AP Psychology Review

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1. ablation removal or destruction of brain tissue in a 20. antagonist drug which blocks the activity of
surgical procedure neurotransmitters
2. absolute intensity level at which one can detect a 21. anterograde loss of memory for events that occur after the
threshold stimulus 50% of the time amnesia onset of the amnesia; eg, see in a boxer who
suffers a severe blow to the head and loses
3. accommodation the process of modifying a schema to
memory for events after the blow
account for new information; the process
of the eyes lens changing shape in order to 22. antisocial psychological disorder in which one
focus on distant or near objects personality demonstrates a lack of conscience
disorder
4. acetylcholine a neurotransmitter involved in learning,
(ACh) memory and muscle movement 23. anvil the middle of the three ossicles
5. achievement a test that assesses what one has learned 24. aphasia impairment of language usually caused by
test damage to the left hemisphere
6. acquisition a process in classical conditioning by 25. applied scientific investigations intended to solve
which the association of a neutral research practical problems
stimulus with a natural stimulus is first
26. arousal condition in which the sympathetic nervous
established
system is in control
7. action potential the electrical process by which
27. artificial a subdiscipline of computer science that
information is transmitted the length of an
intelligence attempts to simulate human thinking
axon
28. assimilation interpreting new experiences in terms of
8. activation the idea that dreams are the result of the
existing schema
synthesis cerebral cortex interpreting and
organizing random flashes of brain 29. association areas of the cerebral cortex which have no
activity, originating in the lower brain areas specific motor or sensory repsonsibilities, but
structures, especially the pons rather are involved in thinking, memory and
judgment
9. adrenal gland source of the hormone norepinephrine
which affects arousal 30. associative learning in which an organism learns that
learning certain events occur together, such as my cat
10. affective psychological disturbances of mood
knowing that she will be fed when I get home
disorders
from work
11. afferent in neurons, another name for sensory
31. attachment theory developed by Harlow; types include
12. after image an image that remains after a stimulus is secure and insecure
removed, especially one in which the
32. attitude a relatively enduring evaluation of a person
colors are reversed
or thing; Asch demonstrated that this doesn't
13. agonists drugs which mimic the activity of always match one's behavior
neurotransmitters
33. attraction feeling of being drawn toward another and
14. alcohol the most frequently used and abused CNS desiring the company of a person
depressant in most cultures; its use affects
34. attribution a way of explaining others' behavior by either
mood, judgment, cognition
theory one's disposition or one's situation
15. all-or-nothing description of the action of neurons when
35. auditory the area that sound waves pass through to
firing
canal reach the eardrum
16. alpha waves seen when an individual is in a relaxed,
36. authoritarian style of parenting in which the parent creates
unfocused, yet still awake state
strict rules for the child and the child has
17. amygdala limbic system component associated with little or no input into determining the rules
emotion, particularly fear and anger
37. autonomic division of the nervous system that control
18. anal stage Freud's pychosexual period during which a nervous the glands and organs; its divisions arouse or
child learns to control his bodily system calm
excretions
38. autonomy vs. Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to
19. anorexia an eating disorder in which one starves shame and exercise will and to do things independently;
(nervosa) oneself even though significantly doubt failure to do so causes shame and doubt
underweight
39. availability this cognitive shortcut features the idea that 57. CAT scan a method of creating static images of the brain
heuristic events which are vividly in memory seem to be through computerized axial tomography
more common
58. catatonic a form of schizophrenia in which the patient
40. axon extension of the neuron which carries, via an has muscle immobility and does not move
action potential, information that will be sent
59. catharsis release of aggressive energy through activity or
on to other neurons, muscles or glands
fantasy
41. babbling stage of language development at about 4
60. Central consists of the brain and the spinal cord
months when an infant spontaneously utters
Nervous
nonsense sounds
System
42. basic scientific investigations intended to expand
61. cerebellum brain structure that controls well-learned
research the knowledge base
motor activities like riding a bike
43. behavioral perspective on psychology that sees
62. cerebral the fabric of interconnecting cells that
