 | Term | Definition |
| |
token economy |
conditioning in which desirable behavior is reinforced with valueless objects, which can be accumulated and exchanged for valued rewards |
| |
schemas |
cognitive structures that influence how information from the environment is perceived, stored, and remembered |
| |
interference |
the process through which either the storage or the retrieval of information is impaired by the presence of other information |
| |
confabulation |
(psychiatry) a plausible but imagined memory that fills in gaps in what is remembered |
| |
algorithm |
a methodical, logical procedure that, while sometimes slow, guarantees success |
| |
heuristic |
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently |
| |
recombination |
(genetics) a combining of genes or characters different from what they were in the parents |
| |
syntax |
the set of language rules that govern hw words can be combined to form meaningful phrases and sentences |
| |
semantics |
the meaning, or an interpretation of the study of the relationship between various signs and symbols and what they represent |
| |
homeostasis |
the maintenance of stable internal conditions despite changes in the surroundings |
| |
reliability |
The consistency of test scores over time and across alternative measurements. |
| |
validity |
The degree to which certain inferences can be made from test scores or other measurements. test measures what it is supposed to measure. |
| |
id |
(psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity |
| |
ego |
The part of the personality developed in early childhood that helps control the id and keep people's actions within the boundaries of social convention. |
| |
superego |
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgments (the conscience) and for future aspirations |
| |
archetype |
an inherited idea, image, or concept based on the experiences of one's ancestors that shapes one's perception of the world |
| |
eustress |
positive stress that leads to goals and acheivements |
| |
intellectualization |
(psychiatry) a defense mechanism that uses reasoning to block out emotional stress and conflict |
| |
autonomy |
individual ability to make decisions; to decide against what is medically wise or advisable; guided by his life, values, beliefs |
| |
resynthesis |
the process of combiniing old ideas w/ new one's and reoranizing feelings in order to renew one's identity |
| |
comparable worth |
the issue rose when women who hold traditionally female jobs are paid less than men for working at jobs requiring comparable skill. |
| |
anxiety |
a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune |
| |
phobia |
an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations |
| |
schizophrenia |
any of several psychotic disorders characterized by distortions of reality and disturbances of thought and language and withdrawal from social contact |
| |
delusions |
false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders |
| |
hallucinations |
false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus |
| |
bipolar disorder |
An emotional disturbance in which moods alternate between periods of wild elation and deep depression. |
| |
addiction |
being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs) |
| |
tolerance |
body gets used to the drug's effects; need more to get same effect |
| |
withdrawal |
the unpleasant symptoms that someone experiences when he or she stops using an addictibe substance |
| |
psychotherapy |
the general term for the application of psychological principles and techniques for any treatment used by therapist to help troubled individuals overcome their problems and disorders |
| |
empathy |
What term is used for the capacity to participate in someone else's ideas, feelings, or spirit |
| |
placebo effect |
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent |
| |
psychoanalysis |
Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconcious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconcious tensions |
| |
insight |
clear or deep perception of a situation |
| |
resistance |
(psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness |
| |
transference |
(psychoanalysis) the process whereby emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another |
| |
complementarity |
the interrelation of reciprocity whereby one thing supplements or depends on the other |
| |
stereotype |
a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified image applied to a category of people |
| |
norms |
acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group's members. |
| |
ideology |
a set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society |
| |
groupthink |
kind of thinikng that occurs when people place more importance on maintaing group cohesiveness than on assing the faults of the problem with which the group is concerned |
| |
conformity |
acting according to certain accepted standards |
| |
obedience |
The state or condition of doing what one is told |
| |
catharsis |
(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions |
| |
altruism |
the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others |
| |
internalization |
the process in which people take as their own and accept as binding the norms, values, beliefs, and language needed to participate in the larger community |
| |
persuasion |
The process of creating, reinforcing, or changing people’s beliefs or actions. |
| |
visualization |
a mental image that is similar to a visual perception |
| |
gerontology |
The study of old age. This is one of the fastest growing special fields in the social sciences. |
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