Psychology Theories and Concepts

These flashcards cover key psychological theories, concepts, and experiments relevant for understanding human behavior and motivation.

Instinct Theory

The theory that behaviors are driven by biological instincts.

Drive Reduction Theory

The concept that physiological needs create drive and motivates individuals to fulfill those needs.

Yerkes-Dodson Law of Arousal

The principle that optimal performance occurs at moderate levels of arousal.

Incentive Theory

The theory that behavior is motivated by external rewards.

Overjustification Effect

When external rewards diminish intrinsic motivation.

Maslow's Hierarchy Theory

A hierarchy of needs where basic needs must be met before higher-level psychological needs.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory explaining the discomfort felt when beliefs are inconsistent with actions.

Lateral Hypothalamus

A brain region associated with hunger stimulation.

Ventromedial Hypothalamus

A brain region involved in regulating satiety.

Ghrelin

A hormone that stimulates appetite.

Leptin

A hormone that signals satiety and regulates energy balance.

Achievement Motivation

The desire to accomplish tasks and achieve success.

Theory Y Managers

Managers who believe employees are motivated by intrinsic rewards.

Theory X Managers

Managers who believe employees are primarily motivated by extrinsic rewards.

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory: Approach-Approach Conflict

A conflict arising from choosing between two desirable alternatives.

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory: Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict

A conflict arising from choosing between two undesirable alternatives.

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory: Approach-Avoidance Conflict

A conflict arising from a single goal that has both positive and negative aspects.

Evolutionary Theory of Primary Emotions

The idea that emotions have evolved as adaptive responses.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Cross-Cultural Displays of Emotion

The study of how emotions are expressed differently across cultures.

Eustress

Positive stress that can motivate and enhance performance.

Distress

Negative stress that can hinder performance and well-being.

Hans Selye General Adaptation Theory

The model of the body's response to stress in three stages: alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Personality Inventories

Standardized assessments used to measure personality traits.

MMPI: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

A psychological test used to assess personality traits and psychopathology.

The Big 5 Framework

A model outlining five major dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism.

Projective Tests

Psychological assessments that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that reveal personality traits.

Dream Analysis

A psychoanalytic method for interpreting the significance of dreams in understanding the unconscious.

Rorschach Inkblot

A projective psychological test consisting of inkblots to analyze personality.

Thematic Apperception Tests

A projective test that involves storytelling based on ambiguous images.

Defense Mechanisms: Displacement

Redirecting emotions from the original source to a safer target.

Defense Mechanisms: Regression

Returning to an earlier stage of development in response to stress.

Defense Mechanisms: Sublimation

Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Defense Mechanisms: Rationalization

Justifying behaviors or decisions with logical but false explanations.

Carl Jung: Archetypes

Universal, symbolic images that derive from the collective unconscious.

Reciprocal Determinism

The theory that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors interact to influence behavior.

Personal Construct Theory

A cognitive theory of personality stating that people act to predict and control their world.

Self-esteem

An individual's overall subjective evaluation of their own worth.

Self-efficacy

The belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations.

Self-actualization

The process of realizing one's full potential and self-fulfillment.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting and supporting another person regardless of what they say or do.

Self-concept

The perception of oneself as an individual.

Trait Perspective

An approach to personality that focuses on identifying and measuring individual personality characteristics.

Attribution Theory

The theory concerned with how individuals interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behavior.

Dispositional Factors

Personal characteristics that influence behavior.

Situational Factors

Environmental influences that affect behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors when judging others.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one's own actions to situational factors while attributing others' actions to their character.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others share our opinions and beliefs.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to external factors.

Just World Hypothesis

The belief that the world is fair and individuals get what they deserve.

Halo Effect

The tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinions in another area.

Attitude

A settled way of thinking or feeling about something.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Central Route to Persuasion

A method of persuasion that involves logical arguments and factual evidence.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

A method of persuasion that involves emotional appeals or attractiveness.

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.

Asch Line Experiment

A study demonstrating the impact of group pressure on individual judgment.

Obedience

The act of following direct commands, usually from an authority figure.

Compliance

The act of conforming to a request or demand.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

A tactic that seeks to get a person to agree to a large request by first setting them up with a smaller request.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A persuasive technique where a large request is followed by a smaller, more reasonable one.

Social Norms

Expected standards of conduct within a group.

Social Trap

Situations where individuals or groups act to secure their own interests contrary to the common good.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put forth less effort in a group than when alone.

Group Think

The phenomenon where the desire for harmony results in irrational decision-making.

Deindividuation

A state where individuals lose self-awareness and become less restrained in groups.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for the presence of others to enhance performance.

Social Inhibition

The tendency for the presence of others to hinder performance.

Group Polarization

The tendency for group discussions to enhance the group's prevailing opinions.

Superordinate Goals

Goals that require cooperation to achieve and can unite conflicting parties.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help a victim when other people are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A social phenomenon where a person is less likely to take responsibility when others are present.

Prisoner's Dilemma

A situation where individuals must choose between cooperation and betrayal.

Bias

A tendency to favor one perspective over another.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people.

Prejudice

Preconceived opinion not based on reason or actual experience.

Discrimination

Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice arises from a need to blame others for our problems.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others.

Out-Group Homogeneity

The perception that members of a different group are more similar to one another than they are to members of one's own group.

Contact Theory

The idea that contact between groups can reduce prejudice.

Robbers Cave Experiment

A study that demonstrated the effects of competition and cooperation on group behavior.

Instrumental Aggression

Aggression with the intent to achieve a specific goal.

Hostile Aggression

Aggression driven by anger and performed as an end in itself.

Frustration Aggression Hypothesis

The theory that frustration leads to aggressive behavior.

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Similarity Attraction

The tendency to be attracted to others who are similar to ourselves.

Proximity Attraction

The principle that people are more likely to be attracted to those who are physically close to them.

Reciprocal Liking

The phenomenon where people tend to like others who like them.

Self-Disclosure Attraction

The act of revealing personal information to others leading to attraction.

Love

An intense feeling of deep affection.