GRE Psychology CH 9-11 Flashcards
(144 cards)
1
Q
Arousal
A
psychological activation, such as increased brain activity, autonomic responses, sweating, or muscle tension
2
Q
Display rules
A
rules learned through socialization that dictate which emotions are suitable to given situations
3
Q
Drive
A
psychological state that motivates an organism to satisfy its needs
4
Q
Emotion
A
feelings that involve subjective evaluation, physiological processes, and cognitive beliefs
5
Q
Extrinsic motivation
A
motivation to perform an activity because of external goals toward which that activity is directed
6
Q
Homeostasis
A
the tendency for bodily functions to maintain equilibrium
7
Q
Incentives
A
external stimuli that motivate behaviors (as opposed to internal drives)
8
Q
Intrinsic motivation
A
motivation to perform an activity because of the value or pleasure associated with that activity, rather than for an apparent external goal or purpose
9
Q
Motivation
A
factors that energize, director, or sustain behavior
10
Q
Need
A
state of biological or social deficiencies
11
Q
Need hierarchy
A
Maslow’s arrangement of needs, in which basic survival needs are lowest priority and personal growth needs are highest priority
12
Q
Need to belong theory
A
the need for interpersonal attachments is a fundamental motive that has evolved for adaptive purposes
13
Q
Primary emotions
A
evolutionarily adaptive emotions that humans share across cultures; they are associated with specific biological and physical states
14
Q
Secondary emotions
A
blends of primary emotions, including states such as remorse, guilt, submission, and anticipation
15
Q
Self-actualization
A
a state that is achieved when one’s personal dreams and aspirations have been attained
16
Q
Sexual response cycle
A
a pattern of physiological responses during sexual activity
17
Q
Sexual strategies theory
A
evolutionary theory that suggests men and women look for different qualities in their relationship partners because of gender-specific adaptive problems
18
Q
Somatic markers
A
bodily reactions that arise from the emotional evaluation of an action’s consequences
19
Q
Yerkes-Dodson law
A
performance increases with arousal until an optimal point, after which arousal interferes with performance
20
Q
Allostatic load theory of illness
A
when people are continually stressed, they are unable to return to bodily states that characterized normal stress levels
21
Q
Anorexia nervosa
A
an eating disorder characterized by an excessive fear of becoming fat and thus a refusal to eat
22
Q
Biopsychosocial model
A
a model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness
23
Q
Body mass index (BMI)
A
a ratio of body weight to height, used to measure obesity
24
Q
Buffering hypothesis
A
the idea that other people can provide direct support in helping individuals cope with stressful events
25
Bulimia nervosa
an eating disorder characterized by dieting, binge eating, and purging
26
Coping response
any response an organism makes to avoid, escape from, or minimize an aversive stimulus
27
Emotion-focused coping
a type of coping in which people try to prevent having an emotional response to a stressor
28
Fight-or-flight response
the physiological preparedness of animals to deal with danger
29
General adaptation syndrome
pattern of physiological response to stress, consisting of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
30
Health psychology
the field of psychological science concerned with the events that affect physical well-being
31
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
the biological system responsible for the stress response
32
Immune system
the body's mechanism for dealing with invading microorganisms, such as allergens, bacteria, and viruses
33
Lymphocytes
specialized white blood cells known as B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells that make up the immune system
34
Oxytocin
a hormone that is important for mothers in bonding to newborns
35
Placebo effect
a drug or treatment, unrelated to the particular problem of the person who receives it, may make the recipient feel better because the person believes the drug or treatment is effective
36
Primary appraisal
part of the coping process that involves making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful, benign, or irrelevant
37
Problem-focused coping
a type of coping in which people take direct steps to confront or minimize a stressor
38
Secondary appraisal
part of the coping process during which people evaluate their options and choose coping behaviors
39
Social integration
the quality of a person's social relationships
40
Stress
pattern of behavioral and physiological responses to events that match or exceed an organism's abilities to respond
41
Stressor
an environmental event or stimulus that threatens an organism
42
Tend-and-befriend response
females' tendency to protect and care for their offspring and form social alliances rather than flee or fight in response to threat
43
Type A behavior pattern
a pattern of behavior characterized by competitiveness, achievement orientation, aggressiveness, restlessness, inability to relax, and impatience with others
44
Type B behavior pattern
a pattern of behavior characterized by relaxed, noncompetitive, easygoing, and accommodating behavior
45
Well-being
a positive state that includes striving for optimal health
46
Accommodation
the process by which a schema is changed to incorporate a new experience that does not easily fit into an existing schema
47
Anxious-ambivalent attachment
attachment style in which infants become extremely upset when their caregiver leaves but reject the caregiver when he or she returns
48
Assimilation
the process by which a new experience is placed into an existing schema
49
Attachment
a strong emotional connection that persists over time and across circumstances
