Psychology Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions for psychology concepts discussed in Unit 4-Part 2.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments.

Self-Esteem

Your overall opinion of yourself, encompassing your beliefs about your worth, abilities, and limitations.

Self-Concept

An idea of the self constructed from the beliefs one holds about oneself and the responses of others.

Social-cognitive theory of Personality

Developed by Albert Bandura, posits that personality is shaped by the dynamic interaction between cognitive factors, behaviors, and environment, emphasizing reciprocal determinism.

Humanistic Theory of Personality

Emphasizes a positive view of human nature, focusing on free will, self-actualization, and the inherent capacity for growth.

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

A theory that human behavior is motivated by five levels of needs.

Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

Posits that personality is shaped by unconscious drives, early childhood experiences, and internal conflicts between the id, ego, and superego.

Motivation

A person's inner drive to take action, especially to achieve goals.

Instinct

Innate, unlearned behaviors or tendencies triggered by environmental cues or internal needs.

Drive-Reduction theory

A theory that explains how people are motivated to reduce tension and satisfy physiological needs.

Hierarchy of Needs theory

Basic needs must be met before higher-level needs can be addressed.

Optimal arousal theory

Posits that individuals are motivated to reach an optimal level of arousal.

Homeostasis

The body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite external changes.

Incentive Theory

Posits that behavior is motivated by external rewards or incentives.

Intrinsic

The act of doing something without any obvious external rewards.

Extrinsic

Engaging in activities for external rewards rather than inherent enjoyment.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Performance improves with arousal up to a point, after which it decreases if arousal becomes too high.

James-Lange Theory

Posits that emotions result from our body's physiological reactions to stimuli.

Schachter's Two-Factor Theory

Proposes that emotions result from both physiological arousal and a cognitive interpretation of that arousal.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Emotions and physiological reactions occur simultaneously and independently.

Cognitive appraisal

An individual's subjective interpretation and evaluation of a situation influencing their emotional responses.

Facial-feedback hypothesis

Suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional experience.

Display rules

The social and cultural norms that dictate how and when emotions should be expressed.

Universal Facial Expressions

Happiness, surprise, contempt, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger.

Estrogen

A hormone that helps develop and maintain female sex characteristics.

Testosterone

A hormone affecting aspects of male development, including reproduction and mood.

Hormones that signal hunger and fullness

Ghrelin (increases appetite) and leptin (decreases appetite).

Glucose

A simple sugar that is the primary source of energy for the body's cells.

Set point

The theory that our bodies strive to maintain a natural weight range.