Senior Seminar - Final

blocking

the association between CS and UCS is impaired during the conditioning process; a second CS is paired with another CS that has already been linked to UCS

stimulus response theory

the belief that behavior manifests as a result of the interplay between stimulus and response

premack principle

the concept that a more preferred activity can be used to reinforce a less-preferred activity

gender dysphoria

the condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one's biological sex

flooding

a behavior therapy technique where the person is exposed directly to a maximum intensity anxiety-producing situation or stimulus, either in the imagination or in reality

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient

ADHD

a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

fixed-ratio schedule

reinforcement of a behavior only after a specified number of responses

shaping

reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired end behavior

little albert experiment

Classical conditioning of fear 9-month-old became frightened by a rat after a loud noise was paired with every presentation of the rat

preparedness

relative ease with which an association between 2 stimuli can be made

albert bandura

researcher famous for work in social learning, including the famous bobo doll experiment

Huntington's disease

A human genetic disease caused by a dominant allele; characterized by uncontrollable body movements and degeneration of the nervous system; usually fatal 10 to 20 years after the onset of symptoms.

conversion disorder

A rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found.

Dorothea Dix

A reformer and pioneer in the movement to treat the insane as mentally ill, beginning in the 1820's, she was responsible for improving conditions in jails, poorhouses and insane asylums throughout the U.S. and Canada. She succeeded in persuading many states to assume responsibility for the care of the mentally ill. She served as the Superintendant of Nurses for the Union Army during the Civil War.

systematic desensitization

A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli

Anna O.

Often cited as the first psychoanalytic patient, she suffered from hysteria and was give hypnosis treatment which influenced Freud's psychoanalysis

Hypersomnolence Disorder

sleep dysfunction involving an excessive amount of sleep that disrupts normal routines

skinner box

small enclosure in which an animal can make a specific response that is systematically recorded while the consequences of the response are controlled

catatonia

state of general unresponsiveness in a person who is fully conscious. There are two manifestations: one presents itself as a stupor while the other is a highly excitable state

stimulus generalization

stimulus similar to the initial CS will also elicit a CR

Eclectic treatment

style of therapy that uses techniques drawn from several different schools of thought

unconditioned response

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

tabula rasa

John Locke's concept of the mind as a blank sheet ultimately bombarded by sense impressions that, aided by human reasoning, formulate ideas.

negative punishment

taking away a desired stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior

negative reinforcement

taking away an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior

client-centered therapy

The nondirective approach developed by Carl Rogers, in which psychotherapy is viewed as an opportunity for the patient to grow and "become a person" by realizing his own inner potentialities; based on the theory that human nature is fundamentally sound and that every individual has a capacity for self-actualization and healthy adjustment. However, that capacity may be blocked by emotional conflicts, distorted ideas, or a faulty self-image

cognitive triad

The three forms of negative thinking that Aaron Beck theorizes lead people to feel depressed. The triad consists of a negative view of one's experiences, oneself, and the future.

DTs (delirium tremens)

Usually associated with withdrawal from alcohol with extreme agitation, paranoia, hallucinations

counterconditioning

a behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; includes exposure therapies and aversive conditioning

antipsychotics

a class of medication used in psychiatry to manage psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking that are frequently associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. First introduced in the 1950's, and also known as neuroleptics, the ones known as "typical" work by blocking dopamine receptors. The "atypical" drugs that were first introduced in the 1970's also block serotonin receptors.

Anhedonia

a condition marked by a loss of pleasure and enjoyment from life and activities that are normally enjoyed; associated with mood disorders, schizophrenia, and schizoid personality types

illness anxiety disorder

a disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

cyclothymic disorder

a disorder marked by numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and mild depressive symptoms

depersonalization disorder

a disorder marked by periods of feeling disconnected or detached from one's body and thoughts

EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)

a form of psychotherapy in which the person being treated is asked to recall distressing images while generating one type of bilateral sensory input, such as side-to-side eye movements or hand tapping

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others; tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference; show no remorse; show symptoms of conduct disorder before the age of 15

dysthymic disorder

a mood disorder involving a pattern of comparatively mild depression that lasts for at least two years

Conduct Disorder (CD)

a pattern of repetitive behavior in which the rights of others or social norms are violated

histrionic personality disorder

a personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and preoccupation with being the center of attention; emotional shallowness; overly dramatic behavior

dependent personality disorder

a personality disorder that is characterized by a pervasive psychological dependence on other people. This personality disorder is a long-term condition[1] in which people depend on others to meet their emotional and physical needs, with only a minority achieving normal levels of independence

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)

Catharsis

a psychodynamic principle that, in its most basic sense, is simply an emotional release

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

a psychological disorder characterized by a prolonged disturbance of personality accompanied by mood swings, unstable personal relationships, identity problems, threats of self-destructive behavior, fears of abandonment, and impulsivity

Bulimia Nervosa

a psychological eating disorder which alternates between episodes of bingeing (binge eating or overeating) and purging (vomiting food or overexercising). The former manifests as an uncontrolled type of hunger while the latter is a form of compensatory behavior

