Mcat P/s

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Accommodation

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Process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass new information

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Acquisition

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In classical conditioning, the process of taking advantage of reflexive responses to turn a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus

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Adaptation

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In Perception: a decrease in stimulus perception after a long duration of exposure;
In Learning: the process by which new information is processed;
Consists of assimilation and acommodation

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Aligning actions

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An impression management strategy in which one makes questionable behavior acceptable through excuses

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Alter-Casting

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An impression management strategy in which one imposes an identity onto another person

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Appraisal Model

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A similar theory to the basic model, accepting that there are biologically predetermined expressions once an emotion is experienced;
Accepts that there is a cognitive antecedent to emotional expression

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Arousal Theory

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A theory of motivation that states there is a particular level of arousal required in order to perform actions optimally;
Summarized by the Yerkes-Dodson Law

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Assimilation

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In Psychology: the process by which new information is interpreted in terms of existing schemata.
In Sociology: the process by which the behavior and culture of a group or an individual begins to merge with that of another group

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Attribute Substitution

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A phenomenon observed when individuals must make judgements that are complex but instead substitute a simpler solution or perception

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Attribution Theory

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A theory that focuses on the tendency for individuals to infer the causes of other peoples behavior

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Automatic Processing

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The brain process most closely resembling autopilot, enabling performance of multiple activities at the same time

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Availability Heuristic

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A shortcut in decision-making that relies on the information that is most readily available, rather than the total body of information on a subject

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Avoidance Learning

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A form of negative reinforcement in which one avoids the unpleasantness of something that has yet to happen

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Basic Model

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First established by Charles Darwin, a theory that states that emotional expression involves a number of systems: facial expression as well as behavioral and physical responses; claims that emotions are universal and should be similar across cultures

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Bureaucracy

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A formal organization with the goal of performing complex tasks as efficiently as possible by dividing work among a number of bureaus

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Cannon-Bard Theory

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A theory of emotion that states that a stimulus is first received and is then simultaneously processed physiologically and cognitively, allowing for the conscious emotion to be experienced

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Cataplexy

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Loss of muscle control with intrusion of REM sleep during waking hours, usually caused by an emotional trigger

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Circular Reaction

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A repetitive action that achieves a desire response;
Seen during Piaget's sensorimotor stage

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Context Effect

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A retrieval cue by which memory is aided when a person is in the location where encoding took place

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Controlled (conscious) Processing

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Processing method used when a task requires complete attention

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Correspondent Inference Theory

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A theory that states that people pay closer attention to intentional behavior than accidental behavior when making attributions, especially if the behavior is unexpected

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Critical Period

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A time during development during which exposure to language is essential for eventual development of the effective use of language;
Occurs between 2 years of age and puberty

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Depressive Episode

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A period of at least 2 weeks in which there is a prominent and persistent depressed mood or lack of interest and at least 4 other depressive symptoms

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Dishabituation

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A sudden increase in response to a stimulus, usually due to a change in the stimulus or addition of another stimulus; sometimes called resensitization

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Displacement

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A defense mechanism by which undesired urges are transferred from one target to another, more acceptable one

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Errors of Growth

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Misuse of grammar characterized by universal application of a rule, regardless of exceptions;
Seen in children during language development

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Escape Learning

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A form of negative reinforcement in which one reduces the unpleasantness of something that already exists

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Ethnicity

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A social construct that sorts people by cultural factors, including language, nationality, religion, and other factors

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Explicit Memory

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Memory that requires conscious recall, divided into facts (semantic memory) and experiences (episodic memory);
Also known as Declarative Memory

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Fundamental Attribution Error

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The general bias toward making dispositional attributions rather than situational attributions when analyzing another person's behavior

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Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft

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Theory that distinguishes between 2 major types of groups:
Communities (Gemeinschaften), which share beliefs, ancestry, or geography;
And societies (Gesellschaften), which work together toward a common goal

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Habituation

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A decrease in response caused by repeated exposure to a stimulus

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Halo Effect

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A cognitive bias in which judgments of an individual's character can be affected by the overall impression of the individual

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Implicit Memory

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Memory that does not require conscious recall;
Consists of skills and conditioned behaviors

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Implicit Personality Theory

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A theory that states that people tend to associate traits and behavior in others, and that people have the tendency to attribute their own beliefs, opinions, and ideas onto others

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Inductive Reasoning

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A form of cognition that utilizes generalizations to develop a theory

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Ingratiation

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An impression management strategy that uses flattery to increase social acceptance

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Instinctive Drift

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The tendency of animals to resist learning when a conditioned behavior conflicts with the animal's instinctive behaviors

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James-Lange Theory

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A theory of emotion that states that a stimulus results in physiological arousal, which then leads to a secondary response in which emotion is consciously experienced

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Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

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An innate capacity for language acquisition that is triggered by exposure to language; part of the nativist (biological) perspective of language acquisition

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Learning (behaviorist) theory

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A theory that attitudes are developed through forms of learning (direct contact, direct interaction, direct instruction, and conditioning)

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Linguistic relativity hypothesis

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A hypothesis suggesting that one's perception of reality is largely determined by the content, form, and structure of language; also known as the Whorfian hypothesis

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Mental Set

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A tendency to repeat solutions that have yielded positive results at some time in the past

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Narcolepsy

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A sleep disorder characterized by a lack of voluntary control over the onset of sleep;
also involves cataplexy and hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations

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Neologism

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Coining a new word;
Seen in schizophrenia

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Neuroticism

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In trait theory, the degree to which an individual is prone to emotional arousal in stressful situations

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Opponent-process theory

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A theory that states that the body will adapt to counteract repeated exposure to stimuli, such as seeing afterimages or ramping up the sympathetic nervous system in response to a depressant

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Polyandry

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A mating system in which a female has exclusive relationships with several males

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Polygyny

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A mating system in which a male has exclusive relationships with several females

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Pragmatics

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The way in which use of language can be altered, depending on social context

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Primary stress appraisal

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An initial evaluation of the environment to determine if there is an associated threat

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Priming

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A retrieval cue by which recall is aided by a word or phrase that is semantically related to the desired

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Prosody

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The rhythm, cadence, and infection of speech

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Race

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A social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people;
These may be either real or perceived differences

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Reciprocal Determinism

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In the social cognitive perspective, the notion that thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and environment interact to determine behavior in a given situation

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Reliance on central traits

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The tendency to organize the perception of others based on traits and personal characteristics of the target that matter to the perceiver

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Schchter-Singer Theory

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A theory of emotion that states that both physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal must occur before an emotion is consciously experienced

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Schema

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An organized pattern of thought and behavior; one of the central concepts of Piaget's stages of cognitive development

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Self-reference effect

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The tendency for individuals to best recall information that they can relate to their own experiences

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Semantics

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The association of meaning with a word

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Signal Detection Theory

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A theory of perception in which internal (psychological) and external (environmental) context both play a role in the perception of the stimuli

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Social Mobility

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The movement of individuals in the social hierarchy through changes in income, education, or occupation

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Source-monitoring error

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A memory error by which a person remembers the details of an event but confuses the context by which the details were gained; often causes a person to remember events that happened to someone else as having happened to him or herself

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Sublimation

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A defense mechanism by which unacceptable urges are transformed into socially acceptable behaviors

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Superego

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In Freudian psychoanalysis, the part of the unconscious mind focused on idealism, perfectionism, and societal norms

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Syntax

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The way in which words are organized to create meaning

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System for Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG)

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A method of studying group dynamics: focuses on 3 fundamental dimensions of interaction: Dominance Vs. Submission, Friendliness Vs. Unfriendliness, Instrumentally Controlled Vs. Emotionally Expressive

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Tactical Self

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In impression management, the person one markets him or herself to be when adhering to others expectations

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Universal Emotions

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Recognized by all cultures:
Happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger

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Weber's Law

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A theory of perception that states that there is a constant ratio between the change in stimulus magnitude needed to produce a just noticeable difference (jnd) and the magnitude of the original stimulus

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Zone of Proximal Development

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Those skills which a child has not yet mastered but can accomplish with the help of a more knowledgeable other.

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Actor-Observer Bias

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Actors attribute their own behavior to situational factors whereas observers attribute actors behavior to dispositional factors

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Seyle's General Adaptation Syndrome Theory

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People respond to different types of stressors in similar ways (generalized sympathetic symptoms)