MCAT Psyc Uworld pt 2

Cognitive component

person's beliefs and opinions about something

Behavioural component

how person acts towards something

Affective component

how person feels about something, including positive or negative emotions

Foot in the door strategy

first posing a small or easy request and then when it is granted, posing much bigger request

Door in the face strategy

first posing a big request and then when declined, posing much smaller or easier request

Cognitive dissonance

contradictory thoughts and/or behaviours cause mental discomfort, resulting in motivation to reduce discomfort by aligning those thoughts and/or behaviours

Defense mechanism

distort reality unconsciously and automatically

Denial

refusing or being unable to recognize unacceptable thoughts/behaviours

Projection

attributing unacceptable thoughts/behaviours to someone or something else

Rationalization

making excuses for unacceptable thoughts/behaviours

Regression

behaving as if much younger to avoid unacceptable thoughts/behaviours

Repression

blocking unacceptable thoughts/behaviours from consciousness

Displacement

taking out unacceptable thoughts/behaviours on safe target

Sublimation

transforming unacceptable thoughts/behaviours into acceptable thoughts/behaviours

Reaction formation

behaving in manner opposite unacceptable thoughts/behaviours

Self-actualization

fulfilling one's greatest potential

Big 5 Theory

trait theory that identifies five dimensions of personality

Openness to experience

creative, insightful, intellectually curious

Conscientiousness

organized, dependable, hardworking

Extraversion

outgoing, sociable, energetic

Agreeableness

considerate, cooperative, friendly

Neuroticism

anxious, irritable, moody

Appraisal Theory

one's evaluation of stimulus determines one's emotional response

Primary appraisal

individual classifies stimulus as threatening, positive, or irrelevant

Secondary appraisal

individual evaluates whether resources/abilities sufficient to cope with stressor

Stress

threatening or demanding stimulus that disturbs equilibrium in some way

Daily hassles

everyday occurrences that affect few people and irritating but not major stressors

Personal life event

major life transition (ex: getting married, death in family)

Environmental stressors

large-scale (affecting many people), minor, but persistent irritations

Catastrophes

large-scale major events that affect many people (natural disasters)

Approach-approach conflict

one decides between pursuing two incompatible goals that both have desirable outcomes

Approach-avoidance conflict

when one decides whether to pursue a goal that has both wanted and unwanted outcomes

Avoidance-avoidance conflict

when one decides between two alternatives that both have unwanted outcomes

General Adaptation Syndrome

describes how body reacts to stress with 3 stages of stress response

Alarm

first few minutes of stress response when stressor triggers sympathetic nervous system

Resistance

hours, days, months where body attempts to establish new equilibrium to ongoing stressor

Exhaustion

if stressor continues, prolonged stress depletes energy and results in body being more vulnerable to negative health effects

Meditation

individuals regulate awareness and attention with goal of achieving mental clarity and emotional calmness

Elaboration likelihood model

2 routes (peripheral, central) by which message can cause attitude change in receiver

Peripheral route

persuasion uses superficial tactics to influence attitudes or behaviours

Central route

attitude change after careful consideration of content of message

Social cognitive theory

people's behaviour and attitudes are learned through vicarious learning

Vicarious learning

observing a model engage in behaviour and receive consequences for that behaviour

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

excessive and uncontrollable worry about a range of events for more than 6 months

Panic Disorder

repeated, uncontrollable, and unpredictable panic attacks

Agoraphobia

intense fear of being unable to escape settings that cause feelings of panic or being trapped

Social Anxiety Disorder

intense fear of interpersonal rejection or humiliation and avoid social settings

Specific Phobia

excessive, irrational fear of specific situation or animal/object

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

obsessions and/or compulsions that occupy significant time or interfere with functioning

Obsessions

recurrent, intrusive, distressing thoughts

Compulsions

repetitive behaviours or rituals that are intended to neutralize obsessions

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

exposure to trauma that resulted or almost resulted in death or serious injury

Major Depressive Disorder

ongoing period of depressed mood and/or lack of pleasure (anhedonia) or loss of interest in activities

