Psicolgys Terms

TERMS OF PSICOLGY

1. Accommodation
The creation of new cognitive schemas when objects, experiences, or other information does not fit with existing schemas.
2. Acetycholine
A neurotransmitter associated with voluntary movement, sleep and wakefulness.
 
3. Aggressive
An interpersonal style where only the immediate needs of the self are considered rather than the needs ofothers.  (As opposed to passive or assertive)
 
4. Agoraphobia
An anxiety disorder characterized by an intense fear of leaving one's home.
5. Altruism
Behavior that is unselfish and may even be detrimental but which benefits others.
 
6. Amnesia
Loss of memory.  Usually only a partial loss such as for a period of time or biographical information.
 
7. Amygdala
A part of thebrain's limbic system that attaches emotional significance to information and mediates both defensive and aggressive behavior.
 
  
8. Anal Stage
Freud's second stage of psychosexual development where the primary sexual focus is on the elimination or holding onto feces.  The stage is often thought of as representing a child's ability to control his or her own world.
9. Anxiety
Thephysiological and psychological reaction to an expected danger, whether real or imagined.
 
10. Aphasia
The impairment of the ability to communicate either through oral or written discourse as a result of brain damage.
11. Assertive
Style of interpersonal interaction where both the needs of the self and others are considered.  (As opposed to passive or aggressive)
 
12.Assimilation
Incorporating objects, experiences, or information into existing schemas.
 
13. Associations
The phenomenon in learning that states we are better able to remember information if it is paired with something we are familiar with or otherwise stands out.
14. Attribution Theory
The theory that argues people look for explanation of behavior, associating either dispositional(internal) attributes or situational (external) attributes.
15. Autonomic Nervous System
Part of the peripheral nervous system that regulates the involuntary actions of the body (e.g., breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation).  Also regulates the Fight or Flight Phenomenon.
16. Aversion Therapy
A type of behavioral treatment where an aversive stimuli is paired with a negativebehavior in hopes that the behavior will change in the future to avoid the aversive stimuli.
17. Axon
The tail-like part of the neuron through which information exits the cell.
18. Broca’s Aphasia
An aphasia associated with damage to the Broca's area of the brain, demonstrated by the impairment in producing understandable speech.
 
19. Catharsis
The emotional release associated withthe expression of unconscious conflicts.
20. Central Nervous System
The brain and the spinal cord.
21. Cerebellum
Part of the brain associated with balance, smooth movement, and posture.
 
22. Cerebral Hemispheres
The two halves of the brain (right and left)
23. Classical Conditioning   
The behavioral technique of pairing a naturally occurring stimulus and responsechain with a different stimulus in order to produce a response which is not naturally occurring.
24. Cognitive Dissonance
he realization of contradictions in one's own attitudes and behaviors.
25. Compulsion
The physical act resulting from an obsession.  Typically a compulsive act is done in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort created by an obsession.
26. Concrete Operational StageAccording to Piaget, the stage of cognitive development where a child between the ages of 7 and 12 begins thinking more globally and outside of the self but is still deficient in abstract thought.
27. Conditioned ResponseThe response in a stimulus-response chain that is not naturally occurring, but rather has been learned through its pairing with a naturally occurring chain.   |
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