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Clincal Psychology
Clinical Psychology Ch.2
70
Psychology
Undergraduate 3
09/06/2010

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Term
agonist
Definition
a drug that stimulates receptors normally specific to a particular neurotransmitters
Term

allele

 

Definition
any of the various forms in which a particular gene is found
Term
amygdala
Definition
a subcortical structure of the temporal lobe involved in attention to emotionally salient stimuli and memory of emotionally relevant events
Term
antagonist
Definition
a drug that dampens the effect of a neurotransmitter on its receptors; for example many dopamine antagonists block dopamine receptors.
Term
anterior cingulate
Definition
in the subcortical region of the brain, the anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus, stretching about the corpus callosum.
Term
attachment theory
Definition
the type of style of an infant's attachment to his or her caregives can set the stage for psychological health or problems later in development
Term
autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Definition
the division of the nervous system that regulates involuntary functions; innervates endocrine glands, smooth muscles, and heart muscle; and initiates the physiological changes that are part of the expression of emotion
Term
behavior genetics
Definition
the study of individual differences in behavior that are attributable to differences in genetic makeup
Term
brain stem
Definition
the part of the brain connecting the spinal cord with the cerebrum; contains the pons and the medulla oblongata and functions as a neural relay station
Term
brief therapy
Definition
time-limited psychotherapy, usually ego-analytic in orientation and lasting no more than 25 sessions
Term
cerebellum
Definition
an area of the hindbrain concerned with balance, posture, and motor coordination
Term
cognition
Definition
the process of knowing; the thinking, judging, reasoning, and planning activites of the human mind. Behavior is now often explained as depending on these processes.
Term
cognitive behavioral paradigm
Definition
general view that people can best be understood by studying how they perceive and structure their experiences and how this influences behavior
Term
cognitive reconstructing
Definition
any behavior therapy procedure that attempts to alter the manner in which a client thinks about life so that he or she changes overt behavior and emotions
Term
corpus callosum
Definition
the large band of nerve fibers connecting the two cerbral hemispheres
Term
cortisol
Definition
a "stress hormone" secreted by the adrenal cortices; helps the body prepare of face threats
Term
diathesis
Definition
predisposition toward a disease or abnormality
Term
diathesis- stress
Definition
as applied in psychopathology, a view that assumes that individuals prediposed toward a particular mental disorder will be particularly affected by stress and will then manifest abnormal behavior
Term
dopamine
Definition
central nervous system neurotransmitter, a catecholamine that is also a precursor of norepinephrine and apparently figures in schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease
Term
emotion
Definition
the expression, experience, and physiology that guide responses to problems and challenges in the environment
Term
exposure
Definition
real-life (in vivo) or imaginal confrontation of a feared object or situation, especially as a component of systematic desensitization
Term
frontal lobe
Definition
the anterior portion of each cerebral hemispheres, in front of the cerebral sulcus; active in reasoning and other higher mental processes
Term
gamme-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Definition
inhibitory neurotransmitter that may be involved in anxiety disorders
Term
gene
Definition
the smallest portion of DNA within a chromosome that functions as a piece of hereditary information
Term
gene expression
Definition
the switching on and off of the reading (transcription and translation) of genes into their products (usually proteins) and this their associated phenotypes
Term
gene-environment interaction
Definition
the influence of genetics on an individual's sensitivity or reaction to an environmental event
Term
genetic paradigm
Definition
since the early twentieth century, the approach to human behavior that focuses on both heritability of traits and complex interactions between genes and environment
Term
genotype
Definition
an individual's unobservable, genetic constitution, that is, the totality of genes present in the cells of an individual; often applied to the genes contributing to a single trait
Term
gray matter
Definition
the neural tissue-made up largely of nerve cell bodies-that constitutes the cortex covering the cerebral hemisphere, the nuclei in lower brain areas, columns of the spinal cord, and the ganglia of the autonomic nervous system
Term
heritability
Definition
the extent to which the variability in a particular behavior/disorder within a population can be attributable to genetic factors
Term
hippocampus
Definition
in the subcortical region of the brain. the long, tubelike structure that stretches from the septal area into the temporal lobe
Term
HPA axis
Definition
the neuroendocrine connections among hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex, central to the body's response to stress
Term
hypothalamus
Definition
in the subcortical region of the brain, the structure that regulates many visceral processes, including metabolism, temperature, perspiration, blood pressure, sleeping, and appetite
Term
in vivo
Definition
as applied in psychology, taking place in a real-life situation
Term
interpersonal therapy (IPT)
Definition
a short-term, here-and-now focused psychological treatment initially developed for depression and influenced by the psychodynamic emphasis on relationships
Term
molecular genetics
Definition
studies that seek to determine the components of a trait that are heritable by identifying relevant genes and their functions
Term
nerve impulse
Definition
a wave of depolarization that propagates along the neuron and causes the release of neurotransmitter; action potential
Term
neuron
Definition
a single nerve cell
Term
neuroscience paradigm
Definition
a broad theoretical view that holds that mental disorders are caused in part by some aberrant process directed by the brain