psychology as an objective science without
cortex blankets the brain hemispheres; the brain's
reference to mental states
center for information processing and control
44. belief situation in which one's beliefs continue
63. chaining using operant conditioning to teach a complex
perseverance despite the fact that the ground for the beliefs
response by linking together less complex
have been discredited
skills
45. big 5 openness to new experience,
64. chunking organizing units of information into
personality conscientiousness, extraversion,
manageable units such as memorizing a
factors agreeableness, neuroticism
phone number as three groups of information
46. binocular retinal disparity and convergence which 248-555-1212
cues enable people to determine depth using both
65. circadian the daily biological rhythms that occur in a 24-
eyes
rhythm hour period
47. biological perspective that stresses links between biology
66. classical method of learning in which a neutral
and behavior
conditioning stimulus can be used to elicit a response that is
48. bipolar cells eye neurons that receive information from the usually a natural response to a stimulus
retinal cells and distribute information to the
67. client- developed by Carl Rogers, this humanistic
ganglion cells
centered therapy includes unconditional positive regard
49. bipolar mood disorder in one experiences both manic therapy
disorder and depressed episodes
68. clinical this type of psychologist studies, assesses and
50. blind spot point in the retinal where the optic nerve treats those with psychological disorders
leaves the retina so there are no rods or cones
69. cochlea this coiled structure in the inner ear is fluid-
there
filled and in it the energy from sound waves
51. bottom-up analysis that begins with sensory receptors stimulate hair cells
processing and works its way up to the brain's
70. cognitive perspective on psychology that stresses the
integration of sensory information
importance of mental activities associated
52. brainstem oldest part of the brain, beginning where the with thinking, remembering, etc
spinal cord swells upon entering the skull;
71. cognitive this says that we will suffer discomfort and act
controls fundamental survival processes like
dissonance to change the situation when our thoughts and
heartrate and breathing
theory actions seem to be inconsistent
53. bulimia eating disorder characterized by excessive
72. cognitive treatment for psychological disorders that
eating followed by purging
therapy centers on changing self-defeating thinking
54. bystander the tendency to not offer help when needed if
73. collective Jung's theory that we all share an inherited
effect others are present who do not offer help
unconscious memory that contains our culture's most basic
55. Cannon- theory of emotion that says that a stimulus elements
Baird causes simultaneously psyiological arousal
74. collectivist this adjective describes cultures in which the
and the subjective experience of an emotion
individual is less important than the group
56. case study scientific investigation in which a single
75. color a variety of disorders marked by inability to
subject is studied in great detail
blindness distinguish some or all colors
76. concrete Piaget's stage in which children learn such 96. defense mechanisms Freud's processes by which
operations concepts as conservation and mathematical individuals express uncomfortable
transformations; about 7 - 11 years of age emotions in disguised ways
77. concurrent the extent to which two measures of the 97. deindividuation when an individual seems to lose
validity same trait or ability agree himself or herself in the group's
identity
78. conditioned in classical conditioning, the response
response elicited by the conditioned stimulus 98. deinstitutionalization moving people with psychological
or developmental disabilities from
79. conditioning generally, learning in which certain
highly structured institutions to
experiences make certain behaviors more or
home- or community-based
less likely; there are two forms of this
settings
80. conduction one type of hearing impairment caused by
99. delta waves largest brain waves, associated
mechanical problems in the ear structures
with deep, dreamless sleep
81. cones neurons in the retina that are responsible for
100. delusion irrational, highly improbable belief
color vision
82. confirmation a tendency to search for information that 101. dendrite a branch off the cell body of a
bias supports one's preconceptions neuron that receives new
information from other neurons
83. conformity adjusting behavior to meet a group's
standard 102. denial a defense mechanism in which
unpleasant thought or desires are
84. confounding extraneous factor that interferes with the ignored or excluded from
variable action of the independent variable on the consciousness
dependent variable
103. dependent variable the variable that the experimenter
85. consciousness one's awareness of one's environment and measures at the end of the
