EBQ key terms

Id

The instinctual, unconscious part of personality seeking pleasure.

Ego

The rational part of personality that balances desires and reality.

Superego

The moral part of personality, representing internalized values.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies to manage anxiety or conflict.

Unconscious

Mental processes we’re unaware of that influence behavior.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Therapy focused on unconscious conflicts and childhood.

Classical Conditioning

Learning by associating two stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

Learning through rewards and punishments.

Shaping

Reinforcing small steps toward a desired behavior.

Incentive Theory

Motivation is driven by external rewards.

Behavioral Therapy

Changing behavior using learning principles.

Self-Actualization

Reaching one’s highest potential.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting others without judgment.

Positive Psychology

Study of happiness and human strengths.

Self-Determination Theory

Motivation from autonomy, competence, and connection.

Client-Centered Therapy

Therapy focused on empathy and active listening.

Encoding

Putting information into memory.

Storage

Keeping information in memory over time.

Retrieval

Getting information out of memory.

Chunking

Grouping info into larger units to improve memory.

Schema

Mental structure that organizes knowledge.

Top-Down Processing

Using expectations and experiences to interpret input.

Bottom-Up Processing

Starting with sensory input to interpret information.

Heuristics

Simple thinking shortcuts or “rules of thumb.”

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to look for info that supports beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

Believing you knew something after it happened.

Perceptual Set

Expectations that influence perception.

Framing

Way information is presented affects decisions.

Stages of Cognitive Development

Piaget’s stages of children’s thinking.

Cognitive Appraisal

How we evaluate and interpret a situation.

Stress

Physical and mental response to a challenge.

Distress

Negative, harmful stress.

Eustress

Positive, beneficial stress.

Cognitive Therapy

Changing negative thought patterns.

Social Learning Theory

Learning by watching and imitating others.

Observational Learning

Learning by observing behavior.

Reciprocal Determinism

Behavior, thoughts, and environment influence each other.

Locus of Control

Belief about control being internal or external.

Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation from within, like enjoyment.

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation from outside rewards.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to be liked or accepted.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming to be correct.

Conformity

Adjusting behavior to match group norms.

Obedience

Following orders from authority.

Arousal Theory

People seek optimal levels of arousal.

Sensation-Seeking

Desire for new and intense experiences.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Best performance occurs at moderate arousal.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s ability to succeed.

Self-Esteem

Overall feeling of self-worth.

Deindividuation

Losing self-awareness in a group.

Groupthink

Group makes poor decisions to maintain harmony.

Group Polarization

Group decisions become more extreme.

Social Loafing

Putting in less effort in a group.

Social Facilitation

Performing better when others are watching.

Situational Attribution

Explaining behavior by external causes.

Dispositional Attribution

Explaining behavior by personal traits.

Resilience

Ability to bounce back from stress.

Relative Deprivation

Feeling worse off by comparing to others.

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

Judging experiences based on past norms.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Therapy combining thoughts and behavior change.

Cerebellum

Brain part involved in balance and coordination.

Long-Term Potentiation

Strengthened brain connections from learning.

Amygdala

Brain structure involved in emotion.

Hippocampus

Brain part involved in memory.

Hypothalamus

Controls hunger, thirst, and body temperature.

Frontal Lobe

Handles thinking, planning, and decision-making.

Parietal Lobe

Processes touch and spatial information.

Occipital Lobe

Processes visual information.

Temporal Lobe

Processes hearing and language.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes body touch sensations.

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary movement.

Neurotransmitters

Brain chemicals that send messages.

Hormones

Body chemicals that influence behavior and mood.

Central Nervous System

Brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.

Brain Plasticity

Brain’s ability to adapt and change.

Sleep

State of rest important for health.

Circadian Rhythm

Body’s internal 24-hour clock.

Transduction

Turning sensory input into neural signals.

Retina

Light-sensitive layer at back of the eye.

Cochlea

Inner ear structure that detects sound.

Brain Scans

Imaging tools to view brain activity or structure.

Twin Studies

Research comparing identical and fraternal twins.

Kinesthesis

Sense of body movement and position.

Vestibular Sense

Sense of balance.

Drive-Reduction Theory

Motivation to reduce internal tension like hunger.

Fight Response

Reacting to threat with aggression.

Flight Response

Reacting to threat by escaping.

Freeze Response

Reacting to threat by becoming still.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Body’s stress response in 3 stages.

Sensory Adaptation

Reduced response to constant stimuli.

Nature

Influence of genetics on behavior.

Nurture

Influence of environment on behavior.

Adaptation (Evolutionary)

Change that improves survival.

Natural Selection

Traits that help survival are passed on.

Attachment

Emotional bond, especially between child and caregiver.

Emotion

Complex response involving feeling, behavior, and physiology.

Cultural Norms

Expected behaviors in a society.

Individualism

Valuing independence and personal goals.

Collectivism

Valuing group goals and cooperation.