Comprehensive Photo Album Project

Nicole LambiPeriod D

Prologue/Chapter 1

FUN

CTIO

NA

LISM Functionalism emphasizes how behavior and mental processes enable the

organism to adapt and survive, and would therefore focus on how this giraffe adapts and survives in his environment at the zoo.

BA

SIC

RES

EA

RC

H

Basic research is pure science that aims to increase psychology’s scientific knowledge base, and would simply include general research on these elephants at the zoo.

NATU

RA

LISTIC

OB

SER

VATIO

N Naturalistic observation involves observing behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control anything, which is what I did as I observed this hog playing at the zoo.

DO

UB

LE-B

LIND

PR

OC

ED

UR

E A double-blind procedure is when neither the experimenter nor the research participants have any expectations about the experiment. This is similar to when my friends and I had zero expectations about the movie we were about to see, and were totally “blind” to the storyline.

Chapter 2A

DEN

DR

ITE A dendrite receives messages from other nerve cells and conducts impulses

toward the cell body, just like this cable dish receives and carries signals to its receiver.

AXO

N Axons send impulses to other nerve cells or to muscles or glands, just like these telephone wires send digital signals to houses around the area.

MYELIN

SH

EATH The myelin sheath helps speed neural impulses, just like the caffeine in my

Dunkin Donuts coffee speeds up my body’s functioning.

REU

PTA

KE Reuptake is the absorption of excess neurotransmitters, and is similar to a

sponge absorbing water.

Chapter 2B

AM

YG

DA

LA The amygdala influences the emotions of fear, and allowed me to be frightened by these bats on a ceiling at the zoo.

HYPO

TH

ALA

MU

S The hypothalamus performs various body maintenance functions, including the control of hunger. Similar to the hypothalamus, Joe’s American Bar and Grill controlled and stimulated my hunger when I went out to eat with my family.

FRO

NTA

L LOB

E The frontal lobes are responsible for muscle movements of the body, and allow me to work out on this gym equipment.

OC

CIP

ITAL LO

BE The occipital lobes are responsible for vision, and allow me to see through

these glasses at the store.

Chapter 3

DELTA

WAV

ES Delta waves are the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep, which

are present in my dad’s brain as he sleeps here.

BA

RB

ITU

RATES Barbiturates are depressants that are sometimes used to induce sleep, just like

NyQuil is used to cause drowsiness and to provide a better nights sleep.

OPIA

TES Opiates are depressants that temporarily lessen pain, just like Band-Aids and

First Aid Ointment would temporarily reduce the pain of a scratch or wound.

AM

PH

ETA

MIN

ES Amphetamines are a type of stimulant that speeds up body functions and

neural activity, just like sugar makes me hyper and speeds up my body functions.

Chapter 5

TER

ATO

GEN

S Teratogens are literally poisons, or any harmful chemicals or viruses, similar to these toxic cleaning products found in my kitchen.

SC

HEM

A Schemas are mental concepts or frameworks that organize information, just like my makeup organizers neatly arrange my cosmetics.

CO

NS

ER

VATIO

N Conservation is the principle that volume and mass remain constant despite changes in the forms of objects, like these two different-sized glasses.

ATTA

CH

MEN

T Attachment is an emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by their seeking closeness to a caregiver, as shown in this picture.

Chapter 6A

BO

TTO

M-U

P P

RO

CES

SIN

G Bottom-up processing is analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information, just like these flower buds begin as seeds and eventually work up and blossom into these beautiful flowers.

AB

SO

LUTE T

HR

ES

HO

LD The absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time, similar to the minimum volume control on a stereo.

WEB

ER

’S LA

W Weber’s Law states that the just noticeable difference between two stimuli is a constant proportion of the stimulus. For instance, the just noticeable difference for a 3 pound weight is different than the one for a 15 pound weight.

TR

AN

SD

UC

TIO

N Transduction refers to the process by which receptor cells convert stimulus energies into neural impulses, just as water is converted into ice when frozen.

Chapter 6B

RO

DS Rods are visual receptors that allow us to detect black, white and gray objects,

including these old yearbook photos.

That’s my dad!

CO

NES Cones are visual receptors that allow us to see colors, including the wide

variety of shades found in this crayon box.

KIN

ES

TH

ES

IS Kinesthesis is the sense of the position and movement of parts of the body, in which my dad feels as he runs through my neighborhood.

GATE-C

ON

TR

OL T

HEO

RY Gate-control theory maintains that a “gate” in the spinal chord determines

whether pain signals are permitted to reach the brain, just like this gate determines whether cars can enter the private property.

Chapter 7A

GEN

ER

ALIZ

ATIO

N Generalization refers to the tendency for stimuli similar to the original CS to evoke a CR. For example, if one were conditioned to fear flamingos, they could generalize their fear and be afraid of any other animal with wings.

MIR

RO

R N

EU

RO

NS Mirror neurons may be the neural basis for observational learning, and allow

monkeys to generate impulses when another monkey performs a certain action.

MONKEY SEE

MONKEY DO

PO

SIT

IVE R

EIN

FOR

CEM

EN

T Positive reinforcement strengthens a response by presenting a pleasurable stimulus to that response. This includes my mom giving me money for my good report card.

NEG

ATIV

E R

EIN

FOR

CEM

EN

T Negative reinforcement strengthens a response by removing an aversive stimulus after that response. This includes me pressing the snooze button to stop the annoying sound of the alarm in the morning.

Chapter 7B

FIXED

-RATIO

SC

HED

ULE A fixed-ratio schedule is when reinforcement is presented after a set number of

responses. This includes taking $20 off a purchase only after spending $100 or more.

