psychology final exam spring semester 2025

cooperative interdependence

when people or groups rely on each other to reach a goal

How did Sherif reduce prejudice in the Robber’s Cave study?

Sherif got two groups of boys to stop disliking each other by making them work together to solve problems

jigsaw classroom

to eliminate competition and introduce cooperation in classrooms (group of students have unique skills, must cooperate to succeed)

drive theory of aggression

aggression results from situations that stimulate the internal motive to harm others

catharsis

the idea that letting out anger (like yelling or watching violence) lowers aggression—but it actually increases it

frustration-aggression hypothesis

frustration increases probability of aggressive behavior

Similarity

birds of a feather flock together

Proximity

liking those who are near us

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to a person increases our liking for the person (College students shown pictures of faces → liking measured, mirror image study)

bystander effect

the presence of other people makes it less likely that anyone will help a stranger in distress

Diffusion of responsibility

the presence of other people makes each individual feel less personally responsible (seizure study)

Pluralistic ignorance

bystanders assume nothing is wrong in an emergency because other bystanders don’t appear concerned (smoke filled room study)

Evaluation apprehension

concern about social approval or disapproval

psychoanalytic perspective of personality

explains personality based on hidden (unconscious) thoughts and early childhood

 What 2 factors did Freud emphasize in the development of personality?

Unconscious mind and early childhood experiences

the unconscious

impulses, wishes, and memories of which people are not consciously aware but affect thoughts and behavior

Id

basic wants and needs; seeks pleasure

Ego

balances needs with reality; waits for the right time

Superego

your sense of right and wrong; your conscience

Oral stage

birth to 18 months, explore the world through mouth, dependence, trust, oral fixation

Anal stage

18 months to 3 years, conflict with parents about compliance and defiance, attitudes toward order and disorder, anal fixation

Phallic stage

3 to 6 years, where a boy desires an exclusive relationship with his mother, based on oedipus complex, develop feelings of similarity and connectedness 

Oedipus complex

boy desires exclusive relationship with mother

Repression

thoughts that are too anxiety provoking to acknowledge are blocked from conscious awareness

Projection

person attributes his or her own unacknowledged feelings or impulses to other people

Rationalization

making excuses to avoid feeling bad

Displacement

directing emotions toward others that are not the real object of their feelings

Denial

refusing to acknowledge realities or emotions

 psychological determinism

all thoughts, emotions, and behaviors have causes

 Freudian slips

when hidden thoughts accidentally come out

projective tests

tests with unclear images or words where people show their hidden thoughts through their answers

Rorschach

individual views of set of inkblots and tells what each inkblot resembles

humanistic perspective of personality

Emphasizes realization of human potential

Empathy

Understanding someone’s feelings and thoughts

Unconditional positive regard

Valuing someone no matter what

Openness to experience

imaginative, witty

Conscientiousness

cautious, dependable

Extraversion

 enthusiastic, sociable

Agreeableness

friendly, cooperative

Neuroticism

nervous, worrying

DSM

Used to make clinical diagnoses (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders)

labeling theory

psychiatric diagnosis is a way of labeling individuals a society considers deviant

Rosenhan’s study

faked symptoms of schizophrenia to get admitted to psychiatric hospitals, shows that psychiatric diagnoses label people even when they’re sane

anxiety disorders

Disorders with intense, frequent, or continuous anxiety

 generalized anxiety disorder

global, persistent, chronic, and excessive anxiety, constant sense of tension and fear 

panic disorder

sudden, intense fear that happens without a clear reason (panic attacks)

phobias

Irrational fear of a specific object or situation (specific phobia: fear of flying)

social anxiety disorder

intense fear of being in social or performance situation

obsessive-compulsive disorder

Recurrent obsessions and compulsion that causes distress and significantly interfere with an individual's life

Obsessions

persistent THOUGHTS

Compulsions

BEHAVIOR that must be performed

major depressive disorder

feelings of extreme sadness, emptiness, thoughts of hopelessness, depressed mood may emerge without clear trigger 

bipolar disorder

extreme mood swings, alternating between depression and mania

mania

period of abnormally euphoric mood, increased energy

schizophrenia

Severe disorder of thought, emotion, and perception associated with psychotic symptoms

 psychotic symptoms

being out of touch with reality

Delusions

strong false beliefs that aren’t based in reality

Hallucinations

seeing, hearing, or feeling things that aren’t really there

disorganized speech / word salad

skips from topic to topic

catatonic symptoms

Motor problems ( not moving or moving strangely)

Positive symptoms

presence of something not usually there (delusions, hallucinations)

Negative symptoms

absence of something (flat affect, expressionless faces)

dissociative identity disorder

at least 2 separate and distinct personalities within the same person

personality disorders

Personality traits that cause problems in many parts of life

 borderline personality disorder

Extreme variability in mood, relationships, and self perceptions, misinterpret others addictions as signs of abandonment or rejection

narcissistic personality disorder

Grandiose sense of self importance, exaggeration of abilities and accomplishments

psychoanalytic therapy

Helps people uncover hidden thoughts and feelings (talk therapy)

dream interpretation

Finding hidden meanings in dreams

free association

Saying whatever comes to mind without filtering, to reveal unconscious thoughts

humanistic therapy

Emphasizes realization of human potential

Empathy

 understanding one’s feelings

Reflection

repeating and summarizing what the person says to show understanding

behavioral therapy

treatment that changes bad behaviors using learning techniques like rewards and practice

Exposure therapy

confronts clients with what they fear (classical)

Flooding

client confronts the feared stimulus all at once  (classical)

Systematic desensitization

client taught to relax as they are gradually exposed to what they fear, uses counterconditioning (classical)

operant conditioning

uses reinforcement and punishment

Token economy

 desirable behaviors are rewarded with tokens that patients can exchange for rewards

cognitive therapy

Focuses on thought processes that are the basis of psychological symptoms

cognitive-behavioral therapy

Combines changing thoughts and behaviors

psychotherapy effective

Yes all forms are better than nothing

What drugs are used to treat schizophrenia

antipsychotic medications (dopamine antagonists)

What drug are used to treat  anxiety and depression

anti anxiety medications to calm jittery feelings and relax muscles, short term

What drug is used to treat  bipolar disorder?

Mood stabilizers to stabilize their mood

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

brief burst of electric current to induce seizure in brain, more effective than antidepressants, may give memory loss 

life change approach to measuring stress

big changes that people must adjust to

daily hassles approach to measuring stress

minor annoying events which require some degree of adjustment (poorer health)

perceived stress

how stressful you think a situation is even if others don’t see it the same way (poor health)

fight-or-flight mechanism

When animals sense danger, their bodies get ready to fight or run away

General adaptation syndrome

the body reacts to stress in stages to protect itself

Alarm

the body gets ready to deal with stress

Resistance

the body handles stress but starts to get tired

Exhaustion

 the body runs out of energy from dealing with stress too long

Tending

caring for offspring

Befriending

connecting with others for support during stress

Indirect effect model

stress leads to unhealthy behaviors in attempt to cope with stress

Direct effect model

stress directly affects the body and can cause illness

Type A behavior pattern

competitive, hostile, tense, leads to heart disease

Type B behavior pattern

relaxed less competitive

Problem focused coping

actions taken to change a stressful situation or reduce its effects