A Flashcards
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.
absolute threshold
the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus the image of near objects on the retina.
accommodation
adapting one’s current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.
accommodation
a neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction
acetylcholine
a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard
achievement motivation
a test designed to assess what a person has learned.
achievement test
the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.
acoustic encoding
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.
acquisition
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.
action potential
empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers’ client-centered therapy
active listening
the sharpness of vision.
acquity
our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a “neutral” level defined by our prior experience.
adaptation-level phenomenon
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
adolescence
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.
adrenal glands
sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety.
aerobic exercise
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
aggression
a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem
algorithm
the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
alpha waves
unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
altruism
a progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning.
Alzheimer’s disease
the loss of memory
amnesia
drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.
amphetamines
two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.
amygdala
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.
anorexia nervosa
a personality disorder in which the person (usually a man) exhibits a lack( of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members.
antisocial personality disorder
psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
anxiety disorders
impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding).
aphasia
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
applied research
a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.
aptitude test
(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.
artificial intelligence
interpreting one’s new experience in terms of one’s existing schemas.
assimilation
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.
association areas
learning that certain events (a response and its consequences in operant conditioning) occur together
associative learning
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.
attachment
a belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.
attitude
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.
attribution theory
the sense of hearing.
audition
unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.
automatic processing
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.
autonomic nervous system
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.
availability heuristic
a type of counter conditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol).
aversive conditioning
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands
axon
