Achievement Tests - These tests are designed to assess how much you know at a specific point in

time about a certain topic. Achievement tests are not used to determine what you are capable
of; they are designed to evaluate what you know and your level of skill at the given moment.

Aptitude Tests - An aptitude test is designed to assess what a person is capable of doing; to
predict what a person is able to learn or do given the right education and instruction. It
represents a person's level of competency to perform a certain type of task.

Autism - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex
disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties
in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.

Emotional Intelligence - Emotional intelligence describes the ability to understand one's own
feelings. It also provides great insight on how emotion influences motivation and behavior.

Downs Syndrome - also known as trisomy 21, is agenetic disorder caused by the presence of all
or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated with physical growth delays,
characteristic facial features, and mild to moderate intellectual disability. The average IQ of a young
adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental age of an 8- or 9-year-old child, but this
varies widely.

Savant Syndrome - is a condition in which a person with a mental disability, such as an autism
spectrum disorder, demonstrates profound and prodigious capacities or abilities far in excess of
what would be considered normal. The most dramatic examples of savant syndrome occur in
individuals who score very low on IQ tests, while demonstrating exceptional skills or brilliance in
specific areas, such as rapid calculation, art, memory, or musical ability.

Type A and B Personality - Type A behavior is expressed in three major symptoms: (1) free-floating
hostility, which can be triggered by even minor incidents; (2) time urgency and impatience, which
causes irritation and exasperation usually described as being "short-fused"; and (3)
a competitive drive, which causes stress and an achievement-driven mentality. The first of these
symptoms is believed to be covert and therefore less observable, while the other two are more overt
The theory describes "Type B" individuals as a contrast to those with Type A personalities. People
with Type B personality by definition generally live at a lower stress level and typically work steadily,
enjoying achievement but not becoming stressed when they do not achieve. They may be creative
and enjoy exploring ideas and concepts. They are often reflective.

Arousal and Performance - Arousal is a major aspect of many learning theories and is
closely related to other concepts such as anxiety, attention, agitation, stress, and
motivation.
The arousal level can be thought of as how much capacity you have available to work
with. One finding with respect to arousal is the Yerkes-Dodson law (named after the
researchers who discovered it) which predicts an inverted U-shaped function between
arousal and performance. A certain amount of arousal can be a motivator toward
change (with change in this discussion being learning). But too much or too little will
work against the learner. You want some mid-level point of arousal that provides the
motivation to change (learn). Too little arousal has an inert affect on the learner, while
too much has a hyper affect.

General Adaptation Syndrome -

General adaptation syndrome, or GAS, is a term used to describe the body's shortterm and long-termreactions to stress.
Stressors in humans include such physical stressors as starvation, being hit by a car, or
suffering throughsevere weather. Additionally, humans can suffer such emotional or me
ntal stressors as the loss of a loved one,the inability to solve a problem, or even having
a difficult day at work.
Defense Mechanisms means by which the host repels invading organisms; externally, these include the barrier provid
ed by theskin and epithelial lining of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary and respiratory tracts, tog
ether with theirsecretions and normal microflora, and internally, phagocytic cells, humoral and c
ellular immunity.
Maslows Heirarchy of Needs (in psychology) a hierarchic categorization of the basic needs of humans. Themost basic needs on the sc
ale are the physiologic or biologic needs, such asthe need for air, food, or water. Of second priority are th
e safety needs,including protection and freedom from fear and anxiety. The subsequent order ofneeds in t
he hierarchic progression are the need to belong, to love, and to beloved; the need for selfesteem; and ultimately the need for selfactualization.To progress from one need to another, the more basic need must first besatisfied.

Two factor Theory of Emotion The theory

states that emotion is a function of bothcognitive factors and physiological arousal. According to the theor
y, "people search the immediate environment foremotionally relevant cues to label and interpret unexplain
ed physiological arousal."

Sexual Orientation Research - Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern

of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender,
the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally
subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality,[1][2] while asexuality (the lack of
sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category.

How does exercise affect despression - Research on anxiety, depression and exercise

shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help reduce
anxiety and improve mood.
The links between anxiety, depression and exercise aren't entirely clear but working
out and other forms of physical activity can definitely ease symptoms of anxiety or
depression and make you feel better. Exercise may also help keep anxiety and
depression from coming back once you're feeling better.

Motivation - Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goaloriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act. It involves the biological, emotional,
social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term motivation is
frequently used to describe why a person does something.

Rorschach Inkblot - The Rorschach inkblot test is a type of projective psychological test created
in 1921 by Hermann Rorschach. Used to analyze personality and emotional functioning, it is the
second most commonly used forensic test after theMMPI. A 1995 survey 412 clinical
psychologists in the American Psychological Association revealed that 82% used the Rorschach
inkblot test at least occasionally.