oneself. experiment
86. consummate includes passion, intimacy and 104. depressant any agent that reduces the activity
love committment of the CNS
87. control group subjects in an experiment who do not receive 105. depth perception an ability that we exercise by using
application of the independent variable but both monocular and binocular
are measured nonetheless for the dependent cues
variable
106. difference threshold also called the jnd; smallest
88. convergent a type of critical thinking in which one distinction between two stimuli
thinking evaluates existing possible solutions to a that can consistently be detected
problem to choose the best one
107. diffusion of reduction in sense of responsibility
89. cornea the transparent outer covering of the eye responsibility often felt by individuals in a group;
90. corpus the fibers that connect the right and left may be responsible for the
callosum hemispheres, enabling them to bystander effect
communicate 108. discrimination treating members of different
91. correlation the degree of relationship between two races, religions, ethnic groups
variables differently; usually associated with
prejudice
92. correlation a positive one near 1.0 indicates two variable
coefficient are positively related; a negative number 109. displacement defense mechanism in which
indicates a negative relationship; zero unwanted feelings are directed
indicates no relationship towards a different object

93. cross- type of study that measures a variable across 110. dispositional assuming that another's behavior
sectional several age groups at the same time attribution is due to personality factors, not
situational ones
94. crystallized term describes a type of intelligence which
applies cultural knowledge to solving 111. dissociative fugue disorder in which one travels away
problems from home and is unable to
remember details of his past,
95. debriefing giving participants in a research study a
including often his identity
complete explanation of the study after the
study is completed
112. dissociative also called multiple personality disorder 132. endorphins neurotransmitters that give one a feeling of
identity disorder well-being, euphoria or eliminate pain
113. divergent a type of creative thinking in which one 133. episodic describes a type of memory that includes
thinking generates new solutions to problems specific events that one has personally
experienced
114. dopamine a neurotransmitter that is associated
with Parkinson's disease (too little of it) 134. evolutionary perspective that stresses the value of behavior
and schizophrenia (too much of it) in Darwinian terms
115. double blind this term describes an experiment in 135. experiment form of scientific investigation in which one
which neither the subjects nor the variable is tested to determine its effect on
experimenter knows whether a subject is another
a member of the experimental group or
136. experimental subjects in an experiment to whom the
the control group
group independent variable is administered
116. dreams occur most often during REM sleep; may
137. explicit term that describes memories that can be
be caused by activation-synthesis, or
consciously recalled
may be a way of cementing memories
138. external this term describes what you have if your
117. drive reduction theory that claims that behavior is
locus of behaviors are driven mainly by outside forces
driven by a desire to lessen drives
control
resulting from needs that disrupt
homeostasis 139. extinction in classical conditioning, the process of
eliminating the previously acquired
118. DSM initials of the American Psychiatric
association of the conditioned stimulus and
Association's book that lists diagnostic
conditioned response
criteria for many psychological disorders
140. extraversion one of the Big 5, a personality trait orients
119. dyslexia a learning disability that results in
one's interests toward the outside world and
difficulty reading and writing
other people, rather than inward
120. eardrum also called the tympanic membrane
141. extrinsic term that describes motivations that drive
121. echoic term that describes memory of sounds behavior in order to gain rewards from
outside forces
122. EEG initials of a method of representation of
brain waves 142. false a belief that others share the same opinion
consensus about something, when actually most don't
123. ego the Latin for "I"; in Freud's theories, the
mediator between the demands of the id 143. feature the ability of the brain to identify specific
and the superego detection components of visual stimuli such as corners
or edges
124. egocentrism in a toddler, the belief that others
perceive the world in the same way that 144. fetal alcohol sometimes the result in a child of the
he or she does syndrome mother's excessive drinking while pregnant,
characterized by low birth weight, facial
125. eidetic describes a type of visual memory that is
abnormalities, mental retardation
retained for a long time; photographic
145. fetus a stage in human development extending
