Psychology key terms

The main upper part of the brain, containing lobes involved in functions such as thinking, processing sensory information and memory.

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

A recurring biological rhythm lasting approximately 24 hours, such as the sleep–wake cycle.

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

The organisation of conditions into diagnostic categories using specified features or criteria.

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.

A psychological therapy that helps a person identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and change behaviours that maintain their difficulties.

The development of mental abilities, including understanding and reasoning.

A mental representation of an environment that can help an animal navigate using remembered landmarks.

The scientific study of how brain structures and processes relate to cognition, such as memory and thinking, and to behaviour.

A situation in which the amount of information presented exceeds a person's capacity to process it effectively.

Behaviour shared by people acting as part of a group or crowd.

A cultural emphasis on interdependence, cooperation and responsibilities towards the group.

A culture that places relatively greater emphasis on group needs, cooperation and community goals.

A depression or anxiety-related condition that causes emotional distress and interferes with daily functioning.

The sending and receiving of information through signals.

The ethical principle of working to an appropriate professional standard within the limits of one's knowledge, skills, training and experience.

Publicly going along with a group while privately disagreeing.

The percentage of pairs in which both individuals share the characteristic being studied, such as alcohol addiction.

One version of the independent variable experienced by participants in an experiment.

A previously neutral stimulus that produces a learned response after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Learning through associations, including associations between behaviour and its consequences.