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Psyc 102

Terms

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group polarization
The tendency for a group's dominant point of view to become stronger and more extreme with time
Schachter theory
A theory of emotion that argues that the cognitive interpretation, or appraisal, of a bodily reaction creates the subjective experience of emotion
personal/group discrimination discrepancy
The tendency for members of groups experiencing discrimination to minimize discrimination directed towards themselves as individuals, but to agree with others group members that discrimination against the group as a whole is significant
attitude
A positive or negative evaluation or belief held about something, which in turn may affect behaviour; are typically broken down into cognitive, affective, and behavioural components
attributions
the inference processes people use to assign cause and effect to behaviour
conformity
The tendency to go along with the wishes of the group; when people ________, their opinions, feelings, and behaviours generally start to move toward the group norm
Cannon-Bard theory
A theory of emotion that argues that body reactions and subjective experiences occur together but independently
dissociative fugue
A loss of personal identity that is often accompanied by a flight from home
Burnout
A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation
actor-observer effect
The tendency to attribute other's behaviour to internal forces and our own behaviour to external forces
achievement motive
A need that varies in strength on any given task depends on (1) expectations about success and (2) how much value a person places on succeeding at the task
antianxiety drugs
medicaions that reduce tension and anxiety; many work on the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA
ingratiation
The attempt to get someone to like you for some ulterior motive
Empirically supported treatments
Treatments or threapies that have been shown, based on extensive and well-validated research, to be effective in treating specific psychological disorders and problems
schizophrenia
A class of disorders characterized by fundamental disturbances in thought processes, emotion, or behaviour
humanistic therapy
Treatments designed to help clients gain insight into their fundamental self-worth and value as human beings; therapy is a process of discovering our own unique potential
incentive motivation
External factors in the environment - such as money, an attractive person, or tasty food- that exert pulling effects on people's actions
in-group
A group that you belong to or identify with
family therapy
A form of group therapy in which the therapist treats the family as a whole, as a kind of social system; the goals of the treatment are often to improve interpersonal communication and collaboration
aversion therapy
A treatment for replacing a positive reaction to a harmful stimulus, such as alcohol, with something negative, such as feeling nauseated
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Hans Selye's model of stress as a general. nonspecific reaction that occurs in three phases: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion
panic disorder
A condition marked by recurrent discrete episodes or attacks of extremely intense fear or dread
James-Lange theory
A theory of emotion that argues that body reactions precede and drive the subjective experience of emotions
erotic plasticity
The ability to shift from one sexual orientation to another and back
client-centered therapy
A form of humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, proposing that it is the client, not the therapist, who holds the key to psychological health and happiness; therapist's role is to provide genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathy
hardy personality
The set of traits, attitudes, and skills that make an individual less vulnerable to stress
perfectionistic personality disorder
A personality disorder characterized by an excessive and rigid need to achieve the highest level of quality in achievements
somatoform disorder
Psychological disorders that focus on the physical body
Instincts
Unlearned characteristic patterns of responding that are controlled by specific triggering stimuli in the world; not thought to an important factor in explaining goal-directed behaviour in humans
internal attribution
Attributing the cause of a person's behaviour to an internal personality characteristic
ventromedial hypothalamus
A portion of the hypothalamus that, when lesioned, causes an animal to typically overeact and gain a large amount of weight; once thought to be a kind of "stop eating," or satiety centre in the brain; its role in eating behaviour is currently unknown
agoraphobia
An anxiety disorder that cause an individual to restrict his or her normal activities; someone who has ____________ tends to avoid public places out of fear that a panic attack will occur
lymphocytes
Specialized white blood cells that have the job of attacking foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria
bulimia nervosa
An eating disorder in which the principle symptom is binge eating, followed by purging in which the person voluntarily vomits or uses laxatives to prevent weight gain
token economy
A type of behavioural therapy in which institutionalized patients are rewarded with small tokens when they act in an appropriate way; tokens can then be exchanged for certain privileges