Term
neurotransmitters
Definition
chemical substances important in transferring a nerve impulse from one neuron to another; for example, serotonin and norepinephrine
Term
nonshared environment
Definition
factors distinct along family members, such as relationships with friends or specific experiences unique to a person
Term
norepinephrine
Definition
a catecholamine neurotransmitter of the central nervous system, disturbances in the tracts of which apparently figure in depression and mania. It is also a sympathetic nervous system neurotransmitter, a hormone released in addition to epinephrine and similar in action, and a strong vasocostrictor
Term
object-relations theory
Definition
variant of psychoanalytic theory that focuses on the way children internalize (introject) images of the people who are important to them (e.g., their parents), such that these internalize images (object representations) become part of the ego and influence how the person reacts to the world
Term
occiptal lobe
Definition
the posterior portion of each cerebral hemisphere, situated behind the parietal lobe and above the temporal lobes; responsible for reception and analysis of visual information and for some visual memory
Term
paradigm
Definition
a set basic assumptions that outlines the universe of scientific inquiry, specifying both the concepts regarded as legitimate and the methods to be used in collecting and interpreting
Term
parasympathetic nervous system
Definition
the division of the autonomic nervous system that is involved with maintenance; controls many of the internal organs is not aroused
Term
parietal lobe
Definition
the middle division of each cerebral hemisphere,situated behind the central sulcus and above the lateral sulcus; the receiving center for sensations of the skin and of bodily positions.
Term
phenotype
Definition
the totality of physical characteristics and behavioral traits of an individual, or a particular trait exhibited by an individual; the product of interactions between genetics and environment over the course of development
Term
polygenic
Definition
as applied to psychopathology or any other trait, caused by multiple genes contributing their effects, typically during multiple stages of development
Term
polymorphism
Definition
any specific difference in DNA sequence that exists within a population
Term
prefrontal cortex
Definition
the region of the frontal lobe of the brain that helps maintain an image of threats and rewards faced, as well as maintain focus and plan relevant to those threats and rewards
Term
pruning
Definition
in neural development, the selective loss of synaptic connections, especially in the fine-tuning of brain regions devoted to sensory processing
Term
psychodynamic paradigm
Definition
general view based on psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theory
Term
rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
Definition
a cognitive-reconstructing behavior therapy introduced by Albert Ellis and based on the assumption that much disordered behavior is rooted in absolutistic, unrealistic demands and goals, such as, "I must be universally loved"
Term
reciprocal gene-environment interaction
Definition
the genetic predisposition for an individual to seek out certain environments that increase the risk of developing a particular disorder
Term
reuptake
Definition
cellular process by which released neurotransmitter are taken back into the presynaptic cell, terminating their present postsynaptic effect but making them available for subsequent modulation of nerve impulse transmission
Term
schema
Definition
a mental structure for organizing information about the world
Term
second messengers
Definition
intracellular molecules whose levels are increased by sustained activity of neurotransmitter, for example, receptors, and which affect the resting states of ion channels or regulate gene expression of receptor molecules, this modulating the cell's sensitivity to neurotransmitter
Term
septal area
Definition
in the subcortical region of the brain, the area anterior to the thalamus
Term
serotonin
Definition
a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system whose disturbances apparently figure in depression
Term
serotonin transporter gene
Definition
a particular gene critical to the gene-environment interactions that apparently contribute to the development of depression
Term
shared environment
Definition
factors that family members have in common, such as income level, child-rearing practices, and parental marital status and quality
Term
sympathetic nervous system
Definition
the division of the autonomic nervous system that acts on bodily systems-for example, contracting the blood vessels, reducing activity of the intestines, and increasing the heartbeat- to prepare the organism for exertion
Term
synpase
Definition
small gap between two neurons where the nerve signal passes electrically or chemically from the axon of the first to the dendrites, cell body, or axon of the second
Term
temporal lobe
Definition
a large region of each cerebral hemisphere situated below that lateral sulcus and in front of the occiptal lobe; contains primary auditory and general association areas
Term
thalamus
Definition
a major brain relay station consisting of two egg-shaped lobes; receives impulses from all sensory areas except the olfactory and transmits them to the cerebrum for higher processing
Term
time-out
Definition
an operant-conditioning procedure in which, after bad behavior, the person is temporarily removed from a setting where reinforcers can be obtained and placed in a less desirable setting, for example, in a boring room
Term
token economy
Definition
a behavior therapy procedure, based on operant-conditioning principles, in which hospitalized patients are given scrip rewards, such as poker chips, for socially constructive behavior. The tokens can be exchanged for desirable items and activities such as cigarettes and extra time away from the ward
Term
ventricles
Definition
cavities deep within the brain, filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), that connect to the spinal cord
Term
white matter
Definition
neural tissues, particularly of the brain and spinal cord, consisting of tracts or bundles of myelinated (sheathed) nerve fibers
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