adoption method
comparison of biological and adoptive relatives with and without a given disorder to assess genetic versus environmental influences
association studies
genetic research strategy comparing frequency of certain genetic markers known to be located on particular chromosomes in people with and without a particular disorder
attachment theory
explanation of development that focuses on the quality of the early emotional relationships developed between children and their caregivers
attribution
assigning to a cause or source
behavior genetics
field that studies the heritability of mental disorders and other aspects of psychological functioning such as personality and intelligence
biopsychosocial viewpoint
A viewpoint that acknowledges the interacting roles of biological, psychosocial, and sociocultural factors in the origins of psychopathology
castration anxiety
According to Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development, the fear a boy in the phallic stage experiences due to a fear that his father will render him powerless if his father finds out about his attraction toward his mother.
chromosomes
threadlike structure within the nucleus containing the genetic information that is passed from one generation of cells to the next
classical conditioning
conditioning that pairs a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that evokes a reflex
cognitive-behavioral perspective
a theory of abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to maladaptive emotions and behaviors
concordance rate
the percentage of twins sharing a disorder or trait
contributory cause
a condition that increases the probability of developing a disorder but that is neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur
cortisol
human stress hormone released by the cortex of the adrenal glands
developmental psychopathology
Field of psychology that focuses on determining what is abnormal at any point in the developmental process by comparing and contrasting it with normal and expected changes that occur
developmental systems approach
acknowledgment that genetic activity influences neural activity, which in turn influences behavior, which in turn influences environment, and that these influences are bidirectional
diathesis
a vulnerability or predisposition to developing a disorder
diathesis-stress model
view of abnormal behavior as result of stress operating on an individual who has a biological, psychosocial or sociocultural predisposition to developing a specific disorder
discrimination
the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
ego psychology
a school of psychodynamic thought that emphasizes the skills and adaptive capacities of the ego
ego-defense mechanisms
psychic mechanisms that discharge or soothe anxiety rather than coping directly with an anxiety-provoking situation
electra complex
A pattern described by Freud in which a young girl develops an attachment to her father and competes with her mother for his attention.
family history method
behavior genetic research strategy that examines the incidence of disorder in relatives of an index case to determine whether incidence increases in proportion to the degree of the hereditary relationship
genotype
a persons total genetic endowment
genotype-environment correlation
Genotypic vulnerability that can shape a child's environmental experiences
genotype-environment interaction
Differential sensitivity or susceptibility to their environments by people who have different genotypes
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
brain endocrine system involved in responding to stress in which the hypothalamus and pituitary send messages to the adrenal gland which releases a stress hormone that feeds back on the hypothalamus
id
in psychoanalytical theory, the reservoir of instinctual drives and the first structure to appear in infancy
instrumental conditioning
a form of learning in which the participant receives a reinforcer only after performing the desired response, and thereby learns a relationship between the response and the reinforcer
interpersonal perspective
Approach to understanding abnormal behaviour that views much of psychopathology as rooted in the unfortunate tendencies we develop while dealing with our interpersonal environments; it thus focuses on our relationships, past and present, with other people
intrapsychic conflicts
inner mental struggles resulting from the interplay of the id, ego, and superego when the three subsystems are striving for different goals
libido
(psychoanalysis) a Freudian term for sexual urge or desire of the id
linkage analysis
Genetic research strategy in which occurrence of a disorder in an extended family is compared with that of a genetic marker for a physical characteristic or biological process that is known to be located on a particular chromosome
necessary cause
A condition that must exist for a disorder to occur
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a
object-relations theory
in psychoanalytic theory, this viewpoint focuses on an infant or young childs interactions with objects as well as how they make symbolic representations of important people in their lives
oedipus complex
according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
phenotype
The physical traits that appear in an individual as a result of its gentic make up.
pituitary gland
endocrine gland associated with many regulatory functions
pleasure principle
demand that in instinctual need be immediately gratified regardless of reality or moral considerations
polygenic
caused by the action of many genes together in an additive or interactive function
primary process thinking
gratification of id demands by means of imagery or fantasy without the ability to undertake the realistic actions needed to meet those instinctual demands
psychosexual stages of development
according to Freudian theory there are five stages of psychosexual development, each characterized by a dominant mode of acheiving sexual pleasure: the oral stage, the anal stage, the phallic stage, the latency stage and the genital stage
reality principle
awareness of the demands of the environment and adjustment of behavior to meet these demands
schema
an underlying representation of knowledge that guides current processing of information and often leads to distortions in attention memory and comprehension
secondary process thinking
reality-oriented rational processes of the ego for dealing with the external world and the exercise of control over id demands
self-schema
our view of what we are what we might become and what is important to us
spontaneous recovery
the return of a learned response at some time after the extinction has occurred
sufficient cause
a condition that guarantees the occurrence of a disorder
superego
conscience; ethical or moral dimensions of a personality
synapse
site of communication from the axon of one neuron to the dendrites or cell body of another neuron
temperament
pattern of emotional and arousal responses and characteristic ways of self-regulation that are considered to be primarily hereditary or constitutional
twin method
the use of identical and nonidentical twins to study genetic influences on abnormal behavior