coping
efforts to manage or master conditions of threat or demand that tax resources
manic state
A disordered state in which the person becomes hyperactive, talkative, and has a decreased need for sleep; a person in a manic state may engage in activities that are self-destructive or dangerous
major depressive episode
A type of mood disorder characterized by depressed mood and other symptoms
bystander effect
The reluctance to come to the aid of a person in need when other people are present
dissociative identity disorder (Multiple personality disorder)
A condition in which an individual alternates between what appears to two or more distinct identities or personalities
Environmental psychology
A speciality area in psychology devoted to the study of environmental effects, such as crowding or noise, on behaviour and health
sexual script
Learned cognitive programs that instruct us on how, why, and what to do in our interactions with sexual partners; their nature differ across gender and may vary across culture
erogenous zones
stimulation to these regions causes intense stimulation
cognitive therapies
Treatments designed to remove irrational beliefs and negative thoughts that are presumed to be responsible for psychological disorders
obedience
The form of compliance that occurs when people respond to the orders of an authority figure
dependent personality disorder
A personality disorder characterized by an excessive and persistent need to be taken care of by others
social influence
The study of how the behaviours and thoughts of individuals are affected by the presence of others
social facilitation
The enhancement in performance that is sometimes found when an individual performs in the presence of others
leptin
A hormone that may regulate the amount of energy stored in fat cells
polygraph
A device that measures various indexes of physiological arousal in an effort to determine whether someone is telling a lie; the logic behind the test is that lying leads to greater emotionality, which can be picked up through such measures of arousal as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and perpiration
glucose
A kind of sugar that cells require for energy production
Spontaneous remission
Improvement in a psychological disorder without treatment - that is, simply a function of the passage of time
fundamental attribution error
The fact that causal attributions tend to overestimate the influence of internal personal factors and underestimate the role of situational factors
auto-stereotyping
A belief system about discrimination that is widely shared by group members
social cognition
The study of how people use cognitive processes - such as perception, memory, thought, and emotion - to make sense of other people as well as themselves
diffusion of responsibility
The idea that when people know, or think, that others are present in a situation, they allow their sense of responsibility for action to diffuse, or spread widely, among those who are present
health psychology
The study of how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors are involved in physical health and the prevention of illness
cultural deviance criterion
Behaviour is abnormal if it violates the rules or accepted standards of society
Anxiety disorders
A class of disorders marked by excessive apprehension and worry that in turn impairs normal functioning
lateral hypothalamus
A portion of the hypothalamus that, when lesioned, causes an animal to be reluctant to eat; probably plays some role in eating behaviour, but the precise role is unknown
specific phobic disorder
A highly focused fear of a specific object or situation
group therapy
A form of therapy in which several people are treated simultaneously in the same setting
medical model
The view that abnormal behaviour is symptomatic of an underlying "disease" that can be "cured" with the appropriate therapy
free association
A technique used in psychoanalysis to explore the contents of the unconscious; patients are asked to relax and freely express whatever thoughts and feelings happen to come into their minds
Social psychology
The study of how people think about, influence and relate to other people
intrinsic motivation
Goal-directed behaviour that seems to be entirely self-motivated
statistical deviance criterion
A criterion for abnormality based on a low frequency of occurence among the members of a population
insanity
A legal term in the United States usually defined as the inability to understand that certain actions are wrong, in a legal or moral sense, at the time of a crime
Service Gap
The difference between the number of people who could benefit from receiving psychological services and those who receive them
Psychotherapy
Treatment designed to help people deal with mental, emotional, or behavioural problem
psychopathy
An alternative construct to the antisocial personality disorder; as well as criminal tendencies, it focuses on the underlying personality traits or manipulation, callousness, and impulsive thrill-seeking
generalized anxiety disorder
Excessive worrying, or free-floating anxiety, that lasts for at least six months and cannot be attributed to any single identifiable source
aerobic exercise
high-intensity activities, such as running and swimming, that increase both heart rate and oxygen consumption
meta-analysis
