Unit 2 Key Words Flashcards
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behaviour
Classical Conditioning
A procedure during which an animal or person learns to associate a reflex response with a new stimulus
Classical Conditioning Schedule
The steps in the procedure to condition a new response
Unconditioned Stimulus
The stimulus that produces a reflex response
Unconditioned Response
The reflex response to an unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus
A new stimulus, presented with the unconditioned stimulus, that produces a learned response
Conditioned Response
A response that is learned, which occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented
Extinction
When a conditioned response no longer occurs from a conditioned stimulus (it dies out)
Spontaneous Recovery
A conditioned response that has extinguished but suddenly appears again after a period of time
Generalisation
The conditioned response is produced with stimulus that are similar to the conditioned stimulus
Discrimination
The conditioned response is only produced with the conditioned stimulus
Operant Conditioning
Learning due to the consequences of behaviour, through positive or negative reinforcement
Law of Effect
Behaviours that are rewarded are usually repeated, those that are punished are not
Punishment
A stimulus that weakens behaviour because it is unpleasant and we try to avoid it
Reinforcement
A consequence of behaviour that encourages or strengthens the behaviour
Positive Reinforcement
A reward, or pleasant consequence, that increases the likelihood of a certain behaviour being repeated
Negative Reinforcement
When an unpleasant experience is removed after a behaviour or action is made, this increases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
Behaviour Shaping
Changing behaviour in small steps
Phobia
A persistent and irrational fear of an object, activity or situation
Flooding
A treatment of phobias that involves the patient being exposed directly to the object that causes fear until there is no fear response
Systematic Desensitisation
A treatment for phobias, in which a person is taught to relax and is gradually exposed to the object that causes fear
Hierarchy of Fears
A series of feared events, ranked from least frightening to most frightening
Aversion Therapy
A treatment for addictions that makes the addict have an extremely negative reaction to the addictive substance
Primary Reinforcer
A reward that a person needs in order to survive
Secondary Reinforcer
A reward, such as a token, that can be exchanged for a primary reinforcer
Social Influence
The effect other people have on our behaviour
Conformity
A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of group pressure
Obedience
Following the orders of someone we believe to have authority
Socialisation
The way that we are raised to behave and the things we are taught to accept as ‘normal’
Deindividuation
The state of losing our sense of individuality and becoming less aware of our own responsibility for our actions
Mundane Realism
An everyday situation, that is life-like and not artificial
Social Loafing
Putting less effort into doing something when you are with others doing the same thing
Muraad
Literally the coolest guy ever. I think I am in love with him.
Diffusion of Responsibility
In a group of people, there is less need to act because someone else who is present could also do something
Altruism
Helping someone without thinking of yourself
Bystander Apathy
Doing nothing in an emergency situation when someone is in need of help
Sex Identity
A biological term, determined by hormones and chromosomes
Gender Identity
A psychological term, determined by attitudes and behaviours
Phallic Stage
Freud’s third stage of psychosexual development, in which gender development takes place
Identification
To adopt the attitudes and behaviours of the same-sex parent
Oedipus Complex
The conflict experienced by a boy in the phallic stage because he unconsciously desires his mother and is afraid his father will castrate him
Electra Complex
The conflict experienced by a girl because she unconsciously desires her father, but is afraid of losing her mother’s love
Gender Disturbance
Developing the gender identity that is not usually associated with one’s sex
Modelling
A role model provides an example for a child
Imitation
Copying the behaviour of a role model
Vicarious Reinforcement
Learning from watching a model be rewarded or punished, strengthening or reducing the chance that the child will commit the same behaviour
Gender Stereotypes
Believing that all males are similar and all females are similar
Gender Schema
A mental building block of knowledge, that contains information about gender
Highly Gender Schematised
Having rigid and stereotyped views about gender
Aggression
Behaviour aimed at harming others
Hormones
Chemicals released by our endocrine system, that affects how our bodies function and how we behave
Chromosomes
The parts of each cell that carry genetic information
Thanatos
The part of our unconscious that causes our aggressive drive
Ego Defence Mechanisms
Behaviour strategies used by the individual to protect itself
Vicarious Learning
Learning through observation
Monitoring
Judging whether our own behaviour is appropriate or not
PET Scan
A technique to show how the brain is working, by imaging it while the patient carries out a mental task
Ritalin
A drug used to control ADHD
Psychosurgery
An operation on the brain, to remove or destroy the part of the brain that is causing abnormal behaviour
Catharsis
The process of getting rid of your emotion by watching other people experience emotion
Questionnaire
A set of standard questions about a topic that is given to all participants in a survey
Survey
A method used for collecting information about a large number of people by asking them questions
Closed Question
A question where there a fixed set of possible responses
Open Question
A question where the person answering can give any response they like
Interview
A method in which a researcher collects data by asking questions directly
Structured Interview
An interview in which all questions are pre-set, given in a fixed order, and every interviewee is asked the same questions
Unstructured Interview
An interview in which only a few questions are set, and the rest of the questions are determined by the answers of the interviewee (like a discussion)
Natural Observation
Watching the behaviour of people in their usual environment
Observation Study
A method of collecting information about behaviour by watching and recording people’s actions
Categories of Behaviour
The separate actions that are recorded as examples of the target behaviour
Inter-observer Reliability
How similar the results produced by each observer are
When this is high, the records made by more than one observer in a study are considered to be accurate because they are similar to each other
Case Study
An in-depth investigation of an individual, small group or organisation
Relationship
A connection between two or more variables
Variables
A factor (or thing) that can change
Correlation
A technique used to establish the strength of a relationship between two variables
Scatter Graph
A graph for representing correlations
Positive Correlation
A relationship between two variables, in which as one increases, the other increases
Negative Correlation
A relationship between two variables, in which as one increases, the other decreases
No Correlation
There is no relationship between two variables