126. Electra complex counterpart to the Oedipus complex for
from about ten weeks after conception to
females
birth
127. electroconvulsive a treatment in which low level electric
146. figure- refers to our ability to distinguish foreground
therapy current is passed through the brain
ground from background in visual images
128. embryo early stage of human development, when
147. fixed interval describes the schedule of reinforcement
cells have begun to differentiate
wherein a worker receives a paycheck every
129. emotion theories James-Lange, Cannon-Baird and Friday
Singer-Schachter are three
148. fixed ratio describes a schedule of reinforcement
130. encoding conversion of sensory information into a wherein a worker is paid for a certain sum for
form that can be retained as a memory each product produced
131. endocrine the slow messenger system of the body; 149. flashbulb term describes a vivid memory of a personally
system produces hormones that affect many significant and emotionalevent
bodily functions
150. fluid term describes a type of intelligence used to 169. hallucinogen a substance capable of producing a
cope with novel situations and problems sensory effect in the absence of real
external sensory stimuli
151. foot-in-the- term describes a phenomenon in which
door people who agree to a small request are 170. hemispheres we have two, right and left, and some
more likely to later agree to a larger request brain functions seem to centered in one
or the other
152. formal One of Piaget's stages; includes the ability to
operations use abstract thinking 171. heritability the extent to which differences in a
group of a characteristic is due to
153. fovea the central focus area of the retina
genetics, not environment
154. frequency theory of hearing which states that the rate
172. heuristic a useful, but unprovable, cognitive
of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory
shortcut, such as a "rule of thumb"
nerve matches the tone's frequency
173. hierarchy of Maslow's theory of the most important
155. functional the tendency to think about things only in
needs motivations people have
fixedness terms of their usual uses; can be a hindrance
to creative thinking 174. higher-order term describes conditioning in which the
CS for one experiment becomes the UCS
156. functionalism William James's school of thought that
in another experiment so that another
stressed the adaptive and survival value of
neutral stimulus can be made to elicit the
behaviors
original UCR
157. fundamental tendency to attribute others' behavior to
175. hindsight bias the tendency, after an event occurs, to
attribution their dispositions and our own behaviors to
overestimate the likelihood that an event
error our situations
could have been predicted
158. ganglion cells their axons form the optic nerve
176. hippocampus limbic system component associated
159. gene made of DNA, it is the basic building block with memory
of heredity
177. homeostasis the steady, stable state that is the body's
160. general Seyle's concept that the body responds to regulatory processes try to maintain
adaptation stress with alarm, resistance and
178. hormone chemical substance secreted by
syndrome exhaustion
endocrine glands that affect body
161. generativity Erikson's stage of social development in processes
vs. stagnation which middle-aged people begin to devote
179. humanist perspective in psychology that stresses
themselves more to fulfilling one's potential
the goodness of people and their
and doing public service
possibility of reaching their fullest
162. genital stage Freud's stage of psychosexual development potential
when adult sexuality is prominent
180. hunger it is regulated by the lateral
163. gestalt German word for "whole", it refers to our hypothalamus and the ventromedial
tendency to perceive incomplete figures as hypothalamus
complete
181. hypnosis a social interaction in which one person
164. glial cell this acts as a support system for neurons suggests to another that certain events or
emotions will occur
165. grammar a system of rules in a language
182. hypochondriasis a disorder characterized by an
166. group tendency of group members to move to an
unreasonable fear that one has a serious
polarization extreme position after discussing an issue as
disease
a group
183. hypothalamus limbic system component that regulates
167. groupthink tendency for group members to think alike
hunger, body temperature and other
with certainty of correctness, biased
functions
perceptions of outgroup members, and
generally defective decision-making 184. hypothesis a prediction of how the an experiment
processes will turn out

168. hallucination a false sensory perception that seems to be 185. iconic term that describes the memory of
real but for which there is not an actual images
external stimulus 186. id in Freud's conception, the repository of
the basic urges toward sex and agression
187. identity vs. Erikson's stage during which teenagers and 206. interposition monocular visual cue in which two objects
