Psychology Key Terms

?
Activation-synthesis model
a model of dreaming proposed by Hobson and McCarley where the brain is active but no sensory information is coming into it, the brain puts the information it has together to make sense of it and this is the dream
1 of 149
Aim
a statement of what the study is being carried out to find
2 of 149
Ambiguous Figure
a stimulus with two possible interpretations, in which it is possible to perceive only one of the alternatives at a time e.g. the rabbit/duck figure
3 of 149
Amygdala
brain structure thought to be involved in aggression
4 of 149
Anxiety
a state of fear or worry
5 of 149
Association
the link between the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus that make the neutral stimulus cause the same response
6 of 149
Axon
the 'cable' that leads from a cell body of a neuron down to the terminal buttons that hold the neurotransmitter
7 of 149
Bar chart
a graph with separate bars, usually used with a bar for each condition in an experiment
8 of 149
Binocular depth cues
information about distance that needs two eyes, for example stereopsis
9 of 149
Blind Spot
the area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves - it has no rods or cones so cannot detect light
10 of 149
Case study
a research method for studying an individual or small group and gathering in-depth and detailed information using different means
11 of 149
Chromosome abnormality
a mutation of genetic material that results as a charge in the number or structure of chromosomes
12 of 149
Circadian rhythm disorders
a disorder of the sleep-wake cycle causing problems with the body clock
13 of 149
Classical conditioning
a learning process which builds up an association between the two stimuli through repeated pairings
14 of 149
Closed question
simple question that produces quantitative data
15 of 149
Closure
lines or shapes are perceived as complete figures even if parts are missing
16 of 149
Collectivist
describes a culture that encourages group dependence, cooperation and group identity e.g. Japan
17 of 149
Colour after-effects
an illusion caused by focusing on a coloured stimulus and perceiving opposite colours immediately afterward
18 of 149
Condensation
when many thoughts and elements from the unconscious are represented in the dream in one symbol
19 of 149
Cones
light-sensitive cells in the retina that can detect colour
20 of 149
Confidentiality
an ethical guideline for studies that involve people as participants, which ensures that information gained must not be shared with others without permission
21 of 149
Conform
to adjust to expectations made of us
22 of 149
Content analysis
research method used to measure the number of times something comes up in a piece of media
23 of 149
Continuity
straight lines, curves and shapes are perceived to carry on being the same
24 of 149
Control group
a group that does not receive an experimental condition to provide a baseline on which to compare those participants who do experience a condition of the experiment
25 of 149
Controls
ways to keep variables constant in all conditions of an experiment
26 of 149
Correlation
a measure of an association or relationship between two factors or variables
27 of 149
Criminal consistency
the idea that a person will commit a crime in a way that mirrors his or her own personality and ability
28 of 149
Custom
a longstanding practice of a particular group of people
29 of 149
Defendant
a person who has been accused of a crime and is now in court
30 of 149
Demand characteristics
when we change our behaviour to meet the demands of the situation
31 of 149
Dependent variable
the factor which is measured in an experiment
32 of 149
Depth cues
the visual 'cues' that we use to understand depth or distance
33 of 149
Descriptive statistics
ways to summarise results from a study - can show the typical result etc
34 of 149
Displacement
when something that seems to be unimportant in the dream is made central, to shift attention from what is really importan
35 of 149
Distortion illusion
where out perception is deceived by some aspect of the stimulus and this can affect the shape or size of an object
36 of 149
Distressing
when a person is suffering physically or psychologically
37 of 149
Dream analysis
a method used by Freud to help uncover unconscious thoughts, by analysing dreams and uncovering symbols
38 of 149
Ethical issues
potential psychological or physical risks for people in experiments
39 of 149
Ethical guidelines
advice to help psychologists solve ethical issues
40 of 149
Experiment
a research method which measures participants' performance in two or more conditions
41 of 149
Experimental (participant) design
the way that participants are used in different conditions in an experiment
42 of 149
Extinction
the loss of a classically conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeated many times without the unconditioned stimulus
43 of 149
Extraneous variables
any variables that might affect the results of the study that might not be controlled
44 of 149
Eyewitness
somebody who sees a crime or aspects of a crime who helps the police to find out what happened or/and who was responsible
45 of 149
False memory
any memory that is not true and can be given by someone else 'remembering' an event and telling another person who then 'remembers' it as true
46 of 149
Fiction
an illusion caused when a figure is perceived even though it is not present
47 of 149
Figure-ground
a small, complex, symmetrical object (the figure) is seen as separate from a background (the ground)
48 of 149
Free association
a method used by Freud in psychoanalysis where the patient is encouraged to express a flow of consciousness, helping to uncover links which can then be interpreted
49 of 149
Generalisation
when a conditioned response is produced to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus
50 of 149
Generalised
whether the results can be applied to other people
51 of 149
Generalizability
refers to findings of studies and how far they can be said to be true of people other than those studied
52 of 149
Height in the plane
objects closer to the horizon are perceived to be more distant than ones below or above the horizon
53 of 149
Hierarchy of fears
a list of fears that are arranged from most to least feared
54 of 149
Hormones
chemicals produced by the human body that send signals to organs around the body via the bloodstream
55 of 149
Hypersomnia
sufferer feels very sleep all times of the day
56 of 149
Hypothesis
a testable statement of the difference between the conditions in an experiment - it describes how the independent variable will affect the dependent variable
57 of 149
Illusory contour
a boundary (edge) that is perceived in a figure but is not present in the stimulus
58 of 149
Impulse
the electrical signal that travels from the cell body of a neuron to the terminal buttons, where it releases a neurotransmitter
59 of 149
Independent groups
design different participants are used in each condition in an experiment
60 of 149
Independent variable
the factor which is changed by the researcher in an experiment to make two or more conditions
61 of 149
Individualistic
describes a culture that encourages independence, personal achievement, competition and individuality e.g. USA
62 of 149
Informed consent
an individual's right to know what will happen in an experiment, and its aims, before agreeing to participate
63 of 149
Insomnia
sufferer cannot go to sleep or cannot stay asleep
64 of 149
Latent content
the meaning underlying the dream
65 of 149
Likert-style question
question using statements with five choices from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’
66 of 149
Limbic system
area of the brain involved in emotion
67 of 149
Linear perspective
parallel lines appear to converge (meet) in the distance
68 of 149
Mandatory
has to be done
69 of 149
Manifest content
the story the dreamer tells - what the dream is said to be about by the dreamer
70 of 149
Mean
an average that is calculated by adding up all of the scores in a set and dividing by the number of scores
71 of 149
Median
an average that is the middle number in a set of scores where they are put in order from smallest to largest
72 of 149
Methodology
refers to how psychology works, including how data is gathered
73 of 149
Mode
an average that is the most common score or response in a set
74 of 149
Modelling
imitating the behaviour of someone
75 of 149
Monocular depth cues
information about distance that comes from one eye, such as superimposition, relative size, texture gradient, linear perspective and height in the plane
76 of 149
Motion after-effect
an illusion caused by paying more attention to movement in one direction and perceiving movement in the opposite direction immediately afterwards
77 of 149
Movement inhibition
the state, during REM sleep, when the body is paralysed and there is no movement
78 of 149
Narcolepsy
a brain disorder which means people can suddenly have attacks of sleep in the day
79 of 149
Nature
what we are born with
80 of 149
Neuron
a cell in the body, including the brain, which sends information using both electrical and chemical processes
81 of 149
Neurotransmitter
a chemical at the terminal button of a neuron, which is released by the impulse and then goes into the synaptic gap
82 of 149
Nurture
what we learn from the way we are raised
83 of 149
Objective
where the researcher's views do not affect the information that is gathered
84 of 149
Objectivity
refers to research, where there is no bias
85 of 149
Oedipus complex
the idea that a boy from about the age of four years old will have unconscious feelings for his mother and want his father out of the way, though he then fears his father and feels guilty
86 of 149
Open question
question that asks for description and detail and produce qualitative data
87 of 149
Optic chiasma
the cross-shape where some of the information from the left and right eye crosses over to pass into the opposite side of the brain
88 of 149
Optic nerve
bundle of nerves that leads out from the retina at the back of the eye - it carries information from the rods and cones to the brain
89 of 149
Parasomnias
these disorders occur when someone is asleep such as nightmares, sleep walking and sleep terrors
90 of 149
Perception
the way the brain makes sense of the visual image detected by the brain
91 of 149
Perceptual set
the tendency to notice some things more than others which is caused by experience, context or expectations
92 of 149
Personal construct therapy
a therapy where someone finds their own way of looking at people (their personal constructs) and uses those constructs, not only to see how they judge the people they know but also to measure change after therapy
93 of 149
Phallic term
used to refer to anything that is related or said to represent the male penis, or the term can simply refer to the penis
94 of 149
Phobia
an intense fear that prevents ‘normal living’ in some way
95 of 149
Preparedness
the tendency to learn some associations more easily, quickly and permanently than others
96 of 149
Primary sleep disorders
not related to any other problems, but are problems in themselves e.g. going to sleep and waking up
97 of 149
Privacy
an ethical guideline for studies that involve people as participants, which ensures that their names must not be recorded and they must not be identifiable
98 of 149
Profile
a list of predicted abilities, personality characteristics, occupation, marital status etc. that can narrow down the list of suspects for a crime
99 of 149
Proximity
objects which are close together are perceived to be related
100 of 149
Psychoanalysis
Freud's therapy, designed to help release unconscious thoughts
101 of 149
Psychopath
person suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviour
102 of 149
Qualitative data
data involving stories or attitudes
103 of 149
Quantitative data
data that involves numbers and statistics
104 of 149
Questionnaires
a research method using written questions
105 of 149
Random activation
