Psychology Vocabulary Review

A set of flashcards covering key psychology vocabulary terms and definitions for exam preparation.

Aaron Beck

Psychologist who sought to reverse patients' catastrophizing beliefs through cognitive therapy.

Absolute threshold

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.

Accommodation

Adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Achievement tests

Tests designed to assess what a person has learned.

Acoustic encoding

The encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.

Addiction

Compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences.

Adolescence

The transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem.

Alpha waves

The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Amnesia

The loss of memory.

Amygdala

Two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards friends and family.

Anxiety Disorders

Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.

Cannon-Bard theory

The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion.

Client centered therapy

A humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, that uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting environment.

Cognitive dissonance theory

Theory that we act to reduce discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Conditioned response

In classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Confirmation bias

A tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and ignore contradictory evidence.

Developmental psychology

A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan.

Explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare.

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.

Operant conditioning

A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher.

Psychological Disorder

Deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

Self-actualization

One of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met.

Social psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Transduction

Conversion of one form of energy into another, such as transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses.

Withdrawal

The discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug.

Zygote

The fertilized egg that enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division.