328 ❯ GlossaryBiological approach—psychological perspective
concerned with physiological and biochemical
factors that determine behavior and mental pro-
cesses.
Biological preparedness—the species-specific predis-
position to learn in certain ways but not in others.
Biopsychosocial model—overarching psychological
perspective that integrates biological processes,
psychological factors, and social forces to provide
a more complete picture of behavior and mental
processes than a single approach.
Bipolar cells—second layer of neurons in the retina
that transmit impulses from rods and cones to
ganglion cells.
Bipolar disorder—characterized by extreme mood
swings from unusual excitement (mania) to serious
depression.
Bisexuality—a tendency to direct sexual desire
toward people of both sexes.
Blastula—the hollow ball stage of cell division during
the first two weeks after conception.
Blind spot—region of the retina, without receptor
cells or vision, where the optic nerve leaves the eye.
Blocking—the inability to condition a second stimu-
lus because of prior conditioning to another stimu-
lus that is also present during training.
Blood-brain barrier—a collection of cells that press
together against the walls of capillaries to block
many substances from entering the brain, while
allowing others to pass.
Borderline personality disorder—maladaptive beha-
vior characterized by rapidly shifting and unstable
mood, self-concept, and interpersonal relation-
ships, as well as impulsiveness; self- mutilation, and
anger directed inwards; promis cuity and other self-
destructive habits like drug addiction are common.
Bottom-up processing—data-driven information
processing that begins with sensory receptors and
works up to the brain’s integration of sensory
information to construct perceptions.
Brain—portion of the central nervous system above
the spinal cord.
Brainstem—also called the hindbrain, includes the
medulla, pons, and cerebellum.
Brainstorming—a popular technique practiced
during creative problem solving that encourages
the generation of many ideas in a nonjudgmental
environment.
Broadbent filter theory of memory—inputs are
analyzed for each stage of memory and most fil-
tered out; only the most important are encoded.
Broca’s area—region in left frontal lobe that controls
production of speech.Bulimia nervosa—an eating disorder characterized
by a pattern of eating binges involving intake of
thousands of calories, followed by purging either
by vomiting or using laxatives.
Bystander effect—tendency for an observer to be less
likely to give aid if other observers are present.
Cannon-Bard theory—theory that emotions and
physiological states occur simultaneously.
Cardinal trait—defining personality characteristic,
in a small number of us, that dominates and shapes
our behavior (according to Allport).
Case study—intensive investigation of the behavior
and mental processes associated with a specific
person or situation.
Catastrophes—stressors that are unpredictable, large-
scale disasters that threaten us.
Catatonia—a schizophrenic spectrum disorder char-
acterized by bizarre motor behavior that sometimes
takes the form of an immobile stupor and waxy
flexibility.
Catharsis—in Freudian psychoanalysis, the release of
emotional tension after remembering or reliving
an emotionally charged experience from the past;
as a coping device for stress, the release of pent-up
emotions through exercise or other means.
Cell body—also called the cyton or soma, the part
of the neuron that contains cytoplasm and the
nucleus which directs synthesis of such substances
as neurotransmitters.
Central nervous system (CNS)—brain and spinal
cord.
Central route of persuasion—according to the
elaboration likelihood model, changes attitudes by
requiring a person to think critically about an argu-
ment; usually results in stable change of attitudes.
Central tendency—average or most typical scores of
a set of research data or distribution.
Central trait—a general characteristic that shapes
much of our behavior (according to Allport).
Cerebellum—part of the brainstem that controls
posture, equilibrium, and movement.
Cerebral cortex—convoluted part of forebrain that is
the center for higher order processes such as think-
ing, planning, judgment; receives and processes
sensory information and directs movement.
Chaining—an operant conditioning technique used
to teach complex behaviors; a number of behaviors
must be done successively before the reward is
given.
Chromosome—structure in the nucleus of cells that
contains genes determined by DNA sequences.
Chunking—grouping information into meaningful
units; expands the capacity of short-term memory
beyond seven unrelated bits of information.BM.indd 328 27-05-2018 15:32:46