role young adults search for and become their true are in the same line of vision and one patially
confusion selves conceals the other, indicating that the first
object concealed is further away
188. imprinting evidence of critical period in some animals;
they follow the first moving thing they see 207. intimacy vs Erikson's stage in which individuals form
after hatching isolation deeply personal relationships, marry, begin
families
189. in-group tendency to favor one's own group over other
bias groups 208. intrinsic term that describes motivations that derive
from one's interest in the object of the
190. incentive an external stimulus that tends to encourage
motivation, rather than from rewards that
behavior
one might gain
191. independent type of variable manipulated by the
209. introversion a personality trait that signifies that one
experimenter
finds energy from internal sources rather
192. individualist culture in which the individual is valued than external ones
more highly than the group
210. IQ the average is 100; there are many
193. industry vs. Erikson's stage between 6 and 11 years, when definitions of this attribute, including
inferiority the child learns to be productive multiple and crystallized
194. inferiority Adler's conception of a basic feeling of 211. James-Lange theory of emotion in which physiological
complex inadequacy stemming from childhood arousal precedes the emotion
experiences
212. just the threshold at which one can distinguish
195. information humans accomplish this either in parallel noticeable two stimuli that are of different intensities,
processing (unconsciously) or in serial fashion difference but otherwise identical
(consciously)
213. just world phenomenon that describes the belief that
196. informed agreement to participate in psychology what happens to people is what they deserve
consent research, after being appraised of the
214. kinethesis sense of balance and of one's physical
dangers and benefits of the research
position
197. initiative vs Erikson's third stage in which the child finds
215. latent Freud's stage of psychosexual development
guilt independence in planning, playing and other
occuring from about age 6 to puberty during
activities
which little happens in psychosexual terms
198. insanity a legal term describing one's inability to be
216. latent the hidden or disguised meaning of dreams
responsible for one's action due to the
content
condition of the mind
217. latent a change in behavior due to experience
199. insight in psychoanalysis, the basic understanding
learning acquired without conscious effort, s, for
one develops of the underlying sources of
example, a student using a quote in an exam
emotion or behavioral difficulty
essay that the student had never tried to
200. insomnia inability to fall asleep or remain asleep long memorize, though eh had encountered it in
enough for sufficient rest studying
201. instinct a complex pattern of behavior that is fixed 218. law of effect Thorndike's rule that behaviors which have
across a species positive outcomes tend to be repeated
202. integrity vs Erikson's final stage in which those near the 219. learned lack of motivation to avoid unpleasant
despair end of life look back and evaluate their lives helplessness stimuli after one has failed before to escape
203. Intelligence the ability to learn from experience, to use similar stimuli
information, to understand things 220. lens a curved, transparent element of the vision
204. internal people with this tned to respond to internal system that provides focus
locus of states and desires; they tend to see their 221. lesion any destruction or damage to brain tissue
control successes as the result of their own efforts
222. lithium in psychopharmacology, this is used to
205. interneurons cells in the spinal cord through which control bipolar symptoms
reflexes travel without going to the brain
223. long term refers to memory that is stored effectively in
the brain and may be accessed over an
extended period of time
224. long term a possible source of the formation of 243. motion parallax a depth cue in which the relative
potentiation memories; improvement in a neuron's movement of elements in a scene gives
ability to transmit caused by repeated depth information when the observer
stimulations moves relative to the scene
225. longitudinal describes research that measures a trait in a 244. motivation a need or desire that energizes and
particular group of subjects over a long directs behavior
period of time
245. motor cortex an area of the brain, near the rear of the
226. lucid describes a dream in which the dreamer is frontal lobes, that controls voluntary
aware that he or she is dreaming and is able movement
to influence the progress of the dream
246. motor neuron this carries information from the brain
narrative
to the muscles; also called "efferent"
227. mania high state of arousal, often accompanied by
247. MRI a technique that enables us to see static
poor judgment
images of the brain's structures; uses
