Term
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Definition
| the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
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Term
| Accommodation (not vision) |
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Definition
| adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina |
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Term
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Definition
| a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas: for attaining a high standard |
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Term
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Definition
| a test designed to assess what a person has learned |
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Term
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Definition
| the initial stage in classical conditioning; the phase associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strenghtening of a reinforced response |
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Term
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Definition
| a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane |
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Term
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Definition
empathic listening in which the listener echos, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Roger's client-centered therapy |
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Term
| adaption-level phenomenon |
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Definition
| our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a "neutral" level defined by our prior experience |
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Term
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Definition
| the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to adulthood |
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Term
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Definition
| a pair of endorcrine glands jsut above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) which help to arouse the body in times of stress |
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Term
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Definition
| sustianed exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety |
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Term
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Definition
| any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy |
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Term
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Definition
| a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular promblem. Contrasts with the usually speedier, but also more error-prone, use of heuristics |
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Term
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Definition
| the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state |
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Term
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Definition
| unselfish regard for the welfare of others |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| drugs that stimulate neural activity causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes |
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Term
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Definition
| to almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and linked to emotion |
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Term
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Definition
| an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person (usually an adolescent female) diets and becomes significantly (15 percent or more) underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve |
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Term
| antisocial personality disorder |
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Definition
| a personality disorder in which the person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family memebers. May be agressive and ruthless or a clever con artist |
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Term
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Definition
| psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety |
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Term
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Definition
| impairment of language, ususally caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (imparing speaking) or Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
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Term
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Definition
| scientific study that aims to solve pratical problems |
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Term
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Definition
| a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn |
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Term
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Definition
| interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas |
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Term
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Definition
| areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
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Term
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Definition
| learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two sitmuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning) |
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Term
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Definition
| an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on seperation |
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Term
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Definition
| a belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that we tend to give a casual explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting eithe the situation or the person's disposition |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| unconscious encoding of incidental information such as space of time and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings |
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Term
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Definition
| the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the uscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). it's sympathetic system arouses; its parasympathetic division calms |
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Term
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Definition
| estimating the liklihood of events based on their availability in memory; if events readily come to mind (perhaps because of their vividness) we assume such events are common |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of counter conditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol) |
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Term
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Definition
| the extension of a neuron, ending in terminal fibers,through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
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Term
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Definition
| beginning by about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language |
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Term
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Definition
| drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement |
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Term
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Definition
| the body's resting rate of energy expenditure |
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Term
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Definition
| pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base |
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Term
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Definition
| according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the owrld is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsible caregivers |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors |
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Term
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Definition
| the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2) |
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Term
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Definition
| clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited |
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Term
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Definition
| depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes |
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Term
| bio-psych-social perspective |
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Definition
| a contemporary perspective which assumes that biological, psychological, and sociacultural factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders |
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Term
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Definition
| a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension |
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Term
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Definition
| a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania |
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Term
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Definition
| the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a blind spot because no receptor cells are located there |
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Term
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Definition
| analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information |
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Term
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Definition
| the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic servival functions |
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Term
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Definition
| controls language expression--an area of the frontal lob, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
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Term
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Definition
| an eating disorder characterized by episodes of over-eating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion |
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Term
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Definition
| an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles |
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Term
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Definition
| emotional release. In psychology, the catharsis hypothesis maintains that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges |
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Term
| central nervous system (CNS) |
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Definition
| the brain and spinal cord |
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Term
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Definition
| the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brain stem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |
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Term
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Definition
| the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center |
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Term
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Definition
| threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes |
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Term
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Definition
| organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically |
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Term
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Definition
| the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of learning in which an organism comes to associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus that signals an unconditioned stimulus begins to produce a response that anticipates and prepares for the unconditioned stimulus |
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Term
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Definition
| a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathic environment to facilitate clients' growth |
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Term
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Definition
| a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders |
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Term
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Definition
| a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves rigger nerve impulses |
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Term
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Definition
| all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating |
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Term
| cognitive dissonance theory |
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Definition
