Psychology key terms

The division of the autonomic nervous system that supports rest, digestion and recovery, conserving energy.

A person who takes part in a research study.

An observation in which the researcher watches people while taking part in their activities.

A characteristic that differs between participants, such as memory ability, and could affect an experiment's results.

The effect of people of a similar age or social background on an individual's attitudes and behaviour.

Choosing friends who already share one's attitudes or behaviour, rather than becoming similar because of their influence.

A proportion expressed out of 100.

The process of interpreting information received through the senses.

An increase in the apparent intensity or prominence of a stimulus because it relates to a person's needs or desires.

A readiness to perceive certain things rather than others, influenced by experience, expectations, needs and feelings.

The nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that carry information between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.

Continuing to use an old response or strategy even when feedback shows that it is no longer appropriate.

Assuming that something going wrong is entirely your fault, without sufficient evidence.

The relatively enduring characteristics that influence how a person typically thinks, feels and behaves.

A relatively enduring characteristic that influences how a person typically thinks, feels and behaves.

The physical distance people prefer between themselves and others so that they feel comfortable.

A positron emission tomography scan: an imaging technique that uses a radioactive tracer to investigate activity in the brain.

Physical activation of the body, shown by changes such as a faster heart rate, increased breathing and sweating.

A circle divided into sectors that represent categories’ proportions of a total.

A small endocrine gland in the brain that produces and releases melatonin.

An inactive treatment used for comparison with an active treatment, helping researchers separate drug effects from effects of expecting treatment.

An area of the brainstem where increased neuronal activity generates random signals during REM sleep, according to Activation Synthesis Theory.

The extent to which a sample represents the target population, allowing findings to be generalised to that population.

A relationship in which higher values of one variable tend to accompany higher values of the other.

Constructive involvement in relationships and community life, such as maintaining friendships, cooperating with others and contributing to shared activities.

Increasing the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated by providing a rewarding consequence after it.

A person whose constructive behaviour provides an example for others to observe and imitate.