Terms & Definitions in Developmental Psychology, Personality Theory, & Psychological Disor, Quizzes of Psychology

Download Terms & Definitions in Developmental Psychology, Personality Theory, & Psychological Disor and more Quizzes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 developmental psychology DEFINITION 1 a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. TERM 2 zygote DEFINITION 2 the fertilized egg; it enters a two week period of rapid cell division and develops an embryo. TERM 3 embryo DEFINITION 3 the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month. TERM 4 fetus DEFINITION 4 the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth. TERM 5 teratogens DEFINITION 5 agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. TERM 6 fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) DEFINITION 6 physical and cognitive abnormalities in children cause by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions. TERM 7 habituation DEFINITION 7 decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner. TERM 8 maturation DEFINITION 8 biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience. TERM 9 cognition DEFINITION 9 all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering , and communicating. TERM 10 schema DEFINITION 10 a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information. TERM 21 autism DEFINITION 21 a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interactions, and understanding of others' states of mind. TERM 22 stranger anxiety DEFINITION 22 the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age. TERM 23 attachment DEFINITION 23 an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation. TERM 24 critical period DEFINITION 24 an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development. TERM 25 imprinting DEFINITION 25 the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life. TERM 26 basic trust DEFINITION 26 according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictiable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers. TERM 27 self-concept DEFINITION 27 our understanding and evaluation of who we are. TERM 28 Authoritarian DEFINITION 28 parents who impose rules and expect obedience TERM 29 Permissive DEFINITION 29 parents submit to their children's desires; they make few demands and use little punishment. TERM 30 Authoritative DEFINITION 30 parents are both demanding and responsive. TERM 31 adolescence DEFINITION 31 the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence. TERM 32 puberty DEFINITION 32 the period of sexual maturation, during which a person become capable of reproducing. TERM 33 primary sex characteristics DEFINITION 33 the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible. TERM 34 secondary sex characteristics DEFINITION 34 non-reproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair. TERM 35 menarche DEFINITION 35 the first menstrual period TERM 46 crystallized intelligence DEFINITION 46 our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age. TERM 47 fluid intelligence DEFINITION 47 our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood. TERM 48 social clock DEFINITION 48 the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement. TERM 49 personality DEFINITION 49 an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. TERM 50 free association DEFINITION 50 in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing. TERM 51 psychoanalysis DEFINITION 51 Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions TERM 52 unconscious DEFINITION 52 according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware. TERM 53 id DEFINITION 53 contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification. TERM 54 ego DEFINITION 54 the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than the pain. TERM 55 superego DEFINITION 55 the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscious) and for future aspirations. TERM 56 psychosexual stages DEFINITION 56 the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones. TERM 57 Oedipus complex DEFINITION 57 according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father. TERM 58 identification DEFINITION 58 the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos. TERM 59 fixation DEFINITION 59 according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual state in which conflicts were unresolved. TERM 60 defense mechanisms DEFINITION 60 in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality. TERM 71 Rorschach inkblot test DEFINITION 71 the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots. TERM 72 terror-management theory DEFINITION 72 a theory of death-realted anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death. TERM 73 self-actualization DEFINITION 73 according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential. TERM 74 unconditional positive regard DEFINITION 74 according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person. TERM 75 self-concept DEFINITION 75 all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?" TERM 76 trait DEFINITION 76 a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports. TERM 77 personality inventory DEFINITION 77 a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits. TERM 78 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) DEFINITION 78 the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is not used for many other screening purposes. TERM 79 empirically derived test DEFINITION 79 a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups. TERM 80 social-cognitive perspective DEFINITION 80 views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context. TERM 81 reciprocal determinism DEFINITION 81 the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment. TERM 82 personal control DEFINITION 82 the extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless. TERM 83 external locus of control DEFINITION 83 the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate. TERM 84 internal locus of control DEFINITION 84 the perception that you control your own fate. TERM 85 learned helplessness DEFINITION 85 the hopelessness and passive resignation of an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events. TERM 96 generalized anxiety disorder DEFINITION 96 an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal. TERM 97 panic disorder DEFINITION 97 an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations TERM 98 phobia DEFINITION 98 an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation. TERM 99 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) DEFINITION 99 an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions). TERM 100 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) DEFINITION 100 an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience. TERM 101 post-traumatic growth DEFINITION 101 positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises. TERM 102 somatoform disorder DEFINITION 102 psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause. TERM 103 conversion disorder DEFINITION 103 a rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found. TERM 104 hypochondriasis DEFINITION 104 a somatoform disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease. TERM 105 dissociative disorders DEFINITION 105 disorders in which conscious awareness becomes seperated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. TERM 106 dissociative identity disorder (DID) DEFINITION 106 a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Formerly called multiple personality disorder. TERM 107 mood disorders DEFINITION 107 psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes. TERM 108 major depressive disorder DEFINITION 108 a mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities. TERM 109 mania DEFINITION 109 a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state. TERM 110 bipolar disorder DEFINITION 110 a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depresssive disorder) TERM 121 foot-in-the-door phenomenon DEFINITION 121 the tendency for people how have first agreed to a smaller request to comply later with a larger request. TERM 122 role DEFINITION 122 a set of explanations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave. TERM 123 cognitive dissonance theory DEFINITION 123 the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of out thoughts are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of out attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitude. TERM 124 conformity DEFINITION 124 adjusting one's behavior of thinking to coincide with a group standard. TERM 125 normative social influence DEFINITION 125 influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval TERM 126 informational social influence DEFINITION 126 influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality. TERM 127 social facilitation DEFINITION 127 stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others. TERM 128 social loafing DEFINITION 128 the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable. TERM 129 deindividuation DEFINITION 129 the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity TERM 130 group polarization DEFINITION 130 the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group. TERM 131 groupthink DEFINITION 131 the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives TERM 132 prejudice DEFINITION 132 an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action. TERM 133 stereotype DEFINITION 133 a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people. TERM 134 discrimination DEFINITION 134 unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members. TERM 135 ingroup DEFINITION 135 "Us"---people with whom we share a common identity. TERM 146 equity DEFINITION 146 a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it. TERM 147 self-disclosure DEFINITION 147 revealing intimate aspects of oneself to other. TERM 148 altruism DEFINITION 148 unselfish regard for the welfare of others. TERM 149 bystander effect DEFINITION 149 the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present. TERM 150 social exchange theory DEFINITION 150 the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. TERM 151 reciprocity norm DEFINITION 151 an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them. TERM 152 social-responsibility norm DEFINITION 152 an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them. TERM 153 conflict DEFINITION 153 a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas. TERM 154 social trap DEFINITION 154 a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior. TERM 155 mirror-image perceptions DEFINITION 155 mutual views often held by conflicting people as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and view the other side as evil and aggressive. TERM 156 superordinate goals DEFINITION 156 shared goals that override differences among people require their cooperation. TERM 157 GRIT DEFINITION 157 Graduation and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension- Reduction---a strategy designed to decrease international tensions.