Psych 110 Midterm 3

Humans

The social animal

social brain hypothesis

The theory that the size of a primate species' standard social group is related to the volume of that species' neocortex

Coalitions

Social groups

Ingroups

"Those groups to which particular people belong"

Outgroups

"Those groups to which particular people DO NOT belong"

Reciprocity, transitivity

Two conditions needed for people to organize themselves into groups

Reciprocity

The phenomena that people treat others as others treat them

Transitivity

People generally share their friends' opinions of other people. Exactly the same as the social triangles in Fritz Heider's balance theory

outgroup homogeneity effect

"The tendency to view outgroup members as less varied than ingroup members." Eg. people of different races look more similar

Social identity theory

"The idea that ingroups consist of individuals who perceive themselves to be members of the same social category and experience pride through their group membership."

ingroup favoritism

"The tendency for people to evaluate favorably and privilege members of the ingroup more than members of the outgroup."

minimal group paradigm

procedure that researchers use to create new social groups in the laboratory. The goal is to categorize individuals into groups based on minimal criteria that are relatively trivial or arbitrary, to show that people favor their groups even if they are arbitrary

Medial prefrontal cortex

Part of the brain important for thinking about other people—thinking about them generally or specifically, whether they are in ingroups or outgroups"

life history data, behavioral data, self-reports, descriptions

Personality assessment methods

idiographic approaches

"Person-centered approaches to assessing personality that focus on individual lives and how various characteristics are integrated into unique persons."

nomothetic approaches

"Approaches to assessing personality that focus on the variation in common characteristics from person to person."

central traits

Traits that are especially important for how individuals define themselves

Secondary traits

Traits that people consider less personally descriptive or not applicable

Projective measures

Personality tests that examine tendencies to respond in a particular way by having people interpret ambiguous stimuli.

Rorschach inkblot test

"One of the best-known projective measures. Not supported by evidence though

Thematic Apperception Test

A classic projective measure that is still in use today. a person is shown an ambiguous picture and is asked to tell a story about it.

"Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

"A widely used questionnaire for personality assessment"

California Q-Sort

"One technique for assessing traits. Participant is given cards with statements and must rank how applicable each of the statements is to them

borderline personality disorder

"A personality disorder characterized by disturbances in identity, in affect, and in impulse control. Often associated with interpersonal trauma in childhood. "A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relations, self-image, and affects, along with marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts"

Personality disorder

When one's interaction with the world is maladaptive lasting and causes distress and problems in work and in social situations"

Paranoid (A)

"Tense, guarded, suspicious; holds grudges"

Schizoid (A)

"Socially isolated, with restricted emotional expression"

Schizotypal (A)

"Peculiarities of thought, appearance, and behavior that are disconcerting to others; emotionally detached and isolated"

Histrionic (B)

"Seductive behavior; needs immediate gratification and constant reassurance; rapidly changing moods; shallow emotions"

Narcissistic (B)

"Self-absorbed; expects special treatment and adulation; envious of attention to others"

Borderline (B)

"Cannot stand to be alone; intense, unstable moods and personal relationships; chronic anger; drug and alcohol abuse"

Antisocial (B)

"Manipulative, exploitative; dishonest; disloyal; lacking in guilt; habitually breaks social rules; childhood history of such behavior; often in trouble with the law"

Avoidant (C)

"Easily hurt and embarrassed; few close friends; sticks to routines to avoid new and possibly stressful experiences"

Dependent (C)

"Wants others to make decisions; needs constant advice and reassurance; fears being abandoned"

Obsessive-compulsive (C)

"Perfectionistic; overconscientious; indecisive; preoccupied with details; stiff; unable to express affection

Antisocial Personality Disorder

"A personality disorder in which people engage in socially undesirable behavior, are hedonistic and impulsive, and lack empathy."

Psychopathy

"refers to people with antisocial personality disorder who also are extremely uncaring, are willing to hurt others for personal gain, and display behaviors that are more extreme than those associated with antisocial personality disorder"

Systems approach

"an individual is part of a larger context. Any change in individual behavior will affect the whole system. This effect is often most apparent within the family. "

Client-centered therapy

"An empathic approach to therapy; it encourages people to fulfill their individual potentials for personal growth through greater self-understanding."

Personality

psychological characteristics, emotional responses, and habitual ways in which an individual responds to the environment; differ across individuals and relatively consistent across time.

trait theories

theories that endeavor to describe the characteristics that make up human personality in an effort to predict future behavior

Trait

characteristic and stable pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior. Building blocks of personality. Structuralist notion.

OCEAN

the acronym for the five basic traits

openness to experience

the O in OCEAN (The Big 5 Traits)

Conscientiousness

The C in OCEAN (The Big 5 Traits)

Extraversion

The E in OCEAN (The Big 5 Traits)

Agreeableness

The A in OCEAN (The Big 5 Traits)

Neuroticism

The N in OCEAN (The Big 5 Traits)

Analogue

how we all use the same dimensions to quickly describe someone's appearance- height, weight, hair color, etc.

