AP Psych - Unit 7 Key Terms

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and unlearned

a basic bodily requirement

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

Maslow’s pyramid of human need, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low we feel hunger

the point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set. When your body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine combine to restore lost weight

the body’s resting rate of energy output

appetite increasing hormone secreted by the empty stomach; sends “i’m hungry” signals to the brain

appetite increasing hormone that triggers hunger in the hypothalamus

appetite decreasing hormone secreted by the pancreas that controls blood glucose

protein hormone secreted by fat cells; when abundant, causes the brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger

appetite decreasing hormone secreted by the digestive tract; sends “i’m not hungry” signals the the brain

a body mass index(BMI) measurement of 30 or higher

having no sexual attraction to others

sex hormones that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than males

the four stages of sexual responding described by William Masters and Virginia Johnson; excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution

a resting period that occurs after orgasm, in which a person cannot achieve another orgasm

the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group

deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

excessive self-love and self-asorbtion

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard

a response of the whole organism, involving

(1) physiological arousal,

(2) expressive behaviors, and

(3) conscious experience

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus: stimulus —> arousal —> emotion

the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion

the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal

a machine used used in attempts to detect lies that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration, heart rate, and breathing changes) accompanying emotion

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness

the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and actions

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine

the study of how psycholoigcal, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally-aggressive, and anger-prone people

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing relaxed people

in psychology, the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals if discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being to evaluate people’s quality of life

our tendency to form judgements relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarassing

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. Operates in the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represent internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital) during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos

in psychoanalytic theory, according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

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

a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

the most widely used projective test; a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

a theory of death-related anxiety; exploores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must be first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer-reports

a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed t gauge a wide range of feeling and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

the most widely researched and clinically tested of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes

a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context

focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of out thoughts, feelings, and actions

overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

one’s sense of competence and effectiveness

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably

giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

giving priority to the goal’s of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly