PSYA02 Final Study Flashcards

social psychology

the study of the causes and consequences of being social

cooperation

working together toward common goals

competition

struggling with one another to obtain limited resources

survival

What purpose do competition and cooperation serve?

group cognition

an analytical perspective focusing on how small groups collaboratively produce knowledge, solve problems, and learn, creating insights that cannot be attributed to a single member

implicit bias

biases that we are not aware of; also known as unexamined bias

frustration-aggression hypothesis

states that animals are aggressive when their desires are frustrated

It doesn’t make people more aggressive across all situations, but instead it decreases their threat assessments when in danger

Why does testosterone make people more aggressive?

kinship selection altruism

extending “altruistic” behavior to related individuals or family members, thus increasing the likelihood that one’s genetic material will be passed on

reciprocation or reciprocal altruism

extending “altruistic” behavior with the expectation that the favor will be returned

Biological factors (egg count / pregnancy), reputational costs of promiscuity, and they are approached more often

Why are women more selective than men when it comes to reproduction?

psychopathology

the scientific study of mental disorders

overpathologizing

attributing diverse or atypical behaviors or thoughts to psychological illness, particularly when diagnostic criteria are not met

Most DSM disorders share these diagnostic criteria (3)

• Causes significant distress/affects functioning

• Cannot be attributed to substance use or other medical condition

• Cannot be better described by another DSM diagnosis

onset

the chronological age or situational period when the symptoms of a disorder first appear in an individual

prognosis

the likely course (trajectory, development) of a disorder

risk factors

a set of biological, psychological and social characteristics that increase the likelihood of having the disorder

etiology

the biological, psychological, and/or social causes of a disorder

diathesis-stress model

Risk for a disorder combines with life circumstances to lead to the disorder

• Individuals have a propensity (potential) for illness (nature)

• This potential is increased or decreased by experience (nurture)

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

an anxiety disorder in which worries are not focused on any specific threat

phobic disorder

disorder characterized by marked, persistent, excessive fear of specific objects, activities, or situations

social anxiety disorder

maladaptive (poor adjustment) fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed

preparedness theory

humans are biologically predisposed to rapidly learn fears of specific stimuli (e.g., snakes, spiders, heights) that were threats to ancestral survival

panic disorder

sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physical symptoms typically associated with terror

• shortness of breath

• heart palpitations

• sweating

• dizziness

major depressive disorder (MDD)

a depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression which consists of one or two episodes

attribution theory

the way a person thinks about failure makes them more or less likely to be depressed

persistent depressive disorder

What do you call it when someone has had a depressive disorder for over 2 years?

psychiatrist

Who is a medical doctor and can diagnose, prescribe, and practice psychotherapy?

orientations

What are techniques in psychotherapy called?

psychodynamic therapy

Centered on the belief that psychological problems come from:

• Ineffectively repressing urges (often from childhood) which turn into fixations

• Problematic use of defense mechanisms

• Conflict between parts of the dynamic subconscious

  • “What I want to do vs. what I should do”

Attempts to give the patient insight into their conflicts

interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

Symptom remission + solve interpersonal problems related to depression

person-centered therapy

this type of therapy assumes that individuals have a tendency toward growth; centers on acceptance and genuine reactions from therapist

behavioral therapy

This type of therapy relies on behaviorism (study of observable, measurable variables) and conditioning (operant vs. classical). The goal of this therapy is to change actions.

cognitive therapy

This type of therapy focuses on the restructuring of irrational thought processes that lead to negative emotions and teaches to replace them with rational, positive thoughts.

For example:

• “I will never be able to make friends.” (patient)

  • “What friends have you had in the past? Where? When?” (therapist)

• “I will never be able to succeed in school.” (patient)

  • “What successes have you had in the past? Where? When?” (therapist)

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

a therapy approach that combines behavioral and cognitive orientations into one

activating event, beliefs, consequences

ABC model

two paths for the ABC model

• Negative event (A) → rational belief (B) → healthy negative emotion (C)

• Negative event (A) → irrational belief (B) → unhealthy negative emotion (C)

biological treatment

this form of treatment broadly consists of medications, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), or pharmacological treatment

anti-psychotic medication

the use of medication for psychological illness began with a coincidence, typically result in significant side effects

Ex.

• Chlorpromazine (phenothiazine)

anti-anxiety medication

• Facilitate GABA neurotransmitter activity → inhibit anxiety

• Benzodiazepines

• Effects

  • Drug tolerance

  • Withdrawal symptoms

  • Addiction profile

  • Drowsiness and poor coordination

anti-depressant medication

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (eg. escitalopram)

• Tricyclic antidepressants (eg. venlafaxine)

Side effects:

• Difficulty concentrating

• Sexual side effects

• Weight gain

• Emotional “numbness”

• Withdrawal symptoms such as brain ‘zaps’

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

• Induces controlled seizures

• Highly effective and safe in modern times

• Not permanent (may need to be repeated)

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

produces longer-lasting changes to brain chemistry

deep brain stimulation (DBS)

embedded electrodes produce repetitive brain stimulation

stress

the physical and psychological response to internal and/or external stressors

stressors

specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten their subjective well-being

health psychology

the subfield of psychology that examines the relationship between physical health and psychological health

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

this was proposed by Canadian physician Hans Selye and consists of three phases: alarm phase, resistance phase, and exhaustion phase

alarm phase

this phase consists of one’s initial, healthy reaction to stress (fight or flight)

resistance phase

this phase consists of ones body adapting to high stress; non-stress-related processes are shut down

exhaustion phase

this phase consists of ones body unable to cope, resources are depleted; increased risk of burnout, illness, and physical or mental breakdown

High correlation

What type of correlation is there between psychological stress and physical illness?

stress scales

scales that sum points for various stressful life events and the most common one is the Holmes-Rahe

acute stressor

one-time or infrequent stressor

chronic stressor

daily and/or constant stressor

control

a key factor in stress as we feel more stressed by events we can’t influence

• Glass & Singer (1972)

primary appraisal

determining whether an event is dangerous/threatening

secondary appraisal

determining whether you can handle the stressor

repressive coping

avoid situations or thoughts that remind us of a stressor

rational coping

Facing the stressor and working to overcome it

• Acceptance (coming to realize that the stressor cannot be wished away)

• Exposure (attending to the stressor, seeking it out)

• Understanding (working to find the meaning of the stressor in your life)

reframing

changing the way that one thinks about a stressor

stress inoculation training

developing repetitive, positive ways to think about a stressor

meditation

Involves the absence of thought or focusing on one, unstressful thought (mindfulness)

• Changes the way our brains are structured with increased myelination (speed and efficiency of processing) and increased connectivity between areas of the brain responsible for rational thought and areas responsible for emotion

relaxation

consciously reduce muscle tension as we often don’t know that our muscles are tense

exercise

correlation between aerobic exercise and happiness levels in adults which reduces perceived stress and depressive symptoms

Brofenbrenner’s bioecological model

• Microsystem

• Mesosystem

• Exosystem

• Chronosystem

microsystem

Daily interactions

• Roommates, family that you live with, coworkers, classmates, professors

mesosystem

Interconnections between parts of the microsystem

• Roommate conflict influencing coursework

• Professor writing a reference for a job

exosystem

Environments that affect the individual but with which they don’t directly interact

• University policies

• Parents’ jobs

macrosystem

The broader cultural context

• Culture

• Social media, other media

chronosystem

The influence of history

• Cohort effects

cohort effects

psychological effects based on shared lived experience such as COVID-19

person-environment transactions

our personalities affect our environments, which affect our personalities