| the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions class, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes |
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Term
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Definition
| a mental representation of the layout of one's environment. For example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned a map of it |
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Term
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Definition
| therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions |
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Term
| cognitive-behavior therapy |
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Definition
| a popular integrated therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior) |
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Term
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Definition
| Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history |
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Term
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Definition
| giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly |
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Term
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Definition
| perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object |
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Term
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Definition
| the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives have intertwined |
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Term
| complementary and alternative medicine |
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Definition
| unproven health care treatments not taught widely in medical schools, not used in hospitals, and not usually reimbursed by insurance companies |
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Term
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Definition
| a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people |
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Term
| concrete operational stage |
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Definition
| in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11)during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to thik logically about concrete events |
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Term
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Definition
| a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer, also known as a secondary reinforcer |
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Term
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Definition
| in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus |
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Term
|
Definition
| in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus comes to trigger a conditioned response |
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Term
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Definition
| receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well- lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations |
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Term
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Definition
| a tendency to search for information that confirms one's perceptions |
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Term
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Definition
| a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas |
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Term
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Definition
| adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard |
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Term
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Definition
| our awareness of ourselves and of our environments |
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Term
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Definition
| the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the form of objects |
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Term
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Definition
| the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest (such as a driving test that samples driving tasks) |
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Term
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Definition
| reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs |
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Term
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Definition
| the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment |
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Term
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Definition
| a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object |
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Term
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Definition
| the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries |
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Term
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Definition
| the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
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Term
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Definition
| a statistical measure of the extent to which two factors very together, and thus how well either factor predicts the other |
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Term
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Definition
| a behavior therapy procedure that conditions new responses to stimuli that trigger unwanted behaviors, based on classical conditioning. Includes systematic desensitization and aversive conditioning |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas |
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Term
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Definition
| the behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to assess; thus, the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity |
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Term
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Definition
| an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development |
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Term
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Definition
| thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions |
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Term
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Definition
| a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another |
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Term
| crystallized intelligence |
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Definition
| one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age |
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Term
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Definition
| the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |
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Term
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Definition
| in the psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality |
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Term
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Definition
| the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occuring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity |
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Term
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Definition
| the eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience |
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Term
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Definition
| the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
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Term
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Definition
| false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders |
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Term
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Definition
| the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
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Term
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Definition
| the experimental factor--in psychology, the behavior or mental process--that is being measure; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable |
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Term
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Definition
| drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strke the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance |
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Term
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Definition
| a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span |
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Term
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Definition
| the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference |
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Term
| discrimination (classical conditioning) |
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Definition
| in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus |
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Term
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Definition
| unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members |
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Term
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Definition
| psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet |
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Term
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Definition
| a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others |
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Term
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Definition
| disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (disassociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings |
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Term
| dissociative identity disorder |
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Definition
| a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities |
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Term
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) |
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Definition
| a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes |
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Term
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Definition
| an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or the placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies. |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one's genetic makeup |
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Term
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Definition
| a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer's delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it |
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Term
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Definition
| the idea that a psychological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need |
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Term
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Definition
| the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders |
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Term
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Definition
| a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli. If attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds |
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Term
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Definition
| an approach to psychotherapy that, depending on the client's problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy |
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Term
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Definition
| a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition |
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Term
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Definition
| encoding that requires attention and conscious effort |
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Term
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Definition
| the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain |
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Term
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Definition
| in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's inability to take another's point of view |
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Term
| electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) |
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Definition
| a biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient |
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Term
| electroencephalogram (EEG) |
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Definition
| an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the sculp |
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Term
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Definition
| the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month |
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Term
