Ch. 8 Vocab Flashcards
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned
instinct
the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need
drive-reduction theory
a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level
homeostasis
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior
incentive
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases
Yerkes-Dodson law
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active
hierarchy of needs
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues; when its level is low, we feel hunger
glucose
the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set; when the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight
set point
the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure
basal metabolic rate
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson—excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
sexual response cycle
a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired; a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another
refractory period
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning
sexual dysfunction
sex hormones, such as estradiol, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males and contributing to female sex characteristics; In nonhuman female mammals, levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity
estrogens
the most important of the male sex hormones; both males and females have it, but the additional amount in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty
testosterone
a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience
emotion
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
James-Lange theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion
Cannon-Bard theory
the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal
two-factor theory
a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes) accompanying emotion
polygraph
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
facial feedback effect
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine
health psychology
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
stress
Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion
General adaptation syndrome
literally, “mind-body” illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches
psychophysiological illness
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health
psychoneuroimmunology
the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system: B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections; T lymphocytes form in the thymus and other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances
lymphocytes
the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries
coronary heart disease
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
Type A
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people
Type B
Another stress response, found especially among women, to seek and give support
tend and befriend response
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior
motivation