228. manifest describes, in Freudian terms, the surface magnetism to achieve this effect
content of a dream
248. myelin sheath a layer of fatty tissue encasing a
229. marijuana a drug, often smoked, whose effects include neuron's axon that speeds transmission
euphoria, impairment of judgment and
249. narcolepsy a disorder characterized by sudden sleep
concentration and occasionally
attacks, often at inopportune times
hallucinations; rarely reported as addictive
250. naturalistic term refers to observations made of
230. mean numerical average of a set of numbers
individual's behavior in an everyday life
231. median the middle one of a set of numbers setting

232. medulla part of the brain nearest the spinal cord 251. nature vs nurture name for a controversy in which it is
which controls breathing, heart rate and debated whether genetics or
blood pressure environment is responsible for driving
behavior
233. memory functions associated with this include
encoding, storage and retrieval 252. need for desire for accomplishment, mastery of
achievement people, ideas, things, desire for
234. mental age developed by Binet; equal to one's
reaching a high standard
chronological age times the percentage
score on an IQ test 253. need for desire to associate with others, to be
affiliation part of a group, to form close and
235. mere this phenomenon causes one to prefer a
intimate relationships
exposure stimulus as a consequence of repeated
effect exposures to that stimulus, particularly is 254. negative in operant conditioning, removing
there is no adverse result of the exposure reinforcement something unpleasant in order to elicit
more of a particular behavior
236. metacognition thinking about thinking
255. neural network refers to interconnected neuron cells
237. MMPI the initials of a long, detailed personality
inventory 256. neuron the fundamental building block of the
nervous system
238. mnemonic method of improving memory by
device associating new information with 257. neuroscience perspective on psychology that
previously learned information emphasizes the study of the brain and
its effects on behavior
239. mode the most commonly occurring term in a
batch of data 258. neurotransmitter a chemical that is released by a neuron
for the purpose of carrying information
240. modeling the process of observing and imitating a
across the gaps (synapses) between
behavior
neurons
241. monocular terms that means "one eyed", used to
259. neutral describes a stimulus in classical
indicate the sort of of enviromental cues to
conditioning that would normally not
depth perception tha tonly require one eye,
elicit the response intended, such as the
for example, interposition
tone in Pavlov's experiments before it
242. morpheme in language, the smallest unit that carries was associated with the food
meaning
260. night terrors also called sleep terror disorder, these 279. oval window membrane at the enterance to the
include the characteristic of waking abruptly cochlea through which the ossicles
in a state of panic, usually in children, less transmit vibrations
often in adults
280. panic disorder characterized by recurrent, unexpected
261. norm an understood rule for social behavior panic attacks

262. normal describes a symmetrical, bell shaped curve 281. paranoid a type of schizophrenia characterized by
distribution that shows the distribution of many physical prominent delusions that are persecutory
and psychological attributes or grandiose

263. NREM refers to sleep during which there is no rapid 282. parasympathetic the branch of the nervous system that
eye movement automatically calms us down when the
reason for arousal has passed
264. obesity condition of having excess body fat resulting
in being greatly overweight 283. parietal lobe that contains the sensory cortex

265. object recognition that things continue to exist 284. Parkinson's this ailment, whose symptoms includes
permanence even though hidden from sight; infants disease tremors and later difficulty walking, is
generally gain this after 3 to 7 months of age caused by inability to produce dopamine
266. observational change in behavior due to watching other 285. perception the process of organizing and
learning people behave interpreting sensory information
267. obsessive- an anxiety disorder characterized by 286. peripheral the subsystem of the nervous system that
compulsive repetitive obsessions and compulsions nervous system does not include the CNS
disorder
287. permissive describes a parenting style that is
268. occipital this lobe contains the primary vision characterized by the parent making few
processing function demands on the child
269. Oedipus in Freud's theory, the conflict which results 288. person-centered therapy developed by Rogers featuring
complex in a boy gaining a superego and beginning the patient's self-discovery and
to emulate his father actualization; also called client-centered
270. olfactory bulb the first brain structure to pick up smell 289. personality a consistent pattern of thinking, acting,
