1.

ablation removal or destruction of brain tissue in a

surgical procedure
2. absolute
threshold
intensity level at which one can detect a
stimulus 50% of the time
3. accommodation the process of modifying a schema to
account for new information; the process
of the eyes lens changing shape in order to
focus on distant or near objects
4. acetylcholine
(ACh)
a neurotransmitter involved in learning,
memory and muscle movement
5. achievement
test
a test that assesses what one has learned
6. acquisition a process in classical conditioning by
which the association of a neutral
stimulus with a natural stimulus is first
established
7. action potential the electrical process by which
information is transmitted the length of an
axon
8. activation
synthesis
the idea that dreams are the result of the
cerebral cortex interpreting and
organizing random flashes of brain
activity, originating in the lower brain
structures, especially the pons
9. adrenal gland source of the hormone norepinephrine
which affects arousal
10. affective
disorders
psychological disturbances of mood
11. afferent in neurons, another name for sensory
12. after image an image that remains after a stimulus is
removed, especially one in which the
colors are reversed
13. agonists drugs which mimic the activity of
neurotransmitters
14. alcohol the most frequently used and abused CNS
depressant in most cultures; its use affects
mood, judgment, cognition
15. all-or-nothing description of the action of neurons when
firing
16. alpha waves seen when an individual is in a relaxed,
unfocused, yet still awake state
17. amygdala limbic system component associated with
emotion, particularly fear and anger
18. anal stage Freud's pychosexual period during which a
child learns to control his bodily
excretions
19. anorexia
(nervosa)
an eating disorder in which one starves
oneself even though significantly
underweight
20. antagonist drug which blocks the activity of
neurotransmitters
21. anterograde
amnesia
loss of memory for events that occur after the
onset of the amnesia; eg, see in a boxer who
suffers a severe blow to the head and loses
memory for events after the blow
22. antisocial
personality
disorder
psychological disorder in which one
demonstrates a lack of conscience
23. anvil the middle of the three ossicles
24. aphasia impairment of language usually caused by
damage to the left hemisphere
25. applied
research
scientific investigations intended to solve
practical problems
26. arousal condition in which the sympathetic nervous
system is in control
27. artificial
intelligence
a subdiscipline of computer science that
attempts to simulate human thinking
28. assimilation interpreting new experiences in terms of
existing schema
29. association
areas
areas of the cerebral cortex which have no
specific motor or sensory repsonsibilities, but
rather are involved in thinking, memory and
judgment
30. associative
learning
learning in which an organism learns that
certain events occur together, such as my cat
knowing that she will be fed when I get home
from work
31. attachment theory developed by Harlow; types include
secure and insecure
32. attitude a relatively enduring evaluation of a person
or thing; Asch demonstrated that this doesn't
always match one's behavior
33. attraction feeling of being drawn toward another and
desiring the company of a person
34. attribution
theory
a way of explaining others' behavior by either
one's disposition or one's situation
35. auditory
canal
the area that sound waves pass through to
reach the eardrum
36. authoritarian style of parenting in which the parent creates
strict rules for the child and the child has
little or no input into determining the rules
37. autonomic
nervous
system
division of the nervous system that control
the glands and organs; its divisions arouse or
calm
38. autonomy vs.
