T Flashcards
A presentation of data in the form of an ordered arrangement of overlaid vertical columns and horizontal rows
- As with a graph, the purpose of this is to communicate information (either in words or numerical values) in a concise, space efficient manner that can be assessed at a glance and interpreted easily
- The columns have headings (the leftmost column is referred to as the stub column)
- The intersection of a column and row is called a cell
- These are often accompanied by explanatory notes
Table
A religious, moral, or social convention prohibiting a particular behavior, object, or person
Taboo
Knowledge that is informally acquired rather than explicitly taught (eg; knowledge of social rules) and allows a person to succeed in certain environments and pursuits
- It is stored without self reflective awareness and therefore not easily articulated
- Practical intelligence requires a facility for acquiring this
Tacit Knowledge
Loss or impairment of the ability to recognize and understand the nature of objects through touch
- Several distinct subtypes have been identified, including amorphagnosia, impaired recognition of the size and shape of objects; ahylognosia, impaired recognition of such object qualities as weight and texture; and finger agnosia, impaired recognition of one’s own or another person’s fingers
Tactile Agnosia
A false perception involving the sense of touch
- These sensations occur in the absence of any external stimulus and may include itching, feeling electric shocks, and feeling insects biting or crawling under the skin
Tactile Hallucination
The ability to perceive objects or judge sensations through the sense of touch
- The term often refers to judgements of spatial stimulation of the skin and patterns imposed on the skin
- This may also involve judging sensory events involving stimulation of the skin, for example, the thermal properties of a liquid
Tactile Perception
An innate skin or ability, or an aptitude to excel in one or more specific activities or subject areas, that cannot be accounted for by normal development patterns
Talent
A gradual reduction in the dose of a drug in order to avoid undesirable effects that may occur with rapid cessation
- Such effects may be extreme (eg; conversions) or relatively mild (eg; head pain, mild gastrointestinal distress)
- Drugs that produce physiological dependence (eg; opiates, benzodiazepines) must be tapered to prevent a withdrawal symptom
Tapering
The 1976 California supreme court decision in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, which placed limits on a client’s right to confidentiality by ruling that mental health practitioners who know or reasonably believe that a client poses a threat to another person are obligated to protect the potential victim from danger
- Depending on the circumstances, that protection may involve such actions as warning the potential victim, notifying the police of the potential threat posed by the client, or both
Tarasoff Decision
A movement disorder associated with the use of antipsychotics, particularly conventional antipsychotics that act primarily as dopamine receptor antagonists
- Symptoms include tremor and spasticity of muscle groups, especially those of the face
- Onset is insidious and may be masked by continued use of the antipsychotic, only appearing when the drug is discontinued or the dose lowered
- It is more common with prolonged use and no effective treatment is known
Tardive Dyskinesia
The breakdown of a complex task into component tasks to identify the different skills needed to correctly complete the task
- For example, in organizational settings, a job may be broken down into the skills, knowledge, and specific operations required
Task Analysis
The sense devoted to the detection of molecules dissolved in liquid (also called gustation), or the sensory experience resulting from perception of gustatory qualities (eg; sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness)
- Dissolved molecules are delivered to these receptors - taste cells - on the tongue, soft palate, larynx, and pharynx
- This combines with smell, texture, and appearance to generate a sense of flavor
Taste
A goblet shaped structure, 30 x 50 um, about 6,000 of which occur in the human mouth
- Each one is a collection of about 50 taste cells arranged like sections of an orange
- At its apex is a taste pore through which each taste cell sends a slender, hairlike extention (microvillus) studded with receptor proteins to sample the environment
Taste Bud
A receptor cell for gustatory stimuli
- Each has a slender, hairlike extension (microvillus) that protrudes from the opening in the taste bud
- Humans have about 300,000 of these, though the number can vary across individuals, and there are about 50 cells per taste bud
- These can be divided into four anatomical types: Type I cells comprise 60% of the total, Type II cells 20%, Type III cells 15%, and Type IV cells 5%
- All but Type IV cells may be involved in taste transduction
Taste Cell
The science of classification - for example the biological one that groups organisms into a hierarchical system of ranks in ascending order: species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, and kingdom) - or any scheme of classification itself
Taxonomy
A disorder due to a deficiency of the enzyme hexosaminidase A, resulting in the accumulation of Gm2 gangliosides in all tissues
- This process gradually destroys the brain and nerve cells by altering the shape of neurons
- Development is normal until the 6th month of infancy, after which there is a deterioration of motor, visual, and cognitive abilities
- Death usually occurs between 3 and 5 years of age
Tay-Sachs Disease (TSD)
A theoretical probability distribution that plays a central role in testing hypotheses about population means among other parameters
- It is the sampling distribution of the statistic (M - uo)/s, where uo is the population mean of the population from which the sample is drawn, M is the data estimate of the mean of the population, and s is the standard deviation of the batch of scores
T Distribution
Part of the organ of corti in the cochlea
- It consists of a semigelatinous membrane in which the stereocilia of the outer hair cells are embedded
