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Psychology final exam

Terms

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confabulation
when a person "remembers" info that was never stored in the memory
psychoanalysis
Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the technique used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions.
biofeedback
the process of learning to control bodily states with the help of machines monitoring the states to be contorlled
hindbrain
A part of the brain located at the rear base of the skull that is invlved in the basic processes of life
gerontology
study of the elderly; aging
rationalization
Justification of behaviour through the use of plausible, but inaccurate, excuses.
Id
(psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity
Ageism
discrimination against middle-aged and elderly people
altruism
the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
reliability
The extent to which a test instrument consistently produces similar results.
reinforcement
any consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior
generativity
A shift of attention away from oneself in the present to concern for future generation
optic nerve
nerve responsible for carrying impulses for the sense of sight from the retina to the brain
forebrain
A part of the brain that covers the brain's central core
theory
set of assumptions used to explain why something is the way it is and happens the way it does
hallucinations
false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
encoding
the processing of information into the memory system--for example, by extracting meaning
psychophysics
The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them. (p. 193)
schemas
Concepts or mental fromeworks that organize and interpret information.
homeostasis
tendency of a system to maintain relative stability
bipolar
mood swings
hormones
chemical "messengers" of the endocrine system that are released into the blood
empathy
capacity for warmth and understanding
token economy
conditioning in which desirable behavior is reinforced with valueless objects, which can be accumulated and exchanged for valued rewards
superego
(psychoanalysis) that part of the unconscious mind that acts as a conscience
comparable worth
comcept that women and men should get equal pay for equal jobs
psychology
the scientific study of mental processes and behavior
psychotherapy
the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means
delusions
false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders
meditation
a systematic narrowing of attention that slows the metabolism and helps produce feelings of relaxation
illusions
perceptions that misrepresent physical stimuli
obedience
change in attitude of=r behavior brought about by social pressure to comply with people perceived to be authorities
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
stereotype
a generalized belief about a group of people
stagnation
discontinuation of development and a desire to recapture the past, characteristic of some middle-aged people
sensation
the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system (the spinal cord and the brain).
intellectualization
a coping mecanism in which the person analyzes situation from an emotionally detached viewpoint
placebo effect
Changes in health or perceived health that result from expectations that a "treatment" will produce an effect on health.
withdrawal
a period of adjustment when a person stops taking a drug
psychiatry
the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders
algorithm
a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem
heredity
Passing traits from parents to offspring.
persuasion
an active attempt to change attitudes.
addiction
physical or emotional dependence on a drug
socialization
the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture
schizophrenia
A severe disorder marked by hearing non existent voices, seeing hallucinations, and exhibiting inappropriate responses.
internalization
learning (of values or attitudes etc.) that is incorporated within yourself
ego
The part of the personality developed in early childhood that helps control the id and keep people's actions within the boundaries of social convention.
structuralist
psychologist who studied basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences
narcolepsy
A condition characterized by suddenly falling asleep
thanatology
The study of death.
genes
the basic untis of heredity
consciousness
an awareness of one's thoughts, feelings, and sensory perceptions
introspection
the contemplation of your own thoughts and desires and conduct
catharsis
(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
insight
the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
chunking
Grouping individual bits of data into meaningful larger units
recombination
rearranging elements of a problem in order to arrive at an original solution
insomnia
an inability to sleep
validity
measures what it intended to measure
gestalt
The experience that comes from orgainizing bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes
midbrain
A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information and relays it upward
constancy
the tendency for perceived objects to give rise to very similar perceptual experiences in spite of wide variations in the conditions of observation
generalization
a process in which an organism produces the same response to two similar stimuli
complementarity
the attraction that often develops between opposite types of people b/c of the ability of one to supply what the other lacks
modeling
the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
androgynous
having both male and female characteristics
anxiety
umplesasant psychological state characterized by vague, generalized apprehension or feeling that one is in danger
tolerance
a state in which a drug user needs larger and larger amounts of the drug to get the same effect
memory
input,storage and retrieval of what has been learned or experienced
extinction
in classical conditioning, the deminishing of a learned response
idealogy
set of principles, atitudes and defied objectives for which a group stands
interference
the process that occurs when new information appears in short-term memory and replaces what was already there
clique
small exclusive group
hypnosis
state of conciousness in which the person is succeptible to suggestion
autonomy
independence
neurons
cell that carries messages throughout the nervous system
pupil
Opening in center of Iris; light passes through it
resynthesis
the process of combiniing old ideas w/ new one's and reoranizing feelings in order to renew one's identity
syntax
studies of the rules for forming admissible sentences
eustress
positive stress that leads to goals and acheivements
archetype
inherited idea, image or concept based on experiences of one's ancestors that shapes one's perception of the world
hypothesis
assumption or educated guess about behavior or about realtionship between 2 variables
retina
the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers or neurons that begin the processing of visual information
phobia
morbid fear
heuristic
Rules of thumb that often, but not always, help us find the solution to a problem. A shortcut.
norms
shared expectations about how the members of a group ought to behave
conformity
acting according to certain accepted standards
semantics
the study of language meaning
discrimination
the ability to distinguish between two similar signals or stimuli
correlation
measure of relationship between two or more quantitative variables
resistance
(psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness
transference
(psychoanalysis) the process whereby emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another
kinesthesis
Sense of the position and movement of the limbs
psychologist
scientist who studies the mind and behavior of human and animals
lobes
The different reginos into which the berebral cortex is divided
visualization
technique for behavior rehearsal that involves the imagining something
shaping
the process of gradually refining a response by successively reinforcing closer approximations of it
groupthink
poor group decision making that occurs as a result of a group emphasizing unity over critical thinking

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