Psychology Unit 2: Intelligence, Diagnosis, and Motivation Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering intelligence theories, normality, diagnosis, mental disorders, risk factors, treatments, emotion theories, and motivation.

Intelligent behavior

The application of cognitive skills and knowledge to learn and solve problems as well as the ability to acquire and apply said knowledge and skills to new situations.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A standard score for a person’s intelligence, measured by a specific test, based on how much the person’s test result deviates from the mean score, which is set at $100$.

General intelligence (g factor)

General mental ability that allows a person to do well on a variety of different cognitive tasks.

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences

A theory proposing multiple discrete types of intelligence that are unrelated to each other, rather than a single type of intelligence.

Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence

Sees intelligence as a person’s ability to be successful in life, to their own standard, in their own sociocultural context, featuring analytical, creative, and practical components.

Analytical intelligence

The componential sub theory involving knowing how to plan, make decisions, problem solve, use strategies, and learn new information.

Creative intelligence

The experiential sub theory relating intelligence to experiences and the capacity to deal with new situations and process information automatically.

Practical intelligence

The contextual sub theory involving using intelligence to adapt and perhaps influence the real world a person lives in.

Information-processing theory of intelligence

Also known as the cognitive approach, it focuses on the internal processes underlying intelligent behavior, specifically speed of processing, knowledge base, and mental strategies.

Normality

A situation where everything is normal or as you would expect it to be, allowing a person to assimilate appropriately into their society or culture.

Adaptive Behaviors

Age-appropriate everyday living skills that assist in a person's ability to function, become independent, and relate to others.

Maladaptive Behavior

Behaviors that interfere with a person’s ability to function daily, often used as coping mechanisms for anxiety originating from early childhood.

Mental health

A state of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals can realize their own abilities, cope with normal stresses, work productively, and contribute to their community.

Mental disorder

A clinically recognisable set of symptoms and behaviours that interfere with thoughts, emotions, and perceptions, usually requiring treatment.

Psychosis

A category of mental illness where there is some loss of contact with reality, often including hallucinations as seen in schizophrenia.

Neurosis

Nonpsychotic illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, where the individual remains in touch with reality but experiences difficulties with thoughts and feelings.

Reliability in diagnosis

The likelihood that two different clinicians would give the same diagnosis to the same patient by using the same diagnostic manual and process.

Validity in diagnosis

The extent to which the diagnosis is correct and appropriate, leading to treatment that improves the patient's state of health.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A concept where a person diagnosed with a disorder may begin to demonstrate symptoms due to the belief that they actually have that disorder.

Sick-role bias

The clinician's assumption that if a person seeks assistance at a clinic, they must have a mental illness that needs to be identified.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to gather evidence that confirms preexisting expectations while dismissing or failing to seek contradictory evidence.

Specific phobia

A persistent, irrational, and intense fear of a particular object or event that is out of proportion to the actual danger posed.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)

A psychological disorder characterized by constant and excessive worrying over at least a $6$-month period that interferes with daily life.

Predisposing factors

Factors that increase vulnerability to mental disorders, including genetics, environmental exposure before birth, and ongoing chronic disease.

Precipitating risk factors

Factors that bring on a disorder, such as stressful life situations, trauma, abuse, or long-term medication use.

Perpetuating risk factors

Factors that inhibit recovery and make a condition last longer, such as alcohol use, social isolation, and poverty.

Protective factors

Factors that guard against the onset or reoccurrence of a mental disorder, such as resilience, diet, and strong social connections.

Rumination

Obsessional thinking involving excessive, repetitive thoughts or themes that interfere with other mental activities, common in OCD and GAD.

Disorganised attachment

An attachment style developed in infancy when a child learns their caregiver is not to be trusted, leading to later difficulties in emotional regulation.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Talk therapy that uses verbal and behavioural techniques to help replace dysfunctional and irrational thinking with positive, rational thoughts.

Pharmacotherapies

The use of drugs and medication to treat mental disorders, typically required when biological factors are suspected as causes.

Psychosurgery

A last-resort treatment involving the destruction or removal of brain tissue, such as a prefrontal lobotomy, to address symptoms.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

A treatment for severe depression or schizophrenia where electric shocks are administered to an anaesthetised patient through electrodes on the temples.

Placebo effect

A psychological phenomenon where a person experiences positive results from an inactive substance because they believe they are receiving real treatment.

Stigma

A negative social attitude attached to a characteristic of an individual that implies social disapproval and can lead to discrimination.

Biopsychosocial approach

A holistic approach proposing that human health is shaped by the complex interaction of biological characteristics, psychological behaviours, and social context.

Two-factor theory of emotion

Schachter and Singer’s theory that emotion is formed by the combination of physiological arousal and a cognitive label derived from the environment.

Appraisal theory

Richard Lazarus’s theory that emotions are determined by a primary evaluation of a situation's relevance and a secondary evaluation of coping ability.

Problem-focused coping

A practical perspective that looks at the causes of emotion and works out ways to reduce stress, such as evaluating pros and cons.

Emotion-focused coping

Involves strategies and efforts to reduce the negative emotional feelings associated with a stressor.

Short route of emotion

LeDoux's model where an emotional stimulus is processed by the thalamus and passed directly to the amygdala for a fast response.

Long route of emotion

LeDoux's model where sensory information from the thalamus passes to the sensory cortex, hippocampus, and then the amygdala for detailed processing.

Subjective wellbeing

How people evaluate their lives based on domains of life, global judgment, and ongoing moment-to-moment feelings.

The broaden-and-build theory

Frederickson’s theory that positive emotions broaden a person's experience and building personal resources like skills and social relationships.

Task orientation

A motivation style driven by the desire to master a skill, relying on intrinsic motivation and self-comparison.

Ego orientation

A motivation style driven by the desire to be better than others, often relying on extrinsic motivation and social comparisons.

Self-efficacy

A personal judgement or belief of how likely it is that you will succeed in a specific task or activity.