Extra Psych Words/Concepts

Cofound

Error/flaw in a study that is accidentally introduced (Confounding variable)

Informed assent

Minors and their parents must agree to the experiment.

Random Sample

Method for choosing participants for your study. Everyone has a chance to take part, increases generalizability

Hawthorne effect

People change behavior when watched

GABA

Major inhibitory neurotransmitter

Glutamate

Major excitatory neurotransmitter (glutes excite you)

Norepinephrine

Sympathetic Nervous system- too little association with depression

Dopamine

Reward (short term) and fine movement- in hypothalamus, associated with addiction

Prefrontal cortex

Front of frontal lobe- executive function

EEG

shows brain activity- not specific- electrical output

Multiple sclerosis

Destruction of myelin sheath, disrupts APs, causes impaired mobility, paralysis, and pain

Prosopagnosia

Face blindness- damage to occipital and or temporal lobe

Somnambulism (sleep walking)

happens during stage 3 of NREM, not REM

NREM sleep

NREM 1: light sleep, has hypnagogic sensations

NREM 2: Bursts of sleep spindles

NREM 3: Delta Waves, deep sleep

Synesthesia

“disorder” where your sense blend (sight, sound, taste)

Cocktail party effect

Notice your name across the room when its spoken, when you weren’t previously paying attention

Sunk Cost fallacy

Continue something because you’re already invested (might as well finish it now) when stopping would be more beneficial

Gambler’s fallacy

Believe something is more likely to happen because its “due”- the dice have no memory

Prospective memory

Remembering you need to do something (pick up milk)

Autobiographical memory

Memory for your personal history- combination of episodic and semantic

Imagination inflation

People are more confident an event happened after imagining

Psychometrics

Field of psych and education for creating tests

Animism

Believe artificial objects have thoughts/feelings

Vygotsky’s theory

cognitive development is a social process too, need to interact with others

Semantics

Set of rules by which we derive meaning (adding -ed makes something past tense)

Syntax

Rules for combining words into sentences (white house vs casa blanca)

Trust vs Mistrust

Stage 1: birth to 18 months- If needs are met infants develop basic trust

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Stage 2: 1 to 3 years- learn to exercise their will (I want to do it- pours milk)

Initiative vs guilt

Stage 3: 3 to 6 years- Learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, also be creative

Industry vs inferiority

Stage 4: 6 years to puberty- learn what you’re good at or accomplished at school/ sports

Identity vs Role confusion

Stage 5: Adolescence through 20s- Refine a sense of self by testing roles and forming an identity

Intimacy vs Isolation

Stage 6: 20s-40s- Form close relationships and gain capacity for love

Generativity vs stagnation

Stage 7: 40s-60s- Discover sense of contributing to the world, through family and work

Integrity vs Despair

Stage 8: 60s and up- reflect on your life, feel satisfaction or failure

Diffusion

No commitment, no exploration, no idea who they are

Foreclosure

Premature commitment with no exploration (I’ll be a lawyer because my parents say so)

Moratorium

Actively seeking an identity, no commitment though

Microsystem

Immediate environment with daily interaction

Mesosystem

Relationships between microsystem (interaction between parents and teachers)

Exosystem

Environment you’re not directly a part of that still impacts you (government policies)

Macrosystem

Societal and cultural influences (customs, norms, and traditions)

Chronosystem

Life stage and historical events (economic recession, environmental changes)

Vicarious conditioning

Form of observational learning, watch another get a consequence and learn- don’t do that!

Big Five Personality (OCEAN)

O: Openness

C:Conscientiousness

E: Extraversion

A: Agreeableness

N: Neuroticism

Biological Perspective

Explanation: Genes causes changes in neurotransmitters and brain

Treatment: Medication and surgical techniques

Cognitive Perspective

Explanation: Maladaptive thinking and emotions

Treatment: Cognitive restructuring

Behavioral

Explanation: Maladaptive learned associations

Treatment: Applied behavior analysis

Psychodynamic Perspective

Explanation: Unconscious thoughts/ behaviors from childhood

Treatment: Free association, dream interpretation

Humanistic Perspective

Explanation: Lack of social support, not fulfilling potential

Treatment Unconditional positive regard, clint-centered

Sociocultural perspective

Explanation: Maladaptive social/cultural dynamics

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Person fractures into several distinct personalities who normally have no awareness of each other.

Schizoid

No interest in relationships, lack emotions- similar to negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Schizotypal

Discomfort w/ social interactions, extremely superstitious, delusion thinking, unusual speech