Virginia Tech Psych 1004 Final Exam Geller Chapters 12-15

Social Cognition

The thoughts we have about the stimuli in our environment, which typically arise when a schema is activated.

Social Cognitive Biases

A reliance on schemas (which have solidified over time and become a bias) to make assumptions about social situations. They are often incomplete because they do not take into account numerous other factors.

Attribution

An assumption of why a person is acting the way they do.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Attributing a person's behavior to what we assume to be his or her personality rather than factors outside of that individual (E.g. the situation)

Self-serving bias

In order to maintain a positive view of ourselves we tend to take credit for our successes and blame failures on situational factors. In other words, we rely on the schema that we are generally skilled, capable, and good intentioned.

Affiliation

Connecting with others you identify with in some way (i.e. ethnicity, religiosity, political beliefs, or hobbies).

In-group

A group with which an individual is affiliated, that is, they identify with and believe they are part of that group.

Out-group

A group an individual believes he or she is not a part of or affiliated in some way.

Intergroup Bias

The tendency to favor in-groups (with which we identify) and undervalue out-groups (that we do not identify with),

In-group favoritism

Believing our in-groups are better than out-groups and favoring those in-groups through actions or thoughts.

Group-serving Bias

Accepting positive aspects of our in-group despite evidence contradicting these positive beliefs.

Attraction

Feeling interested or drawn to another person. Attraction can manifest itself through an individual's characteristics (i.e., physical, intellectual, or emotional) or social standing (i.e., popularity, power, or affiliation)

Social Comparison

Self-evaluation by comparison to others (i.e. "I'm smarter than they are" or "I'm more attractive than her/him")

Homogeneity Effect

The assumption that members of a particular out-group are "homogenous," or very similar to each other.

Stereotypes

Assumptions that members of a particular out-group share certain characteristics or behaviors.

Halo Effect

The tendency to make assumptions about a person based on a single characteristic This is best understood not in a religious sense but in terms of light - a "halo" radiating from a single source of light, like the sun.

Prejudice

Negative attitudes stemming from stereotypes.

Intergroup Contract Theory

A theory that states prejudice is based on a lack of information and more contract between groups will lead to greater understanding and less prejudice.

Discrimination

Negative actions stemming from stereotypes.

Peripheral Route

One of two paths to changing an attitude; route of attitude change attempts to intervene on beliefs that are not very strong.

Central Route

One of two paths to changing an attitude; attitude change attempts to intervene on core beliefs (e.g., personal values or other strongly held ideas)

Reciprocity

A feeling of obligation arising from the notion that we are in debt to someone when they do something to us.

Ingratiation

A conscious effort to get others to like us. This effort can take many forms, like complementing someone or taking acting more enthusiastic about their interests than you really are.

Impression Management

Actively managing the way you believe others perceive you. (e.g., buying clothes you cannot afford to convey an appearance of wealth).

Self-monitoring

Actively monitoring others' reactions and adjusting your actions to change the way you believe they perceive you.

Consistency

The pressure we feel to behave in ways which are in concert with our attitudes and beliefs or to behave in ways we know others expect us to behave.

Cognitive Dissonance

When an individual's attitudes and beliefs are not aligned.

Self-perception theory

Observing our behavior and inferring what our attitudes are based on the way we've acted.

Foot-in-the-door

Obtaining a small commitment in order to later achieve a larger request.

Door-in-the-face

Making a larger, often irrational, request in order to make the smaller request that follows seem much more reasonable.

Psychological Reactance

A reaction to fight outside influences we believe are attempting to undermine the authority we have over our own thoughts and behaviors ("you can't tell me what to do/think!")

Scarcity

An attempt to influence people by conveying the notion that something is rare, valuable, or will not always be available.

Social Facilitation

A performance boost stemming from the presence of other people - driven by feeling the need to perform well in front of others.

Social Inhibition

A decrease in performance stemming from the presence of others; when an individual performs worse because of perceived social pressures.

Diffusion of Responsibility

When responsibilities for a task within a group are unclear, and the success or failure of that group cannot be connected to any particular person's performance.

Groupthink

The tendency for the group to agree, resulting in conformity from individuals within the group who may hold a different view.

Polarization

The tendency for group members to become more rigid in their views when faced with a countering view from other group members.

Risky Shift

When groups make riskier decisions than any individual group member may make on their own, often resulting from diffusion of responsibility.

Deindividuation

A loss of individual identity within a group of people, which can lead to a disconnect with values and uncharacteristic behavior.

Scripts

A specific type of schema that tells us how to behave in situations we've encountered before.

Altruism

Helping others without expecting a tangible (physical "thing"), social, or psychological.

Bystander Effect

When a group of people are called to action a diffusion of responsibility occurs, and no one acts due to the belief that others will.

therapy

a general term for any treatment process; in psychology and psychiatry, it refers to a variety of psychological and biomedical techniques aimed at dealing with mental disorders or coping with problems of living

therapeutic alliance

the relationship between the therapist and the client, with both parties working together to help the client deal with mental or behavioral issues

psychological therapy

therapy based on psychological principles (rather than on the biomedical approach); often called "psychotherapy"

biomedical therapy

treatment that focuses on altering the brain, especially with drugs, psychosurgery, or electroconvulsive therapy

paraprofessional

individual who has received on-the-job training (and, in some cases, undergraduate training) in mental health treatment in lieu of graduate education and full professional certification

insight therapy

psychotherapy in which the therapist helps the patient/client understand (gain insight into) his or her problems

psychoanalysis

the form of psychodynamic therapy developed by Sigmund Freud. the goal of psychoanalysis is to release conflicts and memories from the unconscious

