P's in Glossary Flashcards
panic disorder
an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or the frightening sensations
parallel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions; including vision
paraphilas
experiencing sexual arousal from fantasies, behaviors, or urges involving non-human objects, the suffering of self or others, and/or nonconsenting
parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
parasympathetic nervous system
the division of autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
parietal lobe
portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position
parietal (intermittent) reinforcement
reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction that does continuous reinforcement
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
perceptual adaption
the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
peripheral route persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues
personal control
the extent to which people perceive control over the environment rather than feeling helpless
personality disorders
psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning
personality inventory
a questionnaire used to assess personality traits
personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
personnel psychology
a subfield on I/O psychology that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development
PET (positron emission tomography)
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when 2 or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
phobia
an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation
phoneme
the smallest distinctive unit of sound
pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness, depends on frequency
pituitary gland
the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other other endocrine glands
place theory
the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent
plasticity
the brain’s ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
population
all the cases in a group being studied
positive psychology
the scientific study of human functioning, with goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers
posthypnotic suggestion
a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors
post-traumatic growth
positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises
PTSD
a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience
predictive validity
the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict
prejudice
an unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members
preoperational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from 2 to 6 or 7) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
primary reinforcer
an innately reinforcing stimulus
primary sex characteristics
the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible
priming
the activation of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response
proactive interference
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new info
projective test
a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
prosocial behavior
positive, constructive, helpful behavior
prototype
a mental image or best example of a category
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders
psychoactive drugs
a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods
psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
psychodynamic theories
view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
psychodynamic therapy
therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences
psychological disorder
a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes
psychopharmacology
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which the id’s pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
psychosis
a psychological disorder in which a person loses contact with reality, experiencing irrational ideas and distorted perceptions
psychosurgery
surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior
psychotherapy
treatment involving psychological techniques
puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproduction
punishment
an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows
pupil
the adjustable opening at the center of the eye though which light enters
