General Psychology Qualifying Examination Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering major theories, developmental stages, and psychological principles from the General Psychology review session.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior (what people do) and mental processes (how people think, feel, remember, and perceive).

Counseling Psychology

A professional practice focused on helping people deal with everyday life challenges such as stress, relationship problems, and career transitions using guidance and therapeutic interventions.

Clinical Psychology

A field focused on the delivery of mental and behavioral healthcare, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of severe mental disorders like schizophrenia or depression.

Abnormal Psychology

The academic and research-focused scientific study of psychopathology, including the causes, symptoms, and development of mental disorders.

Principle of Scaffolding

A concept developed by Lev Vygotsky referring to giving temporary support to a learner that is gradually removed as the student gains proficiency and independence.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

A concept under Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory related to the range of tasks a learner can perform with support but not yet independently.

Anal-retentive Personality

A personality type proposed by Sigmund Freud resulting from conflicts during the Anal Stage ($1-3$ years old), characterized by being overly neat, rigid, and perfectionistic.

Oral Stage

Freud's first psychosexual stage (Birth to $2$ years) where pleasure is derived from oral stimulation like tasting and sucking; fixations can lead to dependency or aggression.

Biopsychology and Neuroscience

The study of how the brain, nervous system, and biological processes influence behavior, emotions, and cognition, including conditions like Parkinson's Disease.

Principle of Maturation

Development that unfolds naturally according to biological readiness, largely independent of cultural or environmental differences, such as children speaking their first words around $12-18$ months.

Fine Motor Skills

Skills involving the use of small muscles in the hands and fingers requiring precision, such as building an intricate castle with blocks or writing.

Gross Motor Skills

Skills involving large muscle groups for movements like running, pedaling a bicycle, or jumping.

Puberty

The biological stage of development involving physical and hormonal changes, such as the onset of menstruation (menarche) and breast development, leading to sexual maturity.

Accommodation

In Jean Piaget's theory, the process of changing or adjusting an existing mental framework (schema) because new information does not fit.

Assimilation

The process of fitting new information into an existing mental schema without changing the original framework.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erik Erikson's psychosocial stage for middle adulthood (around $40-65$ years old) focused on contributing to society and caring for others.

Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson's stage for late adulthood ($65$ onward) involving reflecting on life with a sense of fulfillment and acceptance or regret.

Cognitive Development

The area of development primarily associated with language acquisition, memory, thinking, problem-solving, and comprehension.

Attachment

The strong emotional and psychological bond between a child and their primary caregiver, a concept developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.

Principle of Self-Regulation

The ability of individuals to control and manage their own cognitive processes, including attention and problem-solving, as they mature.

Applied Psychology

The use of psychological theories and principles to solve real-world problems in settings like schools, the military, or businesses.

Consumer Psychology

An applied field studying how people think and behave when buying products or responding to marketing, often linked to Robert Cialdini's principles of persuasion.

Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology

A field specializing in employee selection, job analysis, training, and maximizing organizational efficiency.

Positive Psychology

A field associated with Martin Seligman that emphasizes well-being, character strengths, flourishing, and meaningful experiences.

Preconventional Morality

The earliest level in Lawrence Kohlberg's theory where moral decisions are based on avoiding punishment or gaining rewards.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage ($2-7$ years) characterized by symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and the use of imagination or pretend play.

Inferiority Complex

Alfred Adler's concept describing a persistent feeling of inadequacy and self-doubt, leading one to believe they are less capable than others.

Reciprocal Determination

Albert Bandura's model of the dynamic interplay between personal factors (thoughts), behavior, and environmental factors.

Rule of Prediction

The use of data or identified relationships to forecast future outcomes, such as using test scores to estimate school dropout rates.

Prenatal Development Stages

The sequence of development before birth: Germinal Stage ($0-2$ weeks), Embryonic Stage ($3-8$ weeks), and Fetal Stage ($9$ weeks to birth).

Repression

A defense mechanism where distressing memories or thoughts are unconsciously pushed into the unconscious mind to reduce anxiety.

Projection

A defense mechanism involving the attribution of one's own negative self-beliefs, faults, or unacceptable feelings onto others.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual retreats to infantile behaviors and defenses from a previous stage of development to cope with stress.

Self-concept

Carl Rogers' term for the overall perception a person has of themselves, including their self-image, ideal self, and self-worth.

Collective Unconscious

Carl Jung's term for the part of the unconscious mind containing universal experiences and symbols (archetypes) shared across all human cultures.

James-Lange Theory

A theory of emotion proposing that physical reactions occur first and that conscious emotion emerges from the brain's interpretation of that bodily feedback.

Cannon-Bard Theory

A theory of emotion stating that stimulating events trigger physiological arousal and the experience of emotion simultaneously and independently.

Two-Factor Theory

The Schachter-Singer theory stating that emotional experiences are based on physiological arousal followed by a cognitive label.

Encoding

The cognitive process of transforming sensory information into a form that can be stored in memory for later use.

Self-efficacy

The belief in one's capacity to successfully carry out specific tasks or responsibilities.

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

A theory developed by Howard Gardner proposing that individuals possess different types of intelligence, including Linguistic, Spatial, and Interpersonal.

Dendrite

The part of a neuron responsible for receiving signals from other neurons or sensory receptors and transmitting them toward the cell body.

Babinski Reflex

A newborn reflex where the toes fan out and then curl back in when the sole of the foot is gently stroked.

Choleric Temperament

One of Hippocrates' four bodily humors associated with Yellow Bile, characterized by aggression, assertiveness, and ambition.