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Psych Exam Final
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| adolescence | the transition period from childhood to adulthood |
| Amphetamines | drugs that stimulate neural activity |
| anxiety disorders | disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or unrealistic fearfulness |
| autonomic nervous system | A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system. Controls involuntary activity |
| axon | the extension of a neuron |
| basal metabolic rate | the body's resting rate of energy expenditure |
| Behaviorism | the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only |
| binocular cues of depth | cues such as retinal disparity |
| bipolar disorder | severe mood swings between major depressive episodes and manic episodes |
| bystander effect | the finding that a person is less likely to provide help when there are other bystanders |
| central nervous system | brain and spinal cord |
| cerebellum | A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills. |
| cerebral cortex | outer region of the cerebrum |
| chunking | Combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory. |
| classical conditioning | a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events |
| client centered therapy | A humanistic therapy based on Carl Roger's beliefs that an individual has an unlimited capacity for psychological growth and will continue to grow unless barriers are placed in the way. |
| clinical psychology | a branch of psychology that studies |
| cochlea | a coiled |
| cognition | all the mental activities associated with thinking |
| cognitive dissonance theory | the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent |
| cognitive theory of emotion | the theory that the cognitive interpretation of events in the outside world and stimuli from our own bodies is the key factor in emotions |
| cognitive therapy | therapy that teaches people new |
| collective unconscious | Carl Jung's concept of a shared |
| concrete operational thought | Piaget's term for the ability to reason logically about direct experiences and perceptions |
| conditioned response CR | in classical conditioning |
| conditioned stimulus CS | in classical conditioning |
| cones | detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations. |
| conformity | Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard |
| consciousness | our awareness of ourselves and our environment |
| control condition | a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment |
| corpus callosum | a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain. |
| correlation coefficient | a statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together |
| defense mechanisms | mental processes that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations |
| deindividuation | the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity |
| delusions | false beliefs |
| dendrite | the bushy |
| dependent variable | The measurable effect |
| depressants | drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions |
| developmental psychology | the scientific study of physical |
| discrimination | unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its member |
| discrimination in behaviorism | the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus |
| dissociative identity disorder | A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Also called multiple personality disorder. |
| drive-reduction theory of motivation | the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need |
| ego | your conscious mind, the part of your identity that you consider your "self." |
| egocentrism | in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view |
| emotion | the feeling that is produced in response to life experiences |
| endocrine system | Glands secrete hormones that regulate processes such as growth |
| experiment | A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process |
| experimental condition | the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment |
| figure ground relationship | The principle by which we organize the perceptual field into stimuli that stand out (figure) and those that are left over (ground). |
| formal operational thought | more systematic logical thinking and by the ability to understand and systematically manipulate abstract concepts. |
| free association | 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 |
| frontal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
| fundamental attribution error | The tendency to emphasize another person's personality traits when describing that person's motives and behaviors and overlooking the influence of situational factors. |
| General Adaptation Syndrome | Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm |
| general intelligence | is the idea that one general factor underlies intelligence |
| generalization | is the ability to use skills learned across various settings |
| generalized anxiety disorder | continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal |
| group polarization | is the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group |
| groupthink | the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives |
| Hallucinations | false sensory experiences |
| Hallucinogenic drugs | drugs that distort perception |
| health psychology | a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine |
| hierarchy of needs | Maslows basic needs |
| hippocampus | A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage. |
| hormones | chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands |
| hypothalamus | A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating |
| hypothesis | A testable prediction |
| id | a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that |
| independent variable | The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. |
| industrial psychology | the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces |
| ingroup bias | the tendency to favor our own group |
| intelligence | mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience |
| iris | Colored part of the eye |
| learning | the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors |
| lens | the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina |
| long-term memory | a type of storage that holds information for hours |
| Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) | Psychological disorder involving a significant depressive episode and depressed characteristics |
| memory | the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information |
| menarche | the first menstrual period |
| menopause | cessation of menstruation |
| mental set | a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way |
| mnemonics | memory aids |
| monocular depth cues | aspects of a scene that yield information about depth when viewed with only one eye |
| mood disorders | psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes |
| motivation | a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior |
| myelin sheath | covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses |
| nervous system | brain |
| neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
| neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons |
| observational learning | Learning by watching the behavior by another |
| obsessive compulsive disorder | An anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsession) and/ or actions (compulsions). |
| occipital lobe | A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information |
| operant conditioning | a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher |
| optic nerve | carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain |
| parasympathetic nervous system | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body |
| parietal lobes | sections of the brain located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere containing the centers for touch |
| perception | the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information |
| perceptual constancy | perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change |
| peripheral nervous system | A division of the nervous system consisting of all nerves that are not part of the brain or spinal cord. |
| personality | an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking |
| personality disorders | psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning |
| phobia | abnormal fear of something specific |
| pituitary gland | The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus |
| preconscious mind | Freud's term for what is stored in one's memory that one is not presently aware of but can access |
| prejudice | preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience |
| Preoperational thought | Piaget's second stage of cognitive development |
| primary reinforcer | any reinforcer that is naturally reinforcing by meeting a basic biological need |
| prototype | a mental image or best example of a category |
| Psychoanalysis | Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions |
| Psychology | the scientific study of behavior and mental processes |
| Psychoanalysis | Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions |
| Psychotic Disoders | a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas |
| puberty | Developmental stage at which a person becomes capable of reproduction. |
| punishment | an event that decreases the behavior that it follows |
| pupil | the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters |
| random assignment | assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance |
| rehearsal | the conscious repetition of information |
| reinforcement | in operant conditioning any event that strengthens the behavior it followsany event that strengthens the behavior it follows |
| rem sleep | Rapid eye movement sleep, Dreams, mind is awake but body stays asleep. sleep paralysis. |
| retina | the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye |
| retinal disparity | a binocular cue for perceiving depth |
| rods | retinal receptors that detect black |
| Schizophrenia | a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking |
| self-actualization | according to Maslow reaching your best self |
| self-esteem | one's feelings of high or low self-worth |
| sensation | the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment |
| sensorimotor thought | thought that is based only on sensory input and physical (motor) actions |
| sensory adaptation | diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation |
| shaping of behavior | the process of guiding learning in graduated steps using reinforcement or lack of reinforcement |
| short-term memory | activated memory that holds a few items briefly before the information is stored or forgotten |
| Sleep Disorders | serious and consistent sleep disturbances that interfere with daytime functioning and cause subjective distress |
| social facilitation | stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others |
| social learning theory | the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished |
| social loafing | the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable |
| social psychology | the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another |
| somatic nervous system | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
| stimulant | A drug that increases the action of the central nervous system |
| stress | the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events |
| super ego | part of the personality that acts as a moral center |
| Sypathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body |
| synapse | Gap between neurons |
| systematic desensitization | A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat phobias. |
| temporal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas |
| thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard |
| token economy | an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats |
| trait | a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act |
| unconditional positive regard | according to Rogers an attitude of total acceptance toward another person |
| unconditioned response (UR) | In classical conditioning the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth. |
| unconditioned stimulus | in classical conditioning a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response. |
| unconscious | according to Freud a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware. |
| Yerkes-Dodson Law | the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point |
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AdelynBybee1
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