PSYC 2301: Exam 4 Test Review

Social psychology

the scientific study of how a person’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings influence and are influenced by social groups

Social influence

the process by which the real or implied presence of others can directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an individual

Conformity

changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people

Groupthink

occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the problem with which the group is concerned

Social facilitation

positive influence of others on performance

Social impairment

negative influence of others on performance

Social loafing

people who are lazy tend not to do as well when others are also working on the same task but when working on their own perform well

Compliance

changing one’s behavior as a result of other people asking or directing for the change

Compliance techniques

foot-in-the-door, door-in-the-face, lowball, and thats-not-all

Milgram’s Obedience Experiment

participants (“teachers”) were instructed to give electric shocks to another person (“learner”), who only pretended to be shocked

Attitude

a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain person, object, idea, or situation

3 components of attitudes

Affective (emotional) component: feelings, Behavioral component: actions, Cognitive component: thoughts

Cognitive dissonance

sense of discomfort or distress that occurs when a person’s behavior does not correspond to that person’s attitudes

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency to overestimate the influence of internal factors in determining behavior while understanding situational factors

Prejudice

negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social group

Discrimination

treating people differently because of prejudice toward the social group to which they belong

3 parts of Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

intimacy, passion, and commitment

Personality

the unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel, and behave

Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic theory

based on the work of Freud; focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality; also focuses on the biological causes of personality differences; also big on early childhood development

Conscious mind

level of mind aware of immediate surroundings and perceptions

Preconscious mind

level of mind in which information is available but not currently conscious

Unconscious mind

level of mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other info is not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness are kept, Freud believed this was the most important factor in behavior and personality

Id

present at birth and completely unconscious, pleasure principle

Ego

deals with the demands of reality, mostly conscious, rational, and logical

Superego

acts as the moral center; “conscience”

Psychological defense mechanism

unconscious distortions of a person’s perception of reality that reduces stress and anxiety

5 stages of Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development

oral, anal, plastic, latency, and genital

Behaviorist view

a set of learned responses or habits

Humanistic view

the “third force” in psychology that focuses on aspects of personality that make people uniquely human, such as subjective feelings and freedom of choice

Self-actualizing tendency

the striving to fulfill one’s innate capacities and capabilities

Self-concept

the image of oneself that develops from interactions with important, significant people in one’s life. It refers to our perception of our abilities, traits, and characteristics

Big Five model of personality

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism

Behavioral genetics

field of study devoted to discovering the genetic bases for personality characteristics

Hofstede’s 4 dimensions of cultural personality

Individualism/collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance

Psychopathy

the study of abnormal behavior and psychological dysfunction

Psychological disorders

any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or harms their ability to function in daily life

Biological model

psychological disorders have biological or medical causes

Psychodynamic model

abnormal thinking and behavior stems from repressed conflicts and urges that are fighting to become conscious

Behavioral model

abnormal behavior is learned

Cognitive model

abnormal thinking and behavior comes from irrational beliefs and illogical patterns of thought

Major depressive disorder

severe depression that comes on suddenly and seems to have no external cause, or is too severe for current circumstances

Bipolar disorder

periods of mood that may range from normal to manic, with or without episodes of depression

Anxiety disorders

class of disorders where the primary symptom is excessive or unrealistic anxiety and fearfulness

Obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD)

disorder in which intruding, recurring thoughts or obsessions create anxiety that is relieved by performing a repetitive, ritualistic behavior or mental act (compulsion)

Acute stress disorder

a disorder resulting form exposure to a major, traumatic stressor

PTSD

the symptoms associated with ASD last for more than one month

Dissociative amnesia

extreme memory loss regarding personal identity caused by extensive psychological stress

Dissociative fugue

travel from familiar surroundings after traumatic event

Psychotherapy

therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem talks with a psychological professional

Insight therapies

psychotherapies in which the main goal is helping people to gain insight with respect to their behavior, thoughts, and feelings

Action therapies

psychotherapy in which main goal is to change disordered or inappropriate behavior directly

Biomedical therapies

therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem is treated with biological or medical methods to relieve symptoms

Psychoanalysis therapy

insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasizing revealing of unconscious conflicts

Psychodynamic therapy

a newer and more general term for therapies based on psychoanalysis, with an emphasis on transference, shorter treatment times, and a more direct therapeutic approach

Roger’s person-centered therapy

a nondirective insight therapy in which the client does much of the talking and the therapist listens (congruence, empathy, and unconditional positive regard)

Behavior therapies

change behavior through learning processes

Systematic desensitization

behavioral technique used to treat phobias, in which a client is asked to make a list of ordered fears and taught to relax while concentrating on those fears

Aversion therapy

form of behavioral therapy in which an undesirable behavior is paired with an aversive stimulus to reduce the frequency of the behavior

Token economy

use of objects called tokens to reinforce behavior in which tokens can be accumulated and exchanged for desired items or privileges

Cognitive therapy

the focus is on helping clients recognize distortions in their thinking and replace distorted, unrealistic beliefs with more realistic, helpful thoughts

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

action therapy in which the goal is to help clients overcome problems by learning to think more rationally and logically

Cognitive distortions

arbitrary inference, selective thinking, overgeneralization, magnification and minimalization, personalization

Group therapy

a small group of clients with similar concerns meet together with a therapist to address their issues

Family therapy

family members meet together with a counselor or therapist to resolve problems that affect the entire family

Self-help group

a group composed of people who have similar problems and who meet together without a therapist or counselor for the purpose of discussion, problem solving, and social and emotional support

Therapeutic alliance

relationship between a therapist and client that develops as a warm, caring, accepting relationship characterized by empathy, mutual respect, and understanding