shame and
doubt
Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to
exercise will and to do things independently;
failure to do so causes shame and doubt
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39. availability
heuristic
this cognitive shortcut features the idea that
events which are vividly in memory seem to be
more common
40. axon extension of the neuron which carries, via an
action potential, information that will be sent
on to other neurons, muscles or glands
41. babbling stage of language development at about 4
months when an infant spontaneously utters
nonsense sounds
42. basic
research
scientific investigations intended to expand
the knowledge base
43. behavioral perspective on psychology that sees
psychology as an objective science without
reference to mental states
44. belief
perseverance
situation in which one's beliefs continue
despite the fact that the ground for the beliefs
have been discredited
45. big 5
personality
factors
openness to new experience,
conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, neuroticism
46. binocular
cues
retinal disparity and convergence which
enable people to determine depth using both
eyes
47. biological perspective that stresses links between biology
and behavior
48. bipolar cells eye neurons that receive information from the
retinal cells and distribute information to the
ganglion cells
49. bipolar
disorder
mood disorder in one experiences both manic
and depressed episodes
50. blind spot point in the retinal where the optic nerve
leaves the retina so there are no rods or cones
there
51. bottom-up
processing
analysis that begins with sensory receptors
and works its way up to the brain's
integration of sensory information
52. brainstem oldest part of the brain, beginning where the
spinal cord swells upon entering the skull;
controls fundamental survival processes like
heartrate and breathing
53. bulimia eating disorder characterized by excessive
eating followed by purging
54. bystander
effect
the tendency to not offer help when needed if
others are present who do not offer help
55. Cannon-
Baird
theory of emotion that says that a stimulus
causes simultaneously psyiological arousal
and the subjective experience of an emotion
56. case study scientific investigation in which a single
subject is studied in great detail
57. CAT scan a method of creating static images of the brain
through computerized axial tomography
58. catatonic a form of schizophrenia in which the patient
has muscle immobility and does not move
59. catharsis release of aggressive energy through activity or
fantasy
60. Central
Nervous
System
consists of the brain and the spinal cord
61. cerebellum brain structure that controls well-learned
motor activities like riding a bike
62. cerebral
cortex
the fabric of interconnecting cells that
blankets the brain hemispheres; the brain's
center for information processing and control
63. chaining using operant conditioning to teach a complex
response by linking together less complex
skills
64. chunking organizing units of information into
manageable units such as memorizing a
phone number as three groups of information
248-555-1212
65. circadian
rhythm
the daily biological rhythms that occur in a 24-
hour period
66. classical
conditioning
method of learning in which a neutral
stimulus can be used to elicit a response that is
usually a natural response to a stimulus
67. client-
centered
therapy
developed by Carl Rogers, this humanistic
therapy includes unconditional positive regard
68. clinical this type of psychologist studies, assesses and
treats those with psychological disorders
69. cochlea this coiled structure in the inner ear is fluid-
filled and in it the energy from sound waves
stimulate hair cells
70. cognitive perspective on psychology that stresses the
importance of mental activities associated
with thinking, remembering, etc
71. cognitive
dissonance
theory
this says that we will suffer discomfort and act
to change the situation when our thoughts and
actions seem to be inconsistent
72. cognitive
therapy
treatment for psychological disorders that
centers on changing self-defeating thinking
73. collective
unconscious
Jung's theory that we all share an inherited
memory that contains our culture's most basic
elements
74. collectivist this adjective describes cultures in which the
individual is less important than the group
75. color
blindness
a variety of disorders marked by inability to
distinguish some or all colors
76. concrete
operations
Piaget's stage in which children learn such
concepts as conservation and mathematical
transformations; about 7 - 11 years of age
77. concurrent
validity
the extent to which two measures of the
same trait or ability agree
78. conditioned
response
in classical conditioning, the response
elicited by the conditioned stimulus
79. conditioning generally, learning in which certain
experiences make certain behaviors more or
less likely; there are two forms of this
80. conduction one type of hearing impairment caused by
mechanical problems in the ear structures
81. cones neurons in the retina that are responsible for
color vision
82. confirmation
bias
a tendency to search for information that
supports one's preconceptions
83. conformity adjusting behavior to meet a group's
standard
84. confounding
variable
extraneous factor that interferes with the
action of the independent variable on the
dependent variable
85. consciousness one's awareness of one's environment and
oneself.
