Psych Terminology PPT

Question 1

Differentiate classical conditioning from operant conditioning.

Answer 1

Classical: Ex, Pavlov’s dog story, Jim pranks Dwight with Altoids on The Office
Operant: positive and negative reinforcement - Sheldon training Penny on The Big Bang Theory

Question 2

Define affect

Answer 2

Our outward expression of feelings and emotions

Question 3

Define agoraphobia

Answer 3

Anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed

Question 4

Define akathisia

Answer 4

Characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness and a compelling need to be in constant motion

Question 5

Give examples of akathisia

Answer 5

Rocking while standing or sitting, lifting the feet as if marching on the spot, and crossing and uncrossing the legs while sitting

Question 6

Define alogia

Answer 6

Poor thinking inferred from speech and language usage. There may be a general lack of additional, unprompted content seen in normal speech. Replies to questions may be brief and concrete, with a reduction in spontaneous speech

Question 7

Define anhedonia

Answer 7

Inability to enjoy experiences or activities that normally would be pleasurable

Question 8

Define avolition

Answer 8

Lack of motivation or ability to do tasks or activities that have an end goal (paying bills, attending school)

Question 9

Define cataplexy

Answer 9

Sudden and transient episode of muscle weakness with full conscious awareness - typically triggered by emotions such as laughing, crying, or terror

Question 10

Define catatonia

Answer 10

Neuropsychiatric condition that affects both behavior and motor function resulting in unresponsiveness in someone who otherwise appears to be awake

Question 11

Define cogwheel rigidity

Answer 11

Muscular rigidity that produces a ratcheted resistance to passive movement of the limbs in people who have Parkinson’s disease. May also be a side effect of antipsychotic drugs such as the phenothiazines

Question 12

Define compulsion

Answer 12

Repetitive, rule-based behavior that a person feels they must perform in order to feel normal and in some cases to prevent negative consequences

Question 13

Define defense mechanism

Answer 13

Psychological strategies by the unconscious mind to manipulate, deny, or distort reality in order to defend against feelings of anxiety and unacceptable impulses and to maintain one’s self-schema

Question 14

Define delirium

Answer 14

Serious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confusion and reduced awareness of environment

Question 15

Define delusion

Answer 15

Belief that is clearly false that indicates an abnormality in the affected person’s content of thought. The false belief is not accounted for by the person’s cultural or religious background or level of intelligence

Question 16

Define depersonalization

Answer 16

Detachment within self, regarding one’s mind, body, or identity. Subjects feel they have changed and the world has become vague and dreamlike, lacking in significance or being outside reality while looking in

Question 17

Define detachment

Answer 17

Inability to connect to others on an emotional level as well as a means of coping with anxiety by avoiding certain situations that trigger it

Question 18

Define dissociation

Answer 18

Psychological experience in which people feel disconnected from their sensory experience, sense of self, or personal history

Question 19

Define dysphoria

Answer 19

Profound state of unease or dissatisfaction

Question 20

Define dysthymia

Answer 20

Chronic form of depression. Pt may lose interest in normal daily activities, feel hopeless, lack productivity, have low self-esteem, and feel inadequate

Question 21

Define ego

Answer 21

Component of personality that is our conscious decision-making process. The id is the instinctual, biological component, and the superego is the social component of our personality and conscience

Question 22

Define enuresis

Answer 22

Voiding of urine in clothing 2+ times per week for 3+ consecutive months, in children > 5 y/o in the absence of CNS defects

Question 23

Define euphoria

Answer 23

State of great happiness which may be normal or abnormal when associated with psychoactive drugs, manic states, brain disease or injury

Question 24

Define excoriation

Answer 24

Mental illness related to OCD. Characterized by repeated picking at one’s own skin resulting in lesions and causing significant disruption in one’s life

Question 25

Define flight of ideas

Answer 25

Rapid, continuous succession of superficially related thoughts and ideas manifest as hurried speech with frequent abrupt shifts in topic

Question 26

Give examples of when flight of ideas may be seen.

Answer 26

Common in a manic episode and occasionally seen in other disorders, including schizophrenia

Question 27

Define global assessment of functioning (GAF)

Answer 27

Used to rate severity of a mental illness. Measures (scale 1-100) how much a person’s symptoms affect day-to-day life

Question 28

Define grandiosity

Answer 28

Unrealistic sense of superiority, characterized by a sustained view of one’s self as better than others, disdainfully viewing them as inferior; and accompanied by the belief that few other people have anything in common with oneself, and that one can only be understood by a few, very special people

Question 29

Define auditory hallucination

Answer 29

Person may hear someone speaking or telling them to do certain things – most common hallucination

Question 30

Define gustatory hallucination

Answer 30

Tastes are often strange or unpleasant (often a metallic taste) – relatively common in epileptics

Question 31

Define hypnagogic hallucination

Answer 31

A vivid dreamlike hallucination that occurs when a person is falling asleep