GRE Psychology Subject Test APA
definitions (unfinished) QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
Ablation - ANSWERthe removal or destruction of part of a biological tissue or
structure by a surgical procedure - usually for treatment or to study its function
Absolute refractory period - ANSWERa period of inactivity after a neuron or muscle
has undergone excitation
it will not respond to any stimulus during the early part of the refractory period aka
absolute refractory period
Acetylcholine - ANSWERa major, predominantly excitatory but also inhibitory,
neurotransmitter both in the central nervous system, where it plays an important role
in memory formation and learning and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and in
the peripheral nervous system, where it mediates skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
muscle contraction and is implicated in myasthenia gravis and other movement
disorders.
Acrophobia - ANSWERan excessive, irrational fear of heights, resulting in the
avoidance of elevations or marked distress when unable to avoid high places.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - ANSWERa cognitive architecture based
on the assumption of a unified theory of mind. The goal of this cognitive theory is to
explain how human cognition works and what the structures and processes of
human memory, thinking, problem solving, and language are.
Actor-Observer Effect - ANSWERin attribution theory, the tendency for individuals
acting in a situation to attribute the causes of their behavior to external or situational
factors, such as social pressure, but for observers to attribute the same behavior to
internal or dispositional factors, such as personality.
Fundamental attribution error - ANSWERthe tendency to overestimate the degree to
which an individual's behavior is determined by their abiding personal characteristics,
attitudes, or beliefs and, correspondingly, to minimize the influence of the
surrounding situation on that behavior
Absolute threshold - ANSWERthe minimum amount of stimulation required to trigger
a reaction or produce a sensation
Schema - ANSWERa cognitive structure representing a person's knowledge about
some entity or situation, including its qualities and the relationships between these
Accommodation - ANSWERPiaget's theory of cognitive development
,cognitive process that involves the development and alteration of mental
representations, schemas, as individuals encounter new situations
Dispositional attribution - ANSWERthe ascription of one's own or another's actions,
an event, or an outcome to internal or psychological causes specific to the person
concerned, such as traits, moods, attitudes, decisions and judgments, abilities, or
effort.
Attribution theory - ANSWERKelley's attribution theory
a theoretical proposition about the processes by which people ascribe motives to
their own and other's behavior, and particularly whether these motives are either
internal and personal (a dispositional attribution) or external and circumstantial
Covariation principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution Theory
covariation principle, stating that for a factor to be considered as a cause of behavior
it must be present when the behavior occurs and not present when the behavior
does not occur
Discounting principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution theory
stating that the role of a particular cause in producing a particular effect should be
given less weight if other plausible causes are also present
Augmentation principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution theory
stating that if someone performs an action when there are known constraints, costs,
or risks (e.g., runs a marathon on a cold and rainy day), then their motive for doing
so must be stronger than any of the inhibitory motives
Adrenaline - ANSWERepinephrine
As a hormone, it is secreted in large amounts when an individual is stimulated by
fear, anxiety, or a similar stress-related reaction. As a neurotransmitter, it is the
primary stimulant of both alpha-adrenergic receptors and beta-adrenergic receptors.
Thus, it increases the heart rate and force of heart contractions, relaxes bronchial
and intestinal smooth muscle, and produces varying effects on blood pressure as it
acts both as a vasodilator and vasoconstrictor
Afterimages - ANSWERthe image that remains after a stimulus ends or is removed.
A positive afterimage occurs rarely, lasts a few seconds, and is caused by a
continuation of receptor and neural processes following cessation of the stimulus; it
has approximately the color and brightness of the original stimulus. A negative
afterimage is more common, is often more intense, and lasts longer. It is usually
complementary to the original stimulus in color and brightness; for example, if the
stimulus was bright yellow, the negative afterimage will be dark blue.
Agnosia - ANSWERloss or impairment of the ability to recognize or appreciate the
nature of sensory stimuli due to brain damage or disorder
Agoraphobia - ANSWERan excessive, irrational fear of being in open or unfamiliar
places, resulting in the avoidance of public situations from which escape may be
difficult, such as standing in line or being in a crowd
, All-or-none law - ANSWERthe principle that the amplitude of the action potential in a
neuron is independent of the magnitude of the stimulus. Thus, all stimuli above the
neuron's threshold trigger action potentials of identical magnitude (although they may
vary in frequency); stimuli below this threshold may produce local graded potentials
but no propagated impulses.