VA

RIA

BLE

-RATIO

SC

HED

ULE A variable-ratio schedule is when reinforcement is presented after a varying

number of responses. This includes winning money after an unpredicted number of times buying a scratch-ticket.

FIXED

-INTER

VA

L SC

HED

ULE A fixed-interval schedule is when reinforcement is presented after a specific time

has elapsed. This includes enjoying a warm, batch of muffins after a necessary 15 minutes in the oven.

VA

RIA

BLE

-INTER

VA

L SC

HED

ULE A variable-interval schedule is when reinforcement is presented after varying

intervals of time. This includes catching a fish after an unpredicted time spent at the lake.

Chapter 8

REC

ALL Recall is a measure of memory in which we must retrieve information with few

retrieval cues, which is what I did as I took this practice fill-in-the-blank test for AP Psych.

REC

OG

NIT

ION Recognition is a measure of memory in which one just needs to identify previously

learned information, which is what I did for this practice multiple-choice test for AP Psych.

EX

PLIC

IT M

EM

ORY Explicit memories are memories of facts, including special events and

vacations, that I relive as I look through these yearbooks and photo albums.

IMPLIC

IT M

EM

ORY Implicit memories are memories of skills that are evidently processed by the

cerebellum, which includes the memory of how to drive my car.

Chapter 10A

FAC

TO

R A

NA

LYS

IS Factor analysis is a statistical procedure that identifies factors, or clusters of related items, which is what I did as I grouped these M&Ms by color.

SAVA

NT S

YN

DR

OM

E A person with savant syndrome has a very low intelligence score, yet possesses an exceptional ability. In the movie “Rainman”, Raymond is autistic but is able to calculate complicated math problems in his head with great speed and accuracy.

GA

RD

NER Gardner proposed that there were eight intelligences, symbolized by the eight

sides of this stop sign.

STER

NB

ER

G Sternberg proposed that there were three intelligences, symbolized by the three sides of this yield sign.

Chapter 10B

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ATIO

N Standardization is the process of defining meaningful scores by comparison with a pretested standardization group, which is what Feehan did to create these honor roll standards.

RELIA

BILIT

Y Reliability is the extent to which a test produces consistent results, just like my mom is reliable when it comes to making dinner each night.

VA

LIDIT

Y Validity is the degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to, just as these passports do what they are supposed to and prove my family’s identity.

TES

T-RETES

T R

ELIA

BILIT

Y Test-retest reliability is the method used to measure a tests reliability. The SATs definitely demonstrate test-retest reliability, since my SAT Math Scores are similar over a three month period.

Chapter 11

DR

IVE R

ED

UC

TIO

N T

HEO

RY Drive-reduction theory attempts to explain behavior as arising from a

physiological need, which explains why my mom drinks when she’s thirsty.

FLOW Flow is a completely involved, focused state of consciousness on a task that

optimally engages a person’s skills, which is displayed here as my dad is hard at work.

INC

EN

TIV

E Incentives are positive or negative environmental stimuli that motivate behavior, and would include these delicious meals that motivate me to enjoy them.

HO

MEO

STA

SIS Homeostasis refers to the body’s tendency to maintain a balanced or constant

internal state, just as this thermostat maintains a constant temperature of my house.

Chapter 12A

JAM

ES

-LAN

GE T

HEO

RY O

F EM

OTIO

N

The James-Lange theory states that the body’s responses to a stimuli trigger, or cause, an emotion, just like this microwave triggers, or causes, popcorn to pop.

CA

NN

ON

-BA

RD

TH

EO

RY O

F EM

OTIO

N

The Cannon-Bard theory states that the experience of an emotion occurs at the same time as the body’s physical reaction, just like a washer and dryer can run simultaneously.

FAC

IAL FE

ED

BA

CK Facial feedback effect states that the face not only displays our feelings, but also

feeds our feelings. Therefore, just activating one of the smiling muscles by biting a pencil instantly makes my mom happier and more relaxed.

PAU

L EK

MA

N Paul Ekman stated that there are universal facial expressions, and believed that this expression of anger would be recognized around the world.

Chapter 12B

RELA

TIV

E D

EPR

IVATIO

N Relative deprivation is the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves, just like my mom would be disappointed with her functioning Envy-3 after comparing it to my IPhone-5.

TYPE A

PER

SO

NA

LITY Type A personality is the term for the coronary-prone behavior pattern of

competitive and hard-driving people who are extremely organized and would most likely have DVDs arranged in alphabetical order like this.

TYPE B

PER

SO

NA

LITY Type B personality is the term for the coronary-resistant behavior pattern of

easygoing, relaxed people who are usually disorganized and would most likely have shelves looking like this.

BIO

FEED

BA

CK Biofeedback refers to a system for electronically feeding back information

regarding a subtle physiological state, similar to when an organization asks customers to fill out a survey with feedback on their performance.

Chapter 13

ID The id is the unconscious system of personality that operates on the pleasure principle and instant gratification. It was what controlled my motive to devour this left-over pizza without any thought to it being almost dinner time.

SU

PER

EG

O The superego is the division of personality that contains the conscience and develops by incorporating the perceived moral standards of society, or church.

PR

OJE

CTIO

N Projection is the unconscious attribution of one’s own unacceptable feelings and attitudes to others, just like this projector projects its own images onto the wall at my dad’s office.

SPO

TLIG

HT E

FFEC

T The spot-light effect is the tendency of people to overestimate the extent to which other people notice and evaluate them, and would believe that this flashlight was consistently shining on them at all times.