A statistical technique used to summarize findings across all available studies; comparisons are based on some common evaluation index, such as the numerical difference between the success rate of the treatment and control conditions
prejudice
An unrealistic negative evaluation of a group and its members
Posttraumatic stress disorder
An anxiety disorder characterized by flashbacks, avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event, and chronic arousal symptoms
aggression
Behaviour meant to harm someone
bio-psycho-social perspective
The idea that psychological disorders are influenced, or caused, by a combination of biological, psychological (cognitive) and social (environmental) factors
self-serving bias
The tendency to make internal attributions about our own behaviour when the outcome is positive and to blame the situation when our behaviour leads to something negative
bipolar disorder
A type of mood disorder in which the person experiences disordered mood shifts in two directions - from depression to a manic state
Type A
An enduring pattern of behaviour linked to coronary heart disease; the tendency to be hard driving, ambitious, easily annoyed, and impatient all seem to derive from the trait of hostility
Type B
People who experience less stress and, therefore better health outcomes
psychoanalysis
Freud's method of treatment that attempts to bring hidden impulses and memories, which are locked in the unconscious, to the surface of awareness, thereby freeing the patient from disordered thoughts and behaviours
social loafing
The tendency to put out less effort when several people are supposed to be working on a task than when only one is working
biomedical therapies
Biologically based treatments, including drug therapies, shock treatments, and, very rarely, psychosurgery
dysfunctional criterion
Behaviour is abnormal if it interferes with the ability to pursue daily activities, such as work and relationships
facial-feedback hypothesis
The proposal that muscles in the face deliver signals to the brain that are then interpreted, depending on the pattern, as a subjective emotional state
social interference
The impairment in performance that is sometimes found when an individual performs in the presence of others
obsessive-compulsive disorder
An anxiety disorder that manifests itself through persistend and uncontrollable thoughts or by the compelling need to perform repetitive acts
conversion disorder
The presense of a real physical problem, such as blindness or paralysis, that seems to have no indentifiable causes
Stress
People's physical and psychological reactions to demanding or threatening situations
cognitive dissonance
The tension produces when people act in a way that is inconsistent with their attitude; attitude changes may occur as a result of attempting to reduce this
need hierarchy
the idea popularized by Maslow that human needs are prioritized in a hierarchy, some needs, especially physiological ones, must be satisfied before others, such as the need for achievement or self-satisfaction can be pursued
alcohol myopia
A state induced by alcohol intoxication that results in more extreme social behaviours
Stressors
The demanding or threatening situations that produces stress
self-fulfilling prophecy effect
When our expectations about the actions of another person actually lead that person to behave in the expected way
Emotion
A psychological event involving (1) a physiological reaction, usually arousal, (2) some king of expressive reaction, such as a distinct facial expression, and (3) some kind of subjective experience, such as the conscious feeling of being happy or sad
sociological model
The view that abnormalities is a label that each society assigns to behaviours that it finds unacceptable, even if the behaviours are not criminal in nature
ultimate factors
Causes of behaviour that refer to the evolutionarily adaptive significance and reproductive consequences for the organism
social schema
A general knowledge structure, stored in long-term memory, that relates to social experiences or people
dissociative amnesia
A psychological disorder characterized by an inability to remember important personal information
anorexia nervosa
An eating disorder diagnosed when an otherwise healthy person refused to maintain a normal weight level because of an intense fear of being overweight
antisocial personality disorder
A personality disorder characterized by repeated criminal behaviour and a failure to learn from punishment
out-group
A group of individuals that you do not belong to or identify with
passionate love
An intense emotional state characterized be a powerful longing to be with a specific person; marked by a combination of intimacy and passion, but commitment may be lacking
behavioural therapies
Treatments designed to change behaviour through the use of established learning techniques
external attribution
Attributing the cause of a person's behaviour to an external event or situation in the environment
dissociative disorders
A class of disorders characterized by the separation of conscious awareness from previous thoughts or memories
transference
In psychoanalysis. the patient's expression of thoughts and feelings towards the therapist that are actually representative of the way the patient feels about other significant people in his or her life
antipsychotic drugs
Medications that reduce the positive symptoms of schizophernia; the majority act on the neurotransmitter dopamine
