Key Psychological Definitions Quiz

Key Psychological Definitions

• Analytical Psychology: Jung's theory emphasizing the unconscious mind and archetypes, suggesting a collective unconscious shared by all humans.
• Classical Conditioning: Learning through association; a neutral stimulus becomes linked to a meaningful stimulus, triggering a response (e.g., Pavlov's dogs).
• Cognition: Mental processes like thinking, learning, memory, and problem-solving.
• Conditioned Stimulus: A previously neutral stimulus that, after pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response (e.g., the bell in Pavlov's experiment).
• Defense Mechanism: Unconscious strategies to cope with anxiety (e.g., denial, repression).
• Displacement: Redirecting emotions to a safer target (e.g., yelling at a pet instead of a boss).
• Fixation: Getting stuck in a developmental stage, causing unresolved conflicts later.
• Id: Part of the mind seeking instant gratification (pleasure principle).
• Superego: Part of the mind representing moral standards.
• Ego: Part of the mind balancing the id and superego, mediating reality.
• Neurotic Disorder: Mental health disorders marked by anxiety, fear, or irrational behavior with a person's understanding of reality still intact.
• Psychoanalytic Theory: Freud's theory that early experiences and unconscious drives shape behavior and personality.

Major Psychological Theories

• Behaviorism: Focuses on observable behavior and learning from the environment (rewards/punishments). Key figures are Skinner and Pavlov.
• Psychodynamic Psychology: Emphasizes unconscious drives and childhood experiences. Key figure is Freud. Behaviorism focuses on external, psychodynamic on internal processes.
• Cognitive Psychology: Focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, and problem-solving. Key figure is Piaget.
• Humanistic Psychology: Focuses on self-actualization and personal growth. Key figures are Maslow and Rogers. Cognitive looks at information processing, humanistic at personal growth.
• Psychodynamic vs. Humanistic: Psychodynamic emphasizes unconscious conflict; humanistic emphasizes personal development and free will.
• Humanistic vs. Behaviorism: Humanism emphasizes free will and personal growth; behaviorism emphasizes reinforcement and punishment.

Conditioning Concepts

• Operant Conditioning: Learning through consequences (reinforcement or punishment). Reinforcement increases behavior (positive = reward, negative = removal of unpleasant); punishment decreases behavior (positive = unpleasant stimulus, negative = removal of reward). Key figure: B.F. Skinner.
• Classical Conditioning: Learning via association, where a neutral stimulus leads to a learned response (Pavlov's dogs). Key figure: Ivan Pavlov.
• Classical vs. Operant Conditioning: Classical involves association; operant involves consequences.

Dreaming Theories

• Psychoanalytic theory: Dreams represent repressed desires and emotions (Freud).
• Activation-synthesis theory: Dreams are the brain's attempt to interpret random neural activity.
• Cognitive theory: Dreams process memories and emotions.
• Evolutionary theory: Dreams may simulate threats and responses, preparing us for danger.

Nature vs. Nurture

• Nature: Genetics influence who we are (inherited traits). Supported by identical twins raised separately showing similar behaviors.
• Nurture: The environment shapes us (upbringing, culture). Children in different backgrounds develop differently.
• Modern view: Nature and nurture interact (biopsychosocial model).

Key Psychoanalytic Theorists & Their Contributions

• Sigmund Freud: Developed psychosexual stages of personality development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital).
• Karen Horney: Focused on neurosis, suggesting interpersonal relationships (moving toward, against, away from) contribute to neurosis.
• Alfred Adler: Proposed individual psychology emphasizing social interests, striving for superiority, and the role of birth order.
• Jean Piaget: Developed stages of cognitive development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational).
• Erik Erikson: Introduced psychosocial theory, outlining stages of psychosocial development (trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame, etc.) from infancy to adulthood.
• Albert Bandura: Demonstrated observational learning through the Bobo doll experiment.
• Abraham Maslow: Developed the hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, self-actualization.).
• Harry Harlow: Conducted experiments on attachment in rhesus monkeys to highlight comfort in relationships.
• Mary Ainsworth: Developed the Strange Situation experiment to identify attachment styles in infants (secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent).

Additional Important Concepts

• Birth Order: Adler's theory proposes birth order impacts personality.
• Sex vs. Gender: Sex refers to biological differences, gender to social roles; gender differences affected by social norms.
• Mental Health vs. Mental Illness: Mental health is emotional/psychological well-being; mental illness includes conditions like depression and anxiety impacting daily functioning.

Study Tips

• Memorize core definitions and examples.
• Focus on comparing and contrasting theories.
• Apply concepts to real-world examples (advertising, parenting).
• Understand different dream theories and the nature-nurture debate.

Test your knowledge on essential psychological concepts with this quiz covering topics such as analytical psychology, classical conditioning, and various defense mechanisms. Perfect for psychology students looking to solidify their understanding of key definitions and principles.