Oh, the Humanity!: Psychology

the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted

condition characterized by behavioral and learning disorders

either of a pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney

any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant

French psychologist remembered for his studies of the intellectual development of children (1857-1911)

(psychiatry) a psychological disorder characterized by somatic delusions that one is too fat despite being emaciated

a personality disorder characterized by amorality and lack of affect; capable of violent acts without guilt feelings (`psychopathic personality' was once widely used but was superseded by `sociopathic personality' to indicate the social aspects of the disorder, but now `antisocial personality disorder' is the preferred term)

any of several branches of psychology that seek to apply psychological principles to practical problems of education or industry or marketing etc.

United States psychologist noted for his work in child development (1880-1961)

a psychiatric disorder usually noted during early school years; characterized by impaired social relations and by repetitive patterns of behavior

cortical areas that are neither motor or sensory but are thought to be involved in higher processing of information

the part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands

United States psychologist and a leading proponent of behaviorism (1904-1990)

the rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state

an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior

the first intelligence test

a disorder of eating in which people go on eating binges and then feel guilt and depression and self-condemnation

a training program in which a person is given information about physiological processes (heart rate or blood pressure) that is not normally available with the goal of gaining conscious control of them

a mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression

the point where the optic nerve enters the retina

the part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord and comprising the medulla oblongata and pons and midbrain and parts of the hypothalamus

the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people

a disorder of eating in which the person alternates between strong craving for food and aversion to food; characterized by excessive eating followed by periods of fasting or self-induced vomiting

Swiss psychologist (1875-1961)

United States psychologist who developed client-centered therapy (1902-1987)

a detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view

a trancelike state characterized by rigid muscles and an inability to move

a form of schizophrenia characterized by a tendency to remain in a fixed stuporous state for long periods; the catatonia may give way to short periods of extreme excitement

an image produced by scanning

the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord

the outermost layer of the cerebrum

English psychologist who collaborated with I. A. Richards in designing Basic English (1889-1957)

(psychology) the configuration of smaller units of information into large coordinated units

a daily cycle of activity observed in many living organisms

conditioning that pairs a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that evokes a reflex; the stimulus that evokes the reflex is given whether or not the conditioned response occurs until eventually the neutral stimulus comes to evoke the reflex

the branch of psychology concerned with the treatment of abnormal mentation and behavior

the snail-shaped tube (in the inner ear coiled around the modiolus) where sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses by the organ of Corti

the branch of neuroscience that studies the biological foundations of mental phenomena

an approach to psychology that emphasizes internal mental processes

the tendency for a color to look the same under widely different viewing conditions

an acquired response that is under the control of a stimulus

the stimulus that is the occasion for a conditioned response

a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause)

a heart disease due to an abnormality of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart

a broad transverse nerve tract connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

a statistic representing how closely two variables co-vary

English psychologist whose studies of twins were later said to have used fabricated data (1883-1971)

a quantity whose value depends on another quantity

emotional dissociative disorder in which there is loss of contact with your own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness

someone suffering psychological depression

the branch of psychology that studies the social and mental development of children

the smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect

a stimulus that provides information about what to do

a state in which some integrated part of a person's life becomes separated from the rest of the personality and functions independently

dissociation so severe that the usually integrated functions of consciousness and perception of self break down

an experimental procedure in which neither the subjects of the experiment nor the persons administering the experiment know the critical aspects of the experiment

United States educational psychologist (1874-1949)

a graphical record of electrical activity of the brain

the system of glands that produce endocrine secretions that help to control bodily metabolic activity

a neurochemical occurring naturally in the brain and having analgesic properties

a hormone responsible for female sex characteristics

the branch of psychology that uses experimental methods to study psychological issues

apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses

a form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain

area consisting of a small depression in the retina containing cones and where vision is most acute

one of two twins who developed from separate fertilized eggs

a distribution of observed frequencies of occurrence of the values of a variable

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying directly behind the forehead

a psychology based on the assumption that all mental process are useful to an organism in adapting to the environment

an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months

(psychology) a theory of psychology that emphasizes the importance of configurational properties

a cell of the neuroglia

United States child psychologist whose theories of child psychology strongly influenced educational psychology (1844-1924)

a British psychologist (born in Germany) noted for his theories of intelligence and personality and for his strong criticism of Freudian psychoanalysis

United States economist and psychologist who pioneered in the development of cognitive science (1916-2001)

an inability to stay awake

chronic and abnormal anxiety about imaginary symptoms and ailments

a basal part of the diencephalon governing autonomic nervous system

either of two twins developed from the same fertilized ovum

a value that does not depend on changes in other values

any of several branches of psychology that seek to apply psychological principles to practical problems of education or industry or marketing etc.

