AP Psychology Module 15

Fear of Failure

: shown by people who are motivated to avoid failure by choosing easy, nonchallenging tasks where failure is unlikely to occur

Overweight

a person is 20% above the ideal body weight

Obesity

a person is 30% or more above the ideal body weight

Double Standard for Sexual Behavior

a set of beliefs, values, and expectations that subtly encourages sexual activity in men but discourages the same behavior in women

Fixed Action Pattern

an innate biological force that predisposes an organism to behave in a fixed way in the presence of a specific environmental condition

Bulimia Nervosa

characterized by minimum of two binge eating episodes per week for at least three months. Fear of not being able to stop eating; regularly engaging in vomiting, use of laxatives, or rigorous dieting and fasting; and excessive concern about body shape and weight

Sex Hormones

chemicals secreted by glands, circulate the bloodstream to influence the brain, body organs, and behaviors. The major male sex hormones secreted by the testes are androgens such as testosterone. The major female sex hormones secreted by the ovaries are estrogens

Peripheral Cues

come from changes in blood chemistry or signals from digestive organs which secrete various hormones. (Stomach, liver, intestines, fat cells)

Genetic Hunger Factors

come from inherited instructions found in our genes. These instructions determine the number of fat cells or metabolic rates of burning off the body's fuel, which push us toward being normal, overweight or underweight.

Psychological Hunger Factors

come from learned associations between food and other stimuli such as snacking while watching TV; sociocultural influences such as pressures to be thin; and various personality problems such as depression, dislike of body image or low self esteem

Biological Hunger Factors

come from physiological changes in blood chemistry and signals from digestive organs that provide feedback to the brain, which trigers us to eat or stop eating.

Paraphilia's

commonly called sexual deviations are characterized by sexual fantasies involving nonhuman objects, such as sexual attractions to particular articles of clothing

Gender Identity Disorder

commonly referred to as transsexualism. A transsexual is a person who has a strong and persistent desire to be the other sex, is uncomfortable about being one's assigned sex and may wish to lie as a member of the other sex

Genital Cutting

cutting away the females external genitalia usually her clitoris and surrounding skin. The remaining edges are sewn together, which leaves only a small opening for urination and menstruation

Social Needs

desire for affiliation or close social bonds nurturance or need to help and protect others, dominance or need to influence or control others, and achievement or need to excel are acquired through learning and experience

Self-Handicapping

doing things that contribute to failure and then using these very things, knowingly or unknowingly as excuses for failing to achieve some goal

Evolutionary Theory

emphasizes genetic and biological forces, says that our current male female differences in sexual behavior, which we call a double standard, arise from genetic and biological forces which in turn grew out of an ancient set of successful mating patterns that helped the species survive

Biosocial Theory

emphasizes social and cultural forces, says that differences in sexual activities and in values for selecting mates developed from traditional cultural divisions of labor: Women were primarily childbearers and homemakers, while men were primarily providers and protectors

Masters and Johnsons Four Stage Model of Sexual Response

excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution

Incentives

goals that can be either objects or thoughts that we learn to value and that we are motivated to obtain

Cognitive Factors in Motivation

how people evaluate or perceive a situation and how these evaluations and perceptions influence their willingness to work

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

in ascending order, in which biological needs are placed at the bottom and social needs at the top. According to Maslow's hierarchy, we satisfy our biological needs (bottom) before we satisfy our social needs (top)

Sex Chromosome

in the sperm or egg, contains 23 chromosomes which in turn have genes that contain instructions for determining the sex of the child.

Genetic Sex Factors

include inherited instructions for the development of sexual organs, the secretion of hormones and the wiring of the neural circuits that control sexual reflexes.

Biological Sex Factors

include the action of sex hormones which are involved in secondary sex characteristics (facial hair, breasts), sexual motivation and the development of ova and sperm.

Reward/Pleasure Center

includes several areas of the brain such as the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, and involves several neurotransmitters, especially dopamine. These components make up a neural circuitry that produces rewarding and pleasurable things

Underachievers

individuals who score relatively high on tests of ability or intelligence but perform more poorly than their scores would predict

Instincts

innate tendencies or biological forces that determine behavior

Intrinsic Motivation

involves engaging in certain activities or behaviors because the behaviors themselves are personally rewarding or because engaging in these activities fulfills our beliefs or expectations

Extrinsic Motivation

involves engaging in certain activities or behaviors that either reduce biological needs or help us obtain incentives or external awards

AIDS

life threatening condition that is present when the individual is HIV positive and has a level of T cells no higher than 200 per cubic milliliter of blood or has developed one or more of 26 specified illnesses

Social Needs

needs that are acquired through learning and experience.

