Psychology key terms

A graph in which each point represents a pair of measurements, used to show the relationship between two variables.

A mental framework built from experience that helps a person organise and interpret information.

A mental disorder involving disturbances in thinking, perception, emotion and behaviour, which can include difficulty distinguishing experiences from external reality.

Second-hand information obtained from existing sources, such as public records or investigations published by other researchers, rather than collected directly for the current investigation.

A person’s view of what they are like.

A person's belief in their ability to succeed at a particular task.

A person’s overall sense of their own worth or value.

A group in which people with similar problems share experiences and provide mutual support as peers.

A programme in which people take an active role in managing their own recovery, often using support from others with similar experiences.

Using a substance, such as alcohol or drugs, to try to relieve distress without appropriate medical guidance.

The ability to control one’s behaviour, emotions and attention.

A research method in which participants provide information about their own experiences, thoughts or behaviour.

A questionnaire or interview in which people report their own behaviour or experiences, such as crimes they have committed.

A sampling method in which people volunteer to participate, usually by responding to an advertisement or invitation.

Accepting negative stereotypes about a group you belong to and applying them to yourself.

Coding information in terms of its meaning.

Long-term memory for facts, concepts and meanings.

The detection and receipt of information from the environment through sense organs.

A specialised cell that detects a particular type of stimulus, such as light, pressure or chemicals.

The absence or substantial impairment of a sense, such as sight or hearing.

A memory store that briefly retains information received through the senses.

A neuron that carries information from sensory receptors towards the central nervous system.

The memory store that briefly holds information detected by the senses before attention selects some of it for short-term memory.

The influence of an item’s position in a sequence on the likelihood that it will be recalled.

A method in which one person's recollection is passed to another person to recall, and so on, allowing changes between successive accounts to be examined.

A neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation; an imbalance in serotonin is proposed as a biological explanation of depression.

The proposal that low serotonin levels or activity contribute to depression.