Psychology Flashcards
Long-term Potentiation
when neurons are repeatedly stimulated, they demonstrate an increased firing rate known as, LTP
Tonic Stimulus Response
continued production of action potentials throughout the duration of a stimulus (only in PNS)
Sensory Memory
auditory, visual, very short (few seconds)
Implicit Memory
does not require conscious thought, such as procedural memory (don’t need to remember how to drive)
Ambient Stressor
environmental (e.g., pollution)
Catastrophic Stressor
large-scale tragedy (e.g., natural disaster)
Personal Life Event Stressor
major life transitions
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
tells how the body reacts to stress that is acute or long-lasting with 3 stages of stress response–the alarm stage, resistance stage, and exhaustion stage
Thomas Theorem
predicts that an individual’s response/reaction to a situation is a result of her own interpretation of the situation
Yerkes-Dodson Law
suggests there’s an optimal level of psychological or mental arousal at which performance is maximized–performance declines with too much or too little
Hawthorne Effect
experimental subjects modifying their behavior or responses because they know they’re being observed
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
attempts to change negative thoughts/beliefs and maladaptive behaviors
Psychoanalytic Therapy (Talk Therapy)
attempts to uncover how unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood shape behaviors
Humanistic Therapy (Person-centered Therapy)
attempts to empower individual to move towards self-actualization
Motion Parallax
monocular cue whereby objects in the foreground are perceived as moving faster than objects in the background
Cocktail Party Effect
at a crowded party you tune out noise to talk to one person (attended stimulus), but if you hear your name across the room your attention quickly shifts to that unattended stimulus
Interference Effect
a memory process describing when old info prevents recollection of new info or new info (proactive interference) prevents recollection of old info (retroactive interference)
Speech Shadowing
a selective attention process used in dichotic listening tasks (competing info presented in each ear) that involves repeating info presented in one ear while tuning out the competing info in other ear
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
something causes a physiological response, which then causes brain to register associated emotion
Cognitive Appraisal Theory
evaluation of situation precedes emotional and physiological reactions and determines what emotion will be experienced
Schachter-Singer Theory
emotion is the result of physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal
Functionalism Theory
society = an organism, each part of society works to maintain dynamic equilibrium (Émile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons)
Conflict Theory
society = struggle for limited resources, inequality based on social class (Karl Marx, Max Weber)
Social Constructionism
social actors define what is real, knowledge about world based on interactions
Symbolic Interactionism
meaning and value attached to symbols, individual interactions based on these symbols (Charles Cooley, George Herbert Mead)
Rational Choice/Social Exchange
individual behaviors and interactions attempt to maximize personal gain and minimize personal cost
Feminist
examines gender inequality in society
Identity Development Theory
James Marcia evaluates the psychological progress of individuals based on their level of commitment and degree of exploration, which yield four identity statuses
Identity Diffusion
low commitment, low exploration; people at this level lack direction, have not explored options, have not committed to a particular career path or future
Identity Foreclosure
high commitment, low exploration; people at this level have accepted an identity that they have been assigned without contemplation or exploration
Identity Moratorium
low commitment, high exploration; people at this level are still trying new activities and thinking about a career path, but have not yet arrived at a decision
Identity Achievement
high commitment, high exploration; people at this level have explored their options and typically feel confident about who they are and what they want to do in the future
Representativeness Heuristic
tendency to compare things to mental prototypes (things we have previously seen in our heads) when making judgments
Availability Heuristic
tendency to believe that if something is easily recalled from memory, it must be common or likely
Actor-observer bias
attributional bias that describes the tendency to attribute one’s own actions to external factors but the actions of others to internal factors
Hindsight Bias
cognitive bias in which an event is perceived as having been predictable after it has occurred
Weber’s Law
Change in JND/original stimulus intensity = constant (k), it’s a ratio
Meta-analysis
statistically analyzes data combined from multiple studies with a common experimental goal, must use parallel methodology and outcome measures
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI)
decrease breakdown of monoamines (e.g. serotonin) by inhibiting monoamine oxidase
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
SSRIs block reuptake of serotonin from synaptic cleft into presynaptic neurons
Social Cognitive Theory
people learn through observing others (vicarious learning), depending on the outcome for the model, the observer may replicate or avoid that behavior
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
results from beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors that are dissonant, contradictory, or incompatible; a person who runs and smokes—causes a state of discomfort that results in motivation to reduce the conflict by aligning thoughts and/or behaviors
Autocommunication
occurs when a message sender is also the receiver (e.g. dolphins echolocating)
Retroactive Interference
occurs when more recent info interferes with one’s ability to recall older info
Proactive Interference
occurs when previously learned info interferes with one’s ability to recall new info
Context-dependent Memory
individuals are better able to remember info when they are in the same context in which that info was learned
Subjective Contours Principle
allows us to fill in contours that are not explicitly shown
Linear Perspective
monocular depth cue—parallel lines appear to converge in the distance
Normative Social Influence
when a person conforms to fit in or avoid rejection by others
Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD)
a type of somatic symptom and related disorder characterized by extreme distress and concern regarding one or more actual bodily/physical symptoms
Counterbalancing
controls for the potential effects that the order of intervention administration may have on results
Expectancy Theory of Motivation
individuals are motivated to act based on expected outcomes of their behavior
Drive-reduction Theory
motivation is a result of a disruption of homeostasis, which generates a biological need; biological need generates a drive to fulfill that need, which prompts action
Behaviorism
a theory in psychology that focuses on the role the environment plays in shaping human behavior (focuses on how punishment and reinforcement affect human behavior)
Ego Defense Mechanisms (Psychoanalytic Theory)
unconscious way to deal with anxiety caused by unacceptable urges and thoughts
Parasomnias
more common in children, involved abnormal function of the nervous system during sleep, while falling asleep, or when rousing from sleep; e.g. somnambulism (sleepwalking) and night terrors
Dyssomnias
more common in adults, involve interference with the quality or timing of sleep, such as difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep, or periods of excessive sleepiness during waking hours
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)
regulates the circadian pacemaker that controls circadian rhythms; lights tells the SCN whether or not to upregulate or downregulate melatonin release
Formal Curriculum
explicit, official content taught in the education system
Hidden Curriculum
implicit, unofficial info conveyed through the educational system
Serial Position Effect
relative ease (or difficulty) of remembering an item on a list is related to its position on the list
Primacy Effect
remembering things at the beginning of a list more than the middle
Recency Effect
remembering things at the very end of a list more than the middle
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
measures brain activity patterns reflective of sleep and waking states
Social Desirability Bias
tendency of research participants to provide the most favorable or acceptable response to research survey questions
Spreading Activation Model
suggests that when a node in the semantic network is activated, nodes that are directly connected to it also activate (known as priming)
