Psych Midterm (14, 3, 4 only)

Social Psychology

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

Attribution Theory

The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal dispositions.

Attitudes

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness.

Central Route Persuasion

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a smaller request to comply later with a larger request.

Role

A set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when 2 of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Informational Social Influence

Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness or self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Culture

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Norm

An understood rule for acceptable and expected behavior.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members.

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.

Just-World Phenomenon

The tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve.

Ingroup

'Us' - People with whom we share a common identity.

Outgroup

'Them' - Those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor our own group.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The principle that frustration creates anger, which can generate aggression.

Social Script

Culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.

Passionate Love

An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship.

Compassionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

Equity

A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to get it.

Self-Disclosure

Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Reciprocity Norm

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

Social Responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those needing their help.

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

Social Trap

A situation in which conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Mirror Image Perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting people.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction, a strategy designed to decrease international tensions.

Biological Psychology

The scientific study of the links between biological processes and psychological processes.

Neuron

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

Dendrites

A neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Axon

The neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

Myelin Sheath

A fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons.

Action Potential

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

Refractory Period

A period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.

Threshold

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

All-or-None Response

A neuron’s reaction of either firing or not firing.

Synapse

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.

Reuptake

A neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron.

Endorphins

Natural opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure.

Agonist

A molecule that stimulates a response by binding to a receptor site.

Antagonist

A molecule that inhibits or blocks a response by binding to a receptor site.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The brain and the spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.

Nerves

Bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

Motor Neurons

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

Interneurons

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Somatic Nervous System

The division of the PNS that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The part of the PNS that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The division of ANS that arouses the body in stressful situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The division of the ANS that calms the body, conserving energy.

Reflex

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus.

Endocrine System

The body’s slow chemical communication system.

Hormones

Chemical messengers manufactured by the endocrine glands.

Adrenal Glands

A pair of endocrine glands that secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system’s most influential gland.

Lesion

Tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface.

CT Scan

A series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles to create a composite representation of a slice of the brain's structure.

PET Scan

A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task.

MRI

A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue.

fMRI

A technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.

Brainstem

The oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Thalamus

The brain's sensory control center that directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex.

Reticular Formation

A nerve network that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Cerebellum

The part of the hindbrain that controls balance and coordination.

Limbic System

A neural system associated with emotions and drives.

Amygdala

Neural clusters linked to emotion in the limbic system.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure that directs several maintenance activities and is linked to emotion and reward.

Cerebral Cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres.

Glial Cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Frontal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex involved in speaking and muscle movements.

Parietal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex that receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Occipital Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex that includes areas responsible for receiving visual information.

Temporal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex that includes the auditory areas.

Motor Cortex

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement.

Somatosensory Cortex

Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

Association Areas

Areas of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.