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Introduction to Psychology Key Concepts

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  • What is psychology?

    Psychology is the study of how we act and what happens inside our heads, including behavior and thought processes.

  • What is behavior in psychology?

    Behavior refers to what we can observe happening externally.

  • What are thought processes?

    Thought processes involve how we think, organize information, feel, and understand things, which are harder to observe.

  • What does biopsychology focus on?

    Biopsychology studies the biological factors like genetics, brain structures, nervous system, and hormones that influence behavior and mental processes.

  • Name four biological factors studied in biopsychology.

    Genetics, brain's nervous system, hormones, and brain structures.

  • How might a biopsychologist investigate major depression?

    By examining if the person has low hormone levels affecting mood and brain function.

  • What is cognition?

    Cognition is the study of mental processes like thinking, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making.

  • Explain the Nature vs. Nurture debate.

    Nature refers to inherited genetic traits, while nurture refers to environmental influences on behavior and development.

  • What does epigenetics study?

    Epigenetics studies how environmental factors can affect gene expression without changing the DNA sequence.

  • List the six major psychological theories.

    Multicultural, Behavioral, Cognitive, Biological/Biopsychology, Humanistic, Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic.

  • What does the behavioral theory focus on?

    It focuses on observable behaviors learned through conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment.

  • Who is considered the father of psychology and why?

    Wilhelm Wundt from Germany is the father of psychology for founding the first psychology lab in 1879 to study conscious experience scientifically.

  • What is the unconscious according to psychology?

    The unconscious consists of thoughts, feelings, and memories below the level of conscious awareness.

  • What are neurons?

    Neurons are cells that transmit information within the nervous system through electrical and chemical signals.

  • Differentiate sensory and motor neurons.

    Sensory neurons carry information from senses to the brain; motor neurons carry messages from the brain to muscles.

  • What are neurotransmitters?

    Chemical messengers that travel across synapses to transmit signals between neurons.

  • What is the central nervous system (CNS)?

    The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, processing and sending information throughout the body.

  • What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

    The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body, including voluntary and involuntary control systems.

  • Explain the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

    The somatic nervous system controls voluntary movements; the autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions like heart rate.

  • What are the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions?

    The sympathetic division activates the body during stress; the parasympathetic division calms the body down.

  • What is the role of the pituitary gland?

    The pituitary gland is the master gland that produces growth hormone and regulates other glands.

  • Name four brain lobes and their primary functions.

    Occipital (vision), Temporal (hearing and speech), Parietal (touch and perception), Frontal (complex thinking and planning).

  • What is neurogenesis?

    Neurogenesis is the process of creating new neurons in the brain.

  • What is random assignment in psychological research?

    A method where participants are assigned to experimental or control groups by chance to reduce bias.

  • What is the placebo effect?

    When participants experience changes due to expectations rather than the experimental treatment.

  • What are the main steps of psychology's scientific method?

    Question, Literature Review, Hypothesis, Data Collection, Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions.

  • What is the function of glial cells?

    Glial cells support, protect, nourish neurons, and provide myelin in the nervous system.

  • What is an interneuron?

    Neurons that connect nearby neurons within the central nervous system without extending to the body.

  • Name four brain imaging techniques.

    EEG, CT, MRI, PET, and fMRI are used to study brain structure and activity.