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motivation

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a need or desire that energies and directs behavior e.g. Desire to get good grades so one can get into a good school or job.

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instinct

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a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned e.g. return of salmon to their birthplace.

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drive-reduction theory

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the idea that a physiological need creates and aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need e.g. reduce feeling of thirst by drinking water

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homeostasis

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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. e.g. Regulating body temperature to return to homeostasis from overheating by sweating and releasing heat by expelling water and electrolytes.

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incentive

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a positive or negative environment stimulus that motivates behavior e.g. the sight of someone we find attractive

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hierarchy of needs

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Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, lies the highest of human needs: to actualize one's full potential.

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glucose

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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. Increases in the insulin hormone diminish blood glucose, partly by converting it to stored fat.

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set point

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the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight. When semistarved rats fall below their set point, biological pressures act to restore the lost weight: Huger increases and energy expenditure decreases.

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basal metabolic rate

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the body's resting rate of energy expenditure e.g. Semistarved participants in WW2 experiment => reduced energy expenditure and drop in basal metabolic rate

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anorexia nervosa

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an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person (usually an adolescent female) diets and becomes significantly (15 percent or more) underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve i.e. Even when an anorexic person is emaciated, the person continues to limit food intake. Anorexia nervosa usually develops in adolescence, 9 times out of 10 in females.

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bulimia nervosa

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an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise. Bulimia patients eat the way some alcoholics drink in spurts, sometimes under the influence of friends who are bingeing.

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sexual response cycle

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the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson-- excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution e.g. During the sexual response cycle, men and women are more aware of their rhythmic genital contractions creating a pleasurable feeling of sexual release; a panel of experts could not reliably distinguish between descriptions of orgasm written by men and those written by women.

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testosterone

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a steroid hormone that stimulates development of male secondary sexual characteristics, produced mainly in the testes, but also in the ovaries and adrenal cortex. Men with abnormally low testosterone levels, testosterone-replacement therapy often increases sexual desire and also energy and vitality

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estrogen

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a sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity. In experiments, researchers stimulate receptivity by injecting females with estrogen.

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sexual disorder

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a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning Some sexual disorders include, for men, premature ejaculation and erectile disorder (inability to have or maintain an erection), and, for women, orgasmic disorder (infrequently or never experiencing orgasm).

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sexual orientation

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an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex (homosexual orientation) or the other sex (heterosexual orientation). e.g. homosexual, heterosexual, asexual, pansexual, bisexual, demisexual

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personnel psychology

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a subfield of I/O psychology that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development i.e. Personnel psychologists match people with jobs, by identifying and placing well-suited candidates.

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structured interviews

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interview process that asks the same job-relevant questions of all applicants, each of whom is rated on established scales Structured interviews pinpoint strengths (attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills) that distinguish high performers in a particular line of work.

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achievement motivation

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a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard e.g. Someone who strives to succeed by excelling at any task where evaluation is possible.

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intrinsic motivation

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performing an action or behavior because you enjoy the activity itself e.g. playing football simply for the enjoyment of the sport

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extrinsic motivation

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motivated by external factors, as opposed to the internal drivers of intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation drives one to do things for tangible rewards or pressures, rather than for the fun of it e.g. playing football for money rather than the fun of the sport

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opponent-process theory of motivation

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views emotions as pairs of opposites. The opponent-process theory states that when one emotion is experienced, the other is suppressed e.g. fear-relief, pleasure-pain; if you are frightened by a mean dog, the emotion of fear is expressed and relief is suppressed

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industrial-organizational psychology

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(I/O) the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces Industrial-organizational psychology considers personnel psychology and organizational psychology to optimize human behavior in workplaces.

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task leadership

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goal-oriented leadership that sets standards, organizes work, and focuses attention on goals Leaders who excel at task leadership typically have a directive style, which can work well if the leader is bright enough to give good orders.

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social leadership

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group-oriented leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support Many experiments show that social leadership is good for morale. Subordinates usually feel more satisfied and motivated when they can participate in decision making.

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Theory X

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assumes that workers are basically lazy, error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money and, thus, should be directed from above Theory X claims that workers need simple tasks, close monitoring, and incentives to work harder.

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Theory Y

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assumes that, given challenge and freedom, workers are motivated to achieve self-esteem and to demonstrate their competence and creativity Theory Y is one guiding force behind the contemporary move by many businesses to increase employee participation in making decisions, a management style common in Sweden and Japan and increasingly elsewhere.

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Flow

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a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one's skills. It often takes 10 years of performing an activity to achieve flow.