Alternate-form method - ANSWERa set of test items that are developed to be similar
to another set of test items, so that the two sets represent different versions of the
same test.
Altruism - ANSWERan apparently unselfish behavior that provides benefit to others
at some cost to the individual. In humans, it covers a wide range of behaviors,
including volunteerism and martyrdom, but the degree to which such behaviors are
legitimately without egoistic motivation is subject to debate
Amnesia - ANSWERpartial or complete loss of memory. Either temporary or
permanent, it may be due to physiological factors such as injury or disease (organic
amnesia), to substance use (drug-induced amnesia), or to psychological factors such
as a traumatic experience
Inoculation theory - ANSWERWilliam McGuire
a theory postulating that resistance to persuasion can be created by exposing people
to weak persuasive attacks that are easily refuted. This helps people practice
defending their attitudes as well as make them aware that their attitudes can be
challenged, which thereby creates resistance to subsequent stronger messages.
ANOVAs - ANSWERa statistical method of studying the variation in responses of two
or more groups on a dependent variable. ANOVAs test for significant differences
among the mean response values of the groups and can be used to isolate both the
joint interaction effects and the separate main effects of independent variables upon
the dependent variable.
Anchoring bias - ANSWERthe tendency, in forming perceptions or making
quantitative judgments under conditions of uncertainty, to give excessive weight to
the starting value (or anchor), based on the first received information or one's initial
judgment
Animus (anima) - ANSWERin analytic psychology, (a) an archetype that represents
universal masculine characteristics or (b) the unconscious masculine component of
the female psyche
Anorexia Nervosa - ANSWERan eating disorder, occurring most frequently in
adolescent girls, that involves persistent refusal of food, excessive fear of weight
gain, refusal to maintain minimally normal body weight, disturbed perception of body
image, and amenorrhea (absence of at least three menstrual periods)
Anti-Social personality disorder - ANSWERthe presence of a chronic and pervasive
disposition to disregard and violate the rights of others. Manifestations include
repeated violations of the law, exploitation of others, deceitfulness, impulsivity,
definitions (unfinished) QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
Ablation - ANSWERthe removal or destruction of part of a biological tissue or
structure by a surgical procedure - usually for treatment or to study its function
Absolute refractory period - ANSWERa period of inactivity after a neuron or muscle
has undergone excitation
it will not respond to any stimulus during the early part of the refractory period aka
absolute refractory period
Acetylcholine - ANSWERa major, predominantly excitatory but also inhibitory,
neurotransmitter both in the central nervous system, where it plays an important role
in memory formation and learning and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and in
the peripheral nervous system, where it mediates skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
muscle contraction and is implicated in myasthenia gravis and other movement
disorders.
Acrophobia - ANSWERan excessive, irrational fear of heights, resulting in the
avoidance of elevations or marked distress when unable to avoid high places.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - ANSWERa cognitive architecture based
on the assumption of a unified theory of mind. The goal of this cognitive theory is to
explain how human cognition works and what the structures and processes of
human memory, thinking, problem solving, and language are.
Actor-Observer Effect - ANSWERin attribution theory, the tendency for individuals
acting in a situation to attribute the causes of their behavior to external or situational
factors, such as social pressure, but for observers to attribute the same behavior to
internal or dispositional factors, such as personality.
Fundamental attribution error - ANSWERthe tendency to overestimate the degree to
which an individual's behavior is determined by their abiding personal characteristics,
attitudes, or beliefs and, correspondingly, to minimize the influence of the
surrounding situation on that behavior
Absolute threshold - ANSWERthe minimum amount of stimulation required to trigger
a reaction or produce a sensation
Schema - ANSWERa cognitive structure representing a person's knowledge about
some entity or situation, including its qualities and the relationships between these
Accommodation - ANSWERPiaget's theory of cognitive development
,cognitive process that involves the development and alteration of mental
representations, schemas, as individuals encounter new situations
Dispositional attribution - ANSWERthe ascription of one's own or another's actions,
an event, or an outcome to internal or psychological causes specific to the person
concerned, such as traits, moods, attitudes, decisions and judgments, abilities, or
effort.
