A's Flashcards
Ablation
Method of studying the brain, pioneered by Flourens, in which the function of some brain are is assessed after that portion of the brain has been destroyed.
Absolute threshold
Point on the continuum of a physical dimension where an increase in physical stimulation results in the initial perception of a stimulus.
Accommodation
Visual Phenomenon described by Berkley; the tendency of the lens of the eye to change shape as objects move toward and away from the person
Act psychology
Brentano’s position that psychology should be the study of mental acts, not mental contents; with the perception of some event, for example, one should not analyze it into its elements, but examine the act of perception (how the individual perceives the event and what the event means to the individual)
Algorithm
In math and computer science, a set of rules guaranteed to produce an eventual solution to a problem by exhaustively working through all possible solutions.
Analytical Psychology
Jung’s theory of psychology, which differed from Freud’s in a number of ways, including a decreased emphasis on sex
Aneedotal Evidence
Research method in which evidence takes the form of an accumulation of examples supporting some principle of theory; associated with Romanes and the origins of comparative psychology; also used by phrenologists; heavy reliance on such evidence leads one to ignore counter instances that might disprove a hypothesis
Animal Spirits
Hypothetical essence once believed to inhabit the nervous system and to be the driving force behind muscle movement.
Anna O. case
Famous case of hysteria treated by Breuer and reported by Breuer and Freud in Studies on Hysteria; gave Freud the insight that hysterics suffer from their memories of traumatic events; details distorted over the years
Anthropomorphisms
Tendancy to attribute human characteristics to nonhuman entitles; associated with Romanes and the origins of comparative psychology
Antithesis
Darwin’s principle of emotional expression, stating that some emotions that were the posit of each other were reflected in expressions that were likewise opposed
Apparent Motion
Phenomenon studied by Wertheimer in which stationary stimuli appear to move under certain circumstances
Apperception
A high level of awareness, in which we focus our full attention on some object and apprehend it fully; associated with Leibniz originally; central concept for Wundt’s psychology
Approach-approach conflict
For Lewin, a situation in which a conflict exists within a person, resulting from hang to make a choice between two goals within a positive valence
Approach-avoidance conflict
For Lewin, a situation in which a conflict exists within a person, occurring when a goal elicits both approach and avoidance tendencies