information from the nose feeling
271. omission a procedure in which reinforcement occurs 290. PET scan method of brain imaging using positron
training when a specific behavior does not occur in a emissions
fixed period of time
291. phallic name for Freud's stage which features
272. operant a method of influencing behavior by the Oedipus stage
conditioning rewarding desired behaviors and punishing
292. phobia fear
undesired ones
293. phoneme in language, smallest distinctive sound
273. operational a description of an experimental variable in
unit
definition such a way that the variable can be measured
and the procedure can be replicated 294. pituitary gland that is the master gland of the
endocrine system
274. opponent term used in both vision theory and emotion
process theory 295. place theory the idea that different sound frequencies
theory stimulate different locations on the
basilar membrae
275. optic chiasm the point in the brain where the visual field
information from each eye "crosses over" to 296. placebo an inert substance given to the control
the appropriate side of the brain for group in an experiment
processing 297. placebo effect phenomenon that some people get better
276. optic nerve the axons of the ganglion cells form this even though they receive not medication
but an inert substance which should
277. oral stage Freud's first stage of psychosexual
have no medical effect
development during which pleasure is
centered in the mouth 298. plasticity the ability of the brain to adapt to
damage by reorganizing functions
278. outgroup generally, any group that one does not
belong to
299. pons part of the brain, works with the
cerebellum in coordinating
voluntary movement; neural
stimulation studied in activation
synthesis theory may originate here
300. population all of the individuals from which
subjects for an experiment may be
drawn
301. positive psychology field of study which concentrates on
good psychological traits such as
contentment and joy; it also studies
character traits such as wisdom,
integrity and altruism
302. preconscious in Freud's theory, the level of
consciousness in which thoughts
and feelings are not conscious but
are readily retrieveable to
consciousness
303. preconventional Kohlberg's stage of moral
development in which rewards and
punishments dominate moral
thinking
304. prejudice a negative attitude formed toward
an individual or group without
sufficient experience with the
person or group
305. preoperational Piaget's second stage of cognitive
development, when egocentrism
declines
306. proactive when prior learning disrupts the
interference recall of new information
307. projection defense mechanism in which one
disguises one's won unacceptable
impulses by attributing them to
others
308. projective term describes a personality test in
which ambiguous stimuli trigger
revelation of inner feelings,
thoughts
309. psychiatrist medical doctor who has specialized
in treating psychological disorders
310. psychoanalysis Freud's therapeutic technique
311. psychodynamic term describes the perspective on
psychology in which inner feeling
and unconscious tensions are
emphasized
312. psychopharmacology the study of the effects of drugs on
the mind and behavior
313. PTSD initials representing a disorder in
which one relives painfully stressful
events
314. punishment can be either positive or negative,
intended to reduce the occurrence of a
behavior
315. random term that describes assignment in
which all subjects have an equal
chance of being assigned to the
control group or to the experimental
group
316. rationalization "The only reason I flunked the test is
because our teacher is no good."
317. reaction formation defense mechanism in which
unacceptable impulses are
transformed into their opposite
318. REBT Albert Ellis's form of therapy for
psychological disorders
319. reciprocal Bandura's idea that though our
determinism environment affects us, we also affect
our environment
320. refractory period resting time; occurs in both neuron
firing and in human sexual response
321. regression defense mechanism in which one
retreats to an earlier stage of life
322. rehearsal conscious repetition of information in
order to fix it in memory, such as
practicing a list of terms to memorize
323. reinforcer in operant conditioning any event that
strengthens the behavior it follows
324. reliability in testing, the characteristic of a test
that produces consistent scores
through retesting or alternate halves
or other methods
325. REM describes sleep in which vivid dreams
typically occur; this type of sleep
increases as the night progresses
while stage 4 sleep decreases
326. representative this kind of sample accurately
reproduces the characteristics of the
population a researcher is studying
327. representativeness this cognitive short cut enables one to
heuristic generalization based on how closely a
stimulus matches a typical member of
a class; given a picture of a man in a
tweed jacket with a textbook, is this
man a professor or a truck driver?
