ap psych unit 7

motivation

need/desire that energizes and directs behavior

instinct

complex, unlearned behavior that is patterned throughout a species

drive reduction theory

a physiological need creates an aroused tension state that motivates an organism to satisfy that need

homeostasis

the tendency to maintain a balanced internal state

incentive

stimulus that motivates behavior

yerkes-dodson law

the principle that performance increases with arousal up to a certain point, then decreases

hierarchy of needs

pyramid of human needs in order of importance

glucose

blood sugar, influences hunger

set point

the point where one’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set

basal metabolic rate

the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure

sexual response cycle

4 stages of sexual responding (excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution)

refractory period

resting period after orgasm

sexual dysfunction

a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal/functioning

estrogens

female sex hormones

testosterone

male sex hormones

ostracism

social exclusion

facial feedback effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings

health psychology

provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine

catharsis

“releasing” aggressive energy relieves urges

feel good, do good phenomenon

the tendency to be more helpful when in a good mood

subjective well being

self perceived happiness/satisfaction with life

adaptation level phenomenon

the tendency to form judgements relative to a neutral level defined by prior experience

relative deprivation

the perception that we’re worse off than who we compare ourselves to

stress

how we perceive and respond to stressors

general adaptation syndrome

body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

tend and befriend response

under stress people usually provide support to others and also seek support from others

psychophysiological illness

stress related physical illness

psychoneuroimmunology

study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together and impacts health

lymphocytes

2 types of white blood cells- B form in bone marrow, T forms in thymus and other lymphatic tissue

coronary heart disease

clogging of vessels that nourish the heart

type a

competitive, hard driving, impatient

type b

easygoing and relaxed

free association

method of exploring the unconscious where the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind

psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts/actions to the unconscious

unconscious

to freud: a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts

to modern scientists: information processing we’re unaware of

id

unconscious energy that strives to satisfy sexual and aggressive drives

ego

largely conscious/executive part of personality

superego

represents internalized ideals, provides standards for judgement and future aspirations

psychosexual stages

childhood stages of development where the id focuses on erogenous zones

oedipus complex

a boys sexual desires towards his mother, jealousy towards father

identification

process when kids incorporate their parents’ values into their superegos

fixation

lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies

defense mechanisms

ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety

repression

banishing bad memories from consciousness

psychodynamic theories

modern approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious/childhood experiences

collective unconscious

carl jung’s concept of a shared/inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

projective test

a personality test that is designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

thematic apperception test (tat)

projective test where people express thoughts/interests through made up stories

rorschach inkblot test

most common projective test, seeks to identify inner feelings through the interpretation of inkblots

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate the extent that others share our beliefs/behaviors

terror management theory

theory of death related anxiety

humanistic theories

view personality with a focus on potential for personal growth

self actualization

motivation to fulfill one’s potential

unconditional positive regard

attitude of total acceptance toward another person

self concept

thoughts and feelings about ourselves

trait

characteristic pattern of behavior

personality inventory

a questionnaire to gauge a range of feelings and behaviors

minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (mmpi)

most widely used personality test, identifies emotional disorders

empirically derived test

test developed by testing a pool of items and selecting those that discriminate between groups

conscientousness

organized, careful, discipined

agreeableness

soft hearted, trusting, helpful

neuroticism

anxious, insecure, self pitying

openness

imaginative, likes variety, independent

extroversion

outgoing, likes socializing, affectionate

social cognitive perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits and social context

behavioral approach

focuses on effects of learning on personality development

reciprocal determinism

interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

positive psychology

study of optimal human functioning

self

center of personality, organizer of thoughts/feelings/actions

spotlight effect

thinking everyone is watching and judging you

self esteem

feelings of self worth

self efficacy

sense of competence and effectiveness

self serving bias

readiness to perceive oneself favorably

narcissism

excessive self love and self absorption

individualism

prioritizing your own goals over group goals

collectivisim

prioritizing group goals over your own goals

psychometrics

the field of psych that focuses on testing, measurement, assessment, etc

educational psychologist

the study of how people learn

debrief

after an experiment when the researchers go over it with participants

random sample

when every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen

ivan pavlov

discovered classical conditioning with dog experiment

john watson

founded the behaviorism perspective

top down processing

using background knowledge and expectations to interpret what we see

transduction

when sensory stimulus transforms into neural impulses

assimilation of schema

new knowledge is added to schema

accommodation of schema

altering preexisting schema

principle of conservation

knowing that a quantity doesn’t change even if its been altered

cross sectional study

type of research where you collect data from many different people at one point in time

stereotype threat

occurs when there is the opportunity for an individual to confirm a negative stereotype of a group of which she is a member

action potential

when a neuron sends information down the axon