MYER'S AP PSYCH VOCAB
A. Maslow - answer-1. Hierarchy of needs 2.humanistic
A.L . Washburn - answer-1.hunger research 2. part of motivation
Aaron Beck - answer-sought to reverse patient's catastrophizing beliefs about themselves,
their situations and futures using cognitive therapy
absolute threshold - answer-the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus
50 percent of the time
accommodation - answer-adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new
information
achievement tests - answer-tests designed to assess what a person has learned.
acommodation - answer-act or state of adjustment or adaptation, changes in shape of the
occular lens for various focal distances
acoustic encoding - answer-the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
acquisition - answer-in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral
stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the
conditioned resposne. in operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
action potential - answer-a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an
axon.
active listening - answer-empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and
clarifies. A feature of Rogers' client centered therapy
adaptation-level phenomenon - answer-our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights,
of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
addiction - answer-compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences
adolescence - answer-the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from
puberty to independence
adrenal glands - answer-a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and
secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of
stress.
aggression - answer-any physical/verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
aggression - answer-physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone
Albert Bandura - answer-1. bobo doll experiment
Alfred Adler - answer-1. inferiority complex
,algorithm - answer-a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a
particular problems. contrasts with the usually speedier - but also more error-prone-use of
heuristics
Alpha waves - answer-the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
altruism - answer-unselfish regard for the welfare of others
amnesia - answer-the loss of memory
amphetamines - answer-drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body
functions and associated energy and mood changes
amygdala - answer-two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to
emotion.
anorexia nervosa - answer-an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent
female) diets and becomes significantly (15% or more) underweight, yet, still feeling fat,
continues to starve
antianxiety drugs - answer-drugs used to control anxiety and agitation
antidepressant drugs - answer-drugs used to treat depression; also increasingly prescribed
for anxiety. Different types work by altering the availability of various neurotransmitters
antipsychotic drugs - answer-drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe
thought disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder - answer-A personality disorder in which the person (usually
a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family
members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.
Anton Mesmer - answer-1.early practicioner in hypnosis
Anxiety Disorders - answer-Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent
anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.
aphasia - answer-impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either
to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding).
applied research - answer-scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
aptitude tests - answer-tests designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is
the capacity to learn
assimilation - answer-interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
association areas - answer-areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary
motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as
learning, remembering, thinking , and speaking.
associative learning - answer-learning that certain events occur together. the events may be
two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant
conditioning)
,attachment - answer-an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their
seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - answer-A psychological disorder marked
by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention,
hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
attitude - answer-feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to response in
a particular way to objects, people, and events
attribution theory - answer-theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the
situation or the person's disposition
audition - answer-the sense or act of hearing
autism - answer-a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient
communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of minds
automatic processing - answer-unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as
space time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.
autonomic nervous system - answer-the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls
the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic
division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
availability heuristic - answer-estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in
memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume
such events are common
aversive conditioning - answer-a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant
states (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking)
axon - answer-the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fivers through which
messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
B.F. Skinner - answer-1 Skinner box 2 Reinforcement
babbling stage - answer-beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in
which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household
language
barbiturates - answer-drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing
anxiety but impairing memory and judgement
basal metabolic rate - answer-the body's resting rate of energy expendenture
basic research - answer-pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.
basic trust - answer-according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and
trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive
caregivers
behavior genetics - answer-the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and
environmental influences on behavior.
, behavior therapy - answer-therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of
unwanted behaviors
behavioral medicine - answer-an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical
knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease
behavioral psychology - answer-the scientific study of observable behavior, and its
explanation by principles of learning.
behaviorism - answer-the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2)
studies behavior without reference to mental processes. most research psychologists today
agree with (1) but not (2)
behaviorism - answer-the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2)
studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today
agree with (1) but not with (2).
belief perseverance - answer-clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which
they were formed has been discredited
binge-eating disorder - answer-significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress,
disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging, fasting, or excessive exercise that
marks bulimia nervosa
binocular cues - answer-depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend
on the use of two eyes
biofeedback - answer-a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back
information regarding a subtle psychological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension
biological psychology - answer-a branch of psychology concerned with the links between
biology and behavior.
biological psychology - answer-a branch of psychology that studies the links between
biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics) and psychological processes
biomedical therapy - answer-prescribed medications or medical procedures that act directly
on the patient's nervous system
biopsychological approach - answer-an integrated approach that incorporates biological,
psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Bipolar Disorder - answer-A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the
hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania.
blind spot - answer-the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a blind spot
because no receptor cells are located there
bottom-up processing - answer-analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up
to the brain's integration of sensory information
brainstem - answer-the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal
cord swells as it enters the skull; is responsible for automatic survival functions.
