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66 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
neuroscience |
The study of the brain and nervous system. |
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biological psychology |
The branch of psychology that focuses on how the brain and other biological systems influence human behavior. |
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neurons |
The building blocks of the nervous system that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the body. |
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dendrites |
Tiny, branchlike fibers extending from the cell body that receive messages from other neurons and send information in the direction of the cell body. |
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axon |
Skinny tubelike structure of a neuron that extends from the cell body, and which sends messages to other neurons. |
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myelin sheath |
Fatty substance that insulates the axon and speeds the transmission of neural messages. |
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synapse |
The tiny gap between a terminal bud of one axon and a neighboring dendrite of the next neuron; junction between neurons where communication occurs. |
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glial cells |
Cells that support, nourish, and protect neurons; produce myelin that covers axons. |
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cell body |
The region of the neuron that includes a nucleus containing DNA, protein producing mechanisms, and other structures that nourish the cell. |
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resting potential |
The electrical potential of a cell "at rest"; the state of a cell when it is not activated. |
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action potential |
The spike in electrical energy that passes through the axon of a neuron, the purpose of which is to convey information. |
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all-or-none |
A neuron either fires or does not fire; action potentials are always the same strength. |
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neurotransmitters |
Chemical messengers that neurons use to communicate at the synapse. |
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receptor sites |
The location where neurotransmitters attach on the receiving side of the synaptic gap. |
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reuptake |
Process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending terminal bud. |
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bipolar disorder |
A mood disorder marked by dramatic swings in mood, ranging from manic episodes to depressive episodes. |
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psychological disorders |
A set of behavioral, emotional, and/or cognitive symptoms that are significantly distressing or disabling in terms of social functioning, work endeavors, and other aspects of life. |
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maladaptive behaviors |
Behaviors or actions that run counter to what is in one's own best interest. |
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abnormal behavior |
Behavior that is atypical, dysfunctional, distressful, and deviant. |
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Typicality |
Degree to which behavior is atypical, meaning rarely seen or statistically abnormal. |
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Dysfunction |
Degree to which behavior interferes with daily life and relationships. |
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Distress |
Degree to which behavior or emotions cause an individual to feel upset or uncomfortable. |
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Deviance |
Degree to which behavior is considered outside the standards or rules of society. |
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insanity |
A legal determination of the degree to which a person is responsible for criminal behaviors. |
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stigma |
A negative attitude or opinion about a group of people based on certain traits or characteristics. |
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comorbidity |
The occurrence of two or more disorders at the same time. |
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social psychology |
The study of human cognition, emotion, and behavior in relation to others, including how people behave in social settings. |
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social cognition |
The way people think about others, attend to social information, and use this information in their lives, both consciously and unconsciously. |
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attributions |
Beliefs one develops to explain human behaviors and characteristics, as well as situations. |
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situational attribution |
A belief that some environmental attribution factor is involved in the cause of an event or activity. |
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dispositional attribution |
A belief that some characteristic of an individual is involved in the cause of a situation, event, or activity. |
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fundamental attribution error |
The tendency to overestimate the degree to which the characteristics of an individual are the cause of an event, and to underestimate the involvement of situational factors. |
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just-world hypothesis |
The tendency to believe the world is a fair place and individuals generally get what they deserve. |
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self-serving bias |
The tendency to attribute success to personal characteristics and failures to environmental factors. |
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false consensus effect |
The tendency to overestimate the degree to which others think or act like we do. |
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attitudes |
The relatively stable thoughts, feelings, and responses one has toward people, situations, ideas, and things. |
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cognitive dissonance |
A state of tension that results when behaviors are inconsistent with attitudes. |
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social influence |
How a person is affected by others as evidenced in behaviors, emotions, and cognition. |
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persuasion |
Intentionally trying to make people change their attitudes and beliefs, which may lead to changes in their behaviors. |
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compliance |
Changes in behavior at the request or direction of another person or group, who in general do not have any true authority. |
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foot-in-the-door technique |
A compliance technique that involves making a small request first, followed by a larger request. |
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door-in-the-face technique |
A compliance technique that involves making a large request first, followed by a smaller request. |
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conformity |
The urge to modify behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions to match those of others. |
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norms |
Standards of the social environment. |
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obedience |
Changing behavior because we have been ordered to do so by an authority figure. |
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social facillitation |
The tendency for the presence of others to improve personal performance when the task or event is fairly uncomplicated and a person is adequately prepared. |
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social loafing |
The tendency for people to make less than their best effort when individual contributions are too complicated to measure. |
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diffusion of responsillity |
The sharing of duties and responsibilities among all group members that can lead to feelings of decreased accountability and motivation. |
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deindividuation |
The diminished sense of personal responsibility, inhibition, or adherence to social norms that occurs when group members are not treated as individuals. |
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risky shift |
The tendency for groups to recommend uncertain and risky options. |
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group polarization |
The tendency for a group to take a more extreme stance than originally held after deliberations and discussion. |
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groupthink |
The tendency for group members to maintain cohesiveness and agreement in their decision making, failing to consider all possible alternatives and related viewpoints. |
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bystander effect |
The tendency for people to avoid getting involved in an emergency they witness because they assume someone else will help. |
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aggression |
Intimidating or threatening behavior or attitudes intended to hurt someone. |
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frustration-aggression hypothesis |
Suggests that aggression may occur in response to frustration. |
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stereotypes |
Conclusions or inferences we make about people who are different from us based on their group membership, such as race, religion, age, or gender. |
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in-group |
The group to which we belong. |
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out-group |
People outside the group to which we belong. |
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social identity |
How we view ourselves within our social group. |
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ethnocentrism |
To see the world only from the perspective of one's own group. |
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discrimination |
Showing favoritism or hostility to others because of their affiliation with a group. |
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scapegoat |
A target of negative emotions, beliefs, and behaviors; typically, a member of the out-group who receives blame for an upsetting social situation. |
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prejudice |
Holding hostile or negative attitudes toward an individual or group |
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stereotype threat |
A "situational threat" in which individuals are aware of others' negative expectations, which leads to their fear that they will be judged and/or treated as inferior. |
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social roles |
The positions we hold in social groups, and the responsibilities and expectations associated with those roles. |
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altruism |
A desire or motivation to help others with no expectations of anything in return. |