Projective Tests - In psychology, a projective test is a type of personality test in which the
individual offers responses to ambiguous scenes, words or images. This type of test emerged
from the psychoanalytic school of thought, which suggested that people have unconscious
thoughts or urges. These projective tests were intended to uncover such unconscious desires
that are hidden from conscious awareness.

Factor Analysis - Factor analysis is a statistical technique used for replacing a large number of
variables with a smaller number of factors that reflect what sets of variables have in common
with one another. It is commonly used in an exploratory way to identify what underlies a set of
otherwise loosely related variables.

Rogers - Carl Rogers is best-known for his nondirective approach to treatment known

as client-centered therapy, also known as person-centered therapy, is a non-directive form

of talk therapy. Today, it is one of the most widely used approaches in psychotherapy.

Empathy - he ability to understand another persons circumstances, point of view,

thoughts, and feelings. When experiencing empathy, you are able to understand
someone elses internal experiences.
Some psychiatric disorders, including autism, antisocial personality disorder, and
narcissistic personality disorder, have been associated with a lack of ability to
empathize (or experience empathy).
Acceptance - he need to belong is an intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others and be
socially accepted. This need plays a role in a number of social phenomena such as selfpresentation and social comparison.
Our need to belong is what drives us to seek out stable, long lasting relationships with
other people. It also motivates us to participate in social activities such as clubs, sports
teams, religious groups, and community organizations. By belonging to a group, we feel
as if we are a part of something bigger and more important than ourselves.

Genuineness - Genuineness, the condition of sincerity in behaving as ones

unadulterated self.

Unconditional positive regard - a concept developed by the humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers,
is the basic acceptance and support of a person regardless of what the person says or does,
especially in the context of client-centered therapy. Rogers believed that unconditional positive
regard is essential for healthy development. People who have not been exposed to it may come to
see themselves in the negative ways that others have made them feel. Through providing
unconditional positive regard, humanistic therapists seek to help their clients accept and take
responsibility for themselves. Humanistic psychologists believe that by showing the client
unconditional positive regard and acceptance, the therapist is providing the best possible conditions
for personal growth to the client.

Intelligence Tests and the normal distribution curve - Intelligence test scores follow an
approximately normal distribution, meaning that most people score near the middle of the
distribution of scores and that scores drop off fairly rapidly in frequency as one moves in either
direction from the center.

Reliability and Validity - The idea behind reliability is that any significant results must be more
than a one-off finding and be inherently repeatable. Validity encompasses the entire experimental
concept and establishes whether the results obtained meet all of the requirements of the scientific
research method. If you have constructed your experiment to contain validity and reliability then the
scientific community is more likely to accept your findings. Eliminating other potential causal
relationships, by using controls and duplicate samples, is the best way to ensure that your results
stand up to rigorous questioning.

Free Association - a technique used in psychoanalysis (and also inpsychodynamic theory) which
was originally devised by Sigmund Freud out of the hypnotic method of his mentor and
coworker, Josef Breuer. The importance of free association is that the patients spoke for
themselves, rather than repeating the ideas of the analyst; they work through their own material,
rather than parroting another's suggestions'. James Strachey(1887-1967) considered free
association as 'the first instrument for the scientific examination of the human mind'.

Alfred Binet - a French psychologist who invented the first practical intelligence test, the Binet-Simon
scale. His principal goal was to identify students who needed special help in coping with the school
curriculum. Along with his collaborator Thodore Simon, Binet published revisions of his intelligence
scale in 1908 and 1911, the last appearing just before his death.

Homeostasis - The definition of homeostasis is the ability or tendency to maintain internal

stability in an organism to compensate for environmental changes.

Big Five Personality Traits - In psychology, the Big Five personality traits are five broad
domains or dimensions of personality that are used to describe human personality. The theory
based on the Big Five factors is called the five-factor model (FFM).[1] The five factors
are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Acronyms
commonly used to refer to the five traits collectively are OCEAN, NEOAC, or CANOE. Beneath each
global factor, a cluster of correlated and more specific primary factors are found; for example,
extraversion includes such related qualities as gregariousness, assertiveness, excitement seeking,
warmth, activity, and positive emotions.[2]:24

The Big Five model is able to account for different traits in personality without overlapping. Empirical
research has shown that the Big Five personality traits show consistency in interviews, selfdescriptions and observations. Moreover, this five-factor structure seems to be found across a wide
range of participants of different ages and of different cultures.

Catharsis - derived

from the Greek word which is translated as 'cleansing' or

'purification'. Most of the definitions emphasize two essential components of
catharsis: the emotional aspect (strong emotional expression and processing) and the
cognitive aspect of catharsis (insight, new realization, and the unconscious becoming
consciousness) and as a result - positive change.
ID Ego and Superego - Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that
the human psyche (personality) has more than one aspect. Freud (1923) saw the psyche
structured into three parts (i.e. tripartite), the id, ego and superego, all developing at
different stages in our lives.