analysis of transference

the Freudian technique of analyzing and interpreting the patient's relationship with the therapist, based on the assumption that this relationship mirrors unresolved conflicts in the patient's past

neo-Freudian psychodynamic therapy

therapy for a mental disorder that was developed by psychodynamic theorists who embraced some of Freud's ideas but disagreed with others

humanistic therapy

treatment technique based on the assumption that people have a tendency for positive growth and self-actualization, which may be blocked by an unhealthy environment that can include negative self-evaluation and criticism from others

client-centered therapy

a humanistic approach to treatment developed by Carl Rogers, emphasizing an individual's tendency for healthy psychological growth through self-actualization

reflection of feeling

Carl Roger's technique of paraphrasing the clients' words, attempting to capture the emotional tone expressed

cognitive therapy

emphasizes rational thinking (as opposed to subjective emotion, motivation, or repressed conflicts) as the key to treating mental disorder

group therapy

any form of psychotherapy done with more than one client/patient at a time. it is often done from a humanistic perspective

self-help support groups

groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, that provide social support and an opportunity for sharing ideas about dealing with common problems. such groups are typically organized and run by laypersons, rather than professional therapists

behavior modification

another term for behavior therapy

behavior therapy

any form of psychotherapy based on the principles of behavioral learning, especially operant conditioning and classical conditioning

systematic desensitization

a behavioral therapy technique in which anxiety is extinguished by exposing the patient to an anxiety-provoking stimulus

exposure therapy

a form of desensitization therapy in which the patient directly confronts the anxiety-provoking stimulus (as opposed to imagining the stimulus)

aversion therapy

as a classical conditioning procedure, aversive counterconditioning involves presenting the individual with an attractive stimulus paired with unpleasant (aversive) stimulation to condition a repulsive reaction

contingency management

an operant conditioning approach to changing behavior by altering the consequences, especially rewards and punishments, of behavior

token economy

an operant technique applied to groups, such as classrooms or mental hospital wards, involving the distribution of "tokens" or other indicators of reinforcement contingent on desired behaviors. the tokens can later be exchanged for privileges, food, or other reinforcers

participant modeling

a social learning technique in which a therapist demonstrates and encourages a client to imitate a desired behavior

cognitive-behavioral therapy

a newer form of psychotherapy that combines the techniques of cognitive therapy with those of behavioral therapy

rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

Albert Ellis's brand of cognitive therapy, based on the idea that irrational thoughts and behaviors are the cause of mental disorders

positive psychotherapy (PPT)

a relatively new form of cognitive-behavioral treatment that seeks to emphasize growth, health, and happiness

active listener

a person who gives the speaker feedback in such forms as nodding, paraphrasing, maintaining an expression that shows interest, and asking questions for clarification

antipsychotics

medicines that diminish psychotic symptoms, usually by effects on the dopamine pathways in the brain

tardive dyskinesia

an incurable disorder of motor control, especially involving muscles of the face and head, resulting from long-term use of antipsychotic drugs

antidepressants

medicines that treat depression, usually by their effects on the serotonin and/or norepinephrine pathways in the brain

antianxiety drugs

a category of medicines that includes the barbiturates and benzodiazepines, drugs that diminish feelings of anxiety

stimulants

drugs that normally increase activity level by encouraging communication among neurons in the brain. stimulants, however, have been found to suppress activity level in persons with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

psychosurgery

the general term for surgical intervention in the brain to treat psychological disorders

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a treatment used primarily for depression and involving the application of an electric current to the head, producing a generalized seizure; sometimes called "shock treatment"

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

a treatment that involves magnetic stimulation of specific regions of the brain. unlike ECT, this does not produce a seizure

deinstitutionalization

the policy of removing patients, whenever possible, from mental hospitals

community mental health movement

an effort to deinstitutionalize mental patients and to provide therapy from outpatient clinics. proponents of this envisioned that recovering patients could live with their families, in foster homes, or in group homes

combination therapy

a therapeutic approach that involves both psychological and medical techniques - most often a drug therapy with a behavioral or cognitive-behavioral therapy

empirically supported treatment (EST)

treatment regimen that has been demonstrated to be effective through research. also called empirically supported therapies

stress

the physical and mental response to a stressor

stressor

a stressful event or situation

distress

the psychological reaction created by external stressors, which can be an emotional, cognitive, or behavioral response. it is part of the stress response that also includes biological and physiological reactions to stressors

cognitive appraisal

our interpretation of a stressor and our resources for dealing with it

traumatic stressor

a situation that threatens one's physical safety, arousing feelings of fear, horror, or helplessness

catastrophic event

a sudden, violent calamity, either natural or manmade, that causes trauma

terrorism

a type of disaster caused by human malevolence with the goal of disrupting society by creating fear and danger

narrative

a personal account of a stressful event that describes our interpretation of what happened and why

vicarious traumatization

severe stress caused by exposure to traumatic images or stories that cause the observer to become engaged with the stressful material

grief

the emotional response to loss, which includes sadness, anger, helplessness, and despair

integration

a final phase of grieving, in which the loss becomes incorporated into the self

targeted rejection

the exclusive, active, and intentional social rejection of an individual by others

disenfranchised grief

the emotion surrounding a loss that others do not support, share, or understand

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a delayed stress reaction in which an individual involuntarily re-experiences emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of past trauma

chronic stressor

long-lasting stressful condition

societal stressor

a chronic stressor resulting from pressure in one's social, cultural, or economic environment

burnout

a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, often related to work

job engagement

an employee's sense of being part of a meaningful work setting where her or his contribution is valued and equitably rewarded (the opposite of job burnout)

compassion fatigue

a state of exhaustion experienced by medical and psychological professionals, as well as caregivers, which leaves the individual feeling stressed, numb, or indifferent