86. consummate
love
includes passion, intimacy and
committment
87. control group subjects in an experiment who do not receive
application of the independent variable but
are measured nonetheless for the dependent
variable
88. convergent
thinking
a type of critical thinking in which one
evaluates existing possible solutions to a
problem to choose the best one
89. cornea the transparent outer covering of the eye
90. corpus
callosum
the fibers that connect the right and left
hemispheres, enabling them to
communicate
91. correlation the degree of relationship between two
variables
92. correlation
coefficient
a positive one near 1.0 indicates two variable
are positively related; a negative number
indicates a negative relationship; zero
indicates no relationship
93. cross-
sectional
type of study that measures a variable across
several age groups at the same time
94. crystallized term describes a type of intelligence which
applies cultural knowledge to solving
problems
95. debriefing giving participants in a research study a
complete explanation of the study after the
study is completed
96. defense mechanisms Freud's processes by which
individuals express uncomfortable
emotions in disguised ways
97. deindividuation when an individual seems to lose
himself or herself in the group's
identity
98. deinstitutionalization moving people with psychological
or developmental disabilities from
highly structured institutions to
home- or community-based
settings
99. delta waves largest brain waves, associated
with deep, dreamless sleep
100. delusion irrational, highly improbable belief
101. dendrite a branch off the cell body of a
neuron that receives new
information from other neurons
102. denial a defense mechanism in which
unpleasant thought or desires are
ignored or excluded from
consciousness
103. dependent variable the variable that the experimenter
measures at the end of the
experiment
104. depressant any agent that reduces the activity
of the CNS
105. depth perception an ability that we exercise by using
both monocular and binocular
cues
106. difference threshold also called the jnd; smallest
distinction between two stimuli
that can consistently be detected
107. diffusion of
responsibility
reduction in sense of responsibility
often felt by individuals in a group;
may be responsible for the
bystander effect
108. discrimination treating members of different
races, religions, ethnic groups
differently; usually associated with
prejudice
109. displacement defense mechanism in which
unwanted feelings are directed
towards a different object
110. dispositional
attribution
assuming that another's behavior
is due to personality factors, not
situational ones
111. dissociative fugue disorder in which one travels away
from home and is unable to
remember details of his past,
including often his identity
112. dissociative
identity disorder
also called multiple personality disorder
113. divergent
thinking
a type of creative thinking in which one
generates new solutions to problems
114. dopamine a neurotransmitter that is associated
with Parkinson's disease (too little of it)
and schizophrenia (too much of it)
115. double blind this term describes an experiment in
which neither the subjects nor the
experimenter knows whether a subject is
a member of the experimental group or
the control group
116. dreams occur most often during REM sleep; may
be caused by activation-synthesis, or
may be a way of cementing memories
117. drive reduction theory that claims that behavior is
driven by a desire to lessen drives
resulting from needs that disrupt
homeostasis
118. DSM initials of the American Psychiatric
Association's book that lists diagnostic
criteria for many psychological disorders
119. dyslexia a learning disability that results in
difficulty reading and writing
120. eardrum also called the tympanic membrane
121. echoic term that describes memory of sounds
122. EEG initials of a method of representation of
brain waves
123. ego the Latin for "I"; in Freud's theories, the
mediator between the demands of the id
and the superego
124. egocentrism in a toddler, the belief that others
perceive the world in the same way that
he or she does
125. eidetic describes a type of visual memory that is
retained for a long time; photographic
126. Electra complex counterpart to the Oedipus complex for
females
127. electroconvulsive
therapy
a treatment in which low level electric
current is passed through the brain
128. embryo early stage of human development, when
cells have begun to differentiate
129. emotion theories James-Lange, Cannon-Baird and
Singer-Schachter are three
130. encoding conversion of sensory information into a
form that can be retained as a memory
131. endocrine
system
the slow messenger system of the body;
produces hormones that affect many
bodily functions
132. endorphins neurotransmitters that give one a feeling of
well-being, euphoria or eliminate pain
133. episodic describes a type of memory that includes
specific events that one has personally
experienced
134. evolutionary perspective that stresses the value of behavior
in Darwinian terms
135. experiment form of scientific investigation in which one
variable is tested to determine its effect on
another
136. experimental
group
subjects in an experiment to whom the
independent variable is administered
137. explicit term that describes memories that can be
consciously recalled
138. external
locus of
control
this term describes what you have if your
behaviors are driven mainly by outside forces
139. extinction in classical conditioning, the process of
eliminating the previously acquired
association of the conditioned stimulus and
conditioned response
