A

Question 1

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.

Answer 1

absolute threshold

Question 2

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus the image of near objects on the retina.

Answer 2

accommodation

Question 3

adapting one’s current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Answer 3

accommodation

Question 4

a neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction

Answer 4

acetylcholine

Question 5

a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard

Answer 5

achievement motivation

Question 6

a test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Answer 6

achievement test

Question 7

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.

Answer 7

acoustic encoding

Question 8

in classical conditioning, the initial stage of learning; the phase associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned response.

Answer 8

acquisition

Question 9

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane.

Answer 9

action potential

Question 10

empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers’ client-centered therapy

Answer 10

active listening

Question 11

the sharpness of vision.

Answer 11

acquity

Question 12

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a “neutral” level defined by our prior experience.

Answer 12

adaptation-level phenomenon

Question 13

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

Answer 13

adolescence

Question 14

a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress.

Answer 14

adrenal glands

Question 15

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety.

Answer 15

aerobic exercise

Question 16

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Answer 16

aggression

Question 17

a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem

Answer 17

algorithm

Question 18

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Answer 18

alpha waves

Question 19

unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Answer 19

altruism

Question 20

a progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning.

Answer 20

Alzheimer’s disease

Question 21

the loss of memory

Answer 21

amnesia

Question 22

drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.

Answer 22

amphetamines

Question 23

two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.

Answer 23

amygdala

Question 24

an eating disorder in which a normal weight person (usually an adolescent female) diets and becomes significantly (15 percent or more) underweight yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve.

Answer 24

anorexia nervosa

Question 25

a personality disorder in which the person (usually a man) exhibits a lack( of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members.

Answer 25

antisocial personality disorder

Question 26

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

Answer 26

anxiety disorders

Question 27

impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding).

Answer 27

aphasia

Question 28

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Answer 28

applied research

Question 29

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Answer 29

aptitude test

Question 30

(Al) the science of designing and programming computer systems to do intelligent things and to simulate human thought processes such as intuitive reasoning, learning, and understanding language.

Answer 30

artificial intelligence

Question 31

interpreting one’s new experience in terms of one’s existing schemas.

Answer 31

assimilation

Question 32

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Answer 32

association areas

Question 33

learning that certain events (a response and its consequences in operant conditioning) occur together

Answer 33

associative learning

Question 34

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Answer 34

attachment

Question 35

a belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Answer 35

attitude

Question 36

the theory that we tend to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Answer 36

attribution theory

Question 37

the sense of hearing.

Answer 37

audition

Question 38

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.

Answer 38

automatic processing

Question 39

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Answer 39

autonomic nervous system

Question 40

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common.

Answer 40

availability heuristic

Question 41

a type of counter conditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol).

Answer 41

aversive conditioning

Question 42

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Answer 42

axon