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Definition
| The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
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Definition
Adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information
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The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina. |
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| A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction. |
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| A desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard. |
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| A test designed to assess what a person has learned. |
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| The encoding of sound, especially the sound of words. |
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| The initial stage in classical conditioning; the phase associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to that the neutral stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned resposne. In operant conditioning, the strenghtening of a reinforced response. |
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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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Definition
| Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers' client-centered therapy. |
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| Adaptation-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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| Compulsive drug craving and use. |
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| The transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence. |
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| A pair of endocrine glands just 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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| Sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety. |
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| Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy |
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| A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier but also more error-pron use of heuristics. |
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Definition
| The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state. |
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Definition
| Unselfish regard for the welfare of others. |
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Definition
| A progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning. |
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| Drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes. |
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| Two lima bean-sized neural clusters that are componenets of the limbic system and are linked to emotion. |
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Definition
| An eating disorder in which a normal-weight person (usually an adolescent female) diets and becomes signifcantly (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 wrong-doing, even toward friends and family members. May be aggressie and ruthless or a clever con artist. |
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| Psychological disorders chasracterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety. |
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Definition
| Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding). |
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| Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. |
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Definition
| A test designed to predict a person's future perfomance; aptitude is the capacity to learn. |
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Definition
| Interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas. |
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| 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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Definition
| Learning that certain events occcur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning). |
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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 separation. |
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Term
| Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) |
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Definition
| A psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms; extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. |
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Definition
| Feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events. |
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| Suggests how we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition. |
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Definition
| The sense or act of hearing. |
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Definition
| A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of other's states of mind. |
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Definition
| Unconscious encoding of incidental information,k such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings. |
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Definition
| The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heard). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms. |
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Definition
| Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common. |
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Definition
| A type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol). |
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Definition
| The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands. |
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Definition
| At 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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Definition
| Drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement. |
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Definition
| The body's resting rate of energy expenditure. |
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Definition
| Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base. |
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Definition
| According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by approriate experiences with responsive caregivers. |
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Definition
| The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. |
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Definition
| Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors. |
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Definition
| An interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease. |
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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 (2). |
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Definition
| The tendency for one's preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning, sometimes by making invalid conclusions seems valid, or valid conclusions seem invalid. |
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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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Definition
| Depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes. |
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Definition
| A system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiologicalstate, such as blood pressure or muscle tension. |
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Definition
| A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. |
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Definition
| Periodic physiological fluctuations. |
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Definition
| Therapy that includes prescribed medications or medical procedures that act directly on the patient's nervous system. |
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Definition
| An integrated perspective that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis. |
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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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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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Definition
| Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information. |
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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. It is responsible for automatic survival functions. |
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Definition
| Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
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Definition
| An eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise. |
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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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Definition
| The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and then the subjective experience of emotion. |
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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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Definition
| Emotional release. In psychology, this hypothesis maintains that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieve 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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Definition
| The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance. |
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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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Definition
| Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. |
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Definition
| Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically. |
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Definition
| The biological clock; reuglar bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle. |
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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 (US) begins to produce a response that anticipates and prepares for the unconditioned stimulus. |
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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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Definition
| A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. |
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Definition
| A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses. |
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Definition
| A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea. |
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Definition
| All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. |
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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
| 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 clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes. |
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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 cognitive map of it. |
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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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Definition
| Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited resevoir of memory traces from our species' history. |
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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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Definition
| Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelenghts reflected by the object. |
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Definition
| The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined. |
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| 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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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 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. |
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Definition
| A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer |
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Term
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Definition
| In classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulous. |
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Term
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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
| Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea. |
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Term
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Definition
| Retinal 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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Definition
| A tendency to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions. |
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Definition
| A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas. |
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Definition
| Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. |
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Definition
| Our awareness of ourselves and our environment. |
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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 forms of objects. |
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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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Definition
| Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs. |
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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
| 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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Definition
| A binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object. The greater the inward strain, the closer the object. |
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Definition
| Alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods. |
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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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Definition
| The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying mesages between them. |
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Definition
| A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. |
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Definition
| A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being. |
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Definition
| A behavior therapy procedure that conditions new responsees to stimuli that trigger unwanted behavior; based on classical conditioning. Includes exposure therapies and aversive conditioning. |
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Definition
| The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. |
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Definition
| The behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict; 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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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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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 knowlegdge 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 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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Definition
| That 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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Definition
| The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep. |
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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 outcome factor; 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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Definition
| The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance. |
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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% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference. |
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Term
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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.
OR
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 an more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet. |
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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 (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. |
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Term
| Dissociative identity disorder (DID) |
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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 about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a 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 thoughtspassing through a sleeping person's mind. They are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, dicontinuities, and incongruities, and for the delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it. |
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Definition
| The idea that a physioogical need creates an aroused tension state that motivates an organism to satisfy the need. |
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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. Presently distributed in an updated "text revision" |
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Definition
| The presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact. |
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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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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 difficulty in taking 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 scalp. |
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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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