140. extraversion one of the Big 5, a personality trait orients
one's interests toward the outside world and
other people, rather than inward
141. extrinsic term that describes motivations that drive
behavior in order to gain rewards from
outside forces
142. false
consensus
a belief that others share the same opinion
about something, when actually most don't
143. feature
detection
the ability of the brain to identify specific
components of visual stimuli such as corners
or edges
144. fetal alcohol
syndrome
sometimes the result in a child of the
mother's excessive drinking while pregnant,
characterized by low birth weight, facial
abnormalities, mental retardation
145. fetus a stage in human development extending
from about ten weeks after conception to
birth
146. figure-
ground
refers to our ability to distinguish foreground
from background in visual images
147. fixed interval describes the schedule of reinforcement
wherein a worker receives a paycheck every
Friday
148. fixed ratio describes a schedule of reinforcement
wherein a worker is paid for a certain sum for
each product produced
149. flashbulb term describes a vivid memory of a personally
significant and emotionalevent
150. fluid term describes a type of intelligence used to
cope with novel situations and problems
151. foot-in-the-
door
term describes a phenomenon in which
people who agree to a small request are
more likely to later agree to a larger request
152. formal
operations
One of Piaget's stages; includes the ability to
use abstract thinking
153. fovea the central focus area of the retina
154. frequency theory of hearing which states that the rate
of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory
nerve matches the tone's frequency
155. functional
fixedness
the tendency to think about things only in
terms of their usual uses; can be a hindrance
to creative thinking
156. functionalism William James's school of thought that
stressed the adaptive and survival value of
behaviors
157. fundamental
attribution
error
tendency to attribute others' behavior to
their dispositions and our own behaviors to
our situations
158. ganglion cells their axons form the optic nerve
159. gene made of DNA, it is the basic building block
of heredity
160. general
adaptation
syndrome
Seyle's concept that the body responds to
stress with alarm, resistance and
exhaustion
161. generativity
vs. stagnation
Erikson's stage of social development in
which middle-aged people begin to devote
themselves more to fulfilling one's potential
and doing public service
162. genital stage Freud's stage of psychosexual development
when adult sexuality is prominent
163. gestalt German word for "whole", it refers to our
tendency to perceive incomplete figures as
complete
164. glial cell this acts as a support system for neurons
165. grammar a system of rules in a language
166. group
polarization
tendency of group members to move to an
extreme position after discussing an issue as
a group
167. groupthink tendency for group members to think alike
with certainty of correctness, biased
perceptions of outgroup members, and
generally defective decision-making
processes
168. hallucination a false sensory perception that seems to be
real but for which there is not an actual
external stimulus
169. hallucinogen a substance capable of producing a
sensory effect in the absence of real
external sensory stimuli
170. hemispheres we have two, right and left, and some
brain functions seem to centered in one
or the other
171. heritability the extent to which differences in a
group of a characteristic is due to
genetics, not environment
172. heuristic a useful, but unprovable, cognitive
shortcut, such as a "rule of thumb"
173. hierarchy of
needs
Maslow's theory of the most important
motivations people have
174. higher-order term describes conditioning in which the
CS for one experiment becomes the UCS
in another experiment so that another
neutral stimulus can be made to elicit the
original UCR
175. hindsight bias the tendency, after an event occurs, to
overestimate the likelihood that an event
could have been predicted
176. hippocampus limbic system component associated
with memory
177. homeostasis the steady, stable state that is the body's
regulatory processes try to maintain
178. hormone chemical substance secreted by
endocrine glands that affect body
processes
179. humanist perspective in psychology that stresses
the goodness of people and their
possibility of reaching their fullest
potential
180. hunger it is regulated by the lateral
hypothalamus and the ventromedial
hypothalamus
181. hypnosis a social interaction in which one person
suggests to another that certain events or
emotions will occur
182. hypochondriasis a disorder characterized by an
unreasonable fear that one has a serious
disease
183. hypothalamus limbic system component that regulates
hunger, body temperature and other
functions
184. hypothesis a prediction of how the an experiment
will turn out
185. iconic term that describes the memory of
images
186. id in Freud's conception, the repository of
the basic urges toward sex and agression
187. identity vs.
role
confusion
Erikson's stage during which teenagers and
young adults search for and become their true
selves
188. imprinting evidence of critical period in some animals;
they follow the first moving thing they see
after hatching
189. in-group
bias
tendency to favor one's own group over other
groups
190. incentive an external stimulus that tends to encourage
behavior
191. independent type of variable manipulated by the
experimenter
192. individualist culture in which the individual is valued
more highly than the group
193. industry vs.