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Definition
| a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions |
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Term
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Definition
| a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups |
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Term
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Definition
| the view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and (b) science flourishes through observation and experience |
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Term
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Definition
| the processing of information into the memory system--for example, by extracting meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| the body's "slow" chemical communication systems; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
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Term
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Definition
| "morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure |
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Term
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Definition
| every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us |
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Term
|
Definition
| a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it |
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Term
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Definition
| a sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. I nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection |
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Term
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Definition
| a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experiment controls other relevant factors |
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Term
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Definition
| the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable |
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Term
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Definition
| memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare". Also called declarative memory |
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Term
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Definition
| behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization, that treat anxieties by exposing people to things they fear and avoid |
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Term
| external locus of control |
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Definition
| the perception that chance or outside forces byeond one's personal control determine one's fate |
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Term
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Definition
| the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus does not follow a conditioned stimulus; occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced |
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Term
|
Definition
| the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input |
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Term
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Definition
| a desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishment |
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Term
|
Definition
| a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of perfmonce that underlie one's total score |
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Term
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Definition
| therapy that treats the family as a system. Views an individual's unwanted behaviors as influenced by or directed at other family members; attempts to guide family members toward positive relationships and improved communication |
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Term
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Definition
| nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape, angle, or movement |
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Term
| feel-good, do-good phenomenon |
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Definition
| people's tendency to be helpful when they are already in a good mood |
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Term
| fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) |
|
Definition
| physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant women's heavy drinking |
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Term
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Definition
| the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth |
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Term
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Definition
| the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings |
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Term
| fixation (problem solving) |
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Definition
| the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an impediment to problem solving |
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Term
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Definition
| according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved |
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Term
|
Definition
| in operant conditioning, a schedule of reinforcement that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed |
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Term
|
Definition
| in operant conditioning, a schedule of reinforcement that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses |
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Term
|
Definition
| a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event |
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Term
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Definition
| one's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood |
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Term
| foot-in-the-door phenomenon |
|
Definition
| the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to later comply with a larger request |
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Term
|
Definition
| in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts |
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Term
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Definition
| the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgements |
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Term
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Definition
| twins who develop from separate eggs. They are genetically not closer than non-twin brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment |
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Term
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Definition
| in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing |
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Term
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Definition
| the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
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Term
|
Definition
| the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements |
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Term
| frustration-aggression principle |
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Definition
| the principle that frustration--the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal--creates anger, which can generate aggression |
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Term
|
Definition
| a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function--how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish |
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Term
| fundamental attribution error |
|
Definition
| the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition |
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Term
|
Definition
| the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allwos them to pass to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of the pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain |
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Term
|
Definition
| in psychology, the characteristics, whether biological or socially influenced, by which people define male and female |
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Term
|
Definition
| one's sense of being male or female |
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Term
|
Definition
| a set of expected behaviors for males and females |
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Term
|
Definition
| the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female and adjust their behavior accordingly |
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Term
|
Definition
| the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role |
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Term
| general adaptation syndrome (GAS) |
|
Definition
| Selye's concept of the baby's adaptive response to stress in three stages--alarm, resistance, exhaustion |
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Term
|
Definition
| a factor that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test |
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Term
|
Definition
| the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses |
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Term
| generalized anxiety disorder |
|
Definition
| an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of ANS arousal |
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Term
|
Definition
| the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of producing a protein |
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Term
|
Definition
| an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes |
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Term
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Definition
| the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the main source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger |
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Term
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Definition
| Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives on Tension Reduction--a strategy used to decrease international tensions |
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Term
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Definition
| the enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group |
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Term
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Definition
| the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups |
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Term
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Definition
| the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives |
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Term
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Definition
| decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner |
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Term
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Definition
| false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus |
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Term
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Definition
| psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input |
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Term
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Definition
| a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine |
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Term
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Definition
| the proportion among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied |
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Term
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Definition
| a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more mistake prone than algorithms |
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Term
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Definition
| Hilgard's term describing a hypnotized subject's awareness of experiences, such as pain, that go unreported during hypnosis |
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Term
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Definition
| Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher level safety needs and then psychological needs become active |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it |
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Term
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Definition
| a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage |
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Term
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Definition
| a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose around a particular level |
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Term
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Definition
| chemical messengers,mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
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Term
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Definition
| the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as colors |