Attribution theory - ANSWERKelley's attribution theory
a theoretical proposition about the processes by which people ascribe motives to
their own and other's behavior, and particularly whether these motives are either
internal and personal (a dispositional attribution) or external and circumstantial
Covariation principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution Theory
covariation principle, stating that for a factor to be considered as a cause of behavior
it must be present when the behavior occurs and not present when the behavior
does not occur
Discounting principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution theory
stating that the role of a particular cause in producing a particular effect should be
given less weight if other plausible causes are also present
Augmentation principle - ANSWERKelley's Attribution theory
stating that if someone performs an action when there are known constraints, costs,
or risks (e.g., runs a marathon on a cold and rainy day), then their motive for doing
so must be stronger than any of the inhibitory motives
Adrenaline - ANSWERepinephrine
As a hormone, it is secreted in large amounts when an individual is stimulated by
fear, anxiety, or a similar stress-related reaction. As a neurotransmitter, it is the
primary stimulant of both alpha-adrenergic receptors and beta-adrenergic receptors.
Thus, it increases the heart rate and force of heart contractions, relaxes bronchial
and intestinal smooth muscle, and produces varying effects on blood pressure as it
acts both as a vasodilator and vasoconstrictor
Afterimages - ANSWERthe image that remains after a stimulus ends or is removed.
A positive afterimage occurs rarely, lasts a few seconds, and is caused by a
continuation of receptor and neural processes following cessation of the stimulus; it
has approximately the color and brightness of the original stimulus. A negative
afterimage is more common, is often more intense, and lasts longer. It is usually
complementary to the original stimulus in color and brightness; for example, if the
stimulus was bright yellow, the negative afterimage will be dark blue.
Agnosia - ANSWERloss or impairment of the ability to recognize or appreciate the
nature of sensory stimuli due to brain damage or disorder
Agoraphobia - ANSWERan excessive, irrational fear of being in open or unfamiliar
places, resulting in the avoidance of public situations from which escape may be
difficult, such as standing in line or being in a crowd
, All-or-none law - ANSWERthe principle that the amplitude of the action potential in a
neuron is independent of the magnitude of the stimulus. Thus, all stimuli above the
neuron's threshold trigger action potentials of identical magnitude (although they may
vary in frequency); stimuli below this threshold may produce local graded potentials
but no propagated impulses.
Alternate-form method - ANSWERa set of test items that are developed to be similar
to another set of test items, so that the two sets represent different versions of the
same test.
Altruism - ANSWERan apparently unselfish behavior that provides benefit to others
at some cost to the individual. In humans, it covers a wide range of behaviors,
including volunteerism and martyrdom, but the degree to which such behaviors are
legitimately without egoistic motivation is subject to debate
Amnesia - ANSWERpartial or complete loss of memory. Either temporary or
permanent, it may be due to physiological factors such as injury or disease (organic
amnesia), to substance use (drug-induced amnesia), or to psychological factors such
as a traumatic experience
Inoculation theory - ANSWERWilliam McGuire
a theory postulating that resistance to persuasion can be created by exposing people
to weak persuasive attacks that are easily refuted. This helps people practice
defending their attitudes as well as make them aware that their attitudes can be
challenged, which thereby creates resistance to subsequent stronger messages.
ANOVAs - ANSWERa statistical method of studying the variation in responses of two
or more groups on a dependent variable. ANOVAs test for significant differences
among the mean response values of the groups and can be used to isolate both the
joint interaction effects and the separate main effects of independent variables upon
the dependent variable.
Anchoring bias - ANSWERthe tendency, in forming perceptions or making
quantitative judgments under conditions of uncertainty, to give excessive weight to
the starting value (or anchor), based on the first received information or one's initial
judgment
Animus (anima) - ANSWERin analytic psychology, (a) an archetype that represents
universal masculine characteristics or (b) the unconscious masculine component of
the female psyche
Anorexia Nervosa - ANSWERan eating disorder, occurring most frequently in
adolescent girls, that involves persistent refusal of food, excessive fear of weight
gain, refusal to maintain minimally normal body weight, disturbed perception of body
image, and amenorrhea (absence of at least three menstrual periods)
Anti-Social personality disorder - ANSWERthe presence of a chronic and pervasive
disposition to disregard and violate the rights of others. Manifestations include
repeated violations of the law, exploitation of others, deceitfulness, impulsivity,
