Five-Factor Model of Personality (Big Five): Includes openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism—traits that explain an individual's personality.
Displacement: Redirecting emotions or impulses from the original target to a less threatening one (e.g., a student yelling at a sibling instead of a teacher).
Self-Efficacy: Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations (e.g., confidence in solving math problems).
Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable feelings to someone else (e.g., someone angry accusing others of being angry).
The Big Five Personality Factors: Based on trait psychology, describing personality via broad dimensions.
Agreeableness: Involves being cooperative, compassionate, and empathetic toward others (e.g., being softhearted and forgiving).
Projective Tests: Use ambiguous stimuli to reveal hidden thoughts and feelings (e.g., Rorschach inkblots).
Case Study: An in-depth analysis of a single person used to study rare situations (e.g., analyzing a political figure's childhood).
Personality Inventory: A self-report questionnaire assessing various personality traits (e.g., true/false statements about oneself).
Neuroticism: Characterized by emotional instability and frequent anxiety (e.g., heightened stress during exams).
Reciprocal Determinism: Proposed by Bandura, suggesting that behavior, cognition, and environmental factors influence each other (e.g., anxiety affecting social interactions).
Humanistic Perspective: Emphasizes self-actualization and personal growth (e.g., dissatisfaction due to unfulfilled basic needs).
Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance and support of a person regardless of their actions (e.g., parental support despite shortcomings).
Denial: A defense mechanism refusing to acknowledge reality (e.g., a parent keeping a child’s room intact post-moving out).
Locus of Control: Belief in control over life events—internal (personal influence) vs. external (outside forces).
Collectivism: Emphasizes group goals over individual desires (e.g., prioritizing family/community needs).
Repression: A defense mechanism where distressing memories are unconsciously blocked (e.g., forgetting traumatic events).
Real vs. Ideal Self: Unhappiness arises from the mismatch between a person's ideal self and real self (e.g., a student's motivation).
Correlations: Examine relationships between variables; a positive correlation indicates an increase in one correlates with an increase in another, but does not imply causation.
Research Methods: Longitudinal design tests the same participants over time, while cross-sectional studies examine different groups at one point.
Brain Functions: Different brain regions handle specific functions; injury can have severe consequences (e.g., damage to Broca’s area impacts speech).
Psychoactive Drugs: Substances affecting the nervous system; stimulants heighten alertness; depressants slow function.
Cognitive Processing: Top-down processing uses existing knowledge for understanding, contrasting with bottom-up processing driven by sensory data.
Vestibular Sense: The cerebellum maintains balance through the vestibular system.
Attention and Distractions: Selective attention allows focus on specific stimuli, crucial for tasks but can lead to dangerous distractions.
Learning and Behavior: Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior by removing unpleasant stimuli (e.g., taking painkillers).
Test Development and Validity: Ensuring psychological tests measure intended constructs (e.g., personality tests aligning with supervisor ratings).
Psychological Theories: Reciprocal determinism explains the dynamic interaction between behavior, cognition, and environment.
Cognitive Dissonance: Individuals strive to resolve discomfort from conflicting beliefs (e.g., unhealthy behavior conflicting with health values).
Aptitude Tests: Designed to predict performance in specific areas, assessing inherent potential (e.g., logical reasoning).
Humanistic vs. Behaviorist Perspectives: Humanists focus on personal growth and agency; behaviorists emphasize external stimuli shaping behavior.