Treatment focusing on the awareness and understanding of one's feelings。
Grouped Frequency Distribution
A table showing the number of occurrences for a grouping of scores。 Used a lot in educational settings where a score of 90 to 100 may be grouped as an A； a score of 80 to 90 may be grouped as a B； etc。
Group Polarization
The tendency for members of a cohesive group to make more extreme decisions due to the lack of opposing views。
Group Therapy
Psychotherapy conducted with at least three or four non…related individuals who are similar in some are； such as gender； age； mental illness； or presenting problem。
Group Think
The tendency for members of a cohesive group to reach decisions without weighing all the facts； especially those contradicting the majority opinion。
Gustation
Sense of taste。
H
Habituation
The decrease in response to a stimulus due to repetition （e。g。； not hearing the ticking of a clock after getting used to it）
Hallucination
False perception of reality （e。g。； hearing voices that aren't there or seeing people who do not exist） ＇auditory （hearing）； visual （sight）； olfactory （smell）； tactile （touch）； and taste＇。
Halo Effect
The tendency to assign generally positive or generally negative traits to a person after observing one specific positive or negative trait； respectively。
Hawthorne Effect
The phenomenon that subject behavior changes by the mere fact that they are being observed。
Health Psychology
The specific field in psychology concerned with psychology’s impact on health； physical well being； and illness。
Heterosexuality
Being attracted to or aroused by members of the opposite gender。 See Sexual Orientation。
Heuristic
A rule of thumb based on experience used to make decisions。
Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s Theory of Motivation which states that we must achieve lower level needs； such as food； shelter； and safety before we can achieve higher level needs； such as belonging； esteem； and self…actualization。
Higher Order Conditioning
Pairing a second conditioned stimulus with the first conditioned stimulus in order to produce a second conditioned response。
Hippocampus
Part of the limbic system。 Involved more in memory； and the transfer of information from short…term to long…term memory。
History
External events that take place during a research study that are not part of the study but have an effect on the oute
Homeostasis
The tendency of the body （and the mind） to natural gravitate toward a state of equilibrium or balance。
Homophobia
An irrational hostility； hatred； or fear of homosexuals。
Homosexuality
Being attracted to or aroused by members of the same gender。 See Sexual Orientation。
Humanistic Psychology
A theoretical view of human nature which stresses a positive view of human nature and the strong belief in psychological homeostasis。
Humanistic Therapy
Treatment focused on increasing awareness of one's self concept。
Hypnosis
A deep state of relaxation where an individual is more susceptible to suggestions。
Hypnotherapist
A trained； and often licensed； therapist who utilizes the therapeutic technique of hypnosis as part of a treatment regimen。
Hypnotist
An individual； most likely unlicensed； who uses hypnosis techniques or variations of these techniques for a variety of reasons； including treatment and/or entertainment。
Hypothalamus
A part of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system； and therefore maintains the body’s homeostasis （controls body temperature； metabolism； and appetite。 Also translates extreme emotions into physical responses。
Hypothesis
A prediction about the relationship between two or more variables。
I
Id
In Psychoanalytical theory； the part of the personality which contains our primitive impulses such as sex； anger； and hunger。
Ideal Self
Humanistic term representing the characteristics； behaviors； emotions； and thoughts to which a person aspires。
Illusion
Misperception of reality （e。g。； the illusion of a lake in the middle of a desert）。
Imagery
Utilizing the mind to create a mental representation of a sensory experience。
Inappropriate Affect
Expressing contradictory behavior when describing or experiencing an emotion （e。g。； smiling when discussing something sad； laughing when talking about the death of a loved one）。
Independent Samples
Sample data that is independent or not related to each other。
Independent Variable
The variable in an experiment that is manipulated or pared。
Inductive Reasoning
Decision making process in which ideas are processed from the specific to the general。
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
The area or specialty in psychology focused on the application of psychological principles in the work force。
Inferential Statistics
The branch of statistics that focuses on describing in numerical format what might be happening or what might happen （estimation） in the future （probability）。 Inferential statistics required the testing of only a sample of the population。 （Example： 100 students rather than all students）。
Inhalant
Substances such as spray paint； freon； and glue that produce an intoxicating effect when inhaled。
Innate
Occurring without learning； inborn。
Insanity
A legal term representing the inability to know right from wrong or the inability to understand the consequences of one's actions。
Insight
The understanding of a relationship between current thoughts； feelings； and/or behaviors and where these originated or how they are maintained。
Instinct
A behavior we are born with and therefore does not need to be learned。
Intelligence
The degree to which one can adapt to one’s environment。
Intelligence Quotient ＇IQ＇
The scores achieved on psychological tests aimed at quantifying intellectual ability。
Interaction Effects
When the effect of one variable on another is contingent on a third variable； this contingency is called an interaction effect。
Internal Consistency
An estimate of how reliable a test is when items on the test are pared to each other。 See split…half and odd…even reliability。
Internal Locus of Control
The belief that an individual has more control over life circumstances than the environment does。
Internal Validity
A measure of the trustworthiness of a sample of data。 Internal validity looks at the subject； testing； and environment in which the data collection took place。
Interquartile Range
The difference between the scores （or estimated scores） at the 75th percentile and the 25th percentile。 Used more than the range because it eliminates extreme scores。
Interval Estimation
Estimating the population statistic based on a range around a sample statistic。
Interval Scale
Any scale of measurement possessing magnitude and equal intervals； but not an absolute zero。
Interview
A subjective personality and mental health assessment typically consisting of questions and answers。
Intrinsic Motivation
The motivation or desire to do something based on the enjoyment of the behavior itself rather than relying on or requiring external reinforcement。
Introspection
The process of examining one's own consciousness。
Introversion
The tendency to focus energy inward resulting in decreased social interaction。
J
Just Noticeable Difference
The smallest change in a sensory perception that is detectable 50％ of the time。
Jung； Carl
A student of Freud who split from the Psychoanalytic Society because of his disagreements with Freud； especially his view of the collective unconscious。
K
Kurtosis
The shape of a curve or distribution of scores （See Leptokurtic； Mesokurtic； and Platykurtic）。
L
Latency Stage
Freud's fourth stage of psychosexual development where sexuality is repressed in the unconscious and children focus on identifying with their same sex parent and interact with same sex peers。
Latent Content
Freud's term for the underlying or hidden content represented in the symbols of dreams。
Latent Learning
Learning that occurs without apparent reinforcement but is not demonstrated until such time as reinforcement occurs。
Law of Effect
Theory proposed by Thorndike stating that those responses that are followed by a positive consequence will be repeated more frequently than those that are not。
Learned Helplessness
A condition that occurs after a period of negative consequences where the person begins to believe they have no control。
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behavior due to an interaction with the environment。
Learning Theory
Based on the idea that changes in behavior result more from experience and less from our personality or how we think or feel about a situation。
Legitimate Power
Power derived through one's position； such as a police officer or elected official。
Libido
Sigmund Freud’s terminology of sexual energy or sexual drive。
Limbic System
A brain system that plays a role in emotional expression； particularly in the emotional ponent of behavior； memory； and motivation。
Locus of Control
A belief about the amount of control a person has over situations in their life。
Longitudinal Study
A research design that