Conscious, unconscious preconscious - The conscious mind includes everything that

we are aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and

talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of
consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our
awareness. Freud called this the preconscious.
The preconscious mind is the part of the mind that represents ordinary memory.
While we are not consciously aware of this information at any given time, we can
retrieve it and pull it into consciousness when needed.
The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that
outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are
unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to
Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even
though we are unaware of these underlying influences.

Oedipus/Electra Complex (Sorry couldnt shorten this.took the whole thing to describe it and
includes Penis Envy and Castration Anxiety))
The term Oedipus complex (or, less commonly, Oedipal complex) denotes the emotions and
ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamicrepression, that concentrates upon a
child's desire to have sexual relations with the parent of the opposite sex (i.e. males attracted to their

mothers, and females attracted to their fathers).[1][2] Sigmund Freud, who coined the term "Oedipus
complex" believed that the Oedipus complex is a desire for the parent in both males and females;
Freud deprecated the term "Electra complex", which was introduced by Carl Gustav Jung in regard
to the Oedipus complex manifested in young girls. The Oedipus complex occurs in the third
phallic stage (ages 36) of the fivepsychosexual development stages: (i) the oral, (ii) the anal, (iii)
the phallic, (iv) thelatent, and (v) the genital in which the source of libidinal pleasure is in a
differenterogenous zone of the infant's body.
In classical Freudian psychoanalytic theory, a child's identification with the same-sex parent is the
successful resolution of the Oedipus complex and of the Electra complex. This is a key
psychological experience that is necessary for the development of a mature sexual
role and identity. Sigmund Freud further proposed that boys and girls experience the complexes
differently: boys in a form of castration anxiety, girls in a form of penis envy; and that unsuccessful
resolution of the complexes might lead to neurosis, pedophilia, and homosexuality. Men and women
who are fixated in the Oedipal and Electra stages of their psychosexual development might be
considered "mother-fixated" and "father-fixated". In adult life this can lead to a choice of a sexual
partner who resembles one's parent.

Lewis Madison Terman (January 15, 1877 December 21, 1956) was anAmerican psychologist,
noted as a pioneer in educational psychology in the early 20th century at the Stanford Graduate
School of Education. He is best known for his revision of the Stanford-Binet IQ test and for initiating
the longitudinal study of children with high IQs called the Genetic Studies of Genius.[1] He was a
prominent eugenicist and was a member of the Human Betterment Foundation. He also served as
president of the American Psychological Association.

Repression - repression, is the psychological attempt by an individual to repel one's own desires
and impulses toward pleasurable instincts by excluding the desire from one's consciousness and
holding or subduing it in the unconscious. Repression plays a major role in many mental illnesses,
and in the psyche of average people.[1]
'Repression, a key concept of psychoanalysis, is a defense mechanism, but it pre-exists the ego e.g.
'Primal Repression'. It ensures that what is unacceptable to the conscious mind, and would, if
recalled, arouse anxiety, is prevented from entering into it';[2] and is generally accepted as such by
psychoanalytic psychologists.[3]
However, regarding the distinct subject of repressed memory, there is debate as to whether (or how
often) memory repression really happens[4] and mainstream psychology holds that true memory
repression occurs only very rarely

Regression - Regression, according to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, is a defense

mechanism leading to the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of
development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way. The defense
mechanism of regression, in psychoanalytic theory, occurs when an individual's personality reverts
to an earlier stage of development, adopting more childish mannerisms.[1] Psychiatrist Joel Gold
suggests that careful use of "ARISE" (Adaptive Regression in the service of the Ego) can sometimes
yield creative benefits. To the extent that one is handling thoughts and impulses less like an adult,
ARISE involves play, appreciation and primitive pleasures, and imagination.

Internal/External Locus of Control - Internal locus of control is often used synonymously with

"self-determination" and "personal agency." Research has suggested that men tend to
have a higher internal locus of control than women and that locus of control tends to
become more internal as people grow older. Experts have found that, in general, people
with an internal locus of control tend to be better off.
However, it is also important to remember that internal does not always equal "good"
and external does not always equal "bad." In some situations an external locus of
control can actually be a good thing, particularly if a person's level of competence in a
particular area is not very strong.
For example, a person who is terrible at sports might feel depressed or anxious about
their performance if they have a strong internal locus of control. If the person thinks, "I'm
bad at sports and I don't try hard enough," they might feel stressed out in situations
where they need to participate in athletics, such as during a physical education class. If
this person takes an external focus during such activities ("The game is too hard!" or
"The sun was in my eyes!"), they will probably feel more relaxed and less stressed.\\
Instinct, Drive, motivation

Instinct is more derivative of caution and experience. Drive is more

derivative of need and recognition. Psychologists define motivation as the
internal and external factors that cause and direct behavior.