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Psych/Soc MCAT
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| anterior pituitary gland | releases hormones that regulate activities of endocrine glands; controlled by hypothalamus |
| posterior putuitary | oxytocin and ADH |
| adrenal cortex | produces many hormones called corticosteroids, including the stress hormone cortisol |
| adrenal medulla | releases epinephrine and norepinephrine as part of the sympathetic nervous system |
| symptoms of opioid withdrawal | increased perspiration, tremors, increased anxiety, pupillary dilation |
| drive-reduction theory | a theory that explains motivation as being based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable internal states |
| external locus of control | the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate |
| social learning | process of altering behavior by observing and imitating the behavior of others |
| operant conditioning | a form of associative learning in which the frequency of behavior is modified using reinforcement or punishment |
| gender schemata | organized sets of beliefs and expectations about males and females that influence the kinds of information they will attend to and remember |
| social constructionism | a theoretical approach that uncovers the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the formation of their perceived social reality |
| Hans Eysenck | personality theorist; asserted that personality is largely determined by genes, used introversion/extroversion |
| Abraham Maslow | humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization" |
| B.F. Skinner | behaviorist that developed the theory of operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats |
| Gordon Allport | trait theory of personality; 3 levels of traits: cardinal, central, and secondary |
| Foot-in-the-Door technique | asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment |
| fixed-ratio schedule | reinforce a behavior after a specific number of performances of that behavior |
| variable-ratio | reinforce a behavior after unpredictable number of responses |
| fixed-interval | reinforce the first instance of a behavior after a specified time period has elapsed |
| variable-interval | reinforce a behavior the first time that behavior is performed after a varying interval of time |
| sensory memory | visual and auditory stimuli briefly stored in memory; fades very quickly unless attention is paid to the information |
| working memory | form of memory that allows limited amount of information in short term memory to be manipulated |
| implicit memory | memory that does not require a conscious recall; consists of skills and continued behaviors |
| explicit memory | memory that requires conscious recall, divided into facts (sematic memory) and experiences (episodic memory); also known as declarative memory |
| construct validity | the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure |
| external validity | extent to which we can generalize finding to real-world settings |
| criterion validity | the extent to which a measure is related to an outcome |
| randomization | the best defense against bias, in which each individual is given a fair, random chance of selection |
| symbolic interactionism | the view that an individual's experiences influence his or her perceptions |
| causation bias | the tendency to assume a cause and effect relationship |
| confirmation bias | the tendency to favor information that supports views people already hold |
| functional fixedness | the tendency to see objects as serving only the purposed they were designed for |
| hindsight bias | the tendency to believe that past events were highly predictable, even though those events were not predictable before they occured |
| inherent limitations | limitations of risk management, control, and governance related to human judgement, resource limitations, and the need to balance the costs of controls in relation to expected benefits |
| independent variable | variable that is controlled by an experimenter in order to explore its relationship to a dependent variable |
| dependent variable | the measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested |
| discrimination | behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group |
| prejudice | a negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority |
| stereotyping | the process by which people draw inferences about others based on their knowledge of the categories to which others belong |
| egoism | the tendency to see things in relation to oneself; self-centeredness |
| positive punishment | the administration of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior's recurring |
| negative punishment | the removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior's recurring |
| positive reinforcement | the reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a pleasurable stimulus |
| negative reinforcement | increasing the strength of a given response by removing or preventing a painful stimulus when the response occurs |
| normative influence | conformity based on a persons desire to fulfill others' expectations, often to gain acceptance |
| informational influence | the tendency for people to conform when they assume that the behavior of others represents the correct way to respond |
| compliance | the tendency to agree to do things requested by others |
| ingratiation | the use of strategies, such as flattery, by which people seek to gain another's favor |
| deductive reasoning | reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (the sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning) |
| inductive reasoning | a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations |
| mental set | a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past |
| belief perseverance | inability to reject a belief despite clear evidence that the belief is false |
| approach-approach conflict | conflict that results from having to choose between two attractive alternatives |
| avoidance-avoidance conflict | conflict that results from having to choose between two distasteful alternatives |
| approach-avoidance conflict | conflict occurring when a person must choose or not choose a goal that has both positive and negative aspects |
| double approach-avoidance conflict | conflict in which the person must decide between two goals, with each goal possessing both positive and negative aspects |
| attribution theory | a way of explaining others' behavior by either one's disposition or one's situation |
| pure meritocracy | social stratification based on personal achievement |
| borderline personality disorder | condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control |
| manic-depressive disorder | bipolar disorder |
| schizotypal personality disorder | person that has several traits that causes interpersonal problems, including inappropriate affect, paranoid/magical thinking, off beliefs |
| major depressive disorder | a mood disorder in which a person feels sad and hopeless for weeks or months |
| brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions |
| endemic prejudice | prejudice that is deeply embedded in a society's or organization's structure, rules or practices |
| cognitive sexual dimorphism | encompass any biologically-based difference in mental skills between males and females |
| stereotype threat | a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype |
| fundamental attribution error | the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition |
| Alzheimer's disease | memory loss |
| Korsakoff's syndrome | inaccurate memories |
| Schizophrenia | a psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression |
| dissociative disorder | states of fantasy or empty mind |
| alpha waves | the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state |
| beta waves | awake and alert |
| delta waves | the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
| sleep spindles | short bursts of brain waves detected in stage 2 sleep |
| self-serving bias | the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors |
| labeling theory | the study of how labels given to individuals impact both their own self-image as well as how others view them |
| impression management | how someone presents themselves in order to control how other people perceive them |
| big five model | personality trait model that includes extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experinece |
| the somatotype personality theory | proposes that personality is based on physical attributes and body type and does not include a description of the openness trait |
| the three dichotomies of personality | extraversion vs. introversion sensing vs. intuiting thinking vs. feeling |
| the PEN model | psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism |
| natural selection | a process by which organisms evolve and adapt through differences in genetic makeup and heritable traits |
| social construct | an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society |
| cultural assimilation | the blending of traditions, languages, and behaviors of individuals and groups of different cultures, often resulting in a change in the culture itself |
| primacy effect | tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well |
| resency effect | tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well |
| egocentrism | belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group |
| ethnocentrism | belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group |
| self-concept/identity | the set of stable ideas a person has about who he or she is |
| Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs | (level 1) Physiological Needs, (level 2) Safety and Security, (level 3) Relationships, love and affection, (level 4) Self esteem, (level 5) self actualization |
| cerebrum | area of the brain responsible for all voluntary activities of the body |
| cerebellum | balance and coordination |
| medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
| pons | a brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain |
| altruism | a concern for others; generosity |
| inclusive fitness theory | refers to the idea that an organism improves their own genetic success through altruistic social behavior |
Created by:
mramsey01
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