Psych Exam 3

Social psychology

Social psychology

The study of how people think about, influence and relate to other people

Bystander Effect

The tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to be less likely to help when other people are present than when the observer is alone.

Social Cognition

The area of social psychology exploring how people select, interpret, remember and use social information.

Stereotype

generalization about a group’s characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another.

Stereotype threat

An individual’s fast-acting, self fulfilling fear of being judged based on a negative stereotype about their group.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Social expectations that cause an individual to act in such a way that the expectations are realized.

Attribution theory

The view that people are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior.

Fundamental attribution error

Observers’ overestimation of the importance of internal traits and underestimation of the importance of external situations when they seek explanations of another person’s behavior.

Attitudes

An individual’s opinions and beliefs about people, objects, and ideas (how they feel about the world)

Zimbardo Prison Experiment

Recruited men for 2-week study of prison life and were given either a role of a guard or a prisoner. Roles strongly dictated behavior Self-fulfilling prophecy.

Cognitive dissonance

An individual’s psychological discomfort caused by two inconsistent thoughts.

Elaboration likelihood model

Theory identifying two ways to persuade: a central route and peripheral route.

Altruism

Giving to another person with the ultimate goal of benefiting that person even if it incurs a cost to oneself

Egoism

Giving to another person to ensure reciprocity; to gain self-esteem; to present oneself as powerful, competent, or caring; or to avoid social and self censure for failing to live up to society’s expectations.

Empathy

A feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another person

Aggression

Social behavior whose objective is to harm someone either physically or verbally.

Overt aggression

Physcial or verbal behavior that directly harms another person

Relational aggression

Behavior that is meant to harm the social standing of another person

Mere exposure effect

The phenomenon that the more individuals encounter someone or something the more probable it is that they will start liking the person or thing even if they do not realize they have seen it before.

Social exchange theory

The view of social relationships as involving an exchange of goods the objective of which is to minimize costs and maximize benefits.

Conformity

A change in a person’s behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard.

Informational social influence

The influence other people have on us because we want to be right

Normative social influence

The influence other people have on use because we want them to like us

Obedience

Behaviors that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority.

Milgram’s Study of Obedience

Person is told to shock an old man every time he gets an answer wrong. He is in pain and eventually becomes unresponsive. There is someone telling the person to keep shocking him if they hesitate. Majority of people obeyed and 2/3 did the max voltage.

Deindividuation

The reduction in personal identity and erosion of the sense of personal responsibility when one is part of a group.

Social contagion

Imitative behavior involving the spread of behavior emotions and ideas.

Social facilitation

Improvement in an individual’s performance because of the presence of others.

Social loafing

Each person’s tendency to exert less effort in a group because of reduced accountability for individual effort.

Group think

he practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility.

Prejudice

An unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on the individual’s membership in a group.

Systemic racism

Systems, structures, and procedures in a society that disadvantage a racial group and privilege another

Microaggressions

Everyday, subtle, and potentially unintentional acts that communicate bias to members of marginalized groups.

Discrimination

An unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because the person belongs to that group.

Muzafer Sherif

credited with helping found modern social psychology and published over 60 articles and 24 books. His most famous experiment was the 1954 Robbers Cave Experiment which supported the Realistic Conflict Theory that he developed.

Abnormal psychology

Area of psychology that integrates science and theory to prevent and treat psychological disorders

Three criteria of abnormal behavior

Deviant, Maladaptive, personally distressful.

Maladaptive

behavior or characteristic disrupts the person’s ability to lead a satisfying life, interfering with their ability to function effectively in the world

Deviant

Different from cultural norms

Culture and abnormal behavior

The core of what it means to be normal and abnormal. provides guidance about how people should behave and what behavior is healthy or unhealthy. Cultural norms are often changing and can be limitying, oppressive and prejudicial.

Biological/medical approach

An approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.

Psychotherapy

Nonmedical process that helps individuals with psychological disorders recognize and overcome their problems.

Sociocultural approach

An approach to psychology that examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior

Biopsychosocial approach

A perspective on human behavior that asserts that biological, psychological, and social factors are all significant ingredients in producing behavior. All of these levels are important to understanding human behavior.

Vulnerability-stress hypothesis or diathesis stress model

A theory holding that preexisting conditions put an individual at risk of developing a psychological disorder.

DSM-5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

major classification of psychological disorders in the US. Made by American Psychiatric Association

ICD 10

designed to promote international comparability in the collection, processing, classification, and presentation of mortality statistics. Not as good as DSM-5

Comorbidity

The simultaneous presence of two or more disorders in one person. The conditions are referred to as comorbid

Risk factors

characteristics experiences or exposures that increase the likelihood of a person developing a disorder.

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Diagnosed in childhood and are traced to genetic differences, atypical brain development or prenatal exposure to substances that adverselt affect development.

