Preklinisk Integration 2026 – Study Guide

Flashcards covering key concepts from Preklinisk integration 2026, including the biopsychosocial model, stress frameworks (Lazarus & Folkman, CATS), social psychology, cognitive biases, learning mechanisms, aggression models, research methods, and supplementary behavioral definitions.

According to the biopsychosocial perspective, what three interacting levels explain human behaviour and health?

Biological (nervous system, stress hormones, genetics, sleep, arousal), psychological (thoughts, emotions, appraisal, coping, memories), and social (relationships, social support, culture, socioeconomic circumstances).

What is the distinction between allostasis and allostatic load?

Allostasis is the active physiological process of maintaining stability through adaptation to changing demands, whereas allostatic load is the accumulated physiological wear-and-tear resulting from prolonged or repeated activation of those adaptive systems without sufficient recovery.

In Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress, what is evaluated during primary appraisal?

The individual evaluates the meaning of the situation, determining whether it represents a threat, harm/loss, challenge, or is irrelevant.

In Lazarus and Folkman's model, what is the focus of secondary appraisal?

The individual evaluates their available coping resources and potential options for managing the demands of the situation.

How do problem-focused and emotion-focused coping differ?

Problem-focused coping directly targets the source of stress to modify the external situation, whereas emotion-focused coping aims to regulate or manage the accompanying emotional distress.

What is 'response outcome expectancy' in the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS)?

An individual's expectation about whether their behavioral actions or coping responses will produce a positive outcome that successfully resolves or manages the stressful situation.

According to Gross's process model of emotion regulation, at what points can regulation occur?

By selecting or modifying situations, directing attention, cognitively reappraising events, or modifying the emotional response after it has been generated.

What criteria help distinguish a normal crisis reaction from a psychiatric disorder?

Symptom patterns, intensity, duration, persistence over time, degree of functional impairment, and alignment with established clinical diagnostic criteria.

What are the three main forms of social support identified in the study guide?

Emotional support (comfort, validation, belonging), instrumental/practical support (concrete assistance such as finances, food, or shelter), and informational support (guidance, advice, or directions).

What is Social Identity Theory?

A theory proposing that a portion of an individual's self-concept derives from perceived membership in social groups, providing meaning and belonging while potentially driving ingroup favoritism and outgroup bias.

How does normative social influence differ from informational social influence?

Normative social influence involves conforming to group expectations to gain acceptance and avoid rejection, whereas informational social influence involves looking to others as a source of accurate information in ambiguous or uncertain situations.

What is scapegoating (syndabockstänkande)?

The disproportionate or unjustified assignment of blame for complex problems to a specific individual or group, providing a simplistic explanation and uniting the ingroup.

What is upward social comparison and what negative psychological effects can it produce?

Comparing oneself to others perceived as more successful or better off, which can lead to dissatisfaction, envy, and perceived inadequacy.

What is confirmation bias (bekräftelsebias)?

The tendency to seek out, interpret, prioritize, and recall information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring or discounting contradictory evidence.

What is the availability heuristic (tillgänglighetsheuristiken)?

A mental shortcut where the likelihood or frequency of an event is judged based on how easily specific instances or examples come to mind.

What is the fundamental attribution error (fundamentala attributionsfelet)?

The systematic tendency to overestimate dispositional or internal traits and underestimate situational or external factors when explaining the behavior of others.

What is top-down processing in perception?

The cognitive process of interpreting incoming sensory information using pre-existing knowledge, expectations, prior experiences, and mental representations.

What does it mean that memory is 'reconstructive' (rekonstruktivt minne)?

Remembering is not a literal replay of encoded events; instead, it is an active reconstruction influenced by original traces, present knowledge, current expectations, and subsequent experiences.

What is the misinformation effect?

A memory distortion that occurs when misleading or incorrect information encountered after an event is incorporated into an individual's later recollection of that event.

In classical conditioning, what are extinction and generalization?

Generalization occurs when conditioned responses are elicited by stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus; extinction occurs when the conditioned response gradually weakens after repeated exposure to the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

How does negative reinforcement operate in maintaining anxiety disorders?

Avoidance of a feared situation removes or reduces immediate distress (negative reinforcement), strengthening the avoidance behavior and preventing the individual from learning that the threat is manageable.

What three components make up the A–B–C framework in functional behavioural analysis?

Antecedents (triggers, cues, or internal states preceding the act), Behaviour (the observable action performed), and Consequences (reinforcing or punishing outcomes following the action).

