G-6 GLOSSARY
endocrine glands glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly
into the bloodstream.
environmental psychology area of psychology in which the focus
is on how people interact with and are affected by their physical
environments.
enzymatic degradation process by which the structure of a neurotransmit-
ter is altered so it can no longer act on a receptor.
episodic memory type of declarative memory containing personal informa-
tion not readily available to others, such as daily activities and events.
equal status contact contact between groups in which the groups have
equal status with neither group having power over the other.
escape or withdrawal leaving the presence of a stressor, either literally or
by a psychological withdrawal into fantasy, drug abuse, or apathy.
estrogens female hormones.
eustress the effect of positive events, or the optimal amount of stress that
people need to promote health and well-being.
evidence-based treatment also called empirically supported treatment;
refers to interventions, strategies, or techniques that have been found
to produce therapeutic and desired changes during controlled research
studies.
evolutionary perspective perspective that focuses on the biological bases of
universal mental characteristics that all humans share.
excitatory synapse synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiv-
ing cell to fire.
expectancy a person’s subjective feeling that a particular behavior will lead
to a reinforcing consequence.
experiment a deliberate manipulation of a variable to see if corresponding
changes in behavior result, allowing the determination of cause-and-effect
relationships.
experimental group subjects in an experiment who are subjected to the
independent variable.
experimental psychology area of psychology in which the psychologists
primarily do research and experiments in the areas of learning, memory,
thinking, perception, motivation, and language.
experimenter effect tendency of the experimenter’s expectations for a
study to unintentionally influence the results of the study.
exposure therapies behavioral techniques that expose individuals to anx-
iety- or fear-related stimuli under carefully controlled conditions to pro-
mote new learning.
extinction the disappearance or weakening of a learned response following
the removal or absence of the unconditioned stimulus (in classical condi-
tioning) or the removal of a reinforcer (in operant conditioning).
extraversion dimension of personality referring to one’s need to be with
other people.
extraverts people who are outgoing and sociable.
extrinsic motivation type of motivation in which a person performs an
action because it leads to an outcome that is separate from or external to
the person.
facial feedback hypothesis theory of emotion that assumes that facial
expressions provide feedback to the brain concerning the emotion being
expressed, which in turn causes and intensifies the emotion.
family counseling (family therapy) a form of group therapy in which fam-
ily members meet together with a counselor or therapist to resolve prob-
lems that affect the entire family.
fertilization the union of the ovum and sperm.
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) the physical and mental defects
caused by consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.
fetal period the time from about 8 weeks after conception until the birth of
the baby.fetus name for the developing organism from 8 weeks after fertilization to
the birth of the baby.
figure–ground the tendency to perceive objects, or figures, as existing on a
background.
five-factor model (Big Five) model of personality traits that describes five
basic trait dimensions.
fixation disorder in which the person does not fully resolve the conflict in a
particular psychosexual stage, resulting in personality traits and behavior
associated with that earlier stage.
fixed interval schedule of reinforcement schedule of reinforcement in
which the interval of time that must pass before reinforcement becomes
possible is always the same.
fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement schedule of reinforcement in which
the number of responses required for reinforcement is always the same.
flashbulb memories type of automatic encoding that occurs because an
unexpected event has strong emotional associations for the person remem-
bering it.
flat affect a lack of emotional responsiveness.
flooding technique for treating phobias and other stress disorders in which
the person is rapidly and intensely exposed to the fear-provoking situa-
tion or object and prevented from making the usual avoidance or escape
response.
foot-in-the-door technique asking for a small commitment and, after gain-
ing compliance, asking for a bigger commitment.
forensic psychology area of psychology concerned with people in the legal
system, including psychological assessment of criminals, jury selection,
and expert witnessing.
formal operations stage Piaget’s last stage of cognitive development, in
which the adolescent becomes capable of abstract thinking.
free association psychoanalytic technique in which a patient was encour-
aged to talk about anything that came to mind without fear of negative
evaluations.
free-floating anxiety anxiety that is unrelated to any specific and known
cause.
frequency count assessment in which the frequency of a particular behav-
ior is counted.
frequency distribution a table or graph that shows how often different
numbers or scores appear in a particular set of scores.
frequency theory theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the
speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane.
frontal lobes areas of the brain located in the front and top, responsible for
higher mental processes and decision making as well as the production of
fluent speech.
frustration the psychological experience produced by the blocking of a
desired goal or fulfillment of a perceived need.
fully functioning person a person who is in touch with and trusting of the
deepest, innermost urges and feelings.
functional fixedness a block to problem solving that comes from thinking
about objects in terms of only their typical functions.
functionalism early perspective in psychology associated with William
James, in which the focus of study is how the mind allows people to
adapt, live, work, and play.
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) MRI–based brain-imaging
method that allows for functional examination of brain areas through
changes in brain oxygenation.
fundamental attribution error the tendency to overestimate the influence
of internal factors in determining behavior while underestimating situa-
tional factors.
gender the psychological aspects of being male or female.Z03_CICC7961_05_SE_GLOS.indd 6 9/3/16 12:59 AM