Psych notes chapter 13

cognitive therapy

Therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions.

rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

A confrontational cognitive therapy, developed by Albert Ellis, that vigorously challenges people’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions.

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

A popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior).

group therapy

Therapy conducted with groups rather than individuals, permitting therapeutic benefits from group interaction.

family therapy

Therapy that treats the family as a system. Views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members.

regression toward the mean

The tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average.

meta-analysis

A procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies.

evidence-based practice

Clinical decision making that integrates the best available research with clinical expertise and patient characteristics and preferences.

therapeutic alliance

A bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to overcome the client’s problem.

resilience

The personal strength that helps most people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma.

Psychopharmacology

The study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior.

antipsychotic drugs

Used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorder.

antianxiety drugs

Drugs used to control anxiety and agitation.

antidepressant drugs

Used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder; often selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

A biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient.

repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

The application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity.

psychosurgery

Surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior.

lobotomy

A psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients, cutting the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to emotional centers of the brain.

social psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

attribution theory

The theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

fundamental attribution error

The tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

attitude

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

peripheral route persuasion

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.

central route persuasion

Occurs when interested people focus on arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

role

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

cognitive dissonance theory

The theory that we act to reduce discomfort when two of our thoughts are inconsistent; we can reduce dissonance by changing our attitudes.