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organizational psychology

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a subfield of I/O psychology that examines organizational influences on worker satisfaction and productivity and facilitates organizational change Organizational psychologists modify jobs and supervision in ways that boost morale and productivity.

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emotion

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a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience Emotions are our body's adaptive response to focus our attention and energize our action.

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James-Lange Theory

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the theory that our experience of emotions is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli e.g. Recall a time when your car skidded on slick pavement. As it careened out of control you hit your brakes and regained control. Just after the fishtail ended, you noticed your heart racing and then, shaking with fright, you felt the whoosh of emotion.

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Cannon-Bard Theory

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the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion. Cannon-Bard theory implies that your heart begins pounding as you experience fear; one does not cause the other.

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two-factor theory

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Schachter's theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal e.g. After an invigorating run you arrive home to find a message that you got a longed-for job; with arousal lingering from the run, you would feel more elated than if you received this news after awakening from a nap.

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polygraph

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a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion (such as perspiration, cardiovascular and breathing changes) Polygraphs do not literally detect lies. An innocent person might also respond with heightened tension to the accusations implied by the relevant questions.

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catharsis

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emotional release. In psychology, the catharsis hypothesis maintains that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges e.g. when people retaliate against someone who has provoked them, they may indeed calm down.

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feel-good, do good phenomenon

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people's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood e.g. Mood-boosting experiences (finding money, succeeding on a challenging task, recalling a happy event) made people more likely to give money, pick up someone's dropped papers, volunteer time, and so forth.

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subjective well-being

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self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people's quality of life. e.g. Though buying power has more than doubled since the 1950s, the average American's reported happiness has remained almost unchanged.

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adaptation-level phenomenon

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our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a "neutral" level defined by our prior experience. e.g. If our current condition--income, grade-point average, or social prestige, for example--increases, we feel an initial surge of pleasure. We then adapt to this new level of achievement, come to consider it as normal, and require something even better to give us another surge of happiness.

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relative deprivation

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the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself e.g. Despite a relatively rapid promotion rate for the group, many soldiers were frustrated about their own promotion rates. Apparently, seeing so many other being promoted inflated the soldiers' expectations. An when expectations soar above attainments, the result is disappointment.

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behavioral medicine

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an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease e.g. The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine has traced half the mortality from the 10 leading causes of death in the US to people's behavior--to cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and poor nutrition. Modify these behavioral sources of illness and we might lessen suffering, increase life expectancy, and enhance quality of life.

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health psychology

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a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine. Health psychology provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine. Its numbers include many of the 3900 psychologists recently on the faculties of Canadian and U.S. medical schools.

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stress

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the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging e.g. suspecting an intruder entering the house

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general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

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Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three steps--- alarm, resistance, exhaustion e.g. When faced with physical or emotional trauma, you have an alarmed reaction, then body is ready to fight. If persistent, the stress can deplete your body's reserves in Phase 3, when you are more vulnerable to illnesses, collapse and death.

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coronary heart disease

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the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries Behavioral factors such as smoking, obesity, a high-fat diet, physical inactivity, elevated blood pressure, and an elevated cholesterol level can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

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Type A

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Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people An individual with a Type A personality will almost always strive for the high grades or test scores.

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Type B

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Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people If an individual with a Type B personality finds a mountain, they will most likely lean on it instead of trying to climb it.

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aerobic exercise

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sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety Those who participate in aerobic exercise regularly also cope better with stressful events, exhibit more self-confidence, feel more vigor, and feel depressed and fatigued less often than those who exercise less.

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psychophysiological illness

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literally, "mind-body" illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches. Note: This is distinct from hypochondriasis --misinterpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease. e.g. A person may retain excess sodium and fluids which, together with constriction of the arteries' muscle walls, contribute to increased blood pressure.

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lymphocytes

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the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system: B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections; T lymphocytes form in the thymus and among other duties, attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances. The lymphocytes involved in adaptive immunity differentiate further after exposure to an antigen. Lymphocytes function to eliminate the antigen, either by releasing antibodies (in the case of B cells), cytotoxic granules (cytotoxic T cells) or by signaling to other cells of the immune system (helper T cells).

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biofeedback

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a system of electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension. By reflecting the results of a person's own efforts, biofeedback systems allow the person to learn techniques for controlling a particular physiological response.

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complementary and alternative medicine

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unproven health care treatments intended to supplement (complement) or serve as alternatives to conventional medicine, and which typically are not widely taught in medical schools, used in hospitals, or reimbursed by insurance companies. When research shows a therapy from complementary and alternative medicine to be safe and effective, it usually then becomes part of accepted medical practice.

AP Psychology: Unit 8 Vocabulary – Flashcards

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