inferiority
Erikson's stage between 6 and 11 years, when
the child learns to be productive
194. inferiority
complex
Adler's conception of a basic feeling of
inadequacy stemming from childhood
experiences
195. information
processing
humans accomplish this either in parallel
(unconsciously) or in serial fashion
(consciously)
196. informed
consent
agreement to participate in psychology
research, after being appraised of the
dangers and benefits of the research
197. initiative vs
guilt
Erikson's third stage in which the child finds
independence in planning, playing and other
activities
198. insanity a legal term describing one's inability to be
responsible for one's action due to the
condition of the mind
199. insight in psychoanalysis, the basic understanding
one develops of the underlying sources of
emotion or behavioral difficulty
200. insomnia inability to fall asleep or remain asleep long
enough for sufficient rest
201. instinct a complex pattern of behavior that is fixed
across a species
202. integrity vs
despair
Erikson's final stage in which those near the
end of life look back and evaluate their lives
203. Intelligence the ability to learn from experience, to use
information, to understand things
204. internal
locus of
control
people with this tned to respond to internal
states and desires; they tend to see their
successes as the result of their own efforts
205. interneurons cells in the spinal cord through which
reflexes travel without going to the brain
206. interposition monocular visual cue in which two objects
are in the same line of vision and one patially
conceals the other, indicating that the first
object concealed is further away
207. intimacy vs
isolation
Erikson's stage in which individuals form
deeply personal relationships, marry, begin
families
208. intrinsic term that describes motivations that derive
from one's interest in the object of the
motivation, rather than from rewards that
one might gain
209. introversion a personality trait that signifies that one
finds energy from internal sources rather
than external ones
210. IQ the average is 100; there are many
definitions of this attribute, including
multiple and crystallized
211. James-Lange theory of emotion in which physiological
arousal precedes the emotion
212. just
noticeable
difference
the threshold at which one can distinguish
two stimuli that are of different intensities,
but otherwise identical
213. just world phenomenon that describes the belief that
what happens to people is what they deserve
214. kinethesis sense of balance and of one's physical
position
215. latent Freud's stage of psychosexual development
occuring from about age 6 to puberty during
which little happens in psychosexual terms
216. latent
content
the hidden or disguised meaning of dreams
217. latent
learning
a change in behavior due to experience
acquired without conscious effort, s, for
example, a student using a quote in an exam
essay that the student had never tried to
memorize, though eh had encountered it in
studying
218. law of effect Thorndike's rule that behaviors which have
positive outcomes tend to be repeated
219. learned
helplessness
lack of motivation to avoid unpleasant
stimuli after one has failed before to escape
similar stimuli
220. lens a curved, transparent element of the vision
system that provides focus
221. lesion any destruction or damage to brain tissue
222. lithium in psychopharmacology, this is used to
control bipolar symptoms
223. long term refers to memory that is stored effectively in
the brain and may be accessed over an
extended period of time
224. long term
potentiation
a possible source of the formation of
memories; improvement in a neuron's
ability to transmit caused by repeated
stimulations
225. longitudinal describes research that measures a trait in a
particular group of subjects over a long
period of time
226. lucid describes a dream in which the dreamer is
aware that he or she is dreaming and is able
to influence the progress of the dream
narrative
227. mania high state of arousal, often accompanied by
poor judgment
228. manifest describes, in Freudian terms, the surface
content of a dream
229. marijuana a drug, often smoked, whose effects include
euphoria, impairment of judgment and
concentration and occasionally
hallucinations; rarely reported as addictive
230. mean numerical average of a set of numbers
231. median the middle one of a set of numbers
232. medulla part of the brain nearest the spinal cord
which controls breathing, heart rate and
blood pressure
233. memory functions associated with this include
encoding, storage and retrieval
234. mental age developed by Binet; equal to one's
chronological age times the percentage
score on an IQ test
235. mere
exposure
effect
this phenomenon causes one to prefer a
stimulus as a consequence of repeated
exposures to that stimulus, particularly is
there is no adverse result of the exposure
