S's in Glossary Flashcards
savant syndrome
a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill
scapegoat theory
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
scatterplot
a graphed cluster of dots
schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets info
schizophrenia
a psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression
secondary sex characteristics
non-reproductive sexual characteristics
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
self
assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
self-actualization
one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s own potential
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves
self-control
the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards
self-disclosure
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others
self-esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
sensorimotor stage
the stage (from birth to about 2 years old) during which infants mostly know the world in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities; Piaget
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory cortex
area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another
sensory memory
the immediate, very brief recording of sensory info into the memory system
sensory neurons
neurons that carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain and the spinal cord
serial position effect
our tendency to recall best the last and first items on a list
set point
the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set.
sexual dysfunction
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning
sexual orientation
an enduring sexual attraction toward either members of one’s own sex or the other sex
sexual response cycle
the 4 stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson – excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
shallow processing
encoding on a basic level based on structure or appearance of words
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior
short-term memory
activated memory that holds a few items briefly before info is stored or forgetten
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of faint stimulus amid background stimulation
sleep
periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness
sleep apnea
a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
social exchange theory
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs
social facilitation
stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
social identity
the “we” aspect of our self-concept
social leadership
group-orientated leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support
social learning theory
the theory that we learn social behaviors by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
social loafing
the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
social psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
social script
culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
social trap
a situation in which the conflicting parties become caught in mutually destructive behavior
social-cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits and their social context
social-responsibility norm
an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them
somatic nervous system
the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles
source amnesia
attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. (source amnesia and misinformation effect are the heart of false memories)
spacing effect
the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice
split brain
a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response
spotlight effect
overestimating other’s noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
SQ3R
a study method incorporating 5 steps: survey, question, read, retrieve, review
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
standardization
defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group
Standford-Binet
the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test
statistical signifance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
stereotype
a generalized belief about a group of people
stereotype threat
a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype
stimulants
drugs that excite neural activity and speed up bodily functions (caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, ectasy, and meth)
stimulus
any event or situation that evokes a response
storage
the retention of encoded info over time
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers tat infants commonly display, beginning around 8 months old
structured interviews
interview process that asks the same job-relevant questions of all applicants, each of whom is rated on established scales
subjective well-being
self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
substance use disorder
continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk
superego
the part of the personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment and for future aspirations
subordinate goals
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group
sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron
systematic desensitization
a type of therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli
