Psychology Themes and Variations, 4th Canadian Edition TEST
BANK By Weiten, Verified Chapters 1 - 16, Complete Newest
Version
absolute refractory period - ANSWER: the minimum length of time after an action
potential during which another action potential cannot begin
absolute threshold - ANSWER: the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism
can detect for a specific type of sensory output
achievement motive - ANSWER: the need to master difficult challenges, to
outperform others, and to meet high standards of excellence
achievement tests - ANSWER: test that gauge a person's mastery and knowledge of
various subjects
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) - ANSWER: a disorder in which the
immune system is gradually weakened and eventually disabled by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
acquisition - ANSWER: the formation of a new conditioned response tendence
action potential - ANSWER: a brief change in a neuron's electrical charge
acute stressors - ANSWER: threatening events that have a relatively short duration
and a clear endpoint
adaptation - ANSWER: an inherited characteristic that increased in a population
(through natural selection) because it helped solve a problem of survival or
reproduction during the time it emerged
additive color mixing - ANSWER: formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting
more light in the mixture than exists in any one light itself
adoption studies - ANSWER: research studies that assess hereditary influence by
examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and
their adoptive parents
affective forecasting - ANSWER: a person's efforts to predict his or her emotional
reactions to future events
afferent nerve fibers - ANSWER: axons that carry information inward to the central
nervous system from the periphery of the body
afterimage - ANSWER: a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed
,aggression - ANSWER: any behavior that is intended to hurt someone, either
physically or verbally
agonist - ANSWER: a chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
agoraphobia - ANSWER: a fear of going out into public places
alcohol - ANSWER: a variety of beverages containing ethyl alcohol
algorithm - ANSWER: a methodical, step-by-step procedure for trying all possible
alternatives in searching for a solution to a problem
amnesia - ANSWER: a significant memory loss that is too extensive to be due to
normal forgetting
androgens - ANSWER: the principal class of gonadal hormones in males
anecdotal evidence - ANSWER: personal stories about specific incidents and
experiences
anhedonia - ANSWER: a diminished ability to experience pleasure
anorexia nervosa - ANSWER: eating disorder characterized by intense fear of gaining
weight, disturbed body image, refusal to maintain normal weight, and dangerous
measures to lose weight
antagonist - ANSWER: a chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter
anterograde amnesia - ANSWER: loss of memories for events that occur after a head
injury
antianxiety drugs - ANSWER: medications that relieve tension, apprehension, and
nervousness
antidepressant drugs - ANSWER: medications that gradually elevate mood and help
bring people out of a depression
antipsychotic drugs - ANSWER: medications used to gradually reduce psychotic
symptoms, including hyperactivity, mental confusion, hallucinations, and delusions
antisocial personality disorder - ANSWER: a type of personality disorder marked by
impulsive, callous, manipulative, aggressive, and irresponsible behavior that reflects
a failure to accept social norms
anxiety disorders - ANSWER: a class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive
apprehension and anxiety
,applied psychology - ANSWER: the branch of psychology concerned with everyday,
practical problems
approach-approach conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must be
made between two attractive goals
approach-avoidance conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must be
made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive and unattractive
aspects
aptitude tests - ANSWER: psychological tests used to access talent for specific types
of mental ability
archetypes - ANSWER: according to Jung, emotionally charged images and thought
forms that have universal meaning
argument - ANSWER: one or more premises used to provide support for a conclusion
ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) - ANSWER: the afferent fibers running
through the reticular formation that influence physiological arousal
assumptions - ANSWER: premises for which no proof or evidence is offered
attachment - ANSWER: a close, emotional bond of affection between infants and
their caregivers
attention - ANSWER: focusing awareness on a narrow range of stimuli or events
attitudes - ANSWER: orientations that locate objects of thought on dimensions of
judgment
attributions - ANSWER: inferences that people draw about the causes of events,
others' behavior, and their own behavior
