Term
|
Definition
| our awareness of ourselves and our environment |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. ex. cocktail party effect |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| failing to notice changes in the environment |
|
|
Term
| suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) |
|
Definition
| clusters in the hypothalamus that are part of the circadian clock; triggered by light to cause the pineal gland to decrease production of sleep-inducing hormone melatonin in the morning, or to increase it in the evening |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (ex. body temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (excluding minor twitches) but other body systems are active |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a periodic, natural loss of consciousness |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| false sensory experiences. ex. seeing something in absence of external visual stimulus |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| recurring problems in falling or staying asleep |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. Sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inappropriate times |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; different from nightmares as they occur during stage 4 sleep (within 2-3 hours of sleeping) and are seldom remembered |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind. Notable for halluncinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer's delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| theory that dreams provide a "psychic safety valve"- expressing otherwise unacceptable feelings (manifest content and latent content); lacks any scientific support and dreams may be interpreted in many ways |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| theory that dreams help us sort out the day's events and consolidate our memories; why do we sometimes dream about things no experienced? |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| theory that regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways; does not explain why we experience meaningful dreams |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| theory that REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories which our brain weaves into stories; individual's brain is weaving the stories, which tells us something about the dreamer |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| theory that dream content reflects dreamers' cognitive development (knowledge and understanding); does not address neuroscience of dreams |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggest to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur |
|
|
Term
|
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 |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuining the use of an addictive drug |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| drugs (such as alcohol, barbituates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| opium and its derivatives, such as morphone and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and the even more powerful cocaine, ecstasym and methamphetamine) that excite neural activity |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes |
|
|
Term
|
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 |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| psychedelic ("mind manifesting") drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death; similar to drug-induced hallucinogens |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach an embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. in severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| psychologist who focused on theory that children progress through four stages of cognitive development |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| life stage in Piaget's theory that spans from birth to 2 years of age, during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| life stage in Piaget's theory during ages 2-(6 or 7), during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of cocrete logic |
|
|
Term
| concrete operational stage |
|
Definition
| life stage in Piaget's theory during ages of (6 or 7)-11 during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| life stage in Piaget's theory from age 12 onward, during which people being to think logically about abstract concepts |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning at about 8 months of age |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period early in life |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| parenting style in which parents impose rules and expect obedience |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| parenting style in which parents submit to their children's desires. They make few demands and use little punishment |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| parenting style in which parents are both demanding and responsive. They exert control by setting rules and enforcing them, but they also explain the reasons for rules |
|
|
Term
| primary sex characteristics |
|
Definition
| body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible |
|
|
Term
| secondary sex characteristics |
|
Definition
| nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality and body hair |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the first menstual period |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| psychologist who sought to describe the development of moral reasoning |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| moral life stage before age 9, during which children's morality focuses on self-interest |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| moral life stage beginning early adolescence, during which morality focuses on caring for others and on upholding laws and social rules, simply because they are laws and rules |
|
|
Term
| postconventional morality |
|
Definition
| moral life stage achieved with abstract reasoning of formal operational thought. Actions are judged right because they flow from people's rights or from self-defined, basic ethical principles |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| psychologist who theorized that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution. ex. adolescents must synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of self |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her adility to reproduce declines |
|
|
Term
| crystallized intelligence |
|
Definition
| our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood |
|
|
