Glossary of terms used on this site
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| unconditioned response (UCR) |
Glossaries - Psychology
natural (unlearned) behavior to a given stimulus |
| unconditioned stimulus (UCS) |
Glossaries - Psychology
stimulus that elicits a reflexive response |
| unconscious |
Glossaries - Psychology
mental activity of which we are unaware and unable to access |
| uninvolved parenting style |
Glossaries - Psychology
parents are indifferent, uninvolved, and sometimes referred to as neglectful; they don’t respond to the child’s needs and make relatively few demands |
| validity |
Glossaries - Psychology
accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure |
| variable interval reinforcement schedule |
Glossaries - Psychology
behavior is rewarded after unpredictable amounts of time have passed |
| variable ratio reinforcement schedule |
Glossaries - Psychology
number of responses differ before a behavior is rewarded |
| ventral tegmental area (VTA) |
Glossaries - Psychology
midbrain structure where dopamine is produced: associated with mood, reward, and addiction |
| vicarious punishment |
Glossaries - Psychology
process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the model’s behavior |
| vicarious reinforcement |
Glossaries - Psychology
process where the observer sees the model rewarded, making the observer more likely to imitate the model’s behavior |
| visual encoding |
Glossaries - Psychology
input of images |
| Wernicke’s area |
Glossaries - Psychology
important for speech comprehension |
| withdrawal |
Glossaries - Psychology
variety of negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued |
| withdrawal |
Glossaries - Psychology
variety of negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued |
| working backwards |
Glossaries - Psychology
heuristic in which you begin to solve a problem by focusing on the end result |