MESH unit for AP Pysch

motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

instinct

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

physiological need

a basic bodily requirement

drive-reduction theory

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

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

incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Yerkes-Dodson Law

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

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

Abraham Maslow

Humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization"

glucose

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood & provides the major source of energy for body tissues; when its level is low, we feel hunger

set point

the point at which your "weight thermostat" may be set; when your body falls below this weight, increased hunger & a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight

basal metabolic rate

the body's resting rate of energy output

obesity

defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher

asexual

having no sexual attraction to others

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

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

sexual response cycle

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

refractory period

in human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm

Alfred Kinsey

Regarded by some as the father of the scientific study of human sexuality. Published a series of reports which described common sexual behaviors in the US.

William Masters & Virginia Johnson

Researchers who described the human sexual response cycle and sought to define and treat sexual disorders based on that model

affiliation need

the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group

ostracism

deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption

achievement motivation

a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard

grit

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

Henry Murray

stated that the need to achieve varied in strength in different people and influenced their tendency to approach success and evaluate their own performances

emotion

a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience

James-Lange theory

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimulus: stimulus --> arousal --> emotion

Cannon-Bard theory

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

two-factor theory

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

polygraph

a machine used in attempts to detect lies that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration, heart rate, and breathing changes) accompanying emotion

Robert Zajonc

asserted that some emotions occur separately from or prior to our cognitive interpretation of them, such as feeling fear in response to an unexpected loud sound

Joseph LeDoux

proposed the concept of a "low road" of emotional response in which the amygdala serves as a "hub" of rapid emotional response, especially to sensory input involving threat

Richard Lazarus

believed that emotions require cognitive appraisal, but this sometimes occurs without our conscious awareness

facial feedback effect

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

behavior feedback effect

the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others' thoughts, feelings, and actions

Paul Ekman

theorized that some basic human emotions are innate and shared by everyone, and that they are accompanied across cultures by universal facial expressions

microexpressions

fleeting facial expressions lasting only a few tenths of a second which are difficult to mask

stress

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

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

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

tend-&-befriend response

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

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine

psychneuroimmunology

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

motivational conflicts theory

stress arises from the daily conflicts we face when we are in conflict between two opposite motives (approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance)

Hans Selye

psychologist who researched a recurring response to stress that he called the general adaptation syndrome

coronary heart disease

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

Type A

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

Type B

Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people

catharsis

in psychology, the idea that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

Meyer Friedman & Ray Rosenman

discovered a connection between coronary risk and Type A Personality

aerobic exercise

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life; used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people's quality of life

adaptation-level phenomenon

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

relative deprivation

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

Martin Seligman

conducted experiments with dogs that led to the concept of "learned helplessness"