Tectorial Membrane
The roof of the midbrain, dorsal to the cerebral aqueduct
- This contains the superior colliculi, which act as relay and reflex centers for the visual system, and the inferior colliculi, which are sensory centers for the auditory system
Tectum
The central core of the midbrain and pons
- It contains sensory and motor tracts passing through the midbrain, the subthalamic nucleus, and several other nuclei
Tegmentum
Condensed or abbreviated speech in which only the most central words, carrying the highest level of information, are spoken
- Nouns and verbs are typically featured, while adjectives, adverbs, articles, and connective parts of speech are omitted
- It is typical of children roughly between the ages of 18 and 30 months, usually in the form of two word expressions up to the age of about 24 months (two word stage) and short but multi word expressions (eg; dog eat bone) thereafter
Telegraphic Speech
The process of measuring and transmitting quantitative information to a remote location, where it can be recorded and interpreted
- For example, a small radio transmitter may be implanted inside an animal to measure general activity level as well as a variety of physiological variables, including body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure
- This transmitter sends signals to a receiver located outside the animal
Telemetry
The position that certain phenomena are best understood and explained in terms of their purposes rather than their causes
- In psychology, its proponents hold that mental processes are purposive, that is, directed toward a goal
- The view that behavior is to be explained in terms of ends and purposes is frequently contrasted with explanations in terms of causes, such as instincts and conditioned responses
Teleology
The alleged direct communication of information from one mind to another, in the absence of any known sensory means of transmission
- It is a form of extrasensory perception
Telepathy
The basic foundation of personality, usually assumed to be biologically determined and present early in life, including such characteristics as energy level, emotional responsiveness, demeanor, mood, response tempo, and willingness to explore
Temperament
- Of or pertaining to time or its role in some process
- Relating or proximal to the temple, as in temporal lobe
Temporal
A type of neural plotting of the precise timing of the points of maximum intensity (“spikes”) between action potentials
- It can provide valuable additional detail to information obtained through simple rate coding
Temporal Coding
A procedure in Pavlovian conditioning in which the unconditioned stimulus is presented at regular intervals but in the absence of an accompanying conditioned stimulus
Temporal Conditioning
One of the four main lobes of each cerebral hemisphere in the brain, lying immediately below the lateral sulcus on the lower lateral surface of each hemisphere
- It contains the auditory projection and auditory association areas and also areas for higher order visual processing and for memory formation
Temporal Lobe
A memory disorder, secondary to injury of the temporal lobe (particularly medial structures, such as the hippocampus), that prevents the formation of new memories
Temporal Lobe Amnesia
A neural mechanism in which an impulse is propagated by two successive postsynaptic potentials (PSPs), neither of which alone is of sufficient intensity to cause a response
- The partial depolarization caused by the first one continues for a few milliseconds and is able, with the additive effect of the second one, to produce an above threshold depolarization sufficient to elicit an action potential
Temporal Summation
A proposed physiological and behavioral stress regulatory system in females, in which tending involves nurturant activities designed to protect the self and offspring, to promote a sense of safety, and to reduce distress, and befriending is expressed in the creation and maintenance of social networks that aid in this process
- This model has been characterized as a human stress response in females that is secondary to the classic fight or flight response
- Neuroendocrinal evidence from animal and human research suggests an underlying physiological mechanism mediated by oxytocin and moderated by female sex hormones and opioid peptide mechanisms
Tend and Befriend Response
A personality trait characterized by intellectualism, idealism, optimism, dogmatism, religiousness, and monism
Tender Mindedness
- A feeling of physical and psychological strain accompanied by discomfort, uneasiness, and pressure to seek relief through talk or action
- The force resulting from contraction or stretching of a muscle or tendon
Tension
An agent that induces developmental abnormalities in a fetus
- The process that results in such abnormal developments is called teratogenesis; a teratomorph is a fetus or offspring with developmental abnormalities
Teratogen
A rapid decline in cognitive abilities immediately before death
- The cognitive abilities that appear to be most prone to this are those least affected by normal aging
Terminal Drop
The defense by an animal of a specific geographic area (its territory) against intrusion from other members of the same species
- This is observed in a wide range of animals and is found most often where there are specific defensible resources, such as a concentration of food or shelter
- This is also extended to humans, denoting behavior associated with the need or ability to control and regulate access to a space, which reflects feelings of identity derived from use of and attachment to a familiar place
Territoriality
Systematic intimidation or coercion to attain political or religious objectives using unlawful and unpredictable force or violence against property, persons, or governments
Terrorism
A theory proposing that control of death related anxiety is the primary function of society and the main motivation in human behavior
- Individual self esteem and a sense of being integrated into a powerful human culture are regarded as the most effective ways for human beings to defend themselves against the frightening recognition of their own mortality
Terror Management Theory
Highly specialized care given to patients who are in danger of disability or death