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Term
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Definition
| a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur |
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Term
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Definition
| a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |
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Term
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Definition
| a testable prediction, often implied by a theory |
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Term
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Definition
| a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second |
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Term
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Definition
| contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according the Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification |
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Term
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Definition
| twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos |
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Term
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Definition
| one's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles |
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Term
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Definition
| the perception of a relationship where none exists |
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Term
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Definition
| mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding |
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Term
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Definition
| retention independent of conscious recollection. Also called procedural memory |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which certain animals form attachments very early in life |
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Term
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Definition
| a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied |
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Term
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Definition
| giving priority to one's own goals over group goals, and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications |
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Term
| informational social influence |
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Definition
| influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality |
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Term
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Definition
| "Us"--people with whom one shares a common identity |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency to favor one's own group |
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Term
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Definition
| the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs |
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Term
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Definition
| a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; it contrasts with strategy based solutions |
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Term
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Definition
| recurring problems in falling or staying asleep |
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Term
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Definition
| a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned |
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Term
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Definition
| the mental abilities needed to select, adapt to, and shape environments. It involves the abilities to profit from experience, solve problems, reason, and successfully meet challenges and achieve goals |
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Term
| intelligence quotient (IQ) |
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Definition
| defined originally as the ration of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100. On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100 |
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Term
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Definition
| the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude |
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Term
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Definition
| the idea that one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity) |
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Term
| internal locus of control |
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Definition
| the perception that one controls one's own fate |
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Term
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Definition
| central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervenes between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
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Term
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Definition
| in psychoanalysis, the analyst's noting supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors in order to promote insight |
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Term
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Definition
| in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood |
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Term
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Definition
| a desire to perform a behavior for it's own sake and to be effective |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency of people to believe that the world is just and people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get |
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Term
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Definition
| the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts |
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Term
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Definition
| our spoken, written, or signed words and the way we combine them to communicate meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content). Freud believed that a dreams latent content functions as a safety valve |
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Term
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Definition
| the idea the animals, like people, can learn from experience, with or without reinforcement |
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Term
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Definition
| Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely |
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Term
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Definition
| the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events |
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Term
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Definition
| a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience |
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Term
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Definition
| tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue |
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Term
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Definition
| a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus |
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Term
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Definition
| Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think |
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Term
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Definition
| a chemical that provides an effective drug therapy for the mood swings of bipolar disorders |
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Term
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Definition
| a now-rare psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients. The procedure cut the nerves that connect the frontal lobe to the emotion-controlling centers of the inner brain |
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Term
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Definition
| the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system |
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Term
| long-term potentiation (LTP) |
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Definition
| an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural base for learning and memory |
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Term
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Definition
| research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time |
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Term
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Definition
| a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid |
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Term
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Definition
| the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system. B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infection. T lymphocytes form in the thymus and, among other duties, attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances |
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Term
| major depressive disorder |
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Definition
| a mood disorder in which a person, for no apparent reason, experiences two or more weeks of depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities |
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Term
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Definition
| a mood disorder marked my a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state |
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Term
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Definition
| according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream |
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Term
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Definition
| biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience |
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Term
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Definition
| the concept that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases, cured. When applied to psychological disorders, the medical model assumes that these "mental illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms and cured through therapy, which may include treatment in a psychiatric hospital |
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Term
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Definition
| the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
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Term
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Definition
| the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information |
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Term
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Definition
| the first menstrual period |
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Term
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Definition
| a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance |
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Term
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Definition
| the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a women experiences as her ability to reproduce declines |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score below 70 and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound |
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Term
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Definition
| the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them |
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Term
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Definition
| the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's inner window |
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Term
| Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory |
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Definition
| the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered a its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes |
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Term
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Definition
| frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so. The brain's mirroring of another's action may enable imitation, language learning, and empathy |
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Term
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Definition
| incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event |
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Term
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Definition
| memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| distance cues, such as linear perspective and overlap, available to either eye alone |
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Term
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Definition
| psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood |
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Term