Temperament

differences in emotional responding that vary across individuals and have a biological basis

arousability

Main factor in differences in extroversion vs introversion. Also thought to be primary factor in temperament (Eysenck)

Extroverts

People who have low arousability, so they seek external stimulation. Eg. Lower heartrate reactivity to stimulation, so seek more

Introverts

People who have higher arousability, so they avoid external stimulation. Eg. Higher responsiveness in heartrate to same stimulation, so seek less

behavior activation system

Extroverts have a stronger ___________ and are more sensitive to rewards than punishment

behavior inhibition system

Introverts have a stronger ___________ and are more sensitive to punishment than rewards

Attachment theory

Theory that bonds between infant and caregiver will influence the individual's interaction with others throughout the lifespan

secure attachment

consistently warm, responsive parenting; explore, upset when leaves, can be comforted

anxious attachment

unreliably responsive parenting (parent warm when available, but not always available); cling, upset when leave, cannot be comforted easily

avoidant attachment

parent unavailable/unresponsive. Infant learns to self-soothe; ignore, do not act upset (but show increase HR), do not greet upon return

Ainsworth

theorist that studied types of attachment by use of the strange situation test

social learning theory

Theory that personality dispositions are shaped through development; prior experience form lasting habits and expectancies

Modeling

children will imitate and internalize the behaviors of adults or peers that they like or that they see rewarded

Locus of control

the extent to which people believe influential forces lie within (internal) vs outside (external) the individual. the extent to which people believe influential forces lie within (internal) vs outside (external) the individual. Overprotective parenting causes external LOC

Self-efficacy

beliefs about the self's own ability and competence. Can be domain specific (eg. athletics or academics). High _____ may lead to greater persistence on challenging tasks

Humanistic theory

The theory that the Individual plays major role in shaping own personality, we differ in what we strive for

Self actualizing motive

The process by which people strive to fulfill their individual potential for personal growth through greater self-understanding (top of Maslow's pyramid)

ideal self

who one hopes to be

Ought self

who one thinks one should be

Actual self

who we perceive we are right now

Situationism

the theory that situational norms determine behavior at any specific time point more than personality traits

Social psychology

the study of how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real, implied, or imagined presence of others

normative influence

we want to be liked, Asch's conformity and line length study

Informational influence

we want to be right- whenever the situation is ambiguous, we look to others for the right answer

Conformity

yielding to real or imagined social pressure

Cohesiveness

liking for a group increases conformity - normative

Door in the face

small requests granted more often if first get a refusal of a large request

Reciprocity norm

more likely to comply with a request after given a small token

Foot in the door

large requests granted more often if preceded by a small request (because we want to be consistent with our past self). Canned goods study

Low ball technique

change terms of agreement AFTER verbal commitment, still get compliance (car sales are infamous for this)

Generalized anxiety

chronic high level of anxiety without a specific focus; "free floating anxiety"

Hypervigilance

attentional bias toward potential threats, or even threat words

Phobias

specific fear of an object or action, irrationally exaggerated, interferes with life

Simple phobias

role of evolutionary preparedness in prevalence of targets of __________. Eg. heights, dangerous animals

Social anxiety

fear of speaking, eating, or performing in public, or of social interaction more generally

panic disorder

recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety and terror

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

intrusive anxiety provoking thoughts, sometimes with uncontrollable urges (rituals) to reduce anxiety

Obsessions

intrusive thoughts often focused on (cleanliness/order, safety of home or family, harm to others, etc.). Often focused on harm that they could cause rather than harm befalling them

Compulsions

ritualistic actions that reduce anxiety- often linked to obsessions, so washing hands if cleanliness obsession, or checking locks of safety obsession, etc

Depressive disorders

the presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood, accompanied by somatic and cognitive changes that significantly impact an individual's ability to function

Etiology

The set of causes of disease (eg. the causes of depressive disorders)

Major depressive disorder

Depressed mood and or diminished interest/pleasure. Most of the day, nearly every day. Duration: 2 week period

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Depressed mood, most of the day nearly every day. Duration: 2 years without a break lasting more than 2 months

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

a disorder marked by repeated episodes of significant depression and related symptoms during the week before menstruation

Other Specified Depressive Disorder

Significant depressive systems but don't fit perfectly into other categories of depressions

seasonal pattern

Specifier of depression in which a person experiences the symptoms of major depressive disorder only during a particular time of year

peripartum onset

Specifier of depression that applies to women who experience an episode of major depression either during pregnancy or in the four weeks following childbirth

monoamine

neurotransmitters that regulate emotion, arousal, motivation. Eg. norepinephrine, serotonin

Diathesis stress model

describes the trajectory of symptoms as the result of an interaction between a predispositional vulnerability (the diathesis) and stress caused by life experiences

Schizophrenia

disturbances of thought that spill over to affect perceptual, social, and emotional processes- low prevalence (0.5-1%)

positive symptoms

presence of experiences that are non normative, eg. hallucinations, delusions). Easier to treat