AP Terms Flashcards
The creation of new cognitive schemas when objects experiences or other info does not fit with existing schemas
Accommodations
Learning that occurs without apparent reinforcements but is not demonstrated until reinforcement occurs.
Latent Learning
Theory proposed by Thorndike stating that those responses that are followed by a positive consequence will be repeated more frequently than those that are not.
Law of Effect
Based on the idea that changes in behavior result more from experience and less from our personality or how we think or feel about a situation.
Learning Theory
Power derived through one’s position, such as a police officer or elected official.
Legitimate Power
Sigmund Freud’s terminology of sexual energy or sexual drive.
Libido
Relatively permanent memory.
Long Term Memory
A dream in which you are aware of dreaming and are sometimes able to manipulate the dream.
Lucid Dream
Changes due to the natural process of aging as determined by your genetics.
Maturation
A method of determining an average where the sum of the scores are divided by the number of scores.
Mean
A method of determining an average by using the score that falls in the middle of the distribution.
Median
A method of determining an average by using the score(s) which occur most frequently.
Mode
The creation of new cognitive schemas when objects, experiences or other info. does not fit with existing schemas.
Accommodation
The firing of a neuron. Occurs when the charge inside the neuron becomes more powerful than the charge outside the neuron.
Action Potential
Behavior that is unselfish and may even be detrimental but benefits others.
Altruism
The physiological and psychological reaction to an expected danger, whether real or imagined.
Anxiety
The impairment of the ability to communicate either through oral or written discourse as a result of brain damage.
Aphasia
Incorporating objects, experiences, or info into existing schemas.
Assimilation
The phenomenon that states we are better able to remember info. when it is paired with something we are familiar with or in other words, stands out.
Associations
The strong bond a child has for his or her primary caregiver.
Attachment
Parenting style focused on excessive rules, rigid belief systems, and the expectation of unquestioned obedience.
Authoritarian [parents]
Parenting style focused on setting reasonable rules and expectations while encouraging independence.
Authoritative [parents]
A type of behavioral treatment where an adverse stimulus is paired with a negative behavior in hopes that the behavior will change in the future to avoid adverse stimuli.
Aversion Therapy
The tail-like part of a neuron where information exits the cell.
Axon
The cognitive structure utilized to make sense of the world.
Schema
A reinforcer other than one which meets our basic needs such as food or water (e.g. intellectual stimulation, money, praise).
Secondary Reinforcer
The process of understanding oneself more completely and being aware of issues affecting one’s life.
Self-Actualization
One’s belief in his or her own ability.
Self-Efficiency
The tendency to assign internal attributes to successes and external factors to failures.
Self-Serving Bias
The part of declarative memory that stores general info such as names and facts
Semantic Memory
The brief storage of info brought in through the senses, typically only lasts up to a few seconds.
Sensory Memory
Gradually molding a specific response by reinforcing responses that come close to the desired response.
Shaping
The stage of memory where info is stored for up to 30 seconds prior to either being forgotten or transferred to long term memory
Short Term Memory
Considered the father of behavioral therapy. He once stated that with the ability to control a child’s environment, he could raise a child to become anything he wanted.
Skinner, B.F
The effect of other’s presence on one’s performance. Typically we perform simple or well learned tasks better in front of others and difficult or novel tasks worse.
Social Facilitation
The tendency for people to work less on a task the greater the number of people are working on that task
Social Loafing
The branch of psychology which focuses on society and its impact on the individual.
Social Psychology
Accepted behaviors associated with a particular position within a group.
Social Rules
A statistical formula used to determine the amount of difference expected from one score to the next.
Standard Deviation
A temporary internal characteristic (e.g. depressed, angry)
State
The theory that info learned in a particular state of mind (e.g. depressed, happy, somber) is more easily recalled when in that same state of mind.
State Dependent Memory
Anything in the environment to which one responds.
Stimulus
The process of saving info in long term memory.
Storage
The physical and psychological result of internal or external pressure.
Stress
Anything, internal or external, which applies psychological pressure on an individual.
Stressor
A defense mechanism where undesired or unacceptable impulses are transformed into behaviors which are accepted by society.
Sublimation
In psychoanalytical theory, the part of the personality that represents the conscience
Superego
Hans Eysenck’s term for his two distinct categories of personality traits. They include introversion-extroversion and neuroticisms. According to Eysenck, each of us fall on a continuum based on the degree of each super trait.
Supertraits
The defense mechanism where we push unacceptable thoughts out of consciousness and into our unconscious
Suppression
Aristotle’s theory of reasoning where two true statements are followed by a single logical conclusion.
Syllogism
A treatment technique where the client is exposed to gradually increasing anxiety provoking stimuli while relaxing; the goal is for the client to eventually confront a phobia or fear without the previously associated anxiety.
Systematic Desensitization
The cognitive structure utilized to make sense of the world.