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Definition
| a need or desire that energizes or directs behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
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Term
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Definition
| neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
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Term
| MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) |
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Definition
| a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows use to see structures within the brain |
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Term
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Definition
| a random error in gene replication that leads to genetic change |
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Term
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Definition
| a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next |
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Term
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Definition
| a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times |
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Term
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Definition
| the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations |
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Term
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Definition
| observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation |
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Term
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Definition
| the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors |
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Term
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Definition
| an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death; often similar to drug induced hallicinations |
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Term
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Definition
| neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
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Term
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Definition
| the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems |
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Term
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Definition
| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse |
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Term
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Definition
| a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during stage four sleep, within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered |
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Term
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Definition
| an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe "proper behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes |
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Term
| normative social influence |
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Definition
| influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval |
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Term
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Definition
| the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived |
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Term
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Definition
| learning by observing others |
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Term
| obsessive-compulsive disorder |
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Definition
| an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions) |
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Term
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Definition
| the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field |
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Term
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Definition
| according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father |
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Term
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Definition
| the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in signal words |
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Term
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Definition
| behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences |
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Term
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Definition
| a chamber, also known as a Skinner box, containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer, with attached devices to record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking. Used in operant conditioning research |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher |
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Term
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Definition
| a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables |
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Term
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Definition
| opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green |
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Term
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Definition
| the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain |
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Term
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Definition
| "Them"--those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup |
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Term
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Definition
| the tendency to be more confident than correct--to overestimate the accuracy of one's beliefs and judgments |
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Term
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Definition
| an anxiety disorder marked by a minutes-long episode of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations |
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Term
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Definition
| the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis |
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Term
| parasympathetic nervous system |
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Definition
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
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Term
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Definition
| the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex |
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Term
| partial (intermittent) reinforcement |
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Definition
| reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement |
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Term
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Definition
| an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events |
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Term
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Definition
| in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field |
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Term
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Definition
| perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent lightness, color, shape and size) even as illumination and retinal images change |
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Term
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Definition
| a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another |
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Term
| peripheral nervous system |
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Definition
| the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
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Term
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Definition
| our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling hopeless |
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Term
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Definition
| the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies |
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Term
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Definition
| an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting |
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Term
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Definition
| psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning |
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Term
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Definition
| a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits |
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Term
| PET (positron emission tomography) scan |
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Definition
| a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
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Term
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Definition
| an anxiety disorder marked by persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation |
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Term
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Definition
| a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdraw symptoms when the drug is discontinued |
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Term
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Definition
| a tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency |
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Term
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Definition
| the endocrine system's most influential glad. under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
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Term
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Definition
| any effect on behavior caused by a placebo |
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Term
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Definition
| an inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterized the active agent |
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Term
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Definition
| the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development |
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Term
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Definition
| a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion, such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes |
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Term
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Definition
| all cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study |
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Term
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Definition
| the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive |
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Term
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Definition
| supposed inability to recall what one experienced during hypnosis; induced by the hypnotist's suggestion |
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Term
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Definition
| a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors |
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Term
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Definition
| the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| an unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory acts |
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Term
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Definition
| in Piaget's theory, the stage(from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic |
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Term
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Definition
| an innately reinforcing stimulus,such as one that satisfies a biological need |
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Term
| primary sex characteristics |
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Definition
| the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that makes sexual reproduction possible |
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Term
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Definition
| the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in the memory |
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Term
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Definition
| the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information |
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Term
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Definition
| psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others |
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Term
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Definition
| a personality test, such as the Rorschach or the inkblot test, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics |
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Term
|
Definition
| positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior |
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