Theories of Behavior - Part I (Biological, Cognitive, Behavioral Perspectives)

VOCABULARY flashcards covering major concepts from Biological, Cognitive, and Behavioral perspectives as presented in the lecture notes.

Biological (Organic) Perspective

Mental illness is due to a disruption in brain function; the dysfunction is biochemical and involves neurotransmitter alterations (e.g., serotonin).

Brain Dysfunction

A disruption in brain function believed to underlie mental illness.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers in the brain whose imbalances are linked to mental disorders.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter whose altered levels are associated with mood disorders and mood regulation.

Cognitive Theory

A perspective that emphasizes mental processes (thoughts) and how they influence behavior and emotion.

Cognition

Mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, and using information.

Cognitive Distortion

A systematic error in thinking that contributes to maladaptive emotions and behavior.

Overgeneralization

Making a negative global statement based on a single event.

Excessive Responsibility

Blaming oneself for events outside one’s control.

Arbitrary Inference

Concluding something without sufficient evidence.

Catastrophizing

Viewing a situation as far worse than it actually is.

Selective Abstraction

Focusing on a detail out of context while ignoring other aspects.

Dichotomous Thinking

Seeing things in all-or-nothing terms (good/bad, all/none).

Cognitive Therapy

Therapy that identifies and corrects distorted cognitions to improve mental health.

Belief-Emotion Link

In cognitive theory, thoughts influence emotions depending on how events are interpreted.

Behavioral Theory

A perspective that behavior results from learning through interaction with the environment.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes able to evoke a response originally produced by another stimulus when paired over time.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally elicits a reflexive response without prior learning.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

The natural response to the US.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

A stimulus that does not initially elicit a response before conditioning.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

The formerly neutral stimulus that elicits the response after being paired with the US.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned response to the CS.

Acquisition (Classical Conditioning)

Phase during which the CS is paired with the US to elicit the CR.

Extinction (Classical Conditioning)

Eliminating the CR by presenting the CS without the US repeatedly.

Spontaneous Recovery

Reappearance of the CR after a rest period following extinction.

Re-extinction

Re-learning of the CS after extinction, often faster than the first extinction.

Stimulus Generalization

CR is elicited by stimuli similar to the CS, not just the CS itself.

Stimulus Discrimination

CR is elicited only by the CS, not by similar stimuli.

Little Albert

Case illustrating fear generalization after conditioning with a loud noise and a rat.

Operant Conditioning

Learning that occurs as a consequence of acting on the environment; the behavior is strengthened or weakened by consequences.

Reinforcement

A consequence that increases the probability of a behavior occurring again.

Positive Reinforcement

Giving something pleasurable to increase a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something aversive to increase a behavior.

Punishment

A consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behavior.

Positive Punishment

Adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Negative Punishment

Taking away a pleasurable stimulus to decrease a behavior.