consent by a patient to undergo a medical or surgical treatment or to participate in an experiment after the patient understands the risks involved

a complex system of interconnecting cavities

a psychometric test of intelligence

United States parapsychologist (1895-1980)

American psychologist and editor (1860-1944)

Swiss psychologist remembered for his studies of cognitive development in children (1896-1980)

United States psychologist considered the founder of behavioristic psychology (1878-1958)

United States psychologist (born in Panama) whose research persuaded the Supreme Court that segregated schools were discriminatory (1914-2005)

the ability to feel movements of the limbs and body

(psychoanalysis) hidden meaning of a fantasy or dream

(psychology) the principle that behaviors are selected by their consequences; behavior having good consequences tends to be repeated whereas behavior that leads to bad consequences is not repeated

a system of functionally related neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior

your general store of remembered information

an agranulocytic leukocyte that normally makes up a quarter of the white blood cell count but increases in the presence of infection

lower or hindmost part of the brain

the main cavity of the ear

a method or system for improving the memory

the act of representing something

the branch of genetics concerned with the structure and activity of genetic material at the molecular level

the cortical area that influences motor movements

a neuron conducting impulses outwards from the brain or spinal cord

the use of nuclear magnetic resonance of protons to produce proton density images

syndrome consisting of feigning acute and dramatic illness for which no clinical evidence is ever found

a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers

the sensory and control apparatus consisting of a network of nerve cells

the development of nerve tissues

a neurochemical that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse

an emotional episode (usually in young children) in which the person awakens in terror with feelings of anxiety and fear but is unable to remember any incident that might have provoked those feelings

a symmetrical curve representing the normal distribution

a theoretical distribution with finite mean and variance

an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts and feelings and repetitive, ritualized behaviors

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying in the back of the head

conditioning in which an operant response is brought under stimulus control by virtue of presenting reinforcement contingent upon the occurrence of the operant response

the cranial nerve that serves the retina

total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant

an anxiety disorder characterized by unpredictable panic attacks; the attacks are usually severe but brief

simultaneous processing by two or more processing units

phenomena that appear to contradict physical laws and suggest the possibility of causation by mental processes

originates in the brain stem and lower part of the spinal cord; opposes physiological effects of the sympathetic nervous system: stimulates digestive secretions; slows the heart; constricts the pupils; dilates blood vessels

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying below the crown of the head

(psychology) the tendency for perceived objects to give rise to very similar perceptual experiences in spite of wide variations in the conditions of observation

the section of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord

inflexible and maladaptive patterns of behavior

using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain)

an eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-nutritional objects are eaten persistently

the master gland of the endocrine system

any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo; the change is usually beneficial and is assumed result from the person's faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the experimental drug was supposed to do; pharmacologists were the first to talk about placebo effects but now the idea has been generalized to many situations having nothing to do with drugs

a medical instrument that records several physiological processes simultaneously (e.g., pulse rate and blood pressure and respiration and perspiration)

a suggestion that is made to a person who is hypnotized that specifies an action he will perform (usually in response to a cue) after he has awakened

an anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and images

the branch of social psychology that deals with the processes and emotions that determine psychology and motivation

a psychological disorder of thought or emotion

any branch of psychology concerned with psychological measurements

the branch of psychology concerned with quantitative relations between physical stimuli and their psychological effects

a sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected

American psychologist (born in England) who developed a broad theory of human behavior based on multivariate research (1905-1998)

(psychology) a stimulus that strengthens or weakens the behavior that produced it

a complex neural network in the central core of the brainstem; monitors the state of the body and functions in such processes as arousal and sleep and attention and muscle tone

the mental process of accessing information stored in one's memory

a process of using up or consuming again

United States psychologist who studied the intelligence of primates (1876-1956)

a visual receptor cell that is sensitive to dim light

characterized by symptoms similar to but less severe than schizophrenia

a neuron conducting impulses inwards to the brain or spinal cord

what you can repeat immediately after perceiving it

Austrian neurologist who originated psychoanalysis

a disturbance of the normal sleep pattern

the branch of psychology that studies persons and their relationships with others and with groups and with society as a whole

walking by a person who is asleep

the square root of the variance

revision of the Binet-Simon Scale

United States psychologist and psychophysicist who proposed Stevens' power law to replace Fechner's law (1906-1973)

an anthropological theory that there are unobservable social structures that generate observable social phenomena

originates in the thoracic regions of the spinal cord

a potent androgenic hormone produced chiefly by the testes

neurological disorder characterized by facial grimaces and tics and movements of the upper body and grunts and shouts and coprolalia

(genetics) the process of transfering genetic material from one cell to another by a plasmid or bacteriophage

an irresistible urge to pull out your own hair

a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

(psychophysics) the concept that a just-noticeable difference in a stimulus is proportional to the magnitude of the original stimulus

the auditory word center

United States pragmatic philosopher and psychologist

memory for intermediate results that must be held during thinking