psych test 3 & final

accommodation

new scheme created / existing one altered to include new info

assimilation

new info placed into existing scheme

attachment

strong, intimate, emotional connection between people that persists over time and across circumstances

developmental study

study of changes over the life span in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior

dynamic stages theory

view that development is a self-organizing process, in which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a person & cultural & environmental contexts

habituation technique

way to study how infants categorize a series of objects, such as faces, based on the principle that after looking at objects that are all from the same category, babies will look for a longer time at objects from a new category

inequity aversion

preference to avoid unfairness when making decisions abt resources

infantile amnesia

inability to remember events from early childhood

synaptic pruning

physiological process of preserving synaptic connections that are used, and eliminating those that are not used

tertogens

agents that harm embryo or fetus

theory of mind

ability to understand that other ppl have mental states that influence their behavior

balance theory

idea that people are motivated to achieve harmony in their interpersonal relationships. A triad is balanced when the relationships are all the same direction or if two relationships are negative and one is positive.

cannon-bard theory

emotional stimuli → sent to cortex & body → emotional response and bodily reactions

cognitive dissonance

holding two conflicting beliefs, unpleasant feeling

display rules

learned through socialization, dictate which emotions are suitable

drive

state that creates arousal → satisfy a need

homeostasis

bodily functions maintain equilibrium

ideal affect

emotional and affective states that people want to feel or that cultures especially value

james-lange theory

bodily responses → specific emotion

primary emotions

emotions that are innate, evolutionarily adaptive, universal

secondary emotions

blends of primary emotions

self-efficacy

belief that efforts towards a goal will result in success

two-factor theory

label applies to physiological arounsal → experience emotion

yerkes-dodson law

psychological principle that performance on challenging tasks increases with arousal up to a moderate level. After that, additional arousal impairs performance

allostatic load

“wear and tear” on biological systems, including the stress, digestive, immune, cardiovascular, and hormonal systems, among others, after repeated or chronic stressful events

biopsychosocial model

approach to psychological science that integrates biological factors, psychological processes, and social-contextual influences in shaping human mental life and behavior

buffering hypothesis

idea that other ppl can provide direct emotional support in helping individuals cope w stressful event

emotion-focused coping

trying to avoid having emotional response to stressor

general adaptation syndrome

consistent pattern of responses to stress that consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

body system involved in stress response

immigrant paradox

pattern among immigrant communities in which foreign-born immigrants to the United States have better health than people in later generations do.

lymphocytes

specialized white blood cells: B, T, natural killer cells

primary appraisals

Part of the coping process that involves making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful, benign, or irrelevant

problem-focused coping

ppl taking steps to minimize the stressor

secondary appraisals

part of coping process: ppl evaluate response options & choose coping behaviors

tend & befriend response

tendency to protect and care for offspring and form social alliances rather than fight or flee in response to threat (more common for women)

actor/observer discrepancy

tendency to focus on situations to explain one’s own behavior but dispositions to explain that of others

bystander intervention effect

failure to help others when others are present

deindividuation

state of reduced individuality, reduced self-awareness, and reduced attention to personal standards; this phenomenon may occur when people are part of a group

elaboration likelihood model

idea that persuasive messages lead to attitude changes in either of two ways: via the central route or via the peripheral route

fundamental attribution error

when explaining other people’s behavior, the tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors

group polarization

process by which initial attitudes of group gets more extreme over time

groupthink

make bad decision in group to maintain cohesion

implicit attitudes

attitudes that influence ppls feelings & behavior at unconscious level

inclusive fitness

explanation for altruism: benefits of transmitting genes w kin selection

informational influence

tendency for ppl to conform when they believe behavior of others is the correct way to respond (asch conformity experiment)

mere exposure effect

belief that greater expose for stimulus → liking it more

normative infleunce

tendency for ppl to conform to fit in w group

outgroup homogeneity effect

tend to view outgroup members as less varies

social facilitation

idea that presence of others enhances performance

social identity theory

in groups have ppl who consider themselves members → pride through group membership

social loafing

ppl work less hard in group than working alone

stereotype threat

fear/concern over confirming stereotypes of one’s own group → impaired performance

behavior approach system (BAS)

brain system involved in pursuit of incentives/rewards

behavioral inhibition system (BIS)

brain system that monitors for threat in env → slows/inhibits behavior to be vigilant

big 5 personalities

personality can be described using five factors: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS)

brain system that responds to punishment by directing an organism to freeze, run away, or engage in defensive fighting.

humanistic approaches

an approach to studying personality: emphasizes how people seek to fulfill their potential through greater self-understanding.

idiographic approaches

person-centered approach to assessing personality: analyze individual lives & how various characteristics are integrated

interactionism

behavior is determined jointly by situations and underlying dispositions.

locus of control

ppl’s personal beliefs abt how much control they have over outcomes in their lives

nomothetic approaches

approach to assessing personality: focuses on the variation in common characteristics from person to person

projective measures

personality test: examines tendencies to respond in a particular way by having people interpret ambiguous stimuli

reciprocal determinism

theory that expression of personality can be explained by interaction of env, person factors, and behavior

sociometer

internal monitor of social acceptance or rejection

trait approaches

approach to studying personality: focus on how individuals differ in personality dispositions

antisocial personality disorder

people engage in socially undesirable behavior, are hedonistic and impulsive, and lack empathy.

psychopaths & sociopaths have this

bipolar 1 disorder

extremely elevated moods during manic episodes and, frequently, depressive episodes as well.

bipolar 2 disorder

disturbances in identity, in affect, and in impulse control.

cog-behavioral approach

diagnostic model: views psychopathology as the result of learned, maladaptive thoughts and beliefs.

diathesis-stress model

diagnostic model: a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event.

dissociative disorders

disruptions of identity, of memory, or of conscious awareness. 

dissociative identity disorder, depersonalization, derealization, and dissociative amnesia

etiology

factors that contribute to the development of a disorder

family systems model

diagnostic model: considers problems within an individual as indicating problems within the family

learned helplessness

cognitive model of depression in which people feel unable to control events in their lives

think this applies out of depression too tho

negative symptoms

symptoms of schizophrenia that are marked by deficits in normal functioning, such as apathy, lack of emotion, and slowed speech and movement.

schizophrenia

psychological disorder characterized by alterations in thoughts, in perceptions, or in consciousness, resulting in psychosis.

psychotic disorde

sociocultural model

diagnostic model: psychopathology as the result of the interaction between individuals and their cultures

applied behavioral analysis (ABA)

intensive treatment for autism w operant conditioning

behavior therapy

treatment based on the premise that behavior is learned and therefore can be unlearned through the use of classical and operant conditioning

biological therapy

treatments of psychological disorders based on medical approaches to disease (what is wrong with the body) and to illness (what a person feels as a result).

more medicine based

client-centered therapy

encourages ppl to fulfill their individual potentials for personal growth through self-understanding

CBT (cog behavioral therapy)

incorporates techniques from cognitive therapy and behavior therapy to correct faulty thinking and change maladaptive behaviors.

cog restructuring

therapy that strives to help clients recognize maladaptive thought patterns, replace w viewing world in ways more in tune w reality

dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

form of therapy: treat borderline personality disorder that combines elements of the behavioral and cognitive treatments with a mindfulness approach based on Eastern meditative practices

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

procedure involving administering strong electrical current to brain to make seizure - helps severe depression sometimes

psychodynamic therapy

form of therapy: based on freudian theory - helps clients examine their needs, defenses, motives to understand distress