Archetype
In Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious, an image or idea that has a universal meaning
Attachment
A strong emotional bond, such as between a child and its mother
Attitude
A tendency to respond to things, ideas and people in a certain way, shaped by beliefs and values
Behaviourism
The approach to psychology that studies observable behaviour rather than mental processes
Circadian rhythm
The pattern of daily activity determined by our “body clock”
Classical conditioning
A type of learning in which a conditioned response becomes triggered by a neutral stimulus
Cognitive
Concerned with mental processes including memory, perception, consciousness and reasoning
Cognitive dissonance
The discomfort a person feels when holding two conflicting beliefs, or when the facts contradict a deeply held belief
Cognitive psychology
The approach to psychology that studies mental processes rather than behavior
Collective unconscious
In Jung’s theory, the part of the psyche containing inherited ideas and images, the archetypes
Conditioning
Any of several types of learning where a response becomes associated with a stimulus
Consciousness
An awareness of oneself, one’s thoughts and environment
Crystallised intelligence
The ability to use knowledge and skills that have been learnt through education and experience
Drive
The biological needs that motivate us to satisfy physiological needs
Developmental psychology
Branch of psychology concerned with stages of growth, and interaction between physical and psychological processes
Ego
In Freud’s theory, the conscious, rational part of the psyche that moderates the promptings of the id
Episodic memory
Memory of events, as opposed to semantic memory or procedural memory
Extravert
A personality type that is directed towards the outside world
Fluid intelligence
The ability to solve new problems without using learned knowledge or skills
FMRI (functional MRI)
A brain imaging technique that detects magnetic changes in the flow of blood to cells in the brain
Gender
The psychological, rather than physiological, state of maleness or femaleness
General intelligence (g)
According to Spearman, the factor that underlies all intelligent behaviour
Gestalt psychology
An approach that maintains that all aspects of psychology should be considered as a whole, rather than individual constituent parts
Gestalt therapy
A form of psychotherapy that focuses on the whole person
Groupthink
A tendency of groups to sometimes value conformity more than rational decision-making
Heuristics
“Rules of thumb” that we use as shortcuts in preference to rational thinking in complex problems
Id
In Freud’s theory, the unconscious part of the psyche that pursues pleasure and satisfaction impulsively and instinctively
Imprinting
In some animals, the process of forming an attachment to the first moving thing they encounter
Instinct
An inborn and inherited tendency to a particular behaviour, usually necessary for survival
Introvert
A personality type that is directed inwards, towards itself
IQ (Intelligence quotient)
A measure of general intelligence as compared with the average (an IQ of 100) of the population as a whole
Long-term memory (LTM)
The memory processes for storing information and retrieving it at a later time
Neuron
A cell in the nervous system that can receive and/or transmit electrochemical signals
Neuroscience
The study of the brain and central nervous system
Operant conditioning
A type of conditioning in which an organism learns behaviour through observing the effect its actions have on its environment
Perception
The cognitive process of interpreting information from the senses to make sense of the external world
Placebo
A substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing drugs
Procedural memory
Memory of skills and abilities, how to do things, as opposed to episodic memory or semantic memory
Psychiatry
The branch of medicine dealing with mental illness
Psychoanalysis
The form of psychotherapy originally developed by Freud to uncover unconscious conflicts and drives that cause mental disorders
Psychodynamics
In Freud’s theory, the sometimes conflicting forces between different parts of the psyche
Psychotherapy
Any of a number of different methods of treating mental disorders using psychological theories rather than drugs or surgery
Reinforcement
In conditioning, anything that increases the probability of a response
Repression
In Freud’s theory, the way the psyche deals with uncomfortable ideas and memories by removing them from the conscious mind and pushing them deep into the unconscious
Schizophrenia
A group of severe mental disorders characterized by impairment of mental functions and a distorted perception of reality. Symptoms can include hallucinations, and disturbing behavior, emotions, and personality
Semantic memory
Memory of facts and knowledge, as opposed to episodic memory or procedural memory
Short-term memory (STM)
Memory processes for dealing with information needed for a specific task, not needing to be stored in long-term memory
Stooge (aka confederate)
A person who takes part in a psychological experiment pretending to be a subject but is in fact working for the researcher
Superego
In Freud’s theory, the part of the psyche that upholds the standards and morals learn from parents, society and authority
Synaptic transmission
The electro-chemical transmission of information from one neuron to another across the synapse, the gap between them
Traits
The various qualities and attributes that combine to form our personalities
Unconscious
In psychoanalysis, the larger part of the psyche where our primitive urges and repressed memories are stored
