F's in Glossary Flashcards
factor analysis
a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score
family therapy
therapy that treats the family as a system. views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by other family members.
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking.
fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
fixation
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
fixed-interval schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.
fixed-ratio schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
flashbulb memory
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.
flow
a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one’s skills.
fluid intelligence
our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, tends to decrease during late adulthood
fMRI (functional MRI)
a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. They show brain function.
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.
formal operational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts (beginning about age 12)