236. metacognition thinking about thinking
237. MMPI the initials of a long, detailed personality
inventory
238. mnemonic
device
method of improving memory by
associating new information with
previously learned information
239. mode the most commonly occurring term in a
batch of data
240. modeling the process of observing and imitating a
behavior
241. monocular terms that means "one eyed", used to
indicate the sort of of enviromental cues to
depth perception tha tonly require one eye,
for example, interposition
242. morpheme in language, the smallest unit that carries
meaning
243. motion parallax a depth cue in which the relative
movement of elements in a scene gives
depth information when the observer
moves relative to the scene
244. motivation a need or desire that energizes and
directs behavior
245. motor cortex an area of the brain, near the rear of the
frontal lobes, that controls voluntary
movement
246. motor neuron this carries information from the brain
to the muscles; also called "efferent"
247. MRI a technique that enables us to see static
images of the brain's structures; uses
magnetism to achieve this effect
248. myelin sheath a layer of fatty tissue encasing a
neuron's axon that speeds transmission
249. narcolepsy a disorder characterized by sudden sleep
attacks, often at inopportune times
250. naturalistic term refers to observations made of
individual's behavior in an everyday life
setting
251. nature vs nurture name for a controversy in which it is
debated whether genetics or
environment is responsible for driving
behavior
252. need for
achievement
desire for accomplishment, mastery of
people, ideas, things, desire for
reaching a high standard
253. need for
affiliation
desire to associate with others, to be
part of a group, to form close and
intimate relationships
254. negative
reinforcement
in operant conditioning, removing
something unpleasant in order to elicit
more of a particular behavior
255. neural network refers to interconnected neuron cells
256. neuron the fundamental building block of the
nervous system
257. neuroscience perspective on psychology that
emphasizes the study of the brain and
its effects on behavior
258. neurotransmitter a chemical that is released by a neuron
for the purpose of carrying information
across the gaps (synapses) between
neurons
259. neutral describes a stimulus in classical
conditioning that would normally not
elicit the response intended, such as the
tone in Pavlov's experiments before it
was associated with the food
260. night terrors also called sleep terror disorder, these
include the characteristic of waking abruptly
in a state of panic, usually in children, less
often in adults
261. norm an understood rule for social behavior
262. normal
distribution
describes a symmetrical, bell shaped curve
that shows the distribution of many physical
and psychological attributes
263. NREM refers to sleep during which there is no rapid
eye movement
264. obesity condition of having excess body fat resulting
in being greatly overweight
265. object
permanence
recognition that things continue to exist
even though hidden from sight; infants
generally gain this after 3 to 7 months of age
266. observational
learning
change in behavior due to watching other
people behave
267. obsessive-
compulsive
disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by
repetitive obsessions and compulsions
268. occipital this lobe contains the primary vision
processing function
269. Oedipus
complex
in Freud's theory, the conflict which results
in a boy gaining a superego and beginning
to emulate his father
270. olfactory bulb the first brain structure to pick up smell
information from the nose
271. omission
training
a procedure in which reinforcement occurs
when a specific behavior does not occur in a
fixed period of time
272. operant
conditioning
a method of influencing behavior by
rewarding desired behaviors and punishing
undesired ones
273. operational
definition
a description of an experimental variable in
such a way that the variable can be measured
and the procedure can be replicated
274. opponent
process
theory
term used in both vision theory and emotion
theory
275. optic chiasm the point in the brain where the visual field
information from each eye "crosses over" to
the appropriate side of the brain for
processing
276. optic nerve the axons of the ganglion cells form this
277. oral stage Freud's first stage of psychosexual
development during which pleasure is
centered in the mouth
278. outgroup generally, any group that one does not
belong to
279. oval window membrane at the enterance to the
cochlea through which the ossicles
transmit vibrations
280. panic disorder characterized by recurrent, unexpected
panic attacks
281. paranoid a type of schizophrenia characterized by
prominent delusions that are persecutory
or grandiose
282. parasympathetic the branch of the nervous system that
