| Term | Definition |
|---|
| psychology | the scientific study of behavior and mental processes |
| behavior | observable and measurable actions of people and animals |
| cognitive activity | private, unobservable mental processes such as sensation, perception, thought, and problem solving |
| theory | a set of assumptions about why something is the way it is and happens the way it does |
| introspection | an examination of one's own thoughts and feelings |
| behaviorism | the school of psychology, founded by John B. Watson, that defines psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior |
| biological perspective | the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior |
| cognitive perspective | the point of view that emphasizes the role of thought processes in determining behavior |
| psychoanalytic perspective | the perspective that emphasizes the influence of unconscious forces in behavior |
| learning perspective | the psychological point of view that emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior |
| clinical psychologist | a psychologist trained to deal with serious mental illness; they do psychological testing, psychotherapy, and conduct research |
| psychiatrist | a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders; can prescribe medication |
| school psychologist | a psychologist who helps students with problems that interfere with learning |
| sports psychologist | a psychologist who helps athletes improve their performance using techniques like relaxation and visualization |
| forensic psychologist | a psychologist who works in the legal system |
| Wilhelm Wundt | founder of structuralism; in 1879, created the first psychology lab in Germany |
| Sigmund Freud | founder of psychoanalysis |
| Science | A method of gaining knowledge about the world that is based on systematic observation |
| Consciousness | The awareness of things inside you and outside of you |
| Conscious (Freud) | One of Freud's 3 levels of consciousness; includes whatever a person is aware of at a given moment |
| Preconscious (Freud) | One of Freud's 3 levels of consciousness; includes the things that you could be aware of if you thought about them, but are not currently thinking about (e.g., stored information, memories, etc.) |
| Unconscious (Freud) | One of Freud's 3 levels of consciousness; things a person is not aware of (e.g., fears, shameful experiences, violent motives, etc.) |
| Circadian rhythms | Biological changes that occur over a 24 hour period (e.g., the sleep/wake cycle, blood pressure, body temperature) |
| Stage 1 sleep | Lightest stage of sleep; may experience twitches or a sensation of falling |
| Stage 2 sleep | Slightly deeper stage of sleep from Stage 1 |
| Stage 3 & 4 sleep | Deep sleep; sleepwalking/sleep talking happen here; may be disoriented if you wake up from this stage |
| REM sleep | Stage of sleep in which vivid dreams occur; breathing is irregular, sleep paralysis occurs, heart rate increase |
| Lucid dream | A dream in which is aware that he/she is dreaming |
| Manifest content | In Freud's theory of dreams, the story of a dream that a person can remember |
| Latent content | In Freud's theory of dreams, the hidden meaning of a dream |
| Sleep apnea | Sleep disorder in which the person has repeated breathing interruptions while sleeping |
| Insomnia | Sleep disorder characterized by great difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep |
| Narcolepsy | Sleep disorder in which person falls asleep at inappropriate times and places |
| drug | chemical substance that can alter structure and function of body |
| psychoactive drug | drug that alters behavior, thought, or perceptions; affects nervous system; most cross the blood–brain barrier |
| blood-brain barrier | system that keeps harmful substances from entering the brain |
| tolerance | requiring more of a substance to achieve the same effect |
| withdrawal | physical response that happens when one does not take a drug they are addicted to |
| addiction/substance dependence | uncontrollable, compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences |
| substance abuse | the continued use of a drug despite social, legal, or health problems; doesn't require person to be addicted |
| reward pathway | area of the brain that, when stimulated, leads the person to want to repeat a behavior (e.g., eating, drinking, sex, nurturing, taking drugs) |
| depressants | drugs that relax and calm a user, induce sleep at higher doses, and depress brain activity |
| ethanol | the active ingredient in alcohol |
| alcoholism | means the same as alcohol addiction to alcohol dependence |
| alcohol addiction | means the same as alcohol dependence or alcoholism |
| alcohol dependence | means the same as addiction to alcohol or alcoholism |
| opiates/narcotics | drugs that derive from the opium poppy, act as pain killers, occupy endorphin receptors, cause euphoria |
| stimulants | drugs that cause an elevation in mood, alertness, blood pressure, and heart rate; reduce fatigue and appetite |
| caffeine | drug found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, some nuts, some medicines |
| nicotine | active ingredient in tobacco |
| cocaine | Stimulant drug that comes from the coca plant; first made in mid-1800s; can lead to heart disease and a damaged septum |
| hemp plant | where marijuana comes from |
| THC | active ingredient in marijuana |
| psychological disorder | A pattern of behavior or a mental process that causes serious personal suffering or interferes with a person's ability to cope with everyday life |
| maladaptive | Interfering with a person's ability to cope with day to day life |
| atypical | Statistically uncommon; not usual |
| DSM-IV | The reference manual used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders |
| anxiety | Feeling of fearful expectation of future danger or misfortune accompanied by physical symptoms of tension |
| specific phobia | A psychological disorder characterized by a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object or situation |
| obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) | A psychological disorder characterized by continual unwanted thoughts and/or behaviors that cannot be controlled |
| panic disorder | A psychological disorder characterized by episodes of severe anxiety called panic attacks |
| post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | A disorder following a distressing event outside the range of normal human experience and is characterized by intense fear, avoidance of things associated with the event, and reliving of the event (flashbacks) |
| agoraphobia | A psychological disorder characterized by a fear of being in a place where escape isn't easy |
| mood | Long-lasting emotion that affects how one perceives the world |
| major depression | A psychological disorder characterized by at least two weeks of extreme sadness and/or a lack of pleasure in activities normally enjoyed; called the "common cold" of mental illness |
| dysthymic disorder | A psychological disorder characterized by at least two years of a depressed mood for most days |
| bipolar disorder | A psychological disorder characterized by extreme mood swings between depression and mania |
| manic episode | A period of at least one week of an abnormally elevated, expansive, irritable mood; a symptom of bipolar disorder; formerly called manic-depression |
| schizophrenia | A group of severe psychological disorders characterized by a loss of contact with reality; symptoms may include delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech |
| catatonic schizophrenia | A subtype of schizophrenia characterized by bizarre behavior |
| disorganized schizophrenia | A subtype of schizophrenia characterized by severely disorganized speech/behavior and/or emotional disturbances |
| paranoid schizophrenia | A subtype of schizophrenia characterized by delusions of persecution and auditory hallucinations |
| delusion | A false thought |
| hallucination | A false sensory perception |
Combine with other sets
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