PSYC MODULE 7 - Psychology: Emotions, Motivation, and Social Influence

Emotion

Short-lived states triggered by specific events.

Mood

Prolonged, lower-intensity states without a distinct trigger.

James-Lange Theory

Proposes that cognitive awareness of an emotion is a byproduct of physiological feedback.

Cannon-Bard Theory

States that an environmental stimulus triggers the thalamus, routing information to physiological responses and conscious experience simultaneously.

Basic Emotion Theory

Proposes that universal emotions unfold predictably via automated affect programs independent of conscious attention.

Principle of Antithesis

Darwinian concept stating that opposing emotions produce opposite physical responses.

Social Buffering

The phenomenon where the presence of a companion reduces stress responses and accelerates safety learning.

Rolls' Contingency Framework

Explains that emotions operate as immediate consequences of reinforcement matrices.

Hunger System

A homeostatic mechanism designed to meet daily energy budgets.

Insulin

A hormone that aids in blood glucose absorption.

Ghrelin

A hormone that increases hunger.

Leptin

A hormone that suppresses hunger.

Artificial Sweetener Paradox

Disruption of the learned association between sweet taste and calories, leading to increased caloric consumption.

Preparatory Responding Theory

Emphasizes the adaptive properties of conditioned responses to prepare the body for unconditioned stimuli.

Stimulus Substitution Theory

Proposes that the conditioned stimulus directly substitutes for the unconditioned stimulus.

Signal Substitution Theory

Suggests that artificial conditioned stimuli substitute for naturally occurring signals dictated by evolutionary properties.

Good Genes Hypothesis

The theory that females select partners with traits signaling fitness advantages and genetic stability.

Coolidge Effect

The return of sexual responsiveness when a sexually satiated animal is introduced to a novel partner.

Paternal Uncertainty

The evolutionary condition where males cannot verify maternity, making investment in another's offspring costly.

Rivalry Sensitivity Hypothesis

Suggests women focus on nearby female rivals, while men focus on their partner's intentions when male rivals are present.

Drive-Reduction Theory

Proposes that behavior is driven by physiological deficits that create an uncomfortable internal state to be reduced to restore homeostasis.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Describes an inverted U-curve relationship showing that performance on complex tasks peaks at moderate arousal levels.

Mouth Demineralization Threshold

The critical pH level of 5.5 below which teeth lose minerals.

Orosensory Flavor Conditioning Delay

A temporal trace delay of 4 to 6 hours required for flavor-based conditioning to occur.

Motivating Operations

Environmental variables that temporarily alter the value of a reinforcer and the frequency of behavior to obtain it.

Establishing Operations

A subtype of motivating operations that increases the current value of a reinforcer.

Abolishing Operations

A subtype of motivating operations that decreases the current value of a reinforcer.

Occasion Setters

Stimuli that signal whether a specific cue-to-consequence relationship is currently active or inactive.

Premack Principle

States that high-probability behaviors can reinforce low-probability behaviors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute others' behaviors to internal traits while underestimating situational factors.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to assign internal attributions to others' behaviors while using external attributions for our own.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to take credit for successes and blame failures on external factors.

False Consensus Effect

The overestimation of how much others share our beliefs and opinions.

Primacy Effect

The phenomenon where initial information learned about an individual has the most significant impact on overall impressions.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A cycle where a person's expectations influence their actions, leading to the predicted outcome.

Conformity

The modification of behavior to match the behaviors or consensus of a reference group.

Groupthink

A deterioration in group decision-making accuracy due to prioritizing cohesion over opposing ideas.

Illusion of Invulnerability

A groupthink symptom marked by excessive optimism that elevates risk-taking.

Self-Censorship

A groupthink symptom where members hide their thoughts to maintain an illusion of a united front.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when more people are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The drop in individual accountability as the number of bystanders increases.

Pluralistic Ignorance

A phenomenon where individuals look to others for cues and assume no threat exists due to collective inaction.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or behaviors.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A compliance strategy securing a small initial commitment to increase compliance with a larger request later.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A compliance strategy starting with an extreme request followed by a smaller, more reasonable one.

Lowballing

A compliance strategy where an attractive offer is secured before additional hidden costs are introduced.

Instrumental Aggression

Purposeful, goal-directed violent behavior used as a means to an end.

Hostile Aggression

Violent behavior driven by anger and intended solely to inflict harm on another.

Realistic Conflict Theory

Suggests that intergroup hostility arises from direct competition over scarce resources.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that dominant groups blame minority groups to channel frustration and maintain power.

Altruism

Engaging in behavior to help another person despite potential risks or costs to oneself.