auditory localization - ANSWER: location the source of a sound in space
autonomic nervous system (ANS) - ANSWER: the system of nerves that connect to
the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands
availability heuristic - ANSWER: basing the estimated probability of an event on the
ease with which relevant instances come to mind
aversion therapy - ANSWER: a behavior therapy in which an aversive stimulus is
paired with a stimulus that elicits and undesirable response
, avoidance-avoidance conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must
be made between two unattractive goals
avoidance learning - ANSWER: learning that has occurred when an organism engages
in a response that prevents aversive stimulation from occurring
axon - ANSWER: a long, thing fiber that transmits signals away from the neuron cell
body to other neurons, or to muscles or glands
behavior - ANSWER: any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
behavior modification - ANSWER: a systematic approach to changing behavior
through the application of the principles of conditioning
behavior therapies - ANSWER: application of the principles of learning to direct
efforts to change clients' maladaptive behaviors
behavioral contract - ANSWER: a written agreement outlining a promise to adhere to
the contingencies of a behavior modification program
behaviorism - ANSWER: a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific
psychology should study only observable behavior
bilingualism - ANSWER: the acquisition of two languages that use different speech
sounds, vocabularies, and grammatical rules
binge-eating disorder - ANSWER: distress-inducing eating binges that are not
accompanied by the purging, fasting, and excessive exercise seen in bulimia
binocular depth cues - ANSWER: clues about distance based on the differing views of
the two eyes
biological rhythms - ANSWER: periodic fluctuations in physiological functioning
biomedical therapies - ANSWER: physiological interventions intended to reduce
symptoms associated with psychological disorders
biopsychosocial model - ANSWER: a model of illness that holds that physical illness is
caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
bipolar disorder - ANSWER: (formerly known as manic-depressive disorder) mood
disorder marked by the experience of both depressed and manic periods
bisexuals - ANSWER: persons who seek emotional-sexual relationships with
members of either sex
body mass index (BMI) - ANSWER: weight (in kg) divided by height squared (m^2)
BANK By Weiten, Verified Chapters 1 - 16, Complete Newest
Version
absolute refractory period - ANSWER: the minimum length of time after an action
potential during which another action potential cannot begin
absolute threshold - ANSWER: the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism
can detect for a specific type of sensory output
achievement motive - ANSWER: the need to master difficult challenges, to
outperform others, and to meet high standards of excellence
achievement tests - ANSWER: test that gauge a person's mastery and knowledge of
various subjects
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) - ANSWER: a disorder in which the
immune system is gradually weakened and eventually disabled by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
acquisition - ANSWER: the formation of a new conditioned response tendence
action potential - ANSWER: a brief change in a neuron's electrical charge
acute stressors - ANSWER: threatening events that have a relatively short duration
and a clear endpoint
adaptation - ANSWER: an inherited characteristic that increased in a population
(through natural selection) because it helped solve a problem of survival or
reproduction during the time it emerged
additive color mixing - ANSWER: formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting
more light in the mixture than exists in any one light itself
adoption studies - ANSWER: research studies that assess hereditary influence by
examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and
their adoptive parents
affective forecasting - ANSWER: a person's efforts to predict his or her emotional
reactions to future events
afferent nerve fibers - ANSWER: axons that carry information inward to the central
nervous system from the periphery of the body
afterimage - ANSWER: a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed
,aggression - ANSWER: any behavior that is intended to hurt someone, either
physically or verbally
agonist - ANSWER: a chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
agoraphobia - ANSWER: a fear of going out into public places
alcohol - ANSWER: a variety of beverages containing ethyl alcohol
algorithm - ANSWER: a methodical, step-by-step procedure for trying all possible
alternatives in searching for a solution to a problem
amnesia - ANSWER: a significant memory loss that is too extensive to be due to
normal forgetting
androgens - ANSWER: the principal class of gonadal hormones in males
anecdotal evidence - ANSWER: personal stories about specific incidents and
experiences
anhedonia - ANSWER: a diminished ability to experience pleasure
anorexia nervosa - ANSWER: eating disorder characterized by intense fear of gaining
weight, disturbed body image, refusal to maintain normal weight, and dangerous
measures to lose weight
antagonist - ANSWER: a chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter
anterograde amnesia - ANSWER: loss of memories for events that occur after a head
injury
antianxiety drugs - ANSWER: medications that relieve tension, apprehension, and
nervousness
antidepressant drugs - ANSWER: medications that gradually elevate mood and help
bring people out of a depression
antipsychotic drugs - ANSWER: medications used to gradually reduce psychotic
symptoms, including hyperactivity, mental confusion, hallucinations, and delusions
antisocial personality disorder - ANSWER: a type of personality disorder marked by
impulsive, callous, manipulative, aggressive, and irresponsible behavior that reflects
a failure to accept social norms
anxiety disorders - ANSWER: a class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive
apprehension and anxiety
,applied psychology - ANSWER: the branch of psychology concerned with everyday,
practical problems
approach-approach conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must be
made between two attractive goals
approach-avoidance conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must be
made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive and unattractive
aspects
aptitude tests - ANSWER: psychological tests used to access talent for specific types
of mental ability
archetypes - ANSWER: according to Jung, emotionally charged images and thought
forms that have universal meaning
argument - ANSWER: one or more premises used to provide support for a conclusion
ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) - ANSWER: the afferent fibers running
through the reticular formation that influence physiological arousal
assumptions - ANSWER: premises for which no proof or evidence is offered
attachment - ANSWER: a close, emotional bond of affection between infants and
their caregivers
attention - ANSWER: focusing awareness on a narrow range of stimuli or events
attitudes - ANSWER: orientations that locate objects of thought on dimensions of
judgment
attributions - ANSWER: inferences that people draw about the causes of events,
others' behavior, and their own behavior
auditory localization - ANSWER: location the source of a sound in space
autonomic nervous system (ANS) - ANSWER: the system of nerves that connect to
the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands
availability heuristic - ANSWER: basing the estimated probability of an event on the
ease with which relevant instances come to mind
aversion therapy - ANSWER: a behavior therapy in which an aversive stimulus is
paired with a stimulus that elicits and undesirable response
, avoidance-avoidance conflict - ANSWER: a conflict situation in which a choice must
be made between two unattractive goals
avoidance learning - ANSWER: learning that has occurred when an organism engages
in a response that prevents aversive stimulation from occurring
axon - ANSWER: a long, thing fiber that transmits signals away from the neuron cell
body to other neurons, or to muscles or glands
behavior - ANSWER: any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
behavior modification - ANSWER: a systematic approach to changing behavior
through the application of the principles of conditioning
behavior therapies - ANSWER: application of the principles of learning to direct
efforts to change clients' maladaptive behaviors
behavioral contract - ANSWER: a written agreement outlining a promise to adhere to
the contingencies of a behavior modification program
behaviorism - ANSWER: a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific
psychology should study only observable behavior
bilingualism - ANSWER: the acquisition of two languages that use different speech
sounds, vocabularies, and grammatical rules
binge-eating disorder - ANSWER: distress-inducing eating binges that are not
accompanied by the purging, fasting, and excessive exercise seen in bulimia
binocular depth cues - ANSWER: clues about distance based on the differing views of
the two eyes
biological rhythms - ANSWER: periodic fluctuations in physiological functioning
biomedical therapies - ANSWER: physiological interventions intended to reduce
symptoms associated with psychological disorders
biopsychosocial model - ANSWER: a model of illness that holds that physical illness is
caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
bipolar disorder - ANSWER: (formerly known as manic-depressive disorder) mood
disorder marked by the experience of both depressed and manic periods
bisexuals - ANSWER: persons who seek emotional-sexual relationships with
members of either sex
body mass index (BMI) - ANSWER: weight (in kg) divided by height squared (m^2)
