Myers AP PSYCHOLOGY - full book vocab

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 4)

the idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 7)

an early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 7)

an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 8)

the process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one's own psychological processes. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 8)

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 10, 272)

a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 11)

the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 13)

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language). (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 13, 124)

the science of behavior and mental processes. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 13)

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 14)

the principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 14, 141)

the study of the evolution of behavior -nd the mind, using principles of natural selection. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 14, 141)

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 14, 129)

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 15, 789)

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 16, 473)

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 17)

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 17)

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.) (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 17)

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 18)

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 18)

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 20, 335)

a study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 20)

the study of individuals' characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 24)

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 24)

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 24, 486)

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 25, 768)

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

a field of psychology allied with I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who are licensed to provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 25)

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.) (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 38)

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 42)

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 42)

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 42)

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 43)

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 44)

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 45)

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 47)

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 47)

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn. (Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country's whole population.) (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 47)

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 47)

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 50)

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from −1.00 to +1.00). (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 51)

anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 50)

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation). (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 50)

perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual relationship. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 53)

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 53)

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 54)

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 54)

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 54)

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 54)

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 55)

effect experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 55)

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 55)

a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study's results. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 56)

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 56)

the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to. (See also content validity and predictive validity.) (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 56, 636)

giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 62)

the postexperimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 62)

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 66)

a bar graph depicting a frequency distribution. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 66)

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 67)

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 67)

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 67)

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 67)

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 68)

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 68)

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (about 68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 68, 635)

numerical data that allow one to generalize—to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 70)

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 71)

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 81)

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell's life-support center. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

la parte de una neurona que contiene el núcleo; soporte vital de la célula. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

a neuron's often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 82)

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 83)

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 83)

(1) in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state. (2) in human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e pp. 83, 420)

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 83)

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 85)

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 85)

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 86)

"morphine within"—natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 88)

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 88)

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 89)

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 91)

the brain and spinal cord. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

neurons that carry incoming information from the body's tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

neurons within the brain and spinal cord; they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system. (Myers Psychology for AP 3e p. 92)