GLOSSARY G-7
gender identity the individual’s sense of being male or female.
gender roles the culture’s expectations for male or female behavior, includ-
ing attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with being male or
female in that culture.
gender schema theory theory of gender identity acquisition in which a
child develops a mental pattern, or schema, for being male or female and
then organizes observed and learned behavior around that schema.
gender stereotype a concept held about a person or group of people that is
based on being male or female.
gender typing the process of acquiring gender-role characteristics.
gene section of DNA having the same arrangement of chemical elements.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS) the three stages of the body’s physio-
logical reaction to stress, including alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
generalized anxiety disorder disorder in which a person has feelings of
dread and impending doom along with physical symptoms of stress,
which lasts 6 months or more.
generativity providing guidance to one’s children or the next generation,
or contributing to the well-being of the next generation through career or
volunteer work.
genetics the science of inherited traits.
genital stage the final stage in Freud’s psychosexual stages; from puberty
on, sexual urges are allowed back into consciousness and the individual
moves toward adult social and sexual behavior.
germinal period first 2 weeks after fertilization, during which the zygote
moves down to the uterus and begins to implant in the lining.
Gestalt psychology early perspective in psychology focusing on percep-
tion and sensation, particularly the perception of patterns and whole
figures.
Gestalt therapy form of directive insight therapy in which the therapist
helps clients accept all parts of their feelings and subjective experiences,
using leading questions and planned experiences such as role playing.
g factor the ability to reason and solve problems, or general intelligence.
gifted the 2 percent of the population falling on the upper end of the nor-
mal curve and typically possessing an IQ of 130 or above.
glial cells cells that provide support for the neurons to grow on and
around, deliver nutrients to neurons, produce myelin to coat axons, clean
up waste products and dead neurons, influence information process-
ing, and, during prenatal development, influence the generation of new
neurons.
glucagon hormone that is secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of
fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the body by increasing the level of
glucose in the bloodstream.
gonads sex glands; secrete hormones that regulate sexual development and
behavior as well as reproduction.
grammar the system of rules governing the structure and use of a language.
group polarization the tendency for members involved in a group discus-
sion to take somewhat more extreme positions and suggest riskier actions
when compared to individuals who have not participated in a group
discussion.
group therapy form of therapy or treatment during which a small group
of clients with similar concerns meet together with a therapist to address
their issues.
groupthink kind of thinking that occurs when people place more impor-
tance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the
problem with which the group is concerned.
habits in behaviorism, sets of well-learned responses that have become
automatic.
habituation tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchang-
ing information.hallucinations false sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices that do not
really exist.
hallucinogenics drugs including hallucinogens and marijuana that pro-
duce hallucinations or increased feelings of relaxation and intoxication.
hallucinogens drugs that cause false sensory messages, altering the percep-
tion of reality.
halo effect tendency of an interviewer to allow positive characteristics of a
client to influence the assessments of the client’s behavior and statements.
hardy personality a person who seems to thrive on stress but lacks the
anger and hostility of the Type A personality.
hassles the daily annoyances of everyday life.
health psychology area of psychology focusing on how physical activities,
psychological traits, stress reactions, and social relationships affect overall
health and rate of illnesses.
heritability degree to which the changes in some trait within a population
can be considered to be due to genetic influences; the extent to which indi-
vidual genetic differences affect individual differences in observed behav-
ior; in IQ, proportion of change in IQ within a population that is caused by
hereditary factors.
heroin narcotic drug derived from opium that is extremely addictive.
hertz (Hz) cycles or waves per second, a measurement of frequency.
heterosexual person attracted to the opposite sex.
heuristic an educated guess based on prior experiences that helps narrow
down the possible solutions for a problem. Also known as a “rule of thumb.”
higher-order conditioning occurs when a strong conditioned stimulus is
paired with a neutral stimulus, causing the neutral stimulus to become a
second conditioned stimulus.
hindsight bias the tendency to falsely believe, through revision of older
memories to include newer information, that one could have correctly pre-
dicted the outcome of an event.
hippocampus curved structure located within each temporal lobe, respon-
sible for the formation of long-term declarative memories.
histogram a bar graph showing a frequency distribution.
homeopathy the treatment of disease by introducing minute amounts of
substances that would cause disease in larger doses.
homeostasis the tendency of the body to maintain a steady state.
homosexual person attracted to the same sex.
hormones chemicals released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands.
human development the scientific study of the changes that occur in peo-
ple as they age from conception until death.
human factors psychology area of industrial/organizational psychology
concerned with the study of the way humans and machines interact with
each other.
humanistic perspective the “third force” in psychology that focuses on
those aspects of personality that make people uniquely human, such as
subjective feelings and freedom of choice.
hypnosis state of consciousness in which the person is especially suscepti-
ble to suggestion.
hypothalamus small structure in the brain located below the thalamus and
directly above the pituitary gland, responsible for motivational behavior
such as sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex.
hypothesis tentative explanation of a phenomenon based on observations.
iconic memory visual sensory memory, lasting only a fraction of a second.
identification defense mechanism in which a person tries to become like
someone else to deal with anxiety.
identity versus role confusion stage of personality development in which
the adolescent must find a consistent sense of self.Z03_CICC7961_05_SE_GLOS.indd 7 9/3/16 12:59 AM