328. repression defense mechanism in which painful
memories are excluded from
consciousness
329. reticular a network of cells in the brainstem
formation that filters sensory information and is
involved in arousal and alertness
330. retina the sensory reception system of the eye; 350. self-fulfilling a belief or expectation that helps to make
includes rods and cones prophecy itself true
331. retrieval the process of recovering information stored 351. self-serving he tendency to assign oneself credit for
in memory bias successes but to blame failures on external
forces
332. retroactive when new learning disrupts the recall of
interference previously-learned information 352. semantics in language, study of meanings of words
333. retrograde loss of memory for events that occurred 353. sensorimotor describes Piaget's stage in which the child
amnesia before the onset of amnesia; eg a soldier's explores the world through interaction of his
forgetting events immediately before a shell mouth and hands with the environment
burst nearby, injuring him
354. sensory reduced responsiveness caused by prolonged
334. rods responsible for black and white vision adaptation stimulation
335. role-play technique in therapy and training in which 355. sensory the parts of the brain that receive
participants act out new behaviors or skills cortex information from the sensory receptors
336. rooting a reflex in which a newborn turns its head 356. sensory nervous system cells that receive information
in response to a gentle stimulus on its cheek neurons from the environment
337. Rorschach a projective test that uses inkblots as the 357. serial this tells us that the best recall of a list of
test ambiguous stimulus position items will be of those at the beginning of the
effect list
338. safety the second rung of Maslow's hierarchy;
refers to need for freedom from danger 358. serotonin a neurotransmitter; associated with
improved mood and other positive emotions
339. scapegoat this theory says that having suffered
negative experience, an individual might 359. set point the point at which one's body tries maintain
blame an innocent person or group for the weight
experience and subsequently mistreat the
360. sexual its four stages are excitement, plateau,
person or group
response orgasm and resolution
340. scatterplot name for a graph of data points in a two
361. shaping an operant conditioning technique in which
variable correlation
reinforces guide behavior to closer and closer
341. schedules of these include fixed interval and variable approximations of the desired behavior
reinforcement ratio
362. short-term type of memory that holds a few items briefly
342. schema a collection of basic knowledge about a before they are lost
category of information; serves as a means
363. signal this theory predicts how and in what
of organization and interpretation of that
detection circumstances we can detect a stimulus;
information
assumes there is no single threshold
343. schemata plural form of schema
364. sleep apnea a disorder characterized by cessation of
344. schizophrenia disorder characterized by hallucinations breathing during sleep
and delusions 365. sleep short bursts of brain waves detected in stage
345. selective this term describes the situation when you spindles 2 sleep
attention are focused on certain stimuli in the 366. social a theory that suggests that our behavior is
environment while other stimuli are exchange based on maximizing benefits and
excluded minimizing costs
346. self- the highest of Malow's needs; "the full use 367. social a phenomenon in which we perform simple
actualization of talent" facilitation or well-learned tasks better when in the
347. self-concept one's idea and evaluation of oneself; this presence of others
contributes to one's sense of identity 368. social a theory that suggests we learn social
348. self-efficacy one's ability to act effectively to bring about learning behaviors by watching and imitating others
desired results; from Bandura 369. social norm a group's determination of socially
349. self-esteem the more positive one's estimation of one's acceptable behavior
qualities and characteristics, the higher 370. socio- a perspective on psychology that emphasizes
this is cultural effects on behavior and thinking of one's
culture and the people around one
371. somatic a division of the nervous system that 393. unconditioned in conditioning it elicits the UCR
controls voluntary muscle movements stimulus
372. somatoform any of a group of psychological
disorder disturbances characterized by physical
symptoms for which there is not a medical
cause
373. split brain a condition in which the two brain
hemispheres are isolated by cutting the
corpus callosum
374. spontaneous in classical conditioning the re-occurence
recovery of conditioning after it had appeared to be
extinct
375. SSRI class of drugs used to relieve anxiety by
limiting reuptake of a neurotransmitter
376. standard a computation of how much scores vary
deviation around a mean
377. stereotype a set of generalizations about a group

378. structuralism school of psychology developed by Wilhelm

Wundt
379. sublimation a defense mechanism in which
unacceptable energies are directed into
socially admirable outlets, such as art
380. superego the part of the personality in Freud's theory
that is responsible for making moral
choices
381. sympathetic part of the nervous system that controls the
"flight or fight" response
382. synaptic gap space between the axon terminal of one
neuron and the receptors of the next neuron
383. syntax in language the set of rules that describe
how words are arranged to make sentences
384. TAT a projective test in which subjects look at
and tell a story about ambiguous pictures
385. temperament personality component that ranges from
very calm to very exitable
386. temporal the lobe that controls audition

387. thalamus the sensory switchboard

388. theory this organizes data and is used to make

predictions
389. threshold in a neuron, reaching this causes the
neuron to fire
390. token economy a technique in operant conditioning by
which desired behaviors receive forms of
currency that can be exchanged for rewards
391. twin studies a common method of investigating whether
nature or nurture affects behavior
392. unconditioned in conditioning the behavior elicited by the
response unconditioned stimulus