automatically calms us down when the
reason for arousal has passed
283. parietal lobe that contains the sensory cortex
284. Parkinson's
disease
this ailment, whose symptoms includes
tremors and later difficulty walking, is
caused by inability to produce dopamine
285. perception the process of organizing and
interpreting sensory information
286. peripheral
nervous system
the subsystem of the nervous system that
does not include the CNS
287. permissive describes a parenting style that is
characterized by the parent making few
demands on the child
288. person-centered therapy developed by Rogers featuring
the patient's self-discovery and
actualization; also called client-centered
289. personality a consistent pattern of thinking, acting,
feeling
290. PET scan method of brain imaging using positron
emissions
291. phallic name for Freud's stage which features
the Oedipus stage
292. phobia fear
293. phoneme in language, smallest distinctive sound
unit
294. pituitary gland that is the master gland of the
endocrine system
295. place theory the idea that different sound frequencies
stimulate different locations on the
basilar membrae
296. placebo an inert substance given to the control
group in an experiment
297. placebo effect phenomenon that some people get better
even though they receive not medication
but an inert substance which should
have no medical effect
298. plasticity the ability of the brain to adapt to
damage by reorganizing functions
299. pons part of the brain, works with the
cerebellum in coordinating
voluntary movement; neural
stimulation studied in activation
synthesis theory may originate here
300. population all of the individuals from which
subjects for an experiment may be
drawn
301. positive psychology field of study which concentrates on
good psychological traits such as
contentment and joy; it also studies
character traits such as wisdom,
integrity and altruism
302. preconscious in Freud's theory, the level of
consciousness in which thoughts
and feelings are not conscious but
are readily retrieveable to
consciousness
303. preconventional Kohlberg's stage of moral
development in which rewards and
punishments dominate moral
thinking
304. prejudice a negative attitude formed toward
an individual or group without
sufficient experience with the
person or group
305. preoperational Piaget's second stage of cognitive
development, when egocentrism
declines
306. proactive
interference
when prior learning disrupts the
recall of new information
307. projection defense mechanism in which one
disguises one's won unacceptable
impulses by attributing them to
others
308. projective term describes a personality test in
which ambiguous stimuli trigger
revelation of inner feelings,
thoughts
309. psychiatrist medical doctor who has specialized
in treating psychological disorders
310. psychoanalysis Freud's therapeutic technique
311. psychodynamic term describes the perspective on
psychology in which inner feeling
and unconscious tensions are
emphasized
312. psychopharmacology the study of the effects of drugs on
the mind and behavior
313. PTSD initials representing a disorder in
which one relives painfully stressful
events
314. punishment can be either positive or negative,
intended to reduce the occurrence of a
behavior
315. random term that describes assignment in
which all subjects have an equal
chance of being assigned to the
control group or to the experimental
group
316. rationalization "The only reason I flunked the test is
because our teacher is no good."
317. reaction formation defense mechanism in which
unacceptable impulses are
transformed into their opposite
318. REBT Albert Ellis's form of therapy for
psychological disorders
319. reciprocal
determinism
Bandura's idea that though our
environment affects us, we also affect
our environment
320. refractory period resting time; occurs in both neuron
firing and in human sexual response
321. regression defense mechanism in which one
retreats to an earlier stage of life
322. rehearsal conscious repetition of information in
order to fix it in memory, such as
practicing a list of terms to memorize
323. reinforcer in operant conditioning any event that
strengthens the behavior it follows
324. reliability in testing, the characteristic of a test
that produces consistent scores
through retesting or alternate halves
or other methods
325. REM describes sleep in which vivid dreams
typically occur; this type of sleep
increases as the night progresses
while stage 4 sleep decreases
326. representative this kind of sample accurately
reproduces the characteristics of the
population a researcher is studying
327. representativeness
heuristic
this cognitive short cut enables one to
generalization based on how closely a
stimulus matches a typical member of
a class; given a picture of a man in a
tweed jacket with a textbook, is this
man a professor or a truck driver?