Bisexual Orientation

pattern of sexual arousal by persons of both sexes

Thematic Apperception Test

personality test in which subjects are asked to look at pictures of people in ambiguous situations and make up stories about what the characters are thinking and feeling and what the outcome will be

Biological Needs

physiological requirements that are critical to our survival and physical well-being.

Psychological Sex Factors

play a role in developing a sexual or gender identity, gender role, and sexual orientation. In addition, psychological factors can result in difficulties in the performance or enjoyment of sexual activities

Weight-Regulating Genes

play a role in influencing appetite, body metabolism, and secretion of hormones that regulate fat stored

Sexual Dysfunctions

problems of sexual arousal or orgasm that interfere with adequate functioning during sexual behavior

Set Point

refers to a certain level of body fat that our bodies strive to maintain constant throughout our lives

Heterosexual Orientation

refers to a pattern of sexual arousal by persons of the opposite sex

Homosexual Orientation

refers to a pattern of sexual arousal by persons of the same sex

Inhibited Female Orgasm

refers to a persistent delay or absence of orgasm after becoming aroused and excited

Metabolic Weight

refers to how efficiently our bodies break down food into energy and how quickly our bodies burn off that fuel

Organic Factors

refers to medical conditions or drug or medication problems that lead to sexual difficulties

Psychological Factors

refers to performance anxiety, sexual trauma, guilt and failure to communicate all of which may lead to sexual problems

Premature or Rapid Ejaculation

refers to persistent or recurrent absense of voluntary control over ejaculation, in which the male ejaculates with minimal sexual stimulation before, upon or shortly after penetration and before he wishes to

Achievement Need

refers to the desire to set challenging goals and to persist in pursuing those goals in the face of obstacles, frustrations, and setbacks

Gender Identity

refers to the individuals subjective experience and feelings of being either a male or female.

HIV Positive

refers to the presence of HIV antibodies which means that the individual has been infected by the human immuno deficiency virus which is believed to cause AIDS

Gender Roles

refers to the traditional or stereotypical behaviors, attitudes, and personality traits that society designates as masculine or feminine. Gender roles greatly influence how we think and behave

Motivation

refers to the various physiological and psychological factors that cause us to act in a specific way at a particular time

Central Cues

result from activity in different brain areas which results in increasing or decreasing appetite. (hypothalamus, lateral hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus)

Optimal or Ideal Weight

results from an almost perfect balance between how much food an organism eats and how much it needs to meet its body's energy needs.

Interactive Model of Sexual Orientation

says that genetic and biological factors such as genetic instructions and prenatal hormones, interact with psychological factors, such as the individual's attitudes, personality traits, and behaviors, to influence the development of sexual orientation

Anorexia Nervosa

serious eating disorder characterized by refusing to eat and not maintaining weight at 85% of what is expected, having an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, and missing at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. Anorexics also have a disturbed body image: they see themselves as fat even thought they are very thin

Sexual Orientation

sexual preference. Refers to whether a person is sexually aroused by members of his or her own sex, the opposite sex, or both sexes

High Need For Achievement

shown by those who persist longer at tasks; perform better on tasks, activities, or exams; set challenging but realistic goals; compete with others to win; and are attracted to careers that require initiative

Male Hypothalamus

triggers a continuous release of androgens such as testosterone from the testes. The increased level of androgens causes the development of male secondary sexual characteristics such as facial and pubic hair, muscle growth, and lowered voice.

Female Hypothalamus

triggers a cyclical release of estrogens from the ovaries. The increased level of estrogens causes the development of female secondary sex characteristics such as pubic hair, breast development, and widening of the hips. The cyclical release of hormones also regulates the menstrual cycle

Fat Cells

whose number is primarily determined by heredity, do not normally multiply except when people become obese. Fat cells shrink if we are giving up fat and losing weight and enlarge when storing fat and gaining weight