What three core factors predict behavioural intention in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)?

Attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms (perceptions of social expectations), and perceived behavioural control.

According to the General Aggression Model (GAM), which three internal states mediate the relationship between person/situational inputs and aggressive outcomes?

Cognition (hostile thoughts or interpretations), affect (feelings of anger), and physiological arousal.

What is the primary difference between hostile aggression and instrumental aggression?

Hostile aggression is primarily driven by anger and the direct intent to inflict harm, whereas instrumental aggression is used as a planned means to achieve an external goal, such as resources, status, or power.

What is the difference between reliability and validity in research measurement?

Reliability refers to the consistency and repeatability of a measurement instrument, whereas validity refers to whether the instrument actually measures the construct it is intended to measure and supports accurate inferences.

In an intervention study evaluated with a mixed ANOVA, what statistical effect is demonstrated when the treatment group improves significantly more over time than the control group?

A group × time interaction, indicating that the magnitude of change across repeated measurements differs between the study groups.

What is the meaning of a statistical significance threshold of $\alpha = .05$?

It is the predetermined probability threshold for rejecting the null hypothesis; an outcome with $p < .05$ suggests the observed data would be very unlikely assuming the null hypothesis were true.

Why is effect size important alongside statistical significance?

Statistical significance only indicates whether an effect is likely not zero given sample size, whereas effect size quantifies the actual magnitude or strength of the observed difference.

What is an Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis?

A strategy where all randomized participants are analyzed in the groups to which they were originally assigned, regardless of whether they dropped out, non-adhered, or completed the treatment.

What is rumination (ältande)?

Repetitively and passively focusing on symptoms of distress, negative emotions, or their possible causes and consequences without engaging in active problem-solving.

What defines learned helplessness (inlärd hjälplöshet)?

A state of passivity and reduced motivation resulting from repeated exposure to uncontrollable aversive events, producing an expectation that one's future actions cannot affect outcomes.

What is the difference between an internal and an external locus of control?

An internal locus of control attributes life outcomes to one's own efforts and actions, whereas an external locus of control attributes them to outside forces, chance, fate, or powerful others.

What is the neuroendocrine pathway of the HPA axis during a stress response?

The hypothalamus releases CRH, stimulating the anterior pituitary gland to release ACTH, which signals the adrenal cortex to release cortisol.

According to LeDoux, how do the 'low road' and 'high road' pathways for threat processing differ?

The low road is a fast, automatic subcortical pathway sending coarse sensory data straight to the amygdala for rapid defense, whereas the high road routes information through sensory cortices for slower, detailed, and conscious evaluation.

What is naive realism (naiv realism)?

The cognitive bias where individuals believe they perceive the world objectively and without bias, leading them to view those who disagree as misinformed, irrational, or biased.

What is cognitive dissonance (kognitiv dissonans)?

The psychological discomfort experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, values, or behaviors, motivating them to alter beliefs, rationalize, or reinterpret facts to restore consistency.

What is the framing effect (inramningseffekt)?

The phenomenon where individuals draw different conclusions or make different choices from equivalent information depending on whether it is presented as a potential gain or a potential loss.

How does relative deprivation differ from absolute deprivation?

Relative deprivation is the subjective perception of being unfairly disadvantaged compared to a specific reference group, which can occur even if one's objective resource needs are met.

What is the sequence of events outlined in the Family Stress Model?

External or economic pressure causes financial insecurity, which induces parental psychological distress; this distress leads to interparental conflict and strained parenting, ultimately impairing family functioning and child well-being.

What defines groupthink (grupptänk)?

A decision-making defect in cohesive groups where the drive for unanimous consensus overrides realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action and discourages critical dissent.

What is the difference between social loafing and diffusion of responsibility?

Social loafing refers to reduced individual physical or cognitive effort on shared group tasks, whereas diffusion of responsibility refers to a diminished personal moral obligation to intervene when others are present.

What is nudging in behavioral economics?

Altering the architecture of a choice environment to predictably influence human behavior without forbidding any alternatives or significantly changing economic incentives.

How does the Jigsaw Classroom (pusselmetoden) reduce intergroup prejudice?

By dividing a task into interdependent parts that require each student to master and teach a section, creating positive interdependence and requiring cross-group cooperation to succeed.

What is zero-sum thinking (nollsummespel)?

The belief that any gain achieved by one party or group inherently necessitates an equivalent loss for another party, framing situations as strictly competitive.