Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

stem cells Undifferentiated cells that candivide and give rise to cells that can developinto any one of the body’s different cell types(p. 374).stereotype A cluster of characteristics thatare associated with all members of a specificsocial group, often including qualities that areunrelated to the objective criteria that definethe group (p. 470).stereotype threat A psychological predicamentin which fear that you will be evaluatedin terms of a negative stereotype about agroup to which you belong creates anxietyand self-doubt, lowering performance in a particulardomain that is important to you (p.310).stimulant-induced psychosis Schizophrenialikesymptoms that can occur as the result ofprolonged amphetamine or cocaine use; alsocalled amphetamine-induced psychosis or cocaineinducedpsychosis (p. 174).stimulants A category of psychoactivedrugs that increase brain activity, arouse behavior,and increase mental alertness (p. 171).stimulus control therapy insomnia treatmentinvolving specific guidelines to create astrict association between the bedroom andrapid sleep onset (p. 178).stimulus discrimination The occurrence ofa learned response to a specific stimulus butnot to other, similar stimuli (p. 188).stimulus generalization The occurrence ofa learned response not only to the originalstimulus but to other, similar stimuli as well(p. 188).stimulus threshold The minimum level ofstimulation required to activate a particularneuron (p. 47).storage The process of retaining informationin memory so that it can be used at alater time (p. 232).stress A negative emotional state occurringin response to events that are perceived astaxing or exceeding a person’s resources orability to cope (p. 497).stressors Events or situations that are perceivedas harmful, threatening, or challenging(p. 499).structural plasticity The brain’s ability tochange its physical structure in response tolearning, active practice, or environmental influences(p. 62).structuralism Early school of psychologythat emphasized studying the most basiccomponents, or structures, of conscious experiences(p. 4).sublimation In psychoanalytic theory, anego defense mechanism that involves redirectingsexual urges toward productive, sociallyacceptable, nonsexual activities; a form of displacement(p. 424).subliminal perception The detection ofstimuli that are below the threshold of consciousawareness; nonconscious perception(p. 91).substance P A neurotransmitter that is involvedin the transmission of pain messages tothe brain (p. 110).substantia nigra (sub-STAN-she-uh NYEgruh)An area of the midbrain that is involvedin motor control and contains a large concentrationof dopamine-producing neurons(p. 67).superego The partly conscious, self-evaluative,moralistic component of personality thatis formed through the internalization ofparental and societal rules (p. 423).suppression Motivated forgetting that occursconsciously; a memory that is blockedand unavailable to consciousness (p. 252).suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) (souprah-kye-az-MAT-ick)A cluster of neurons inthe hypothalamus in the brain that governsthe timing of circadian rhythms (p. 139).surface traits Personality characteristics orattributes that can easily be inferred from observablebehavior (p. 440).survey A questionnaire or interview designedto investigate the opinions, behaviors,or characteristics of a particular group (p. 24).symbolic thought The ability to usewords, images, and symbols to represent theworld (p. 389).symmetrical distribution A distribution inwhich scores fall equally on both sides of thegraph. The normal curve is an example of asymmetrical distribution (p. A-4).sympathetic nervous system Branch of theautonomic nervous system that producesrapid physical arousal in response to perceivedemergencies or threats (p. 58).synapse (SIN-aps) The point of communicationbetween two neurons (p. 49).synaptic gap (sin-AP-tick) The tiny spacebetween the axon terminal of one neuron andthe dendrite of an adjoining neuron (p. 50).synaptic transmission (sin-AP-tick) Theprocess through which neurotransmitters arereleased by one neuron, cross the synapticgap, and affect adjoining neurons (p. 50).synaptic vesicles (sin-AP-tick VESS-ickulls)Tiny pouches or sacs in the axon terminalsthat contain chemicals called neurotransmitters(p. 50).systematic desensitization A type of behaviortherapy in which phobic responses arereduced by pairing relaxation with a series ofmental images or real-life situations that theperson finds progressively more fear-provoking;based on the principle of counterconditioning(p. 589).Ttaste aversion A classically conditioned dislikefor and avoidance of a particular foodthat develops when an organism becomes illafter eating the food (p. 196).taste buds The specialized sensory receptorsfor taste that are located on the tongueand inside the mouth and throat (p. 108).temperament Inborn predispositions toconsistently behave and react in a certain way(p. 376).temporal lobe An area on each hemisphereof the cerebral cortex near the temples that isthe primary receiving area for auditory information(p. 69).teratogens Harmful agents or substancesthat can cause malformations or defects in anembryo or fetus (p. 374).thalamus (THAL-uh-muss) A forebrainstructure that processes sensory informationfor all senses, except smell, and relays it to thecerebral cortex (p. 71).Thanatos The death instinct, reflected inaggressive, destructive, and self-destructiveactions (p. 423).Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Aprojective personality test that involves creatingstories about each of a series of ambiguousscenes (pp. 343, 447).theory A tentative explanation that tries tointegrate and account for the relationshipof various findings and observations (p. 20).thinking The manipulation of mental representationsof information in order to drawinferences and conclusions (p. 277).timbre (TAM-ber) The distinctive qualityof a sound, determined by the complexity ofthe sound wave (p. 102).tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) experience Amemory phenomenon that involves the sensationof knowing that specific information isstored in long-term memory, but being temporarilyunable to retrieve it (p. 244).token economy A form of behavior therapyin which the therapeutic environment isstructured to reward desired behaviors withtokens or points that may eventually be exchangedfor tangible rewards (p. 592).top-down processing Information processingthat emphasizes the importance of theobserver’s knowledge, expectations, and othercognitive processes in arriving at meaningfulperceptions; analysis that moves from thewhole to the parts; also called conceptuallydriven processing (p. 113).trait A relatively stable, enduring predispositionto consistently behave in a certainway (p. 439).Glossary G-15