Psychology 2e Exam Questions (125 Terms) With Verified Definitions Updated 2024

action potential {Ans: electrical signal that moves down the neuron's axon}control group {Ans: serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups}audition {Ans: sense of hearing}congenital insensitivity to pain (congenital analgesia) {Ans: genetic disorder that results in the inability to experience pain}psychoanalytic theory {Ans: focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior}somatosensory cortex {Ans: essential for processing sensory information from across the body, such as touch, temperature, and pain}personality traits {Ans: consistent pattern of thought and behavior}empirical studies {Ans: grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing}top-down processing {Ans: interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts}Pons {Ans: hindbrain structure that connects the brain and spinal cord; involved in regulating brain activity during sleep}pupil {Ans: small opening in the eye through which light passes}protoconsciousness {Ans: dreaming involves constructing a virtual reality in our heads that we might use to help us during wakefulness.}Hindbrain {Ans: