Questions and Answers
What is the definition of absolute threshold?
What is kinesthesis?
The sense of movement and body position
What does the vestibular system provide?
The sense of balance
What is depth perception?
Signup and view all the answers
Define constancy in the context of perception.
Signup and view all the answers
What characterizes REM sleep?
Signup and view all the answers
What is biofeedback?
Signup and view all the answers
What are psychoactive drugs?
Signup and view all the answers
Define meditation.
Signup and view all the answers
What is consciousness?
Signup and view all the answers
What are endorphins?
Signup and view all the answers
Define neurotransmitters.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the hindbrain?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the midbrain responsible for?
Signup and view all the answers
What does the left hemisphere of the brain control?
Signup and view all the answers
Define stress.
Signup and view all the answers
What is eustress?
Signup and view all the answers
What does approach-avoidance conflict refer to?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the fight-or-flight response?
Signup and view all the answers
Define hassle in the context of stress.
Signup and view all the answers
What is a case study?
Signup and view all the answers
Define the placebo effect.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the median in statistics?
Signup and view all the answers
Define mode in statistics.
Signup and view all the answers
What is a cross-sectional study?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a theory?
Signup and view all the answers
Define applied science.
Signup and view all the answers
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
Signup and view all the answers
What is basic science?
Signup and view all the answers
What is free association?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Key Concepts in Psychology
-
Absolute Threshold: Refers to the minimal level of stimulus intensity that an individual can detect 50% of the time, crucial for understanding sensory perception.
-
Kinesthesis: Involves the perception of body movements and position, essential for coordination and balance.
-
Vestibular System: Composed of three semicircular canals located in the inner ear, it plays a vital role in maintaining balance and spatial orientation by relaying information to the brain.
-
Depth Perception: The ability to perceive distance and three-dimensionality, which begins to develop during infancy, allowing individuals to navigate their environment effectively.
-
Constancy: This perceptual tendency allows individuals to perceive objects as stable and constant in size, color, and shape despite variations in viewing conditions.
-
REM Sleep: A unique sleep stage marked by rapid eye movement, intense brain activity, muscle relaxation, and vivid dreaming, important for memory consolidation and emotional processing.
-
Biofeedback: A technique utilizing monitoring devices that teaches individuals to control physiological processes, enhancing personal awareness and self-regulation.
-
Psychoactive Drugs: Substances that influence the nervous system, leading to altered states of consciousness and impacting mood, perception, or behavior.
-
Meditation: An intentional practice aimed at focusing attention to achieve mental clarity and relaxation, often associated with stress reduction and increased awareness.
-
Consciousness: Encompasses a person's total awareness, including sensory experiences, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, integral to subjective experience.
Neurobiology and Behavior
-
Endorphins: Naturally occurring neurotransmitters that promote feelings of euphoria, often associated with physical activities like running.
-
Neurotransmitters: Chemicals released by neurons that influence the firing rate of other neurons, central to communication within the nervous system.
-
Hindbrain: Located at the rear base of the skull, it is responsible for vital life-sustaining processes such as heartbeat and respiration.
-
Midbrain: Positioned above the pons, it plays a critical role in integrating sensory information and relaying it to higher brain regions.
-
Left Hemisphere: Dominantly associated with language and verbal skills, it governs movement on the right side of the body for most individuals.
Stress and Psychological Responses
-
Stress: A physiological and psychological response to perceived challenges or threats, influencing health and well-being.
-
Eustress: Positive form of stress that arises from motivational challenges, facilitating personal growth and achievement.
-
Approach-Avoidance Conflict: A psychological dilemma faced when an individual encounters a situation with both positive and negative outcomes.
-
Fight-or-Flight Response: An automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats, determining whether to confront the stressor or escape.
-
Hassles: Minor, everyday stressors that accumulate and can impact overall health, emphasizing the need for stress management strategies.
Research Methods and Theories
-
Case Study: An in-depth examination of a single person or group that provides detailed qualitative insights into behavior or circumstances.
-
Placebo Effect: Psychological phenomenon where a patient's condition improves due to their belief in the efficacy of a treatment, rather than the treatment itself.
-
Median: The middle score in a data set, used as a measure of central tendency.
-
Mode: The most frequently occurring score in a data set, helping to identify commonalities in data distribution.
-
Cross-Sectional Study: A research method that organizes subjects into different age groups to study variations across a population at a single point in time.
-
Theory: A systematic framework that explains phenomena and is built upon hypotheses and observations.
-
Applied Science: Utilization of scientific knowledge to address practical problems, emphasizing real-world applications of research findings.
-
Basic Science: Focuses on gaining knowledge for its own sake, contributing to foundational understanding of natural phenomena.
-
Wilhelm Wundt: Recognized for founding modern psychology as an independent academic discipline, emphasizing empirical methods of inquiry.
-
Free Association: A therapeutic technique enabling insight into unconscious thought processes by allowing individuals to verbalize whatever comes to mind without censorship.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge on key psychological concepts related to the absolute threshold and sensory perception. This quiz covers important terms such as kinesthesis, vestibular system, and depth perception, helping you reinforce your understanding of these foundational ideas in psychology.