328. repression defense mechanism in which painful
memories are excluded from
consciousness
329. reticular
formation
a network of cells in the brainstem
that filters sensory information and is
involved in arousal and alertness
330. retina the sensory reception system of the eye;
includes rods and cones
331. retrieval the process of recovering information stored
in memory
332. retroactive
interference
when new learning disrupts the recall of
previously-learned information
333. retrograde
amnesia
loss of memory for events that occurred
before the onset of amnesia; eg a soldier's
forgetting events immediately before a shell
burst nearby, injuring him
334. rods responsible for black and white vision
335. role-play technique in therapy and training in which
participants act out new behaviors or skills
336. rooting a reflex in which a newborn turns its head
in response to a gentle stimulus on its cheek
337. Rorschach
test
a projective test that uses inkblots as the
ambiguous stimulus
338. safety the second rung of Maslow's hierarchy;
refers to need for freedom from danger
339. scapegoat this theory says that having suffered
negative experience, an individual might
blame an innocent person or group for the
experience and subsequently mistreat the
person or group
340. scatterplot name for a graph of data points in a two
variable correlation
341. schedules of
reinforcement
these include fixed interval and variable
ratio
342. schema a collection of basic knowledge about a
category of information; serves as a means
of organization and interpretation of that
information
343. schemata plural form of schema
344. schizophrenia disorder characterized by hallucinations
and delusions
345. selective
attention
this term describes the situation when you
are focused on certain stimuli in the
environment while other stimuli are
excluded
346. self-
actualization
the highest of Malow's needs; "the full use
of talent"
347. self-concept one's idea and evaluation of oneself; this
contributes to one's sense of identity
348. self-efficacy one's ability to act effectively to bring about
desired results; from Bandura
349. self-esteem the more positive one's estimation of one's
qualities and characteristics, the higher
this is
350. self-fulfilling
prophecy
a belief or expectation that helps to make
itself true
351. self-serving
bias
he tendency to assign oneself credit for
successes but to blame failures on external
forces
352. semantics in language, study of meanings of words
353. sensorimotor describes Piaget's stage in which the child
explores the world through interaction of his
mouth and hands with the environment
354. sensory
adaptation
reduced responsiveness caused by prolonged
stimulation
355. sensory
cortex
the parts of the brain that receive
information from the sensory receptors
356. sensory
neurons
nervous system cells that receive information
from the environment
357. serial
position
effect
this tells us that the best recall of a list of
items will be of those at the beginning of the
list
358. serotonin a neurotransmitter; associated with
improved mood and other positive emotions
359. set point the point at which one's body tries maintain
weight
360. sexual
response
its four stages are excitement, plateau,
orgasm and resolution
361. shaping an operant conditioning technique in which
reinforces guide behavior to closer and closer
approximations of the desired behavior
362. short-term type of memory that holds a few items briefly
before they are lost
363. signal
detection
this theory predicts how and in what
circumstances we can detect a stimulus;
assumes there is no single threshold
364. sleep apnea a disorder characterized by cessation of
breathing during sleep
365. sleep
spindles
short bursts of brain waves detected in stage
2 sleep
366. social
exchange
a theory that suggests that our behavior is
based on maximizing benefits and
minimizing costs
367. social
facilitation
a phenomenon in which we perform simple
or well-learned tasks better when in the
presence of others
368. social
learning
a theory that suggests we learn social
behaviors by watching and imitating others
369. social norm a group's determination of socially
acceptable behavior
370. socio-
cultural
a perspective on psychology that emphasizes
effects on behavior and thinking of one's
culture and the people around one
371. somatic a division of the nervous system that
controls voluntary muscle movements
372. somatoform
disorder
any of a group of psychological
disturbances characterized by physical
symptoms for which there is not a medical
cause
373. split brain a condition in which the two brain
hemispheres are isolated by cutting the
corpus callosum
374. spontaneous
recovery
in classical conditioning the re-occurence
of conditioning after it had appeared to be
extinct
375. SSRI class of drugs used to relieve anxiety by
limiting reuptake of a neurotransmitter
376. standard
deviation
a computation of how much scores vary
around a mean
377. stereotype a set of generalizations about a group
378. structuralism school of psychology developed by Wilhelm
Wundt
379. sublimation a defense mechanism in which
unacceptable energies are directed into
socially admirable outlets, such as art
380. superego the part of the personality in Freud's theory
that is responsible for making moral
choices
381. sympathetic part of the nervous system that controls the
"flight or fight" response
382. synaptic gap space between the axon terminal of one
neuron and the receptors of the next neuron
383. syntax in language the set of rules that describe
how words are arranged to make sentences
384. TAT a projective test in which subjects look at
and tell a story about ambiguous pictures
385. temperament personality component that ranges from
very calm to very exitable
386. temporal the lobe that controls audition
387. thalamus the sensory switchboard
388. theory this organizes data and is used to make
predictions
389. threshold in a neuron, reaching this causes the
neuron to fire
390. token economy a technique in operant conditioning by
which desired behaviors receive forms of
currency that can be exchanged for rewards
391. twin studies a common method of investigating whether
nature or nurture affects behavior
392. unconditioned
response
in conditioning the behavior elicited by the
unconditioned stimulus
393. unconditioned
stimulus
in conditioning it elicits the UCR