General Psychology, Test 3

Front 1

neuroscience

Back 1

The study of the brain and nervous system.

Front 2

biological psychology

Back 2

The branch of psychology that focuses on how the brain and other biological systems influence human behavior.

Front 3

neurons

Back 3

The building blocks of the nervous system that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the body.

Front 4

dendrites

Back 4

Tiny, branchlike fibers extending from the cell body that receive messages from other neurons and send information in the direction of the cell body.

Front 5

axon

Back 5

Skinny tubelike structure of a neuron that extends from the cell body, and which sends messages to other neurons.

Front 6

myelin sheath

Back 6

Fatty substance that insulates the axon and speeds the transmission of neural messages.

Front 7

synapse

Back 7

The tiny gap between a terminal bud of one axon and a neighboring dendrite of the next neuron; junction between neurons where communication occurs.

Front 8

glial cells

Back 8

Cells that support, nourish, and protect neurons; produce myelin that covers axons.

Front 9

cell body

Back 9

The region of the neuron that includes a nucleus containing DNA, protein producing mechanisms, and other structures that nourish the cell.

Front 10

resting potential

Back 10

The electrical potential of a cell "at rest"; the state of a cell when it is not activated.

Front 11

action potential

Back 11

The spike in electrical energy that passes through the axon of a neuron, the purpose of which is to convey information.

Front 12

all-or-none

Back 12

A neuron either fires or does not fire; action potentials are always the same strength.

Front 13

neurotransmitters

Back 13

Chemical messengers that neurons use to communicate at the synapse.

Front 14

receptor sites

Back 14

The location where neurotransmitters attach on the receiving side of the synaptic gap.

Front 15

reuptake

Back 15

Process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending terminal bud.

Front 16

bipolar disorder

Back 16

A mood disorder marked by dramatic swings in mood, ranging from manic episodes to depressive episodes.

Front 17

psychological disorders

Back 17

A set of behavioral, emotional, and/or cognitive symptoms that are significantly distressing or disabling in terms of social functioning, work endeavors, and other aspects of life.

Front 18

maladaptive behaviors

Back 18

Behaviors or actions that run counter to what is in one's own best interest.

Front 19

abnormal behavior

Back 19

Behavior that is atypical, dysfunctional, distressful, and deviant.

Front 20

Typicality

Back 20

Degree to which behavior is atypical, meaning rarely seen or statistically abnormal.

Front 21

Dysfunction

Back 21

Degree to which behavior interferes with daily life and relationships.

Front 22

Distress

Back 22

Degree to which behavior or emotions cause an individual to feel upset or uncomfortable.

Front 23

Deviance

Back 23

Degree to which behavior is considered outside the standards or rules of society.

Front 24

insanity

Back 24

A legal determination of the degree to which a person is responsible for criminal behaviors.

Front 25

stigma

Back 25

A negative attitude or opinion about a group of people based on certain traits or characteristics.

Front 26

comorbidity

Back 26

The occurrence of two or more disorders at the same time.

Front 27

social psychology

Back 27

The study of human cognition, emotion, and behavior in relation to others, including how people behave in social settings.

Front 28

social cognition

Back 28

The way people think about others, attend to social information, and use this information in their lives, both consciously and unconsciously.

Front 29

attributions

Back 29

Beliefs one develops to explain human behaviors and characteristics, as well as situations.

Front 30

situational attribution

Back 30

A belief that some environmental attribution factor is involved in the cause of an event or activity.

Front 31

dispositional attribution

Back 31

A belief that some characteristic of an individual is involved in the cause of a situation, event, or activity.

Front 32

fundamental attribution error

Back 32

The tendency to overestimate the degree to which the characteristics of an individual are the cause of an event, and to underestimate the involvement of situational factors.

Front 33

just-world hypothesis

Back 33

The tendency to believe the world is a fair place and individuals generally get what they deserve.

Front 34

self-serving bias

Back 34

The tendency to attribute success to personal characteristics and failures to environmental factors.

Front 35

false consensus effect

Back 35

The tendency to overestimate the degree to which others think or act like we do.

Front 36

attitudes

Back 36

The relatively stable thoughts, feelings, and responses one has toward people, situations, ideas, and things.

Front 37

cognitive dissonance

Back 37

A state of tension that results when behaviors are inconsistent with attitudes.

Front 38

social influence

Back 38

How a person is affected by others as evidenced in behaviors, emotions, and cognition.

Front 39

persuasion

Back 39

Intentionally trying to make people change their attitudes and beliefs, which may lead to changes in their behaviors.

Front 40

compliance

Back 40

Changes in behavior at the request or direction of another person or group, who in general do not have any true authority.

Front 41

foot-in-the-door technique

Back 41

A compliance technique that involves making a small request first, followed by a larger request.

Front 42

door-in-the-face technique

Back 42

A compliance technique that involves making a large request first, followed by a smaller request.

Front 43

conformity

Back 43

The urge to modify behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions to match those of others.

Front 44

norms

Back 44

Standards of the social environment.

Front 45

obedience

Back 45

Changing behavior because we have been ordered to do so by an authority figure.

Front 46

social facillitation

Back 46

The tendency for the presence of others to improve personal performance when the task or event is fairly uncomplicated and a person is adequately prepared.

Front 47

social loafing

Back 47

The tendency for people to make less than their best effort when individual contributions are too complicated to measure.

Front 48

diffusion of responsillity

Back 48

The sharing of duties and responsibilities among all group members that can lead to feelings of decreased accountability and motivation.

Front 49

deindividuation

Back 49

The diminished sense of personal responsibility, inhibition, or adherence to social norms that occurs when group members are not treated as individuals.

Front 50

risky shift

Back 50

The tendency for groups to recommend uncertain and risky options.

Front 51

group polarization

Back 51

The tendency for a group to take a more extreme stance than originally held after deliberations and discussion.

Front 52

groupthink

Back 52

The tendency for group members to maintain cohesiveness and agreement in their decision making, failing to consider all possible alternatives and related viewpoints.

Front 53

bystander effect

Back 53

The tendency for people to avoid getting involved in an emergency they witness because they assume someone else will help.

Front 54

aggression

Back 54

Intimidating or threatening behavior or attitudes intended to hurt someone.

Front 55

frustration-aggression hypothesis

Back 55

Suggests that aggression may occur in response to frustration.

Front 56

stereotypes

Back 56

Conclusions or inferences we make about people who are different from us based on their group membership, such as race, religion, age, or gender.

Front 57

in-group

Back 57

The group to which we belong.

Front 58

out-group

Back 58

People outside the group to which we belong.

Front 59

social identity

Back 59

How we view ourselves within our social group.

Front 60

ethnocentrism

Back 60

To see the world only from the perspective of one's own group.

Front 61

discrimination

Back 61

Showing favoritism or hostility to others because of their affiliation with a group.

Front 62

scapegoat

Back 62

A target of negative emotions, beliefs, and behaviors; typically, a member of the out-group who receives blame for an upsetting social situation.

Front 63

prejudice

Back 63

Holding hostile or negative attitudes toward an individual or group

Front 64

stereotype threat

Back 64

A "situational threat" in which individuals are aware of others' negative expectations, which leads to their fear that they will be judged and/or treated as inferior.

Front 65

social roles

Back 65

The positions we hold in social groups, and the responsibilities and expectations associated with those roles.

Front 66

altruism

Back 66

A desire or motivation to help others with no expectations of anything in return.