famous theories to know Flashcards
Social-Learning theory
we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
Gender-Schemia theory
children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly
Signal Detection Theory
predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which when stimulated in a combination, can produce the perception of any color
Opponent-Process Theory
opposing retinal processes enable color vision (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black)
Frequency Theory
the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
Place Theory
links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
Gate-Control Theory
the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain
Drive-Reduction Theory
the idea that psychological need creates an aroused tension state that motivates an organism to satisfy the needs
James-Lange Theory
our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
Cannon-Bard Theory
an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion
Two-Factor Theory
Schachter’s theory that to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal
Attribution Theory
we tend to give a casual explanation for someone’s behavior, often by creating either the situation or the person’s disposition
Cognitive-Dissonance Theory
we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent
Scapegoat Theory
prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
