A Level Psychology (AQA)

ABC model

ABC model

Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an activating event triggers an irrational belief which in turn produces a consequence i.e. an emotional response like depression

ABCDE model

extends Ellis's explanation of depression to a therapy - D stands for disputing irrational thoughts and E for the effect of disputing

acetylcholine

a neurotransmitter. In the central nervous system it plays a key role in attention and arousal. In the peripheral nervous system it causes muscles to contract

acoustically

refers to sounds or the sense of hearing

acquiescence bias

tendency for a person to respond to any questionnaire/interview item with agreement regardless of the actual content

action potential

a short increase and decrease of electrical activity in the membrane of a neuron, transmitting a signal away from the cell

Theodor Adorno

German philosopher and sociologist who came up with the theory of authoritarian personality

adrenal glands

small glands located on top of each kidney that are part of the endocrine system that release adrenaline and noradrenaline

adrenaline

a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that are often part of the immediate stress response

adrenocotricotrophic hormone

stimulates the release of cortisol from the cortex of the adrenal gland

affectionless psychopathy

a behaviour disorder in which the individual has no ability to experience shame or guilt and lacks a social conscience, meaning that they may find it easier to commit crimes

agentic shift

changing from being in an autonomous state to being in an agentic state

agentic state

a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure. This frees us from the demands of our consciences and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure

agoraphobia

intense fear of being in public places where you feel escape might be difficult

aim

a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate; the purpose of the study

Mary Ainsworth

the developer of the Strange Situation

amnesia

a loss of memory due to brain damage, disease or psychological trauma

anomalous results

data that do not fit in with the pattern of the other data

anonymity

an important aspect of confidentiality; a participant remains anonymous

antidepressant

a group of drugs which increase the production of serotonin and/or noradrenaline to reduce symptoms of depression

antisocial personality disorder

a mental health condition where a person has a repeated pattern of behaviour manipulating or violating the rights of others

anxiety

a state of emotional and physical arousal. Emotions include having worried thoughts and feelings of tension. Physical changes include an increased heart rate and sweatiness

anxiety disorders

a group of mental disorders characterised by levels of fear and apprehension which are disproportionate to any threat posed

anxiety hierarchy

a method for reducing or curing phobias as part of systematic desensitisation

approach

a way to explain behaviour

articulatory process

a component of the phonological loop which acts as an inner voice

articulatory suppression task

an activity that prevents rehearsal of words in the articulatory loop

Solomon Asch

a social psychologist who worked on social influence

asocial stage

a stage of infant development in the first few weeks of life where behaviour towards people and inanimate objects is similar

attachment

an emotional bond between two people that endures over time. Leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking

attachment type

refers to whether a person is securely or insecurely attached

augmentation principle

if a person performs an action when there are known constraints then their motive for acting must be stronger

autonomic nervous system

transmits information to and from internal bodily organs. Divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

autonomous state

being aware of the consequences of one's own actions and therefore taking voluntary control of one's own behaviour

Albert Bandura

came up with the social learning theory

bar chart

a type of graph in which the frequency of each variable is represented by the height of the bars

baseline study

a study done before an investigation to identify a starting point

behaviour checklist

in an observational study, dividing the behaviours to be observed into individual components. A form of operationalisation

behaviour geneticists

a field of study concerned with the role of genes in behaviour such as inherited factors in mental disorder or aggression

behavioural activation

a therapy for depression focusing on encouraging patients to engage in those activities they are avoiding to increase environmental reinforcement

behavioural approach

a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning

behavioural therapy

any form of therapy derived from the behaviourist model

bias

in the context of sapling when certain groups may be over or under represented within the sample selected

binding factors

elements of the situation that reduce moral strain

biological approach

a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function

biological preparedness

the ability of some organisms to associate significant combinations of stimuli, responses and reinforcers

John Bowlby

a psychoanalyst who believed that mental health and behavioural problems could be attributed to childhood

BPS code of ethics

a quasi-legal document produced by the BPS that instructs psychologists in the UK about what behaviour is and is not acceptable when dealing with human participants

Broca's area

an area of the brain in the frontal lobe usually in the left hemisphere associated with production of language

calculated value

the value of a test statistic calculated for a particular data set

candidate genes

genes involved with causing a mental disorder

capacity

the amount of information that can be held in a memory store

cartesian dualism

the distinction made between the body and mind, first systematically discussed by the philosopher Descartes

case study

a research method that involves a detailed study of a single individual, institution or event. Provides a rich record of human experience but are hard to generalise from

central executive

the component of the WMM that coordinated the activities of the three subsystems in memory and allocated processing resources to those activities

central nervous system

consists of the brain and the spinal cord and is the origin of all complex commands and decisions

cerebral cortex

the surface layer of the forebrain

chance

the extent to which something occurs randomly

chuncking

grouping sets of digits or letters into units

classical conditioning

learning by association. Occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together

client-centred therapy

a method of treatment for mental disorders where the focus is on the problem from the client's viewpoint rather than any diagnosis from the therapist

closed questions

questions for which there is a fixed choice of responses determined by the question-setter

coding

the format in which information is stored in the various memory stores

cogntive

refers to the process of thinking

cognitive approach

an approach that focuses on how our mental processes affect behaviour

cognitive behaviour therapy

a method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques

cognitive interview

a method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories using four main techniques: reinstate the context, report everything, reverse the order and change the perspective

cognitive style

an individual's characteristic way of thinking

cognitive neuroscience

the scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes

collectivist culture

a group of people who place more value on the collective rather than on the individual, and on interdependence rather than on independene

commitment

minority influence is more powerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position, such as by making personal sacrifices

co-morbidity

the presence of two or more coexisting unhealthy conditions or diseases

compliance

a superficial and temporary type of conformity where we outwardly go along with the majority view, but privately disagree with it

concordance rate

a measure of similarity between two individuals or sets of individuals on a given trait

conditioned response

in classical conditioning, the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus has been learned so that that the neutral stimulus produces the unconditioned response

conditions of worth

when a parent places limits or boundaries on their love of their children

confederate

an individual in an experiment who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the researcher

confidentiality

an ethical issue concerned with a participant's right to have personal information protected

conformity

a change in a person's behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people

confounding variables

any variable, other than the independent variable that may have affected the dependent variable so we cannot be sure of the true source of changes to the dependent variable

congruence

the aim of Rogerian therapy; when the self-concept and ideal self are seen to broadly accord or match

consistency

minority influence is most effective if the minority keeps the same beliefs, both over time and between all the individuals that form the minority

content analysis

a kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed indirectly in pictorial or verbal material. A detailed analysis is done that may involve an initial qualitative analysis to produce categories, which then can be represented with qualitative data or quantitative data analysis

continuous data

data that are not in categories, can take any value within a range

control condition

the condition in a repeated measures design that provides a baseline measure of behaviour without the experimental treatment

control group

in an experiment with an independent groups design, a group of participants who receive no treatment. Their behaviour acts as a baseline against which the effect of the independent variable may be measured

controlled observation

watching and recording behaviour within a structured environment

cost-benefit analysis

making a decision by weighing up costs against gains

counselling

a form of therapy that aims to increase a client's self-esteem through unconditional positive regard from the therapist

counterbalancing

an attempt to control for the effects of order in a repeated measures design: half the participants experience the conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order

co-variables

the variables investigated within a correlation. They are not referred to as the independent and dependent variables because a correlation investigates the association between the variables, rather than trying to show a cause and effect relationship

critical period

the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all

cross-cultural research

a kind of natural experiment in which the IV is different cultural practices and the DV is a behaviour such as attachment

cross-sectional design

one group of participants representing one section of society is compared with participants from another group

cue

a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory

cued recall test

a method of testing memory where participants are given material to be learned and then when recall is tested, they are given cues to enhance recall

cultural variations

the differences in norms and values that exist between people in different groups

culture-bound

restricted to a particular culture

deception

an ethical issue where the participant is not told the true aims of the study and thus cannot give fully informed consent

declarative memory

memories that are consciously recalled