KSET Psychology Master Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from KSET Psychology lecture notes covering Unit 1 through Emerging Areas.

First Experimental Psychology Laboratory

The first laboratory of experimental psychology, established by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig in 1879.

First Psychology Laboratory in India

The psychology laboratory established at the University of Calcutta in 1905 under N. N. Sengupta.

Sattva

In the Bhagavad Gita's three-guna theory, the quality associated with purity, knowledge, clarity, balance, harmony, wisdom, and self-control.

Rajas

In the Bhagavad Gita's three-guna theory, the quality associated with activity, desire, passion, restlessness, attachment, and ambition.

Tamas

In the Bhagavad Gita's three-guna theory, the quality associated with inertia, ignorance, laziness, confusion, heaviness, and passivity.

Karma Yoga

A psychological principle in the Bhagavad Gita emphasizing action performed according to duty without excessive attachment to the fruits or results of action.

Dukkha

A central concern in Buddhist psychology representing suffering, dissatisfaction, or unsatisfactoriness inherent in life.

Anatta

The Buddhist concept of non-self, asserting that there is no permanent, unchanging, independent self.

Nafs

In Sufi frameworks, a term referring broadly to the self, particularly the lower or self-centered aspects requiring purification and transformation.

Integral Yoga

A philosophy developed by Sri Aurobindo aiming at the transformation of the whole person across physical, vital, mental, and spiritual dimensions.

Indigenization-from-Within

An approach in Indian psychology where concepts are developed directly from indigenous cultural knowledge, traditions, and experiences.

Indigenization-from-Without

An approach where existing Western psychological theories or methods are adapted or modified to fit local cultural contexts.

Tripartite Psyche

Plato's conception of the soul divided into three distinct aspects: reason, spirit, and appetite.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's empiricist concept viewing the human mind at birth as a blank slate shaped entirely by experience and environment.

Psychophysics

The quantitative study of the relationship between physical stimuli and psychological or sensory experience, developed by Ernst Weber and Gustav Fechner.

Verstehen

Wilhelm Dilthey's interpretive concept for human sciences, emphasizing empathetic understanding of human experience within its historical and cultural context.

Ontology

The branch of knowledge paradigms concerning the nature of reality and asking 'What exists?'.

Epistemology

The branch of knowledge paradigms concerned with the nature, sources, and validity of knowledge, asking 'How do we know what we know?'.

Methodology

The framework of research methods, procedures, and data collection tools used to investigate reality.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated or treated as the cause or predictor in a scientific study.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The outcome variable being measured to evaluate the effect of the independent variable.

Confounding Variable

An extraneous variable that systematically varies with the independent variable and provides an alternative explanation for the observed results.

Moderator Variable

A variable that changes the strength or direction of the relationship between two other variables.

Mediator Variable

A variable that explains the underlying mechanism or process through which an independent variable influences a dependent variable.

Operational Definition

A precise specification of how a theoretical construct or variable will be concretely measured or manipulated in a specific study.

Type I Error

The rejection of a true null hypothesis, represented by $\\alpha$ (a false positive).

Type II Error

The failure to reject a false null hypothesis, represented by $\\beta$ (a false negative).

Item Difficulty ($p$)

The proportion of examinees who answer a test item correctly, calculated using the formula $p = \\frac{R}{N}$.

Item Discrimination

The degree to which a test item differentiates between higher-performing and lower-performing examinees.

Cronbach's Alpha ($\alpha$)

A widely used reliability coefficient measuring the internal consistency of Likert scales and multidimensional tests.

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)

The amount of error expected around an individual's observed test score, calculated as $\\text{SEM} = \\text{SD}\\sqrt{1 - r}$.

Convergent Validity

A type of construct validity evidence showing that a test correlates strongly with other measures of similar or related constructs.

Discriminant Validity

A type of construct validity evidence demonstrating that a test has low correlations with measures of distinct, theoretically unrelated constructs.

Z-score

A standard score with a mean of $0$ and a standard deviation of $1$, calculated using $z = \\frac{X - M}{\\text{SD}}$.

T-score

A transformed standard score with a mean of $50$ and a standard deviation of $10$, calculated using $T = 50 + 10z$.

Transduction

The physiological process by which sensory receptors convert physical stimulus energy into neural electrical signals.

Depolarization

The phase of an action potential during which voltage-gated sodium channels open and $\\text{Na}^+$ influx makes the neuron's interior less negative.

Repolarization

The phase of an action potential when sodium channels close and potassium channels open, allowing $\\text{K}^+$ efflux to return the cell potential toward resting state.

Fovea

The central region of the retina with a dense concentration of cones, specialized for high-acuity, detailed visual processing.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

A persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity, serving as a primary cellular mechanism for learning and memory.

Sublimation

In psychoanalytic theory, an ego defense mechanism involving the redirection of unacceptable instinctual impulses into socially acceptable actions.

Reciprocal Determinism

Albert Bandura's model stating that human personality and behavior emerge from continuous, reciprocal interactions among cognitive/personal factors, behavior, and environment.

Locus of Control

Julian Rotter's concept describing an individual's generalized belief regarding whether outcomes are determined by their own actions (internal) or external forces (external).

Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's state of optimal engagement and deep absorption occurring when task difficulty is balanced with individual skill level.

James-Lange Theory

A theory of emotion stating that physiological arousal occurs first in response to a stimulus, and conscious emotion is the subjective perception of that physiological response.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye's three-stage model of physiological stress response, consisting of Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

Field Theory

Kurt Lewin's social psychological model asserting that human behavior is a function of the interaction between person and psychological environment, expressed as $B = f(P, E)$.

Cognitive Dissonance

Leon Festinger's term for the state of psychological discomfort resulting from conflicting cognitions, beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Petty and Cacioppo's persuasion framework specifying two pathways to attitude change: the central route (deep content evaluation) and the peripheral route (surface cues).

Bystander Effect

The social psychological phenomenon identified by Darley and Latané where individuals are less likely to offer help in emergencies when other bystanders are present due to diffusion of responsibility.

Groupthink

Irving Janis's concept where the desire for group consensus and harmony suppresses critical evaluation and realistic decision-making.

Minimal Group Paradigm

Henri Tajfel's experimental procedure demonstrating that arbitrary categorization into trivial groups is sufficient to generate in-group favorability and out-group bias.

Cephalocaudal Principle

The developmental principle stating that growth and motor control proceed from the head downward toward the lower parts of the body.

Proximodistal Principle

The developmental principle stating that physical growth and motor control proceed from the center/torso outward toward the extremities.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Lev Vygotsky's concept representing the distance between what a child can achieve independently and what they can accomplish with assistance from a More Knowledgeable Other.

Strange Situation

Mary Ainsworth's standardized procedure used to assess infant attachment styles through brief separations and reunions with a primary caregiver.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A therapy developed by Marsha Linehan combining cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and dialectical principles emphasizing acceptance and change.

Acculturation Strategies

John Berry's framework categorizing cultural adaptation into four strategies based on retention of heritage identity and engagement with host culture: Integration, Assimilation, Separation, and Marginalization.

Structural Violence

Johan Galtung's concept describing harm produced indirectly through social, economic, or political structures that prevent individuals from meeting basic human needs.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The interdisciplinary field investigating bidirectional relationships among psychological processes, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system.