50
Avoidant attachment
attachment style in which infants ignore their caregiver when he or she returns after a brief separation
51
Concrete operational stage
the third stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which children begin to think about and understand operations in ways that are reversible
52
Conventional
middle stage of moral development, in which rules and the approval of others determines what is moral
53
Critical periods
biologically determined time periods for the development of specific skills
54
Developmental psychology
the study of changes in physiology, cognition, and social behavior over the life span
55
Disorganized attachment
attachment style in which infants give mixed responses when their caregiver leaves and then returns from a short absence
56
Formal operational stage
the final stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; it involves the ability to think abstractly and to formulate and test hypotheses through deductive logic
57
Gender identity
personal beliefs about whether one is male or female
58
Gender roles
the characteristics associated with males and females because of cultural influence or learning
59
Gender schemas
cognitive structures that influence how people perceive the behaviors of females and males
60
Infantile amnesia
the inability to remember events from early childhood
61
Object permanence
the understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen
62
Postconventional
highest stage of moral development, in which decisions about morality depend on abstract principles
63
Preconventional
earliest level of moral development, in which self-interest determines what is moral
64
Preoperational stage
the second stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which children think symbolically about objects, but reason is based on appearance rather than logic
65
Secure attachment
attachment style for a majority of infants, who are readily comforted when their caregiver returns after a brief separation
66
Sensitive periods
biologically determined time periods when specific skills develop most easily
67
Sensorimotor stage
the first stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which infants acquire information about the world through their senses and respond reflexively
68
Social development
the maturation of skills or abilities that enable people to live in a world with other people
69
Synaptic pruning
a process whereby the synaptic connections in the brain that are frequently used are preserved, and those that are not are lost
70
Telegraphic speech
the tendency for children to speak using rudimentary sentences that are missing words and grammatical markings but follow a logical syntax
71
Teratogens
environmental agents that harm the embryo or fetus
72
Theory of mind
the term used to describe the ability to explain and predict other people's behavior as a result of recognizing their mental state
73
psychological activation, such as increased brain activity, autonomic responses, sweating, or muscle tension
Arousal
74
rules learned through socialization that dictate which emotions are suitable to given situations
Display rules
75
psychological state that motivates an organism to satisfy its needs
Drive
76
feelings that involve subjective evaluation, physiological processes, and cognitive beliefs
Emotion
77
motivation to perform an activity because of external goals toward which that activity is directed
Extrinsic motivation
78
the tendency for bodily functions to maintain equilibrium
Homeostasis
79
external stimuli that motivate behaviors (as opposed to internal drives)
Incentives
80
motivation to perform an activity because of the value or pleasure associated with that activity, rather than for an apparent external goal or purpose
Intrinsic motivation
81
factors that energize, director, or sustain behavior
Motivation
82
state of biological or social deficiencies
Need
83
Maslow's arrangement of needs, in which basic survival needs are lowest priority and personal growth needs are highest priority
Need hierarchy
84
the need for interpersonal attachments is a fundamental motive that has evolved for adaptive purposes
Need to belong theory
85
evolutionarily adaptive emotions that humans share across cultures; they are associated with specific biological and physical states
Primary emotions
86
blends of primary emotions, including states such as remorse, guilt, submission, and anticipation
Secondary emotions
87
a state that is achieved when one's personal dreams and aspirations have been attained
Self-actualization
88
a pattern of physiological responses during sexual activity
Sexual response cycle
89
evolutionary theory that suggests men and women look for different qualities in their relationship partners because of gender-specific adaptive problems
Sexual strategies theory
90
bodily reactions that arise from the emotional evaluation of an action's consequences
Somatic markers
91
performance increases with arousal until an optimal point, after which arousal interferes with performance
Yerkes-Dodson law
92
when people are continually stressed, they are unable to return to bodily states that characterized normal stress levels
Allostatic load theory of illness
93
an eating disorder characterized by an excessive fear of becoming fat and thus a refusal to eat
Anorexia nervosa
94
a model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness
Biopsychosocial model
95
a ratio of body weight to height, used to measure obesity
Body mass index (BMI)
96
the idea that other people can provide direct support in helping individuals cope with stressful events
Buffering hypothesis
97
an eating disorder characterized by dieting, binge eating, and purging
Bulimia nervosa
98
any response an organism makes to avoid, escape from, or minimize an aversive stimulus
