Ap Psychology Term Paper

1. Psychological sciences- the study of mind, brain and behavior. Mind refers to mental activity. Behavior is used to describe a wide variety of actions that occur in all organisms. 2. Dualism- the idea that the mind and body are separate yet intertwined. 3. Neuroscience- the scientific study of the nervous system. 4. Structuralism- an approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious experience can be broken down into basic underlying components or elements. 5. Functionalism- an approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior. 6. Gestalt theory- a theory based on the idea that the whole of personal experience is different from simply the sum of its constituent
parietal lobe- in the front of the occipital lobes and behind the frontal lobes, important for the sense of touch and of the spatial layout of n environment. c. temporal lobe- the lower region of the cerebral cortex, important for processing auditory information and for memory. d. frontal lobe- the region at the front of the cerebral cortex concerned with planning and movement. e. prefrontal cortex- a region of the frontal lobes, especially prominent in humans, important for attention, working memory, decision making, appropriate social behavior, and personality. 28. Neural plasticity- a property of the brain that allows it to change as a result of experience, drugs, or injury. 29. Split brain- a condition in which the corpus callosum is surgically cut and the two hemispheres of the brain do not receive information directly from each other. 30. Freud – conscious vs. unconscious 31. Insomnia- a disorder characterized by an inability to sleep. 32. Hypnosis- a social interaction in which a person, responding to suggestions, experiences changes in memory, perception, and/or voluntary action. 33. Psychoactive drugs- mind altering substances that change the brain’s neurochemistry by activating neurotransmitter
Basilar membrane- runs through the center of the cochlea. 37. Rods- retinal cells that respond to low levels of illumination and result in black and white perception. 38. Cones- retinal cells that respond to higher levels of illumination and result in color perception. 39. Vestibular sense- uses data from receptors in the semicircular canals of the inner ear. These canals contain a liquid that moves when the head moves, bending hair cells at the ends of the canal. The bending generates nerve impulses that inform us of the head’s rotation and it is responsible for a sense of balance. 40. Gestalt theory- a theory based on the idea that the whole of personal experience is different form simply the sum of its constituent elements. 41. Gestalt laws of perception- Gestalt Laws of Perception is a theory of mind and brain positing that the operational principle of the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies. 42. Gestalt effect- refers to the form-forming capability of our senses, particularly with respect to the visual recognition of figures and whole forms instead of just a collection of simple lines and