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

a range of symptoms that are mostly characterized by impairment in social interactions, communication difficulties, and repetitive behaviors; typically diagnosed within the first two years of life; the severity and level of impairment in individuals can range from barely present to very severe

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Formerly called multiple personality disorder.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

a self-help organization that provides support and guidance for people with alcohol use disorder

discriminative stimulus

a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement; in contrast with related stimuli that are not associated with the reinforcement

existential therapy

a therapy that encourages clients to accept responsibility for their lives and to live with greater meaning and value

taste aversion

a type of classical conditioning in which a previously desirable or neutral food comes to be perceived as repugnant because it is associated with negative stimulation

positive reinforcement

adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior

positive punishment

adding an undesirable stimulus to stop or decrease a behavior

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

behavior analysis

an area of psychology that focuses on the environmental determinants of learning and behavior

Anorexia Nervosa

an eating disorder, which occurs frequently in adolescent girls, involving the refusal of food, a drive for thinness, perceptual disturbances in the person's view of the body, amenorrhea, excessive purging or restricting behaviors, and weight loss

overjustification effect

an expected external incentive such as money or prizes decreases one's intrinsic motivation to perform a task

instinctive drift

tendency for animals to return to innate behaviors following repeated reinforcement

drug tolerance

tendency for larger doses of a drug to be required over time to achieve the same level of stimulation

DSM-5

the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

continuous reinforcement

behavior is reinforced every time it occurs

partial reinforcement

behavior not reinforced every time it is performed; slower acquisition and greater resistance to extinction that consistent reinforcement

edward thorndike

behaviorism; Law of Effect-relationship between behavior and consequence; first psychologist to propose a thesis with animal subjects

john b. watson

behaviorism; emphasis on external behaviors of people and their reactions on a given situation; famous for Little Albert study in which baby was taught to fear a white rat

law of effect

behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

latrogenic

caused by a medication or clinician

operant conditioning

consequences of behaviors determine the likelihood of their repetition in the future

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation.

Bipolar Disorder 1

diagnosed when at least one manic episode is present in patient history and that may be severe enough to require hospitalization; patient may or may not have also had at least one major depressive episode

latent inhibition

difficulty in establishing classical conditioning to a conditioned stimulus we've repeatedly experienced alone, that is, without the unconditioned stimulus

dissociative fugue

disorder in which one travels away from home and is unable to remember details of his past, including often his identity

factitious disorder

exaggerate or lie about their medical symptoms and sometimes injure themselves ( or others) or endure unnecessary invasive tests and surgeries; a deep, irrational desire for medical attention for themselves or another person.

token economy

exhibiting a desired behavior results in earning tokens that may be later exchanged for various priviledges in an operant conditioning scenario

mirror neurons

frontal lobe neurons that fire when a person observes others perform behaviors they are meant to replicate

unconditioned stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response.

conditioned stimulus

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

conditioned response

in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)

Bipolar Disorder 2

involves a major depressive episode lasting at least two weeks and at least one hypomanic episode; typically don't experience manic episodes intense enough to require hospitalization

vicarious reinforcement

learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action

expectancy theory

people will be motivated to the extent to which they believe that their efforts will lead to good performance, that good performance will be rewarded, and that they will be offered attractive rewards

radical behaviorism

philosophy that behavior can be observed as a natural science rather than one that involves methodological explanations

spontaneous recovery

previously-extinguished CR reoccurs after a presentation of the CS

consumer reports study

psychotherapy resulted in some improvement for the majority of respondents psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers were rated relatively highly and equally psychotherapy alone and psychotherapy + medication resulted in similar improvements longer tx was related to more improvement

edward tolman

rat research; use of cognitive maps; coined the term latent learning

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

refers to a condition in which people perform excessive, repetitive behaviors or have repetitive mental thoughts due to a perceived or actual defect in their appearance. The flaw or defect is usually nonexistent or very slight.

evaluative conditioning

refers to changes in the linking of a stimulus that results from pairing that stimulus with other positive or negative stimuli

variable-ratio schedule

reinforcement of a behavior after an unpredictable number of responses

variable-interval schedule

reinforcement of a behavior at unpredictable time intervals

fixed-interval schedule

reinforcement of a behavior only after a specified amount of time has elapsed

extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.

classical conditioning

the individual learns to link 2 or more stimuli as a previously neutral stimulus elicits the response when paired with a stimulus that already produces a natural response

trace conditioning

the presentation of the CS, followed by a short break, followed by the presentation of the US

modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Congruence

the requirement for a professional to behave in alignment with their authentic feelings instead of with a preset or ideal perception of what a therapist should be or act like, or the aware incorporation of an encounter into the individual.

agoraphobia

the severe anxiety about being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or embarrassing; marked by dread pertaining to being in areas or circumstances for worry of having out of control worry signs or a panic attack

depressive realism

the tendency for mildly depressed people to make judgments that are typically more accurate than people who are not depressed

Biofeedback

the therapeutic approach of using an external device in order to consciously monitor changes in vital signs such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Guided by these monitoring devices, a patient is trained to control these functions voluntarily

social learning theory

theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating others

Countertransference

therapist reaction towards a client