Schizophrenia

severe and loss of contact with reality, psychotic disorder

Delusions

fixed, false beliefs maintained despite evidence to contrary

Hallucinations

false perceptual experiences in absence of sensory stimulation

Dissociative Disorders

disruptions to memory, consciousness, and/or identity that stem from psychological origins

Dissociative Amnesia

forget important autobiographical details like name or marital status after trauma

Dissociative Fugue

individuals with dissociative amnesia travel from home and *******************

Dissociative Identity Disorder

person having two or more distinct personalities and inability to recall important autobiographical information

Parkinson's Disease

progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by loss of dopaminergic neurons in brain's substantia nigra

Motor Abnormalities

resting tremor, muscle rigidity, slowed movement, postural instability, shuffling gait

Non-motor Symptoms

cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, depressed and/or anxious mood

Biomedical Approach

suggest that physiological causes result in psychological problems and hence medical treatment needed to fix underlying problem

Biopsychosocial Model

mental disorders are result of combination or interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors

Systematic Desensitization

effective behavioural treatment for specific phobia that pairs relaxation techniques with increasingly distressing stimuli until client can face the fear

Humanistic Psychotherapy

client centered approach that aims to provide supportive environment in which clients can grow and change

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

help individuals replace negative thoughts and behaviours with healthier thoughts and behaviours

Sociology

scientific study of society

Society

patterns of relationships and activities developed by group of people who share a common way of life

Microsociology

examines small scale social phenomena and interpersonal interactions

Macrosociology

society wide institutions and large scale events that impact everyday experiences of individuals

Functionalism

structures of society work together to maintain stability and order

Conflict Theory

views society as hierarchy of competing groups, tension arises when resources like wealth and power unequally distributed throughout society

Symbolic Interactionism

microsociology theory that views society as product of social interaction

Social Constructionism

microsociological theory focused on ways societies create ideas and interpret meaning of reality

Exchange-Rational Choice

2 micro-level sociological theories, each offering explanations about human decision making

Feminist Theory

aims to explain differences in power based on gender and argues that basis for gender inequality is the organization of society into patriarchal system

Empiricism in Sociology

based on scientific method, reliance on credible results, ethical practice

quantitative

large scale numeric data that can be analyzed statistically to determine relationships between defined variables, surveys, secondary data analysis

qualitative

in-depth, non numeric data, Ethnography (observations and interviews) and focus groups

mixed methods

quantitative and qualitative approaches for more comprehensive way to understand social phenomenon

Culture

way of life through shared customs and ideas

Components of culture

values, beliefs, symbols, language, rituals

Values

what society holds as moral, desirable or important

Beliefs

ideas about what is true or sacred that help guide human behaviours

Symbol

object, word, gesture that represents or stands for something else

Language

function for interaction in society, spoken, written, and nonverbal communication and relies on symbols to represent ideas

Cultural practices

behaviours that members of society engage in like maintaining a gendered appearance or using customary greetings

Rituals

type of cultural practice wherein individuals participate in traditional behaviours associated with specific ceremony or celebration

Material culture

tangible artifacts used by society like toys, dwellings, art, machines which shape way humans behave (ex: technology)

Symbolic culture

intangible elements which shape how individuals engage with others

Dominant culture

traditional set of values, beliefs, and rituals that define society

Subculture

group of individuals whose values and practices generally align with dominant culture but who possess distinct characteristics

Counterculture

subset of society that opposes and/or rejects mainstream values and practices of dominant culture

Cultural Lag

time delay between rapid changes in material culture and slower changes in symbolic changes which create social problems

Culture Shock

feelings of disorientation, uneasiness, and fear associated with unknown culture

Assimilation

forced or voluntary process of cultural integration in which people adopt values, symbols, and rituals of dominant culture

Multiculturalism

promotes recognition and accommodation of cultures that differ from dominant culture resulting in diverse society that advocates for respect and protection of various culture to coexist

Popular culture

beliefs, trends, and behaviours that are widespread and relevant in society