Behavioral Sciences Flashcards

1
Q

Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep

A

Stages 1 through 4 of sleep; contains ever-slowing brain waves as one gets deeper into sleep.

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2
Q

Norms

A

Societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior

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3
Q

Obedience

A

The changing of behavior of an individual based on a command from someone seen as an authority figure

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4
Q

Object Permanence

A

Knowledge that an object does not cease to exist even when the object cannot be seen; a milestone in cognitive development

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5
Q

Observational Learning

A

A form of learning in which behavior is modified as a result of watching others

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6
Q

Occipital Lobe

A

A portion of the cerebral cortex that controls visual processing

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7
Q

Operant Conditioning

A

A form of associative learning in which the frequency of a behavior is modified using reinforcement or punishment

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8
Q

Opponent-Process Theory

A

A theory that states that the body will adapt to counteract repeated exposure to stimuli, such as seeing afterimages or ramping up the sympathetic nervous system in response to a depressant

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9
Q

Parallel Processing

A

The ability to simultaneously analyze and combine information regarding multiple aspects of a stimulus, such as color, shape, and motion

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10
Q

Parietal lobe

A

A portion of the cerebral cortex that controls somatosensory and spatial processing

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11
Q

Personality disorders

A

Disorders that involve patterns of behavior that are inflexible and maladaptive, causing distress or impaired functions in at least two of the following: cognition, emotion, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control

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12
Q

Pineal gland

A

A brain structure located near the thalamus that secretes melatonin

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13
Q

Pons

A

A portion of the brainstem that relays information between the cortex and medulla, regulates sleep, and carries some motor and sensory information from the head and neck

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14
Q

Poverty

A

A socioeconomic condition of low resource availability; in the US, the poverty line is determined by the government’s calculation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire the minimum necessities of life

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15
Q

Prejudice

A

An irrationally based positive or negative attitude toward a person, group, or thing, formed prior to actual experience.

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16
Q

Prevalence

A

The number of cases of a disease per population in a given period of time; usually, cases per 1000 people per year

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17
Q

Primacy Effect

A

The phenomenon of first impressions of a person being more important than subsequent impressions

18
Q

Priming

A

A retrieval cue by which recall is aided by a word or phrase that is semantically related to the desired memory

19
Q

Projection

A

A defense mechanism by which individuals attribute their undesired feelings to others

20
Q

Projection Area

A

The portion of the cerebral cortex that analyzes sensory input

21
Q

Proprioception

A

The ability to tell where one’s body is in space

22
Q

Punishment

A

In operant conditioning, the use of an aversive stimulus designed to decrease the frequency of an undesired behavior

23
Q

Operant conditioning

A

(also called “instrumental conditioning”) is a type of learning in which (a) the strength of a behavior is modified by the behavior’s consequences, such as reward or punishment, and (b) the behavior is controlled by antecedents called “discriminative stimuli” which come to signal those consequences.

*look up diagram

24
Q

Aversive Stimulus

A

An aversive stimulus is an unpleasant event that is intended to decrease the probability of a behavior when it is presented as a consequence (i.e., punishment).

25
Q

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep

A

Sleep stage in which the eyes move rapidly back and forth and physiological arousal levels are more similar to wakefulness than sleep; dreaming occurs during this stage

26
Q

Rationalization

A

A defense mechanism by which individuals explain undesirable behaviors in a way that is self-justifying and socially acceptable

27
Q

Reaction Formation

A

A defense mechanism by which individuals suppress urges by unconsciously converting them into their exact opposites

28
Q

Regency Effect

A

The phenomenon in which the most recent information we have about an individual is most important in forming our impressions

29
Q

Reciprocal Determinism

A

In the social cognitive perspective, the notion that thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and environment interact to determine behavior in a given situation

30
Q

Recognition-Primed Decision Model

A

A decision-making model in which experience and recognition of similar situations one has already experienced play a large role in decision-making and actions; also one of the explanations for the experience of intuition

31
Q

Regression

A

A defense mechanism by which an individual deals with stress by reverting to an earlier developmental state

32
Q

Reinforcement

A

In operant conditioning, the use of a stimulus designed to increase the frequency of a desired behavior

*look up diagram

33
Q

Representativeness Heuristic

A

A shortcut in decision-making that relies on categorizing items on the basis of whether they fit the prototypical, stereotypical, or representative image of the category

34
Q

Repression

A

A defense mechanism by which the ego forces undesired thoughts and urges into the unconscious mind

35
Q

Response Bias

A

The tendency of subjects to systematically respond to a stimulus in a particular way due to nonsensory factors

36
Q

Retrieval

A

The process of demonstrating that information has been retained in memory; includes recall, recognition, and relearning

37
Q

Ritual

A

A formalized ceremony that usually involves specific material objects, symbolism, and additional mandates on acceptable behavior

38
Q

Role

A

A set of beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that define expectations of behaviors associated with a given status

39
Q

Schachter-Singer Theory

A

A theory of emotion that states that both physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal must occur before an emotion is consciously experienced

40
Q

Schema

A

An organized pattern of thought and behavior; one of the central concepts of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

41
Q

Schizophrenia

A

A psychotic disorder characterized by gross distortions of reality and disturbances in the content and form of thought, perception, and behavior