C's in the glossary

Question 1

case study

Answer 1

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Question 2

central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 2

the brain and the spinal cord.

Question 3

central route persuasion

Answer 3

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Question 4

cerebellum

Answer 4

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.

Question 5

cerebral cortex

Answer 5

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center

Question 6

change blindness

Answer 6

failing to notice changes in the environment

Question 7

chromosomes

Answer 7

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.

Question 8

chunking

Answer 8

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

Question 9

circadian rhythm

Answer 9

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

Question 10

classical conditioning

Answer 10

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Question 11

client-centered therapy

Answer 11

a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within genuine, accepting, emphatic environment to facilitate client’s growth.

Question 12

clinical psychology

Answer 12

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Question 13

cochlea

Answer 13

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear, sound waves traveling through cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

Question 14

cochlear implant

Answer 14

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.

Question 15

cognition

Answer 15

the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Question 16

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 16

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Question 17

cognitive learning

Answer 17

the acquisition of mental info, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language.

Question 18

cognitive map

Answer 18

a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment

Question 19

cognitive-behavioral therapy

Answer 19

a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy.

Question 20

cohort

Answer 20

a group of people from a given time period

Question 21

collective unconscious

Answer 21

Carl Jung’s concept of shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Question 22

collectivism

Answer 22

giving priority to goals of one’s group and defining one’s identity accordingly.

Question 23

color constancy

Answer 23

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.

Question 24

community psychology

Answer 24

a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.

Question 25

companionate love

Answer 25

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Question 26

concept

Answer 26

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

Question 27

concrete operational stage

Answer 27

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.

Question 28

conditioned reinforcer

Answer 28

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer

Question 29

conditioned response (CR)

Answer 29

a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

Question 30

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 30

an originally irrelevant stimulus that comes to trigger a conditioned response.

Question 31

conduction hearing loss

Answer 31

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Question 32

cones

Answer 32

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

Question 33

confirmation bias

Answer 33

a tendency to search for info that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.

Question 34

conflict

Answer 34

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

Question 35

conformity

Answer 35

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 36

confounding variable

Answer 36

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

Question 37

consciousness

Answer 37

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Question 38

conservation

Answer 38

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects.

Question 39

content validity

Answer 39

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Question 40

continuous reinforcement

Answer 40

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Question 41

control group

Answer 41

in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Question 42

corpus callosum

Answer 42

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Question 43

correlation

Answer 43

a measure of the extent to which two factor vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

Question 44

correlation coefficient

Answer 44

a statistical index of the relationship between two things

Question 45

counseling psychology

Answer 45

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems living and in achieving greater well-being.

Question 46

counter conditioning

Answer 46

a behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors.

Question 47

creativity

Answer 47

the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas

Question 48

critical period

Answer 48

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Question 49

critical thinking

Answer 49

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Question 50

cross-sectional study

Answer 50

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Question 51

crystallized intelligence

Answer 51

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills, tends to increase with age

Question 52

culture

Answer 52

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.