Psychology Vitamins

2/6/26 Psych Vitamin #14

Sensation – The reception of stimulus information through the senses

5 Senses – The ways our body can take in information from outside stimuli: sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch

Perception – The processing of sensory information into a meaningful mental impression

2/5/26 Psych Vitamin #13

Genes – The blueprints/code in every cell that determine how a person develops biologically

Predisposition – A tendency to be or act a certain way, especially due to biological factors

Twin Study – A study in psychology intended to isolate genetic and environmental influences in research of a particular subject

2/3/26 Psych Vitamin #12

Hormone – A chemical produced by the body which regulates a body function

Gland – An organ which secretes hormones or other bodily fluids

Regulation – The ability of the body to adapt to different conditions and environments

2/2/26 Psych Vitamin #11

Frontal Lobe – The front part of the brain responsible for decision making, high level cognition, and motor skills

Parietal Lobe – The top part of the brain responsible for processing sensory information and spatial awareness

Temporal Lobe –The bottom part of the forebrain responsible for processing sound, language comprehension, and the creation of memories

Occipital Lobe – The back part of the brain responsible for visual information

1/30/26 Psych Vitamin #10

Brain – The organ in the head responsible for directing body functions and mental activities

Involuntary action – Something done automatically by the brain and body without thought (breathing, heartbeat, blinking, etc.)

Voluntary action – Something done deliberately with thought (walking, chewing, etc.)

1/29/26 Psych Vitamin #9

Nervous system – A system of the body that transmits electrical signals.  Made of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

Neuron – Nerve cells that are the basic unit of the nervous system

Electrical synapse – The connection between two neurons that allows electrical signals to pass between them

1/21/26 Psych Vitamin #8

Psychiatry – A medical field focused on the identification and treatment of mental health disorders

Therapy – Psychological treatment for individuals seeking help with mental disorders

Advertising – Attempting to influence the thoughts, desires, and behaviors of potential consumers

1/15/26 Psych Vitamin #7

Case Study – An in-depth study about a single person or group

Freedom to Withdraw – The right for a research participant to drop out of a study at any time without penalty

Conscience – the feeling that you know and should do what is right and should avoid doing what is wrong.

1/14/26 Psych Vitamin #6

Ethics – Moral principles that guide and restrict a person's behavior.  Concerned with protecting rights and fairness.

Human rights – Standards of life and experience to which all people are entitled

Human dignity – The concept that all people have inherent worth and value, and are worthy of respect

1/13/26 Psych Vitamin #5

Causation – One variable changes or alters another

Correlation – A relationship or connection between two variables that may not cause one another

Temporal Precedence – A cause must come before an effect

Margin of error – A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in the results of a survey

1/12/26 Psych Vitamin #4

Validity – How accurately a test measures what it was intended to measure

Reliability – How consistent and stable the results of an experiment are

Confounding variable – An outside factor that influences any of the variables in an experiment, leading to unreliable results

Bias – An opinion or tendency that prevents an unbiased exploration of a research question

Replication – Reproducing a study to see if you get the same results

1/9/26 Psych Vitamin #3

Hypothesis – An assumption or guess with little evidence that serves as a starting point for further investigation

Independent variable – A variable in an experiment which causes a change

Dependent variable – A variable in an experiment that is changed or affected by a change

Theory – An explanation of part of the natural world which has been backed up by a large number of scientific tests

1/8/26 Psych Vitamin #2

Placebo effect – Experiencing positive effects due to expectations and emotions when given a neutral, ineffective substance

Pygmalion effect – a phenomenon that describes how high expectations can lead to better performance, while low expectations can lead to worse performance.  Also called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Bystander effect – A phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim in the presence of other people.

1/7/26 Psych Vitamin #1

Mind – The part of a person that makes it possible for him or her to think, feel emotions, and understand things

Behavior – The ways in which a person or animal acts

Cognition – The mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses