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86 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Psychoactive Drugs
chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods (through their actions at the neural synapses)
Withdrawal
the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
Tolerance
the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drugs effect
Physical Dependence
a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued
Psychological Dependence
a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions
addiction
compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences
depressants
drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
barbiturates
drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgments
opiates
opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
stimulants
drugs, such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions
amphetamines
drugs that stimulate neural activity , causing sped up body functions and associated energy and mood changes
methamphetamine
a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded up body functions and associated energy and mood changes, over time appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels
X (MDMA)
a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short term health risks and longer term harm to serotonin producing neurons and to mood and cognition
Hallucinogens
psychedelic (mind manifesting) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
LSD
a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid
THC
the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects. including mild hallucinations
Near death experiences
An altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death, often similar to drug induced hallucinations
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
top down processing
information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
Psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness
subliminal
below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or repsonse
difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (JND)
weber's law
that principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
sensory adaption
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
behavioral medicine
an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease
health psychology
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine
stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.
general adaption syndrome (GAS)
Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion
coronary heart disease
the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries
Type A
Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger prone people
Type B
easygoing, relaxed people
psychophysiological illness
literally "mind-body" illness, any stress related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches
psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health
B Lymphocytes
form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections
T Lymphocytes
form in the thymus and other lymph tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances
coping
alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods
problem focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress directly- by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor
emotion focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction
areobic excercise
sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also reduce stress, depression, and anxiety
biofeedback
a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension
CAM
alternatives to conventional medicine, not proven
Associative learning
learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (operant)
classical conditioning
a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events
learningn
a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience
behaviorism
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes.
Unconditioned Response (UR)
in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the US, such as salivation when food is in the mouth
Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally - naturally and automatically- triggers a response
Conditioned Response (CR)
in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
In classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response.
acquisition
in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus beings triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
higher - order conditioning
a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus. Also called second order conditioning
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus does not follow a conditioned stimulus, occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditional response
generalization
the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimulus similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses
discrimination
in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
Respondent Behavior
behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus
operant conditioning
a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher
operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences
law of effect
Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.
operant chamber
in operant conditioning research, a chamber (also known as a skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer, attached devices record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking.
learning
a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
reinforcer
in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.
negative reinforcement
increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli
primary reinforcer
an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need
conditioned reinforcer
a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer, also known as a secondary reinforcer.
continuous reinforcement
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs
partial (intermittent) reinforcement
reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement
fixed ratio schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
variable ratio schedule
OC, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
fixed-interval schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.
variable interval schedule
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals
punishment
an event that decreases the behavior that it follows
cognitive map
a mental representation of the layout of one's environment. For example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned a cognitive map of it
latent learning
learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is incentive to demonstrate it
intrinsic motivation
a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake
extrinsic motivation
a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment
modeling
the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
mirror neurons
frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so. The brain's mirroring of another's action may enable imitation and empathy.
prosocial behavior
positive, constructive, helpful behavior. the opposite of antisocial behavior.