Behavioral Psychologist Interview Preparation Guide

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cognitive approach a theoretical framework of human and animal learning which olds that both humans and animals acquire and store mental representations of knowledge, cognitions, such as what is where, cognitive maps or what leads to what, expectancies, this contrasts with theories of instrumental learning such a s Skinner’, which assert that learning consists of the strengthening or weakening of particular tendencies

availability heuristic the decision-making shortcut whereby one’s judgment is biased from using the information that most readily comes to mind

cognitive dissonance theory Leon Festinger’s consistency theory, which states that inconsistency between cognitions produces discomfort (dissonance), leading a person to act to restore consistency in order to remove that discomfort. For example, when we realize that we have behaved in a way that is inconsistent with out attitudes, we may change out attitudes to reduce the dissonance caused by having those inconsistent cognitions

automatic processing the encoding of information, particularly related to tme, space, and frequency of events in addition to well-learned information that occurs outside of conscious awareness and requires little attention or effort, and is of unknown capacity

biological universals the biological elements that are common among all the members of a species, for human being, these include body structure, dependency of newborn children, year-round sexuality, and a complex brain structure

delirium tremens syndrome of highly unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (i.e., hallucinations, vomiting, uncontrolled trembling, and muscle spasms) that occurs as a consequence of abstinence from intoxicating substances after a period of long-term heavy use

central nervous system one of the major divisions of the human nervous system, it consists of the brain, spinal cord, optic nerves, and retina, and is primarily responsible for storing and processing information

anterograde amnesia a disruption of memory consolidation process that occurs when a blow to the head interferes with the formation of memory of events immediately following the blow

color deficiency the inability of people with normal acuity to see certain colors, owing to a deficit in one or more of the three types of retinal cones, the most common is the inability to distinguish red and green

association cortex region of the cortex that is not programmed for sensory or motor activities were higher mental processing involved in thought, learning, and memory occurs, this region is involved in the integration of sensory information or motor commands

cochlea a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains the basilar membrane whose deformation by sound-produced pressure stimulates the auditory receptors

conditioned response (CR) a response elicited by some initially neutral stimulus, the conditioned stimulus (CS), as a result of pairing between that CS and an unconditioned stimulus (US), the CR and the unconditioned response are typically not identical, though they are often similar

differentiation a progressive change from the general to the particular and from the simpler to the more complex which characterizes embryological development, according to some theorists, the same patters holds for the development of behavior after birth

amniocentesis a medical technique used after the sixteenth week of pregnancy whereby a sample of amniotic fluid is drawn from the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus, an analysis of the fluid enables doctors to determine whether the fetus has certain chromosomal abnormalities

autoimmune diseases a class of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, that are characterized by a disruption of the chemical communication system that regulates the immune system, instead of attacking antigens, the immune system attacks healthy tissues of the body and causes inflammation or deterioration

binocular disparity when both eyes are focused on the same object, the difference in the retinal position of the object’s image in the left and right eyes provides a cue for depth perception

culture a people’s way of life, including material goods, social institutions, and the symbols, concepts, values, beliefs, norms, habits, skills, and other learned capabilities acquired by human beings and transmitted across generations

Cannon-Bard theory the perspective that suggests that when we are exposed to emotion-provoking events or stimuli, we simultaneously experience both physiological arousal and the subjective experience of emotions

attachment behaviors the signals, e.g., crying, smiling, reaching, and clinging from infants that trigger responsiveness in caregivers, increasing the likelihood of attachment

blind spot the place on the retina where the optic nerve exits the eyeball that lacks rods or cones, the brain fills in information to compensate for the lack of receptors in this area

artificial intelligence the programming in a computer that instructs it to behave in intelligent ways, as in simulating human knowledge and skills to accomplish a task, as well as the branch of computer science concerned with such programming

diffusion of responsibility a decrease in a person’s individual sense of responsibility to help in an emergency that occurs when bystanders are present, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely a helping response is to occur

culturally sensitive therapy therapy designed to be responsive to variations of values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors across cultures, when dealing with disadvantaged groups, it avoids blaming the victim and recognizes that behaviors defined as abnormal by the dominant society may be coping strategies necessary for survival

behavioral medicine an interdisciplinary field which encompasses scientific research, education, and practice focusing on the relation between behaviors to health, illness, and related physiological problems

anal stage according to Freud, the second stage of childhood development, which occurs between one to three years of age, in which psychic energy becomes focused on anal activities, such as defecation