AQA A Level Psychology - Subject Specific Vocabulary

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Agentic state

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Terms in this set (44)

A term used in the context of obedience to an authority figure. It refers to the way in which an individual may obey an order, perhaps to do something that they see as 'wrong', because the individual hands over the responsibility for the outcome of the action to the authority figure.

Androcentrism

This term refers to a bias in psychological research in which a male perspective is over-emphasised at the expense of a female one.

Androgyny

This is a term used in the context of gender. It refers to the way in which a biological male or female may show high levels of both typical masculine traits and typical feminine traits.

Atavistic form

A term used in forensic psychology as a possible explanation for criminal offending. The idea is that offenders may represent a more primitive evolutionary stage of development than their contemporaries. This may be shown in a range of facial and physical features.

Authoritarian personality

This title describes a person who holds rigid beliefs, is intolerant of ambiguity, submissive to authority and hostile to those of lower status or members of an out-group. This may be the outcome of a person experiencing harsh
authoritarian parenting as a child. It is used as an explanation for high levels of obedience to authority figures and prejudice against out groups.

Avolition

This term refers to a common negative symptom of schizophrenia where the person involved has little energy, motivation to act or emotional response to situations.

Beck's Negative Triad

A model of the cognitive biases which are characteristic features of depression. The triad consists of three elements, pessimistic thought patterns, about the self, the world and the future.

Cognitive priming

A term that refers to increased sensitivity to certain stimuli due to prior experience. Unconscious memories are stored and then activated when we experience similar situations or cues. e.g violent scenes from TV, films or even
song lyrics may be stored and when similar situations or cues occur in our own lives these memories are activated and influence or prime how we behave.

Co-morbidity

This term refers to the situation when a person has two disorders at the same time. For example, schizophrenia can be co-morbid with OCD.

Congruence

A term used in the humanistic approach to psychology, particularly the person-centred therapy pioneered by Carl Rogers. It refers to a state in which there is agreement/consistency between a person's 'real self' and 'ideal self'. He
suggested that a higher level of congruence is a sign of better psychological health.