AQA GCSE Psychology key terms

Information about depth and distance that requires both eyes working together.

An approach that understands mental health problems primarily as illnesses with biological causes and uses medical treatments such as medication.

A mood disorder involving episodes of abnormally elevated mood, energy and activity, called mania or hypomania, and usually episodes of depression. There can be periods of normal mood between episodes.

Communication through bodily behaviour, including posture and touch.

The brain’s ability to change its structure and connections in response to learning and experience.

The part of the brain connecting it to the spinal cord, involved in controlling essential automatic functions such as breathing and heart rate.

A language area, usually in the left frontal lobe, involved in producing speech.

A person present at an event, such as an emergency, who is not initially directly involved.

Failure by someone witnessing a person in need to offer help.

The tendency for an individual to be less likely to help when other bystanders are present.

Action taken by someone who witnesses an event to help a person in need.

The amount of information a memory store can hold.

An in-depth investigation of an individual, group or particular case.

A cause-and-effect relationship in which a change in one variable produces a change in another.

A group of interconnected neurons whose connections strengthen through repeated activity together, according to Hebb’s theory.

The brain and spinal cord, which process information and coordinate the body's responses.

The centre or typical value of a dataset, summarised using a measure such as the mean, median or mode.

A brain structure that coordinates movement and helps maintain balance and posture.

The thin outer layer of the brain’s cerebral hemispheres, containing specialised areas involved in functions such as movement, sensation and language.

An approach to education that takes account of learners' abilities, interests and developmental needs.

Learning through association: after repeated pairings, a stimulus can produce a learned response.

A mental health condition involving persistent low mood and/or loss of interest and enjoyment, alongside other symptoms that can affect everyday life.

A body position with arms folded across the body or legs crossed; it may communicate defensiveness or discomfort.

A question that limits the response to a set of options, such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or a rating scale.

The tendency to perceive incomplete shapes as complete by filling in missing information.

The form in which information is represented in memory, such as sound or meaning.

Mental processes involved in acquiring and using information, such as remembering, understanding and thinking.