- This often requires sophisticated technologies provided by highly specialized practitioners and facilities, for example, neurologists, neurosurgeons, thoracic surgeons, and intensive care units
Tertiary Care
In the Piagetian theory of cognitive development, an infant’s action that creatively alters former schemes to fit the requirements of new situations
- These emerge toward the end of the sensorimotor stage, at about the beginning of the 2nd year; they differ from earlier behaviors in that the child can, for the first time, develop new schemes to achieve a desired goal
Tertiary Circular Reaction
Intervention and treatment for individuals or groups with already established psychological or physical conditions, disorders, or diseases
- These interventions include attempts to minimize negative effects, prevent further disease or disorder related to complications, prevent relapse, and restore the highest physical or psychological functioning possible
Tertiary Prevention
- A standardized set of questions or other items designed to assess knowledge, skills, interests, or other characteristics of an examinee
- A set of operations, usually statistical in nature, designed to determine the validity of a hypothesis
Test
The degree to which a hypothesis or theory is capable of being evaluated empirically
Testability
A group or series of related tests administered at one time to obtain a comprehensive assessment of a particular factor or phenomenon (eg; intelligence, language skill)
- Scores may be recorded separately or combined to yield a single score
Test Battery
In studies of recognition memory, the phenomenon whereby taking an initial test improves subsequent memory performance in a later recall test
Testing Effect
The principal reproductive organ in males, a pair of which is normally located in the scrotum
- The testes produce sperm in the seminiferous tubules (spermatogenesis) and male sex hormones (androgens) in interstitial cells
Testis
A male sex hormone and the most potent of the androgens produced by the testes
- It stimulates the development of male reproductive organs, including the prostate gland, and secondary sex characteristics, such as beard, bone, and muscle growth
- Women normally secrete small amounts of this from the adrenal cortex and ovary
Testosterone
The numerical result of a statistical test, which is used to evaluate the viability of a hypothesis
- Common examples are the value of t in the T test and the value of Z in the Z test
Test Statistic
Describing individuals who have taken a number of tests and are therefore more adept at taking them than those who are relatively new to the testing process
Test Wise
One of a number of cannabinoids occurring in the cannabis plant that is the agent principally responsible for the psychoactive properties of cannabis
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
The progressively finer appearance of textures and surface grains of objects as the viewer moves away from them
Texture Gradient
Training group: a type of experiential group, usually of up to a dozen or so people, concerned with fostering the development of “basic skills” such as effective leadership and communication, and attitude change
- Although the term is sometimes used synonymously with encounter group, in this group less emphasis is placed on personal growth and more sensitivity training and practical interpersonal skills
T Group
A mass of gray matter, forming part of the diencephalon of the brain, whose two lobes form the walls of the third ventricle
- It consists of a collection of sensory, motor, autonomic, and associational nuclei, serving as a relay for nerve impulses traveling between the spinal cord and brainstem and the cerebral cortex
Thalamus
The study of death and death related behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and phenomena
- Death was mostly the province of theology until the 1960s, when existential thinkers and a broad spectrum of care providers, educators, and social and behavioral scientists became interested in death related issues
Thanatology
The personification of death and the brother of Hypnos (sleep) in Greek mythology, whose name was chosen by Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939) to designate a theoretical set of strivings oriented toward the reduction of tension and life activity
- In Freud’s dual instinct theory, this is seen as evolved in a dialetic process with Eros (love), the striving toward sexuality, continued development, and heightened experience
Thanatos
A two step procedure for enhancing compliance that consists of presenting an initial, large request and then, before the person can respond, immediately reducing it to a more modest target request that is made more attractive by offering some additional benefit
- Compliance with the target request is greater following the initial request than would have been the case if the target request had been presented on its own
That’s Not All Technique
A projective test in which participants are held to reveal their altitudes, feelings, conflicts, and personality characteristics in the oral or written stories they make up about a series of relatively ambiguous black and white pictures
- Systematic coding schemes have been developed to assess different aspects of personality functioning derived from these stories, including motivation for achievement, power, affiliation, and intimacy; gender identity; defense mechanisms; and mental processes influencing interpersonal relations
- This is one of the most frequently used and researched tests in psychology, particularly in clinical settings for diagnosis, personality description, and assessment of strengths and weakness in personality functioning
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
- A principle or body of interrelated principles that purports to explain or predict a number of interrelated phenomena
- In the philosophy of science, a set of logically related explanatory hypotheses that are consistent with a body of empirical facts and that may suggest more empirical relationships
Theory
The ability to imagine or make deductions about the mental states of other individuals: what does the other individual know? What actions is that individual likely to take?
