Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

exposure therapy Behavioral therapy forphobias, panic disorder, post-traumatic stressdisorder, or related anxiety disorders in whichthe person is repeatedly exposed to the disturbingobject or situation under controlledconditions (p. 604).extinction (in classical conditioning)The gradual weakening and apparent disappearanceof conditioned behavior. In classicalconditioning, extinction occurs when theconditioned stimulus is repeatedly presentedwithout the unconditioned stimulus(p. 189).extinction (in operant conditioning) Thegradual weakening and disappearance of conditionedbehavior. In operant conditioning,extinction occurs when an emitted behavior isno longer followed by a reinforcer (p. 210).extraneous variable A factor or variableother than the ones being studied that, if notcontrolled, could affect the outcome of an experiment;also called a confounding variable(p. 27).extrinsic motivation External factors or influenceson behavior, such as rewards, consequences,or social expectations (p. 342).eye movement desensitization reprocessing(EMDR) Therapy technique in which theclient holds a vivid mental image of a troublingevent or situation while rapidly movinghis or her eyes back and forth in response tothe therapist’s waving finger or while thetherapist administers some other form of bilateralstimulation, such as sounding tones inalternate ears (p. 604).Ffacial feedback hypothesis The view thatexpressing a specific emotion, especially facially,causes the subjective experience of thatemotion (p. 358).false memory A distorted or fabricated recollectionof something that did not actuallyoccur (p. 256).family therapy A form of psychotherapythat is based on the assumption that the familyis a system and that treats the family as aunit (p. 600).fetal period The third and longest periodof prenatal development, extending from theninth week until birth (p. 374).fight-or-flight response A rapidly occurringchain of internal physical reactions thatprepare people either to fight or take flightfrom an immediate threat (p. 504).figure–ground relationship A Gestalt principleof perceptual organization that statesthat we automatically separate the elements ofa perception into the feature that clearlystands out (the figure) and its less distinctbackground (the ground) (p. 115).G-6 Glossaryfive-factor model of personality A traittheory of personality that identifies extraversion,neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness,and openness to experience as thefundamental building blocks of personality(p. 442).fixed-interval (FI) schedule A reinforcementschedule in which a reinforcer is deliveredfor the first response that occurs after apreset time interval has elapsed (p. 211).fixed-ratio (FR) schedule A reinforcementschedule in which a reinforcer is delivered aftera fixed number of responses has occurred(p. 210).flashbulb memory The recall of very specificimages or details surrounding a vivid,rare, or significant personal event; details mayor may not be accurate (p. 246).forebrain The largest and most complexbrain region, which contains centers for complexbehaviors and mental processes; alsocalled the cerebrum (p. 68).forgetting The inability to recall informationthat was previously available (p. 248).formal concept A mental category that isformed by learning the rules or features thatdefine it (p. 279).formal operational stage In Piaget’s theory,the fourth stage of cognitive development,which lasts from adolescence throughadulthood; characterized by the ability tothink logically about abstract principles andhypothetical situations (p. 390).fovea (FO-vee-uh) A small area in the centerof the retina, composed entirely of cones,where visual information is most sharply focused(p. 95).free association A technique used in psychoanalysisin which the patient spontaneouslyreports all thoughts, feelings, andmental images as they come to mind, as a wayof revealing unconscious thoughts and emotions(pp. 421, 582).frequency The rate of vibration, or thenumber of sound waves per second (p. 102).frequency distribution A summary of howoften various scores occur in a sample ofscores. Score values are arranged in order ofmagnitude, and the number of times eachscore occurs is recorded (p. A-3).frequency polygon A way of graphicallyrepresenting a frequency distribution; frequencyis marked above each score categoryon the graph’s horizontal axis, and the marksare connected by straight lines (p. A-4).frequency theory The view that the basilarmembrane vibrates at the same frequency asthe sound wave (p. 104).frontal lobe The largest lobe of each cerebralhemisphere; processes voluntary musclemovements and is involved in thinking, planning,and emotional control (p. 69).functional fixedness The tendency to viewobjects as functioning only in their usual orcustomary way (p. 284).functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) A noninvasive imaging techniquethat uses magnetic fields to map brain activityby measuring changes in the brain’s bloodflow and oxygen levels (p. 34).functional plasticity The brain’s ability toshift functions from damaged to undamagedbrain areas (p. 62).functionalism Early school of psychologythat emphasized studying the purpose, orfunction, of behavior and mental experiences(p. 5).fundamental attribution error The tendencyto attribute the behavior of others tointernal, personal characteristics, while ignoringor underestimating the effects of external,situational factors; an attributionalbias that is common in individualistic cultures(p. 463).Gg factor or general intelligence The notionof a general intelligence factor that is responsiblefor a person’s overall performanceon tests of mental ability (p. 299).GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)Neurotransmitter that usually communicatesan inhibitory message (p. 53).ganglion cells In the retina, the specializedneurons that connect to the bipolar cells; thebundled axons of the ganglion cells form theoptic nerve (p. 96).gate-control theory of pain The theorythat pain is a product of both physiologicaland psychological factors that cause spinalgates to open and relay patterns of intensestimulation to the brain, which perceivesthem as pain (p. 110).gender The cultural, social, and psychologicalmeanings that are associated with masculinityor femininity (p. 384).gender identity A person’s psychologicalsense of being male or female (p. 384).gender roles The behaviors, attitudes, andpersonality traits that are designated as eithermasculine or feminine in a given culture(p. 384).gender schema theory The theory thatgender-role development is influenced by theformation of schemas, or mental representations,of masculinity and femininity (p. 386).gene A unit of DNA on a chromosome thatencodes instructions for making a particularprotein molecule; the basic unit of heredity(p. 370).general adaptation syndrome Selye’s termfor the three-stage progression of physical