A. Maslow - answer-1. Hierarchy of needs 2.humanistic
A.L . Washburn - answer-1.hunger research 2. part of motivation
Aaron Beck - answer-sought to reverse patient's catastrophizing beliefs about themselves,
their situations and futures using cognitive therapy
absolute threshold - answer-the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus
50 percent of the time
accommodation - answer-adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new
information
achievement tests - answer-tests designed to assess what a person has learned.
acommodation - answer-act or state of adjustment or adaptation, changes in shape of the
occular lens for various focal distances
acoustic encoding - answer-the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
acquisition - answer-in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral
stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the
conditioned resposne. in operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
action potential - answer-a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an
axon.
active listening - answer-empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and
clarifies. A feature of Rogers' client centered therapy
adaptation-level phenomenon - answer-our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights,
of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
addiction - answer-compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences
adolescence - answer-the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from
puberty to independence
adrenal glands - answer-a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and
secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of
stress.
aggression - answer-any physical/verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
aggression - answer-physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone
Albert Bandura - answer-1. bobo doll experiment
Alfred Adler - answer-1. inferiority complex
,algorithm - answer-a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a
particular problems. contrasts with the usually speedier - but also more error-prone-use of
heuristics
Alpha waves - answer-the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
altruism - answer-unselfish regard for the welfare of others
amnesia - answer-the loss of memory
amphetamines - answer-drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body
functions and associated energy and mood changes
amygdala - answer-two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to
emotion.
anorexia nervosa - answer-an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent
female) diets and becomes significantly (15% or more) underweight, yet, still feeling fat,
continues to starve
antianxiety drugs - answer-drugs used to control anxiety and agitation
antidepressant drugs - answer-drugs used to treat depression; also increasingly prescribed
for anxiety. Different types work by altering the availability of various neurotransmitters
antipsychotic drugs - answer-drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe
thought disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder - answer-A personality disorder in which the person (usually
a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family
members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.
Anton Mesmer - answer-1.early practicioner in hypnosis
Anxiety Disorders - answer-Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent
anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.
aphasia - answer-impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either
to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding).
applied research - answer-scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
aptitude tests - answer-tests designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is
the capacity to learn
assimilation - answer-interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
association areas - answer-areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary
motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as
learning, remembering, thinking , and speaking.
associative learning - answer-learning that certain events occur together. the events may be
two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant
conditioning)
,attachment - answer-an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their
seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - answer-A psychological disorder marked
by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention,
hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
attitude - answer-feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to response in
a particular way to objects, people, and events
attribution theory - answer-theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the
situation or the person's disposition
audition - answer-the sense or act of hearing
autism - answer-a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient
communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of minds
automatic processing - answer-unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as
space time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.
autonomic nervous system - answer-the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls
the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic
division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
availability heuristic - answer-estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in
memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume
such events are common
aversive conditioning - answer-a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant
states (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking)
axon - answer-the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fivers through which
messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
B.F. Skinner - answer-1 Skinner box 2 Reinforcement
babbling stage - answer-beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in
which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household
language
barbiturates - answer-drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing
anxiety but impairing memory and judgement
basal metabolic rate - answer-the body's resting rate of energy expendenture
basic research - answer-pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.
basic trust - answer-according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and
trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive
caregivers
behavior genetics - answer-the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and
environmental influences on behavior.
, behavior therapy - answer-therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of
unwanted behaviors
behavioral medicine - answer-an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical
knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease
behavioral psychology - answer-the scientific study of observable behavior, and its
explanation by principles of learning.
behaviorism - answer-the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2)
studies behavior without reference to mental processes. most research psychologists today
agree with (1) but not (2)
behaviorism - answer-the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2)
studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today
agree with (1) but not with (2).
belief perseverance - answer-clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which
they were formed has been discredited
binge-eating disorder - answer-significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress,
disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging, fasting, or excessive exercise that
marks bulimia nervosa
binocular cues - answer-depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend
on the use of two eyes
biofeedback - answer-a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back
information regarding a subtle psychological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension
biological psychology - answer-a branch of psychology concerned with the links between
biology and behavior.
biological psychology - answer-a branch of psychology that studies the links between
biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics) and psychological processes
biomedical therapy - answer-prescribed medications or medical procedures that act directly
on the patient's nervous system
biopsychological approach - answer-an integrated approach that incorporates biological,
psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Bipolar Disorder - answer-A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the
hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania.
blind spot - answer-the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a blind spot
because no receptor cells are located there
bottom-up processing - answer-analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up
to the brain's integration of sensory information
brainstem - answer-the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal
cord swells as it enters the skull; is responsible for automatic survival functions.
