Final Exam FRQ Flashcards
optimal arousal theory
The idea that there is an ideal level of anxiety or stress that leads to peak performance
motor neurons
carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
somatosensory cortex
an area in the front of the parietal lobes that register and process body touch and movement sensations
approach-avoidance conflicts
a conflict that occurs when someone is attracted and repelled by the same goal
vestibular sense
movement, gravity, and balance system in your inner ear; allows you to move smoothly
incentive theory
idea that people are motivated by a drive for incentives and reinforcement
divergent thinking
type of thinking that focuses on finding all the possible solutions to a problem
out-group homogeneity bias
the belief that members of other groups are very similar whereas your own group is very diverse
fundamental attribution error
occurs when an observer overestimates the impact of someone’s personal disposition and underestimates the impact of the situation
group polarization
the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion in the group
confounding variables
a factor other than the independent vari-
able that might produce an effect in an experiment
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two variables change
together, and thus of how well either variable predicts the other
correlation coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship be-
tween two variables (from -1 to +1)
independent variable
the variable that is being manipulated in the experimental group
dependent variable
the variable that is being measured in a study