Coping response
99
a type of coping in which people try to prevent having an emotional response to a stressor
Emotion-focused coping
100
the physiological preparedness of animals to deal with danger
Fight-or-flight response
101
pattern of physiological response to stress, consisting of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
General adaptation syndrome
102
the field of psychological science concerned with the events that affect physical well-being
Health psychology
103
the biological system responsible for the stress response
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
104
the body's mechanism for dealing with invading microorganisms, such as allergens, bacteria, and viruses
Immune system
105
specialized white blood cells known as B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells that make up the immune system
Lymphocytes
106
a hormone that is important for mothers in bonding to newborns
Oxytocin
107
a drug or treatment, unrelated to the particular problem of the person who receives it, may make the recipient feel better because the person believes the drug or treatment is effective
Placebo effect
108
part of the coping process that involves making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful, benign, or irrelevant
Primary appraisal
109
a type of coping in which people take direct steps to confront or minimize a stressor
Problem-focused coping
110
part of the coping process during which people evaluate their options and choose coping behaviors
Secondary appraisal
111
the quality of a person's social relationships
Social integration
112
pattern of behavioral and physiological responses to events that match or exceed an organism's abilities to respond
Stress
113
an environmental event or stimulus that threatens an organism
Stressor
114
females' tendency to protect and care for their offspring and form social alliances rather than flee or fight in response to threat
Tend-and-befriend response
115
a pattern of behavior characterized by competitiveness, achievement orientation, aggressiveness, restlessness, inability to relax, and impatience with others
Type A behavior pattern
116
a pattern of behavior characterized by relaxed, noncompetitive, easygoing, and accommodating behavior
Type B behavior pattern
117
a positive state that includes striving for optimal health
Well-being
118
the process by which a schema is changed to incorporate a new experience that does not easily fit into an existing schema
Accommodation
119
attachment style in which infants become extremely upset when their caregiver leaves but reject the caregiver when he or she returns
Anxious-ambivalent attachment
120
the process by which a new experience is placed into an existing schema
Assimilation
121
a strong emotional connection that persists over time and across circumstances
Attachment
122
attachment style in which infants ignore their caregiver when he or she returns after a brief separation
Avoidant attachment
123
the third stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which children begin to think about and understand operations in ways that are reversible
Concrete operational stage
124
middle stage of moral development, in which rules and the approval of others determines what is moral
Conventional
125
biologically determined time periods for the development of specific skills
Critical periods
126
the study of changes in physiology, cognition, and social behavior over the life span
Developmental psychology
127
attachment style in which infants give mixed responses when their caregiver leaves and then returns from a short absence
Disorganized attachment
128
the final stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; it involves the ability to think abstractly and to formulate and test hypotheses through deductive logic
Formal operational stage
129
personal beliefs about whether one is male or female
Gender identity
130
the characteristics associated with males and females because of cultural influence or learning
Gender roles
131
cognitive structures that influence how people perceive the behaviors of females and males
Gender schemas
132
the inability to remember events from early childhood
Infantile amnesia
133
the understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen
Object permanence
134
highest stage of moral development, in which decisions about morality depend on abstract principles
Postconventional
135
earliest level of moral development, in which self-interest determines what is moral
Preconventional
136
the second stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which children think symbolically about objects, but reason is based on appearance rather than logic
Preoperational stage
137
attachment style for a majority of infants, who are readily comforted when their caregiver returns after a brief separation
Secure attachment
138
biologically determined time periods when specific skills develop most easily
Sensitive periods
139
the first stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, during which infants acquire information about the world through their senses and respond reflexively
Sensorimotor stage
140
the maturation of skills or abilities that enable people to live in a world with other people
Social development
141
a process whereby the synaptic connections in the brain that are frequently used are preserved, and those that are not are lost
Synaptic pruning
142
the tendency for children to speak using rudimentary sentences that are missing words and grammatical markings but follow a logical syntax
Telegraphic speech
143
environmental agents that harm the embryo or fetus
Teratogens
144
the term used to describe the ability to explain and predict other people's behavior as a result of recognizing their mental state
Theory of mind
