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Abnormal behavior—behavior which is statistically
unusual, maladaptive, and personally distressing
to the individual.
Abstract Learning—learning in which the relation-
ship between and among stimuli are more impor-
tant than the physical features of the stimuli.
Accommodation—process by which we modify our
schemas to fit new information; process of
changing the curvature of the lens to focus light
rays on the retina of the eye.
Acetylcholine (ACh)—a neurotransmitter that causes
contraction of skeletal muscles, helps regulate heart
muscles, is involved in memory and also transmits
messages between the brain and spinal cord. Lack of
ACh is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Achievement motive—the desire to accomplish some-
thing, to excel, or reach a standard of excellence.
Achievement tests—tests that measure our current
mastery of a subject or specific program of study.
Acoustic encoding—the encoding of sound, espe-
cially the sound of words.
Acquisition—learning a new behavior; refers to the
initial stage of conditioning in which the new
response is established and gradually strength-
ened.
Action potential—also called an impulse, the
“firing” of a neuron; a net flow of sodium ions
into the cell that causes a rapid change in poten-
tial across the membrane when stimulation
reaches threshold.
Activation-synthesis theory—during REM sleep
the brainstem stimulates the forebrain with
random neural activity, which we interpret as a
dream.
Active listening—Rogers’ term for hearing another
person with complete attention to what he/she
says and means through acknowledging feelings,
echoing, restating, and seeking clarification.
Actor-observer bias—tendency to focus on our own
situations and the other person, rather than
his/her situation, when we interpret behavior.Acuity—resolution or sharpness with respect to a
visual image.
Adaptations—structures or behaviors that increase
chances of survival.
Adrenal glands—endocrine glands atop kidneys.
Adrenal cortex, the outer layer, produces steroid
hormones such as cortisol which is a stress
hormone. Adrenal medulla, the core, secretes adren-
aline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepin-
ephrine) which prepare the body for “fight or
flight” like the sympathetic nervous system does.
Affective (mood) disorder—disorder characterized
by significant shifts or disturbances in mood that
affect normal perception, thought, and behavior;
depression and bipolar disorders.
Afferent neuron—also called sensory neuron, nerve
cell in our PNS that transmits impulses from
receptors to the brain or spinal cord.
Affiliation motive—the need to be with others.
Age of viability—the end of the second trimester in
pregnancy; the point at which there is a reasonable
chance the fetus will survive if born prematurely.
Aggression—any behavior intended to hurt some-
one, either physically or psychologically.
Alarm response—first stage of Selye’s general
adaptation syndrome (GAS) to stress; involves
increasing activity of the sympathetic nervous
system speeding up heart rate, blood pressure and
releasing adrenaline.
Albinism—recessive trait that produces lack of pig-
ment, and involves quivering eyes and inability to
perceive depth with both eyes.
Algorithm—problem-solving strategy that involves
a slow, step-by-step procedure that guarantees a
solution to certain types of problems.
All-or-none-principle—the law that the neuron
either generates an action potential when the
stimulation reaches threshold or it doesn’t fire
when stimulation is below threshold. The strength
of the action potential is constant whenever it
occurs.GLOSSARY
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