Schema
A reinforcer other than one which meets our basic needs such as food or water (e.g. intellectual stimulation, money, praise).
Secondary Reinforcer
The process of understanding oneself more completely and being aware of issues affecting one’s life.
Self-Actualization
One’s belief in his or her own ability.
Self-Efficiency
The tendency to assign internal attributes to successes and external factors to failures.
Self-Serving Bias
The part of declarative memory that stores general info such as names and facts
Semantic Memory
The brief storage of info brought in through the senses, typically only lasts up to a few seconds.
Sensory Memory
Gradually molding a specific response by reinforcing responses that come close to the desired response.
Shaping
The stage of memory where info is stored for up to 30 seconds prior to either being forgotten or transferred to long term memory
Short Term Memory
Considered the father of behavioral therapy. He once stated that with the ability to control a child’s environment, he could raise a child to become anything he wanted.
Skinner, B.F
The effect of other’s presence on one’s performance. Typically we perform simple or well learned tasks better in front of others and difficult or novel tasks worse.
Social Facilitation
The tendency for people to work less on a task the greater the number of people are working on that task
Social Loafing
The branch of psychology which focuses on society and its impact on the individual.
Social Psychology
Accepted behaviors associated with a particular position within a group.
Social Rules
A statistical formula used to determine the amount of difference expected from one score to the next.
Standard Deviation
A temporary internal characteristic (e.g. depressed, angry)
State
The theory that info learned in a particular state of mind (e.g. depressed, happy, somber) is more easily recalled when in that same state of mind.
State Dependent Memory
Anything in the environment to which one responds.
Stimulus
The process of saving info in long term memory.
Storage
The physical and psychological result of internal or external pressure.
Stress
Anything, internal or external, which applies psychological pressure on an individual.
Stressor
A defense mechanism where undesired or unacceptable impulses are transformed into behaviors which are accepted by society.
Sublimation
In psychoanalytical theory, the part of the personality that represents the conscience
Superego
Hans Eysenck’s term for his two distinct categories of personality traits. They include introversion-extroversion and neuroticisms. According to Eysenck, each of us fall on a continuum based on the degree of each super trait.
Supertraits
The defense mechanism where we push unacceptable thoughts out of consciousness and into our unconscious
Suppression
Aristotle’s theory of reasoning where two true statements are followed by a single logical conclusion.
Syllogism
A treatment technique where the client is exposed to gradually increasing anxiety provoking stimuli while relaxing; the goal is for the client to eventually confront a phobia or fear without the previously associated anxiety.
Systematic Desensitization
statistical technique used to determine the number of components in a set of data. These components are then named according to their characteristics allowing a researcher to break them down into a statistical group.
Factor Analysis
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, the failure to complete a stage successfully which results in the continuation of that stage into later adulthood.
Fixation
Fixed Ratio Schedule
schedule in which the reinforcement is presented after a specific period of time.
Fetish
condition in which arousal or sexual gratification is attained through inanimate objects or non-sexual body parts. Is usually considered a problem when the object is needed in order to gain arousal or gratification and the ind. can’t complete a sexual act without this object present.
Frequency Effect
The phenomenon in memory that states that we are better able to remember info if it’s repeated.
Freud, Sigmund
Dr. Freud is often referred to as the father of clinical psychology. His extensive theory of personality development is the cornerstone for modern psychological thought and consists of the psychosexual stages of development, the structural model of personality ego, and levels of consciousness.
Flooding
behavioral technique used to treat phobias in which the client is presented with the feared stimulus until the associated anxiety disappears.
Free Association
psychoanalytic technique of allowing a patient to talk without direction or input in order to analyze current issues with the client.
Frontal Lobe
lobe at the front of the brain associated with movement, speech, and impulsive behavior.
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency to over-estimate the internal attributes of another person’s actions.
Tactile
The sense of touch
Temperament
A person’s typical way of responding to his or her environment
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
A subjective personality test where ambiguous pictures are shown to subject and they are asked to tell a story to them
Theory
A general idea about the relationship of two or story to them
Trait
A relatively permanent internal characteristic (e.g. friendly, outgoing)
Transference
Intense feelings directed toward the therapist that many clients experience in the process of therapy
Type A Personality
A theory used to describe a person with a significant number of traits focused on urgency, impatience, success, and normal or heightened competition
Type B Personality
A theory used to describe a person with a significant number of traits focused on relaxation, lack of urgency, and normal or reduced competition
Unconditional Positive Regard
Nonjudgmental empathy and respect for another person.
Unconditional Response
The response in a stimulus response chain that is naturally occurring as opposed to learned
Unconditional Stimulus
The stimulus in a stimulus response chain that is naturally occurring as opposed to learned
Unconscious
According to Frued, that area of the psyche where the unknown wishes and needs are kept that play a significant role in our conscious behavior
Validity
Statistical technique used to determine if a test is actually measuring what it is intended to measure
Variable
Any factor which has the potential to influence another factor in a research study
