AP Psych Unit 4 - Vocab Quiz #2

psychodynamic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences.

unconscious processes

mental processes occurring outside of and not available to conscious awareness

ego defense mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Denial

we refuse to perceive "reality" in order to protect ourselves from it

Displacement

divert sexual or aggressive impulses to a more acceptable person or object.

Projection

disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Rationalization

we try to create logical explanations of our behavior in order to justify it

Reaction Formation

make unacceptable impulses into their opposite, acceptable form

Regression

we retreat to behaving or thinking like a child in order to avoid adult issues

Repression

we avoid painful thoughts by forcing them into the back of our mind

Sublimation

we expend energy on prosocial activities in order to avoid undesirable activities

projective test

a personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

preconscious mind

Info that is not in conscious though, but is retrievable as needed

unconscious mind

Out of awareness, yet can dictate behavior

Humanistic psychology

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.

unconditional regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

self-actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; is the motivation to fulfill one's potential.

Social-cognitive theory

a view of behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

Self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

self-efficacy

our sense of competence and effectiveness.

self-esteem

our sense of competence and effectiveness.

Trait theories

examine characteristic patterns of behavior (traits).

Big Five theory

five traits — openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism — that describe personality.

Agreeableness

involves being sympathetic, cooperative, kind, trusting and good-natured

openness to experience

describes people who are open-minded and willing to try intellectual experiences, new ideas or creative experiences

Extraversion

associated with warmth, talkativeness, and being energetic

Conscientiousness

identifies individuals who are dutiful, dedicated to completing tasks, organized, and responsible

emotional stability

people who experience things relatively easily and without getting upset.

personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.

factor analysis

a family of statistical methods that represents the relationships among a set of observed variables in terms of a hypothesized smaller number of latent constructs, or common factors.

drive-reduction theory

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

homeostasis

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

Arousal theory

states that we are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal

optimal level of arousal

if bored, we go do something and if overstimulated, we relax. human motivation aims not to eliminate arousal but to seek optimum levels of arousal

Yerkes-Dodson law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

self-determination theory

the theory that we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

intrinsic motivation

the desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

extrinsic motivation

the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.

instinct

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.

Lewin's motivation conflicts theory

a situation in which a person is driven to make a decision based on conflicting goals

approach-approach conflict

One must choose between two equally attractive options

approach-avoidance conflict

There are both appealing and negative

aspects to the decision you have to make

avoidance-avoidance conflict

One must choose between two equally unattractive options

Sensation-seeking theory

states that such behavior is a personality trait defined by the search for experiences and feelings that are varied, novel, complex, and intense, and by the readiness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences.

thrill seeking

the tendency to pursue new and different sensations, feelings, and experiences.

Adventure seeking

a type of sensation seeking, which is the tendency to seek out thrilling activities that increase arousal.

Disinhibition

This refers to seeking excitement through social activities that may involve impulsive behaviors like partying, heavy drinking, and casual sex.

Boredom Susceptibility

People high in boredom susceptibility have a low tolerance for routine and repetitive activities, often seeking stimulation to avoid feeling bored.

Ghrelin

a hormone that increases appetite by signaling hunger to the brain

Leptin

a hormone that is primarily secreted by fat cells that regulates body fat amounts through regulation of hunger and energy expenditure throughout the body.

Hypothalamus

is responsible for orchestrating several behaviors that are considered "maintenance" behaviors (such as eating, drinking, body temperature)

pituitary gland

releases hormones that affect your growth as well as influencing the activities of other glands.

affect

a response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience

Internal and external factors

Internal attribution assumes events or behaviors are caused by internal factors, such as personality traits or abilities. External factors assume that an event or behavior is caused by situational factors, such as a person's social or physical environment.

physiological vs cognitive experiences

Physiological processes are physical and chemical functions vital for life, like respiration and digestion, while cognitive processes are mental activities related to thinking and understanding, such as memory and problem-solving.

cognitive label

An event causes physiological arousal first. You must then identify a reason for this arousal and then you are able to experience and label the emotion.

facial feedback hypothesis

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness.

Cognitive Appraisal

is a human thought process that interprets new situations, assesses those situations for potential threats and then selects the appropriate reaction to the situation.

display rules

These emotions have standard facial expressions and body languages associated with them and recognized by all

elicitors

stimuli or events that trigger an emotional response.