determines whether variables
manipulated by the experimenter have a casual effect on other variables (p. 16).
• Independent variable (IV) – variable that is manipulated to determine its casual effect on the
dependent variable (p. 16).
• Dependent variable (DV) – variable that is measured; it is affected by (or dependent on) the
independent variable (p.16).
• Experimental group – group of subjects exposed to the independent variable of an experiment
(p. 16).
• Control group – group of subjects left unexposed to the independent variable of an
experiment (p. 16).
• Experimenter bias – bias towards a result expected by the human experimenter (p. 16).
• Double-blind study – neither the observer nor the participant knows which group received the
experimental treatment (p. 16).
• Cross-cultural sampling – avoiding ethnocentrism by having researchers from two cultures
conduct the same study twice, once with their own culture and once with at least one other
culture (p. 16).
• Sample bias – occurs when a sample of participants does not accurately reflect the
composition of the larger population that they are drawn from (p. 16).
• Social-desirability response – the tendency of participants to try to present themselves in a
good light or deliberately attempt to mislead the researcher (p. 16).
• Descriptive research – research methods used to observe and record behavior (without
producing causal explanations) (p. 18).
• Naturalistic observation – to systematically measure and record participants’ behavior,
without interfering (p. 18).
• Surveys – measures a variety of psychological behaviors and attitudes (p. 19).
• Case studies – in-depth studies of a single research participant (p. 19).
• Correlational research – scientific study in which the researcher observes or measures
(without directly manipulating) two or more variables to find relationships between them (p.
20).
• Correlation coefficient – numerical value that indicates the degree and direction of the
relationship between the two variables (p. 20).
• Biological research – scientific studies of the brain and other parts of the nervous system (p.
20).

Chapter 2: Neuroscience and Biological Foundations

• Neuroscience – an interdisciplinary field studying how biological processes related to
behavioral and mental processes (p. 34).
• Neuron – nerve cell that receives and conducts electrical impulses from the brain (p. 37).
• Glial cells – surround neurons, perform cleanup tasks, and insulate one neuron from another
so their neural messages do not get scrambled (p. 37).
• Dendrites – branches located on a neuron that receive information from other neurons and
sensory receptors (p. 37).
• Cell body – receives information from dendrites, and if enough stimulation is received the
message is passed to the axon (p. 38).
• Axon – carries neuron’s message to other body cells (p. 38).
• Action potential – electrical messages that move along the axon in the form of a neural
impulse (p. 38).
• Myelin sheath – covers the axon of some neurons to insulate and help speed neural impulses
(p. 38).
• Neurotransmitters – chemicals that neurons release, which affect other neurons (p. 38).
• Endorphins – neurotransmitters that elevate mood and reduce pain; they also affect memory,
learning, blood pressure, appetite, and sexual activity (p. 41).
• Endocrine system - system of glands that release hormones to carry its messages (p. 42).
• Hormones – chemicals manufactured by endocrine glands and circulated in the bloodstream
to produce bodily changes or maintain normal bodily function (p. 43).
• Cortisol – “stress hormone” that boosts energy and blood sugar levels (p. 43).
• Central nervous system (CNS) – the brain and spinal cord; directs mental and basic life
processes (p. 44).
• Peripheral nervous system (PNS) – all nerves and neurons connecting the CNS to the rest of
the body (p. 44).
• Stem cells (p. 45).
• Somatic nervous system (SNS) – subdivision of the PNS; connects the sensory receptors and
controls the skeletal muscles (p. 47).
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) – subdivision of the PNS; controls involuntary functions (p.
47).
• Sympathetic nervous system – subdivision of the ANS; mobilizes bodily resources to respond
to the stressor (p. 48).
• Parasympathetic nervous system – subdivision of the ANS; responsible for returning your body
to its normal functioning by slowing your heart rate, lowering your blood pressure, and
increasing your digestive and eliminative processes (p. 48).
• Hindbrain – includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum (p. 50).
• Medulla – extension of the spinal cord; controls many essential automatic bodily functions,
such as respiration and heart rate (p. 50).
• Pons – involved in respiration, movement, sleeping, waking, dreaming, etc (p. 50).
• Cerebellum – cauliflower-shaped part of the human brain; coordinates fine muscle movement
and balance (p. 51).
• Midbrain – helps orient the eye and body movements to visual and auditory stimuli, and
works with the pons to help control sleep and level of arousal (p. 51).
• Forebrain – largest and most prominent part of the human brain; includes the thalamus,
hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebral cortex (p. 52).
• Thalamus – integrates input from the senses; may also be involved in learning and memory
(p. 52).
• Hypothalamus – “master control center” for emotions and many basic motives such as
hunger, thirst, sex, and aggression (p. 52).
• Cerebral cortex – thin surface layer on the cerebral hemispheres that regulates most complex
behavior, including receiving sensations, motor control, and higher mental processes (p. 53).
• Frontal lobes – coordinate messages received from the other three lobes; motor control,
speech production, and higher functions (p. 53).
• Parietal lobes – interprets bodily sensations including pressure, pain, touch, temperature, and
location of body parts (p. 54).
• Temporal lobes – responsible for hearing, language comprehension, memory, and some
emotional control (p. 54).
• Occipital lobes – responsible, among other things, for vision and visual perception (p. 54).
• Corpus callosum – thick, ribbon-like band of nerve fibers; primary connection between the two
cerebral hemispheres (p. 54).