AP Psychology Unit VIII Vocab

motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

app: gym

instinct

a complex, unlearned behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species.

app: primal, sometimes almost animalistic

drive-reduction theory

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

app: we want to be comfortable, so we get uncomfortable whenever we need something

homeostasis

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

app: Mrs. Yordy’s dog

incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.

app: The US’s “moral incentive” to participate in wars

Yerkes-Dodson law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

app: over-motivation = bad

hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher - level safety needs and then psychological needs become active.

app: why a healthy environment correlates to success

glucose

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues.

app: When its level is low, we feel hunger.

set point

the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set.

app: When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight.

basal metabolic rate

the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure.

app: energy for basic function, ie breathing, digesting, etc

sexual response cycle

the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson—excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.

app: birds and the bees in stages

refractory period

a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm.

app: give him a minute ig

sexual dysfunction

a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning.

app: not in the mood (ever)

estrogens

sex hormones, such as estradiol, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males and contributing to female sex characteristics. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity.

app: girl hormone

testosterone

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.

app: boy hormone (cooties)

emotion

a response of the whole organism, involving

(1) physiological arousal,

(2) expressive behaviors, and

(3) conscious experience.

app: physical response to stimuli, like increased heart rate

James-Lange theory

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli.

app: emotions are what we perceive them as

Cannon-Bard theory

the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion.

app: emotion and feeling at the same time

two-factor thoery

the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal.

app: we must assign a feeling to an emotional before we actually can feel it

polygraph

a machine that measure several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion.

app: lie detector

facial feedback effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness.

app: facial expressions

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine.

app: how biological, social and psychological factors influence health and illness

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

app: me

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

app: me on a nightly basis w homework

tend and befriend response

under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend).

app: our precalc groupchat

psychophysiological illness

literally, “mind-body” illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches.

app: maybe I have this?

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health.

app: placebo effect perhaps?

lymphocytes

the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system: B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections; T lymphocytes form in the thymus and other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances.

app: white blood cells

coronary heart disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries.

app: I think my Grandpa had this.

Type A

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people.

app: Delvaux

Type B

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people.

app: Yordy

Abraham Maslow

American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization.

app: hierarchy of needs

William Masters

William Masters was an American gynecologist and sex researcher. He is best known for his pioneering work with Virginia Johnson, studying human sexual response and behavior. Together, they conducted groundbreaking research and published several influential books on the subject.

app: sexual dysfunction

Virginia Johnson

Virginia Johnson was an American sexologist and research partner of William H. Masters. Together, they conducted groundbreaking research on human sexuality, which led to the publication of their book "Human Sexual Response" in 1966.

app: sexual dysfunction

William James

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, often referred to as the "Father of American psychology." He was a key figure in the development of functionalism, a school of thought in psychology that focused on the purpose and function of mental processes. James also made significant contributions to the field of philosophy, particularly in the areas of pragmatism and the philosophy of religion. He wrote influential works such as "The Principles of Psychology" and "The Varieties of Religious Experience." Overall, William James was a prominent figure in both psychology and philosophy.

app: James-Lange Theory

Stanley Schachter

Stanley Schachter was an American social psychologist known for his work on emotion and cognition. He is best known for his two-factor theory of emotion, which suggests that physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation together determine emotional experience.

app: two-factor theory

Hans Selye

Hans Selye was a Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist known for his work on stress. He is considered one of the pioneers in stress research.

app: general adaptation syndrome