Summer Work Terms

Positive Psychology

the study of what makes ppl happy & how to implement it

the GI Joe Fallacy

knowing is half the battle lie: learning smt does not have any impact; you have to impement it

subjective well-being

a persons perception of how they most often feel AND how they think their life is going

life satisfaction

how you think you life is going

self-report

a method of measuring by simply asking ppl abt their feeling beliefs and behaviors, often through surveys or questionnaires.

feel-good-do-good phenonmenon

if you feel good u are more likely to help others

miswanting

incorrectly predicting how much you like smt

meta-analysis

a method of measurement that combines multiple studies to develop mathematical conclusion

active social network use

actively participating via, posting, commenting (social interaction)

passive social network use

passively participating via watching, reading (anti-social interaction)

Affective Forecasting

our predictions about our own state of feelings in the future

Impact Bias

• the tendency to overestimate the emotional impact of a future event, both in terms of its intensity and its duration

Hedonic Adaptation

•  process of getting accustomed to positive/negative stimulus such that the emotional effects of the stimulus are attenuated over time “we get used to stuff” (explains mis-wanting)

Psychological Immune System

• A set of unconscious psychological mechanisms that help us recover from bad events 

Savoring

• the act of stepping outside of an experience to review and appreciate it

Negative Visualzation

• the act of thinking about the opposite of a good thing (bad counterfactual)

Reference Point

• a salient (but often irrelevant) standard against which we compare whatever is going on in our lives

Social Comparison

• the act of evaluating one's own salary/status/possession/etc, relative to those of other people

bottom-up attention

•  can't help but notice → beginning with the sensory receptors, and working its way to the brain’s integration of sensory info

top down attention

attention that is allocated effortfully and consciously → as we draw from our experience and expectations when constructing perceptions

change blindness

• visual phenomenon where a person fails to notice changes in a visual scene even when clearly visible

attentional hygiene

• using a variety of strategies to take control of your attention and minimize distractions

mind-wandering

 a shift in the contents of thought away from an ongoing task and/or from events in the external environment to self-generated thoughts and feelings

fixed mindset

• the belief that a persons basic qualities are fixed traits

growth mindset

• the belief that a persons qualities can change an dbe developed through dedication and hard work

benefit finding

• the process of looking for the bright side of negative events and deriving positive growth from adversity

Distanced Self-Talk

 the act of talking to yourself in second-person or third-person to increase psychological distance

Ironic Process Theory

• an idea which posits that deliberate attempts to suppress thoughts/emotions make them more likely to resurface

Hot-Cold Empathy Gap

• a bias in which people underestimate the influence of their current internal state on their attitudes, preferences, and behaviors

Hot Cognition

• thought processes that occur when under high bodily/emotional stress

Cold Cognition

 thought processes that occur when under low bodily/emotional stress

confirmation bias

• the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses

cognitive based behavioral therapies

• therapies that focus on defeating negative, self-defeating thinking (sometimes to aid behaviors). usually treats: anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, insomnia, and depression

types include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (cognitive-behavior)

• Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) (soley cognitive)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• A popular form of therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) w/ behavioral therapy (changing behavior)

rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

a confrontational cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that vigorously challenges ppl’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes & assumptions (changing thoughts)

group & family therapy

therapy in fam or group to help heal stressful relationships

Behavioral conditioning therapies

• therapies that focus on modifying dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors usually: bed-wetting, specific phobias, compulsions, martial difficulties, & sexual dysfunctions

psychodynamic therapy

• a therapeutic approach that emphasizes of unconscious conflicts from childhood to understand current behavior and relationships. (treats: anxiety & depression thru self-insight

evidence-based practice

• a therapeutic approach that integrates the best available research with clinical expertise and patient values to guide treatment decisions.

therapeutic alliance

a bond of trust & mutual understanding between a therapist & client

types of therapists

• clinical psychologists: Ph.D or Psy.D. focuses on therapy: half work in agencies/instiutions, half in private practice

• Psychiatrists: physicians who specialize in psychological disorders, M.D.s or D.O.s so can prescribe meds: see most serious cases

• Clinical or Psychiatric Social Workers: master's degree in social work, provide therapy and support mostly everyday family & personal probs

• Counselors: focus on specific issues or populations, usually with a master's degree; may work in schools, clinics, or private practice.

selective attention

the process of focusing on certain stimuli while ignoring others, enhancing the perception of relevant information.

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

executive functions

cognitive skills that work together, enabling us to generate, organize, plan, & implement goal-directed behaviors/activities

algorithim

a way humans solve problems: a step-by-step procedure or formula that guarantees solving a problem (contrasts usually speedier, & more error prone, use of heuristics)

heuristic

a way humans solve problems: simpler thinking strategies/shortcuts thru methods such as experimentation, evaluation, and trial and error (error prone thinking)

mental set

a tendency to approach problems in a particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past, which can limit problem-solving ability.

representativeness heuristic

a mental shortcut used to make judgments about the probability of an event based on how similar it is to a prototype, often leading to biases in decision-making/ ignore other relevant info

availability heuristic

a mental shortcut used to make judgments about the probability of an event based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to the mind, we presume the events are common (results in overestimating the likelihood of events)

belief perseverance

the tendency to maintain beliefs even when faced with contradictory evidence, often leading to poor decision-making.

Person perception

how we form impressions of ourselves and others, including attributions of behavior

Attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation (a situational attribution) or the person’s stable, enduring traits (a dispositional attribution)

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analysing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition. (same as actor-observer bias)

actor-observer bias

 the tendency for those acting in a situation to attribute their behavior to external causes, but for observers to attribute others’ behavior to internal causes (Fundamental attribution error)

Prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves negative emotions, stereotype beliefs, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Just-world phenomenon

 the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

social identity

the way individuals define themselves in relation to groups they are part of, which influences attitudes and behavior.

Ingroup

the people who we share a common identity

outgroup

those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own groups

scapegoat theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger that provides someone to blame

other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of our own race more accurately than people of a different race.

deinstitutionalization

the process, begun in the late twentieth century, of moving people with psychological disorders out of institutional facilities

Psychotherapy

treatment including psychological techniques; consists of interactions between trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

biomedical therapy

prescribed medication or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology

electric approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud's therapeutic technique. Freud believe that patients resistances, dreams, free associations, and transferences – the analysts interpretation of them – released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

transference

in therapy, the redirection of feelings for one person to another, usually the therapist.

Insight therapies

therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses

person-centered therapy (nondirective counseling)

a humanistic therapy, developed by carl rogers, in which the therapists use techniques such as active listening (unconditional positive-regard) an empathetic environment to help clients resolve own issues thru self-understanding & acceptance (treats: mild-moderate depression)

active listening

empathetic listening in which listener echos, restates and seeks clarification

unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgemental attitude which carl rogers thought would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

behavior therapies

therapy that uses learning principles to reduce unwanted behaviors

includes:

• counterconditioning

  • aversive conditioning

  • exposure therapy

    • systematic desensitization

• token ecnomy

counterconditiong

behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors (exposure therapy and aversive conditioning)

exposure therapies

a conditioning behavioral technique: treat anxieties by exposing people to the things they fear/avoid

• ie systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy

systematic desensitization

a type of condition exposure therapy: associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggered stimuli. (used to treat phobias)

aversive conditioning

associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)

token economy

a behavioral technique that reinforces desired behaviors through the systematic application of tokens or rewards that can be exchanged for privileges or items.

habit loop

cue → routine → reward