A's in glossary

Question 1

absolute threshold

Answer 1

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

Question 2

accommodation (development)

Answer 2

adapting our current understandings to incorporate new info.

Question 3

accommodation (eyes)

Answer 3

the process by which the eye’s lens change shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

Question 4

achievement motivation

Answer 4

a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, and for rapidly attaining a high standard.

Question 5

achievement test

Answer 5

a test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Question 6

acquisition

Answer 6

In classic conditioning, the initial stage when one links a neural stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus beings triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response.

Question 7

action potential

Answer 7

a neural impulse or a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

Question 8

active listening

Answer 8

empathic listening which the listener restates and clarifies. featured in Rogers’ client-centered therapy.

Question 9

addiction

Answer 9

compulsive craving of drugs or certain behaviors despite known adverse consequences.

Question 10

adolescence

Answer 10

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

Question 11

adrenal glands

Answer 11

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress.

Question 12

aggression

Answer 12

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Question 13

alcohol use disorder

Answer 13

alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and a drive to continue problematic use.

Question 14

algorithm

Answer 14

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

Question 15

alpha waves

Answer 15

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Question 16

altruism

Answer 16

unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Question 17

amphetamines

Answer 17

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

Question 18

amygdala

Answer 18

two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion.

Question 19

anorexia nervosa

Answer 19

an eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight.

Question 20

anterograde amnesia

Answer 20

an inability to form new memories.

Question 21

antianxiety drugs

Answer 21

drugs used to control anxiety and agitation

Question 22

antidepressant drugs

Answer 22

drugs used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD.

Question 23

antipsychotic drugs

Answer 23

drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorder.

Question 24

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 24

a personality disorder in which a person exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards friends and family.

Question 25

anxiety disorders

Answer 25

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

Question 26

aphasia

Answer 26

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

Question 27

applied research

Answer 27

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

Question 28

aptitude test

Answer 28

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance.

Question 29

assimilation

Answer 29

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

Question 30

association areas

Answer 30

areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Question 31

associative learning

Answer 31

learning that certain events occur together.

Question 32

attachment

Answer 32

an emotional tie with another person.

Question 33

ADHD

Answer 33

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms; extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Question 34

attitude

Answer 34

feelings that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Question 35

attribution theory

Answer 35

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either their situation or the person’s disposition.

Question 36

audition

Answer 36

the sense or act of hearing.

Question 37

autism spectrum disorder

Answer 37

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors.

Question 38

automatic processing

Answer 38

unconscious encoding of incidental info (space, time, frequency) and of well learned info (word meanings)

Question 39

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Answer 39

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of internal organs. Sympathetic division arouses and parasympathetic division calms.

Question 40

availability heuristic

Answer 40

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory.

Question 41

aversive conditioning

Answer 41

a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior.

Question 42

axon

Answer 42

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands.