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Primary sex characteristics—the reproductive
organs (ovaries, uterus, and testes) and external
genitals (vulva and penis).
Priming—activating specific associations in
memory either consciously or unconsciously.
Proactive interference—occurs when something
you learned earlier disrupts recall of something
you experience later.
Problem solving—the active efforts we undertake
to discover what must be done to achieve a goal
that isn’t readily attainable.
Procedural memory—memories of perceptual,
motor, and cognitive skills.
Projection—Freudian defense mechanism that
attributes our undesirable feelings to others.
Projective personality tests—present ambiguous
stimuli such as inkblots (Rorschaach) or pictures
(TAT) with the assumption that test takers will
project their unconscious thoughts or feelings
onto the stimuli (according to psychoanalytic
approach).
Prosocial behavior—positive, helpful and construc-
tive behavior.
Prototype—a mental image or “best example” that
incorporates all the features you associate with a
particular category.
Psychiatrist—is a medical doctor and the only
mental health professional who can prescribe
medication or perform surgery.
Psychoactive drug—a chemical that can pass
through the blood/brain barrier to alter percep-
tion, thinking, behavior and mood.
Psychoanalysis—Freudian form of therapy involv-
ing free association, dream analysis, resistance and
transference aimed at providing the patient
insight into his/her unconscious motivations and
conflicts.
Psychoanalyst—a therapist who has taken special-
ized postdoctoral training in psychoanalysis after
earning either an M.D. or a Ph.D.
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic approach—psy-
chological perspective concerned with how
unconscious instincts, conflicts, motives, and
defenses influence behavior.
Psychology—the science of behavior and mental
processes.
Psychometricians (measurement psychologists)—
focus on methods for acquiring and analyzing
psychological data; measure mental traits, abilities
and processes.
Psychopathology—a pattern of abnormality evi-
denced by emotions, behaviors, or thoughts inap-
propriate to the situation that lead to personal
distress or the inability to achieve important goals.
Psychopharmacotherapy—the use of psychotropic
drugs to treat mental disorders.
Psychosis—set of disorders including schizophrenia
where there is an apparent break from reality.
Psychosurgery—any surgical technique in which
neural pathways in the brain are cut in order to
change behavior, including lobotomy.
Psychoticism—Eysenck’s personality dimension
that measures our level of tough-mindedness, how
hostile, ruthless, and insensitive we are; as
opposed to tender-mindedness, how friendly,
empathetic, and cooperative we are.
Puberty—the early adolescent period marked by
accelerated growth and onset of the ability to
reproduce.
Punishment—an aversive consequence that follows
a voluntary behavior thereby decreasing the prob-
ability the behavior will be repeated.
Quasi-experiment—research method similar to a
controlled experiment, but in which random
assignment to groups is not possible. It can pro-
vide strong evidence suggesting cause and effect
relationships.
Random assignment—division of the sample
into group such that every individual has an
equal chance of being put in any group or
condition.
Random selection—choosing of members of a pop-
ulation such that every individual has an equal
chance of being chosen.
Range—the difference between the largest score and
the smallest score (quick and dirty).
Rational emotive therapy(RET)—cognitive treat-
ment developed by Ellis which is based on facing
the irrational thoughts in a rather confrontational
way; change in irrational thinking will lead to a
change in irrational behavior.
Rationalization—a Freudian defense mechanism
that provides socially acceptable reasons for our
inappropriate behavior.
Reaction formation—the Freudian defense mecha-
nism involving acting in a manner exactly oppo-
site to our true feelings.
Real self—according to Rogers, the positive and
original organism we are before society imposes
conditions of worth on us.Glossary ❮ 331