Psych ch. 11&15 Flashcards
intelligence test
a method for assess- ing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.
intelligence
mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.
general intelligence (g)
a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore mea- sured by every task on an intelligence test.
factor analysis
a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identi- fy different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.
savant syndrome
a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.
creativity
the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas.
emotional intelligence
the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.
mental age
a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of perfor- mance. Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.
Stanford-Binet
the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.
intelligence quotient (IQ)
defined originally as the ratio of mental age
(ma) to chronological age (ca) multi- plied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca × 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.
achievement tests
a test designed to assess what a person has learned.
aptitude tests
a test designed to pre- dict a person’s future performance; apti- tude is the capacity to learn.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.
standardization
defining meaningful scores by comparison with the perfor- mance of a pretested group.
normal curve
the symmetrical bell- shaped curve that describes the distrib- ution of many physical and psychologi- cal attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.
reliability
the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, or on retesting.
validity
the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is sup- posed to
content validity
the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.
predictive validity
the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior.
mental retardation
a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelli- gence score of 70 or below and difficul- ty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound.
Down syndrome
a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.
stereotype threat
a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.
personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
free association
a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says what- ever comes to mind, no matter how triv- ial or embarrassing.
psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of per- sonality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and con- flicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions.
unconscious
a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memo- ries. According to contemporary psy- chologists, information processing of which we are unaware.
id
ontains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
ego
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfy- ing the id’s desires in ways that will real- istically bring pleasure rather than pain.
superego
he part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internal- ized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspiration
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phal- lic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure- seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.
Oedipus complex
a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father.
identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos.
fixation
a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.
defense mechanisms
the ego’s protective meth- ods of reducing anxiety by unconscious- ly distorting reality.
repression
the basic defense mechanism that ban- ishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feel- ings, and memories from consciousness.
regression
an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated.
reaction formation
peo- ple may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings.
projection
people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others.
rationalization
defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one’s actions.
displacement
shifts sexual or aggres- sive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet.
denial
defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe or even to per- ceive painful realities.
collective unconscious
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.
projective test
looking at stimulus and telling about it
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambigu- ous scenes.
Rorschach inkblot test
a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their inter- pretations of the blots.
terror–management theory
a theo- ry of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.
self-actualization
according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychologi- cal needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential
unconditional positive regard
according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person.
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.
personality inventory
a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still con- sidered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screen- ing purposes.
empirically derived test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups.
social-cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context.
reciprocal determinism
the interact- ing influences of behavior, internal cog- nition, and environment.
personal control
he extent to which people perceive control over their envi- ronment rather than feeling helpless.
external locus of control
the percep- tion that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.
internal locus of control
the percep- tion that you control your own fate.
learned helplessness
the hopeless- ness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.
positive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
“O God, give us grace to ac
self
assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
spotlight effect
overestimating oth- ers’ noticing and evaluating our appear- ance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).
self-esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth.
self-serving bias
a readiness to per- ceive oneself favorably.
