Psychology Midterm

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psychology

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the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes

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positive psychology

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factors related to optimal human functioning

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basic research

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research conducted to advance scientific knowledge

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theory

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is based on systematic interrelated set of concepts that explain a body of data ; they are the heart of the scientific method and virtually all scientific advances

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hypothesis

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scientific testable prediction about how one factor variable is related to another

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control group

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group that receives no treatment in an experiment

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Placebo

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inactive substance of fake treatment used as a control technique usually in group research or given by a medical practitioner to a patient

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survey

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Psychologist use similar polls and intervals to measure a wide variety of psychological behavior and attitudes

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case study

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in the case of such rare disorders researchers try to find someone who has the problem and study him or her intensively ; in depth study of a single research participant

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applied research

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research designed to solve practical problems

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stress

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nonspecific response of the body to any demands made upon it, the arousal both physical and mental, to situations or events that we perceive as threatening or challenging

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distress

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unpleasant or threatening stress

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job stressor

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work related stress including unemployment. role conflict and burnout

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role conflict

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forced choice between two or more different and incompatible role demands

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burnout

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state of psychological and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress and little personal control

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Hassles

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small problems of daily living that accumulate and sometimes become a major source of stress

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frustration

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Unpleasant tension, anxiety and heightened sympathetic activity resulting from a blocked goal

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Conflict

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forced choice between two or more incompatible goal or impulses

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avoidance avoidance conflict

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forced choice between two options that bothof which have equally undesirable characteristics

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homeostasis

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body's tendency to maintain a relatively balanced and stable internal state, such as constant internal temperature

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sensation

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the process of detecting converting and transmitting raw sensory information from the external and internal environment to the brain

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perception

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process of selecting organizing and interpreting sensory information into meaningful patterns

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absolute threshold

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minimum amount of stimulus that an observer can reliably detect

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subliminal

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pertaining to stimuli presented below conscious awareness

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retina

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light sensitive inner surface of the back of the eye which contains receptor cells for vision ; rods and cones

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blind spot

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point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye ;contains no receptors for vision thus creating a blind spot

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nerve deafness

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inner ear deafness resulting from damage to the cochlea hair cells or auditor nerve

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illusion

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False or misleading perception

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convergence

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binocular depth cue in which the closer the object the more the eyes coverage or turn inward

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extra sensory perception ESP

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perceptual or psychic abilities that supposedly go beyond the known senses

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consciousness

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organisms awareness of its own self and surroundings

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controlled processes

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mental process requiring focused attention that generally interfere with other ongoing activities

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Automatic processes

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mental activities requiring minimal attention and having little impact on other activities

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rapid eye movement REM

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stage of sleep marked by rapid eye movements, high frequency brain waves, paralysis of muscles and dreaming

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manifest content

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according to Freud, a dreams surface remembered story line which contains dream symbols that disguise the hidden latent content of the dream

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insomnia

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persistent problems in falling sleep staying asleep or awakening too early

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narcolepsy

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sudden irresistible onsets of sleep during normal waking hours - narco = numbness

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sleep apnea

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repeated interruption of breathing while asleep because air passages to the lungs are physically blocked or the brain stops activating the diaphragm

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addiction

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broad term describing compulsion to use a specific drug or engage in a certain activity

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hypnosis

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trance like state of heightened suggestibility deep relaxation and intense focus

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learning

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a relatively permanent change in behavior or mental processes due to experience

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neutral stimulus

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stimulus that before conditioning does not naturally bring about the response of interest

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law of effect

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thorndikes rule that the probability of an action being repeated is strengthened when it is followed by a pleasant or satisfying consequence

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extinction

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gradual disappearance of a conditioned response (CR) occurs when unconditioned stimulus is withheld whenever the conditioned stimulus is presented

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reinforcement

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strengthens the response and makes it more liked to recur

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acquisition

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basic classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that the NS comes to elicit a conditioned response

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classical conditioning

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learning through involuntarily paired associations it occurs when a previously neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response

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positive reinforcement

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adding a stimulus thereby strengthening a response and making it more likely to recur

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punishment

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weakens a response and makes it less likely to recur

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shaping

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reinforcement delivered for successive approximations. of the desired response