antidepressant drugs
Medications that modulate the availability or effectiveness of the neurotransmitters implicated in mood disorders; prozac, for example, increases the action of the neurotransmitter serotonin
insulin
A hormone released by the pancreas that helps pump nutrients in the blood into the cells, where they can be stored as fat or metabolized into needed energy
AIDS
Acquired immunedeficiency syndrome, a disease that gradually weakens and disables the immune system
resistance
In psychoanalysis, a patient's unconsciously motivated attempts to subvert the process of therapy
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
A treatment used primarily for depression in which a brief electric current is delivered to the brain
emotional distress criterion
Behaviour is abnormal if it regularly leads to personal distress or emotion upset
companionate love
A kind of emotional attachment characterized by feelings of trust and companionship; marked by a combination of intimacy and commitment, but passion may be lacking
mood disorder
Prolonged and disabling disruptions in emotional state
dream analysis
A technique used in psychoanalysis; Freud believed that dreams are symbolic and contain important information about the unconscious
somatization disorder
A long-lasting preoccupation with body symptoms that have no identifiable physical cause
Therapeutic alliance
The bond formed between the client and therapist in successful psychotherapy that is focused on working together constructively to solve the client's problems
Motivation
The set of factors that initiate and direct behaviour, usually toward some goal
Insight therapies
Treatments designed to give clients self-knowledge, or insight, into their psychological problems, usually through one-on-one interactions with a therapist
deindividuation
The loss of individuality, or depersonalization, that comes from being in a group
secondary drive
A drive learned by association with a primary drive (e.g. the need for money)
abnormal behaviour
An observed behaviour that is unsual, maladaptive, socially deviant, or accompanied by continuing distress
paranoid personality disorder
A personality disorder characterized by pervasive distrust of others
Gestalt therapy
Form of humanistic therapy where the client is encouraged - even forced - to express their feelings openly
proximate factors
Causes of behaviour that derive from an organism's immediate internal or external environment
set point
A natural body weight, perhaps produced by genetic factors, that the body seeks to maintain; when body weight falls below the set point, people are motivated to eat; when weight exceeds set point, people feel less motivated to eat
social support
The resources that individuals receive from other people or groups, often in the form of comfort, caring or help
social phobia
An incapacitating fear of social interactions
homeostasis
The process through which the body maintains a steady state, such as a constant internal temperature or an adequate amount of fluids
discrimination
Behaving in an unfair way toward members of another group
obesity
A weight problem characterized by excessive body fat
Primary drive
A psychological state that arises in response to an internal physiological need such as hunger or thirst
Perceived control
The amount of influence you feel you have over a situation and your reaction to it
self-perception theory
The idea that people use observations of their own behaviour as a basis for inferring their internal beliefs
DSM-IV
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or Mental Disorders, which is used for the diagnosis and classification of psychological disorders; comprises five major rating dimensions, called axes
rational-emotive therapy
A form of cognitive therapy, developed by Albert Ellis, in which the therapist acts as a kind of cross-examiner, verbally disputing the client's irrational thought processes
meta-stereotyping
A person's beliefs regarding the stereotype that out-group members hold about his or her own group
hypochondriasis
A long-lasting preoccupation with the idea that one has developed a serious disease, based on what turns out to be a misinterpretation of normal body reactions
personality disorders
Chronic or enduring patterns of behaviour that lead to significant impairments in social functioning
sexual orientation
The direction of a person's sexual and emotional attraction: homosexuality, hereosexuality, and bisexuality are all sexual orientations
systematic desensitization
A technique that uses counterconditioning and extinction to reduce the fear and anxiety that have become associated with a specific object or event; a multiple step process that attempts to replace the negative learned association with something relaxing
psychological disorder
A specific psychological problem that causes abnormal behaviour to occur
Biofeedback
Specific physiological feedback that people are given about the effectiveness of their relaxation efforts
reciprocity
The tendency for people to return in kind the feelings that are shown toward them
stereotypes
The collection of beliefs and impressions held about a group and its members
groupthink
The tendency for members of a group to become so interested in seeking a consensus of opinion that they start to ignore and even suppress dissenting views

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