Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

characterized by increasing use of symbolsand prelogical thought processes (p. 388).primary reinforcer A stimulus or eventthat is naturally or inherently reinforcing for agiven species, such as food, water, or otherbiological necessities (p. 203).primary sex characteristics Sexual organsthat are directly involved in reproduction,such as the uterus, ovaries, penis, and testicles(p. 394).proactive interference Forgetting in whichan old memory interferes with rememberinga new memory; forward-acting memory interference(p. 252).problem solving Thinking and behavior directedtoward attaining a goal that is notreadily available (p. 281).problem-focused coping Coping effortsprimarily aimed at directly changing or managinga threatening or harmful stressor (p.519).procedural memory Category of longtermmemory that includes memories of differentskills, operations, and actions (p. 240).production vocabulary The words that aninfant or child understands and can speak(p. 383).projective test A type of personality testthat involves a person’s interpreting an ambiguousimage; used to assess unconsciousmotives, conflicts, psychological defenses, andpersonality traits (p. 446).proprioceptors (pro-pree-oh-SEP-ters)Sensory receptors, located in the muscles andjoints, that provide information about bodyposition and movement (p. 112).prosocial behavior Any behavior that helpsanother, whether the underlying motive isself-serving or selfless (p. 486).prospective memory Remembering to dosomething in the future (p. 250).prototype The most typical instance of aparticular concept (p. 280).pseudoscience A fake or false science thatmakes claims based on little or no scientificevidence (p. 22).psychedelic drugs (sy-kuh-DEL-ick) A categoryof psychoactive drugs that create sensoryand perceptual distortions, alter mood,and affect thinking (p. 174).psychiatry Medical specialty area focusedon the diagnosis, treatment, causes, and preventionof mental and behavioral disorders(p. 15).psychoactive drug A drug that alters consciousness,perception, mood, and behavior(p. 165).psychoanalysis A type of psychotherapyoriginated by Sigmund Freud in which freeassociation, dream interpretation, and analysisof resistance and transference are used toexplore repressed or unconscious impulses,anxieties, and internal conflicts (pp. 7, 420,582).psychological disorder or mental disorderA pattern of behavioral and psychologicalsymptoms that causes significant personal distress,impairs the ability to function in one ormore important areas of daily life, or both (p.533).psychological test A test that assesses aperson’s abilities, aptitudes, interests, or personality,on the basis of a systematically obtainedsample of behavior (p. 446).psychology The scientific study of behaviorand mental processes (p. 3).psychoneuroimmunology An interdisciplinaryfield that studies the interconnectionsamong psychological processes, nervous andendocrine system functions, and the immunesystem (p. 507).psychopathology The scientific study ofthe origins, symptoms, and development ofpsychological disorders (p. 531).psychosexual stages In Freud’s theory,age-related developmental periods in whichthe child’s sexual urges are focused on differentareas of the body and are expressedthrough the activities associated with thoseareas (p. 426).psychotherapy The treatment of emotional,behavioral, and interpersonal problemsthrough the use of psychological techniquesdesigned to encourage understanding ofproblems and modify troubling feelings, behaviors,or relationships (p. 580).psychotropic medications (sy-ko-TRO-pick)Drugs that alter mental functions, alleviate psychologicalsymptoms, and are used to treatpsychological or mental disorders (p. 607).puberty The stage of adolescence in whichan individual reaches sexual maturity and becomesphysiologically capable of sexual reproduction(p. 394).punishment The presentation of a stimulusor event following a behavior that acts to decreasethe likelihood of the behavior’s beingrepeated (p. 204).punishment by application A situation inwhich an operant is followed by the presentationor addition of an aversive stimulus; alsocalled positive punishment (p. 204).punishment by removal A situation inwhich an operant is followed by the removalor subtraction of a reinforcing stimulus; alsocalled negative punishment (p. 205).pupil The opening in the middle of the iristhat changes size to let in different amountsof light (p. 94).Rrandom assignment The process of assigningparticipants to experimental conditions sothat all participants have an equal chance ofbeing assigned to any of the conditions orgroups in the study (p. 28).random selection Process in which subjectsare selected randomly from a larger group suchthat every group member has an equal chanceof being included in the study (p. 24).range A measure of variability; the highestscore in a distribution minus the lowest score(p. A-5).rational-emotive therapy (RET) A type ofcognitive therapy, developed by psychologistAlbert Ellis, that focuses on changing theclient’s irrational beliefs (p. 593).reality principle The capacity to accommodateexternal demands by postponing gratificationuntil the appropriate time or circumstancesexist (p. 423).recall A test of long-term memory that involvesretrieving information without the aidof retrieval cues; also called free recall(p. 245).reciprocal determinism A model proposedby psychologist Albert Bandura that explainshuman functioning and personality as causedby the interaction of behavioral, cognitive,and environmental factors (p. 437).recognition A test of long-term memorythat involves identifying correct informationout of several possible choices (p. 245).reinforcement The occurrence of a stimulusor event following a response that increasesthe likelihood of that response beingrepeated (p. 201).reliability The ability of a test to produceconsistent results when administered on repeatedoccasions under similar conditions(p. 297).REM rebound A phenomenon in which aperson who is deprived of REM sleep greatlyincreases the amount of time spent in REMsleep at the first opportunity to sleep uninterrupted(p. 146).REM sleep Type of sleep during whichrapid eye movements (REM) and dreamingusually occur and voluntary muscle activity issuppressed; also called active sleep or paradoxicalsleep (p. 141).REM sleep behavior disorder A sleep disordercharacterized by the brain’s failure tosuppress voluntary actions during REM sleepresluting in the sleeper verbally and physicallyresponding to the dream story (p. 158).replicate To repeat or duplicate a scientificstudy in order to increase confidence in thevalidity of the original findings (p. 19).G-12 Glossary