EX. Neurodevelopmental disorders

Communication disorders, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, autism spectrum

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction across a variety of settings as well as restrictive repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

One of the most common psychological disorders of childhood in which individuals show one or more of the following inattention hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Psychological disorder marked by persistent anxiety for at least six months and in which the individual is unable to specify the reasons for anxiety

Panic disorder

anxiety disorder in which the individual experiences recurrent, sudden onsets of intense apprehension or terror, often without warning and with no specific cause.

Specific phobia

Psychological disorder in which an individual has an irrational overwhelming persistent fear of a particular object or situaiton

Social anxiety disorder

An intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Disorder in which the individual has anxiety-provoking thoughts that will not go away and/or urges to preform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors to prevent or produce some future situation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety disorder that develops through exposure to a traumatic event, a severely oppressive situation cruel abuse or a natural or unnatural disaster.

Dissociative disorders

Psychological disorders that involve a sudden loss of memory or change in identity due to the dissociation of the individual’s conscious awareness from previous memories and thoughts.

Dissociative amnesia

Dissociative disorder characterized by extreme memory loss that is caused by extensive psychological stress.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Formerly called multiple personality disorder a dissociative disorder in which the individual has two or more distinct personalities or selves each with its own memories behaviors and relationships.

Major depressive disorder

Psychological disorder involving a major depressive episode and depressed chacterisrices such as lethargy and hopelessness for at least two weeks.

Bipolar disorder

Mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania an overexcited unrealistically optimistic state.

Anorexia nervosa

Eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation

Bulimia nervosa

Eating disorder in which an individual consistently follows a binge and purge eating pattern

Schizophrenia

Severe psychological disorder characterized by highly disordered thought processes; individuals suffering from schizophrenia may be referred to as psychotic because they are so far removed from reality.

Psychosis

State in which a person’s perceptions and thoughts are fundamentally removed from reality

Hallucinations

Sensory experiences that occur in absence of real stimuli

Delusions

False, unusual, and sometimes magical beliefs that are not part of an individual’s culture

Catatonia

State of immobility and unresponsiveness lasting for long periods of time

Flat affect

The display of little or no emotion a common negative symptom of schizophrenia

Antisocial personality disorder

Psychological disorder characterized by guiltlessness, law-breaking, exploitation of others, irresponsibility and deceit

Borderline personality disorder

Psychological disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships self-image and emotions and of marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of context.

Charles Silverstein, Ph.D.

first peer-reviewed academic journal for scholarship on LGBT studies, sexual practices, gender roles, and promotion of sexual and gender justice. He has written 8 books and numerous book chapters and academic papers. In 2011, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in The Practice of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation. He is still active in private practice and professional organizations in New York City.

Clinical psychology

An area of psychology that integrates science and theory to prevent and treat psychological disorders

Psychotherapy

Nonmedical process that helps individuals with psychological disorders recognize and overcome their problems.

Biological therapies

treatments that reduce or eliminate the symptoms of psychological disorders by altering aspects of body functioning

Psychiatrist

can prescribe drugs

Sociocultural therapy

Treatments that acknowledge the relationships roles and cultural contexts that characterize an individual’s life often bringing them into the therapeutic context

Evidence based practice

Integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the contect of client characteristics, culture and preferences

Therapeutic alliance

The relationship between the therapist and the client and important element of successful psycholtherapy.

Psychodynamic therapies

Treatments that stress the importance of the unconscious mind extensive interpretation by the therapist and the role of early childhood experiences in the development of an individual’s problems.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s therapeutic technique for analyzing an individual’s unconscious thoughts.

Free association

Psychoanalytic technique the involved encouraging individuals to say aloud whatever comes to mind no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Dream analysis

A psychoanalytic technique for interpreting a person’s dreams

Transference

A client’s relating to the psychoanalyst in ways that reproduce or relive important relationships in the clients life

Resistance

Client’s unconscious defense strategies that prevent the person from gaining insight into their psychological problems.

Humanistic therapies

Treatments that uniquely emphasize people’s self healing capacities and that encourage clients to understand themselves and to grow personally.

Client-centered therapy

Rogerian therapy or nondirective therapy, a form of humanistic therapy developed by rogers in which the therapist provides a warm supportive atmosphere to improve the client’s self-concept and to encourage the client to gain insight into problems

Reflective speech

Technique in which the therapist mirrors the client’s own feelings back to the client

Unconditional positive regard

Roger’s construct referring to the individual’s need to be accepted valued and treated positively regardless of their behavior

Behavior therapies

treatments based on behavioral and social cognitive theories that use principles of learning to reduce or eliminate maladaptive behavior

Cognitive therapies

Treatments emphasizing the cognitions are the main source of psychological problems; therapies that attempt to change the individual’s feelings and behavior by changing cognitions.

Cognitions

thoughts

Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)

Therapy that combines therapy and behavior therapy with goal of developing the client’s self efficacy

integrative therapy

Using combination of techniques from different therapies based on the therapist’s judgment of which particular methods will provide greatest benefit for the client.

Antianxiety drugs

commonly known as tranquilizers drugs that reduce anxiety by making individuals calmer and less excitable