during REM sleep, when neurons are active randomly but not deliberately
106 of 149
Range
a way to show how spread out a set of results is by looking at the biggest and smallest scores
107 of 149
Rank-style question
question with points either in order that can be chosen or that can be put in order
108 of 149
Reconstructive memory
recalled material is not just a 'copy' of what we see or hear - information is sorted and when it's remembered, it is 'rebuilt', so can be affected by extra information and by ideas (like schemas) we might already have
109 of 149
Relative size
smaller objects are perceived as further away than larger ones
110 of 149
Reliability
refers to whether findings from a study would be found again if the study were repeated - if results are reliable, findings can be replicated
111 of 149
REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep
a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds, distinguishable by random/rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied with low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly
112 of 149
Repeated measures design
the same participants are used in all the conditions in an experiment
113 of 149
Repeated reproduction
a task where the participant is given a story or picture to remember and they then recall it several times after time delays - differences between each version are measured
114 of 149
Response bias
the patterns that participants fall into when answering
115 of 149
Retina
the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye, made up of nerve cells called rods and cones
116 of 149
Right to withdraw
a participant's right to leave a study at any time and their ability to do so
117 of 149
Rods
light-sensitive cells in the retina that respond even in dim light
118 of 149
Schema
a framework of knowledge about an object, event or group of people that can affect our perception and help us to organise information and recall what we have seen
119 of 149
Secondary elaboration
how the dreamer builds a story when telling what the dream is about, adding to and changing things, which makes the analysis hard
120 of 149
Secondary sleep disorders
stem from another problem e.g. pain, jet lag etc
121 of 149
Self-fulfilling prophecy
when the expectations of others influence our behaviour
122 of 149
Sensory blockade
during REM sleep, when no information enters through the senses
123 of 149
Serial reproduction
a task where a piece of information is passed from one participant to the next in a chain or 'series' like Chinese Whispers - differences between each version are measured
124 of 149
Similarity
figures sharing shape, size or colour are grouped together with other things that look the same
125 of 149
Size constancy
we perceive an object as the same size even when its distance from us changes
126 of 149
Slip of the tongue
when someone uses the wrong word for something, often uncovering an unconscious thought
127 of 149
Social desirability bias
when participants give the answers they think will be acceptable to other people, to make themselves look better
128 of 149
Social norm
a behaviour or belief that is expected and accepted in a particular culture and these are different through time and place
129 of 149
Standardised instructions
guidance for participants that is the same for everyone
130 of 149
Stereopsis
a binocular depth cue where the greater the difference between the view seen by the left eye and the right eye, the closer the view is looking
131 of 149
Stereotype
a general view of a person based on little or no factual information
132 of 149
Subjective
where the researcher is somehow affecting the results, perhaps by their interpretation
133 of 149
Subjectivity
refers to research methods, where the researcher is somehow affecting the results, perhaps by their interpretation
134 of 149
Superimposition
a partly hidden object must be further away than the object covering it
135 of 149
Synaptic gap
the gap between the dendrites of one neutron and the next
136 of 149
Synaptic transmission
what happens when a neurotransmitter released by an impulse of one neuron goes across the synaptic gap and is taken up at the dendrites of another neuron
137 of 149
Testimony
the evidence given by a witness, expert or a person the defendant knows well
138 of 149
Texture gradient
an area with a detailed pattern perceived to be nearer than one with less detail
139 of 149
Tradition
a practice that has been handed down through generations
140 of 149
Twin studies
research into the similarity of twins, particularly their criminal similarity, to investigate genetic links
141 of 149
Unrepresentative
limited so that it might not apply to everyone
142 of 149
Valid
refers to findings of studies and means that they are about real-life situations, real-life behaviour or feelings that are real
143 of 149
Verdict
a decision made by a jury e.g. innocent or guilty
144 of 149
Vicarious reinforcement
learning through the positive consequences of other people’s actions rather than first-hand – we are more likely to copy if they are rewarded
145 of 149
Visual cortex
the area at the back of the brain that interprets visual information
146 of 149
Visual illusion
a conflict between reality and what we perceive
147 of 149
XXY
a rare genetic pattern said to be linked to aggression and slow learning ability
148 of 149
Yonic
relating to something shaped like the *****
149 of 149

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

a statement of what the study is being carried out to find

Back

Aim

Card 3

Front

a stimulus with two possible interpretations, in which it is possible to perceive only one of the alternatives at a time e.g. the rabbit/duck figure

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

brain structure thought to be involved in aggression

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

a state of fear or worry

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Psychology resources:

See all Psychology resources »See all Aggression resources »