- This is an essential component of attributing beliefs, intentions, and desires to others, specifically in order to predict their behavior
Theory of Mind
A theory that resembles the theory of reasoned action but also incorporates the construct of perceived behavioral control
- That is, the extent to which a person believes behavior is under his or her active control is added to attitude toward behavior and subjective norms (perceived expectations) as the antecedents influencing both the intention to perform a behavior and the performance of the behavior itself
Theory of Planned Behavior
The theory that attitudes toward a behavior and subjective norms (perceived expectations) regarding a behavior determine a person’s intention to perform that behavior
- Intentions are in turn assumed to cause the actual behavior
Theory of Reasoned Action
Any model of cognitive development that combines neonativism and constructivism, proposing that cognitive development progresses by children generating, testing, and changing theories about the physical and social world
Theory Theory
- Pertaining to therapeutics, the branch of medical science concerned with the treatment of diseases and disorders and the discovery and application of remedial agents or methods
- Having beneficial or curative effects
Therapeutic
A cooperative working relationship between client and therapist, considered by many to be an essential aspect of successful therapy
- Derived from the concept of the psychoanalytic working alliance, this comprises bonds, goals, and tasks
- Bonds are constituted by the core conditions of therapy, the client’s attitude toward the therapist, and the therapist’s style of relating to the client; goals are the mutually negotiated, understood, agreed upon, and regularly reviewed aims of the therapy; and tasks are the activities carried out by both client and therapist
Therapeutic Alliance
A setting for individuals requiring therapy for a range of psychosocial problems and disorders that is based on an interpersonal, socially interactive approach to treatment, both among residents and among residents and staff (ie; “community as method or therapy”)
- The term covers a variety of short and long term residential programs as well as day treatment and ambulatory programs
Therapeutic Community
An individual who has been trained in and practices one or more types of therapy to treat mental or physical disorders or diseases: often used synonymously with psychotherapist
Therapist
Remediation of physical, mental, or behavioral disorders or diseases
Therapy
A receptor or sense organ that is activated by temperature stimuli (eg; cold or warm stimuli)
Thermoreceptor
In philosophy, the first stage of a dialetical process: a proposition that is opposed by an antithesis, thereby generating a new proposition referred to as a synthesis
- The synthesis serves as this for the next phase of the ongoing process
Thesis
In electroencephalography, a type of brain wave with a frequency of 4-7 Hz
- These are observed in the REM sleep of animals, stage 2 sleep in humans, and in the drowsiness state of newborn infants, adolescents, and young adults
- These are also recorded in trances, hypnosis, and deep daydreams
Theta Wave
Cognitive behavior in which ideas, images, mental representations, or other hypothetical elements of thought are experienced or manipulated
- In this sense this includes imagining, remembering, problem solving, daydreaming, free association, concept formation, and many other processes
- This may be said to have two defining characteristics: (a) it is covert, that is, it is not directly observable but must be inferred from behavior or self reports; and (b) it is symbolic, that is, it seems to involve operations on mental symbols or representations, the nature of which remains obscure and controversial
Thinking
A tendency for a person to expect that others are more strongly influenced by (ie; respond to and take action as a result of) a persuasive communication in the mass media than himself or herself
- This has been studied extensively and is of particular interest in politics, social policy, and health psychology
- It generally is explained in terms of a desire for self enhancement: people are motivated to reinforce their positive self images and thus are unrealistically optimistic in comparing themselves to others
- Negative attitudes towards the media generally may also play a role
Third Person Effect
The fact that an observed correlation between two variables may be due to the common correlation between each of the variables and a third variable rather than because the two variables have any underlying relationship (in a causal sense) with each other
Third Variable Problem
A trade name for chlorpromazine
Thorazine