|
narcolepsy:
an uncommon
sleep disorder,
narcolepsy is marked by
recurring irrepressible attacks of sleep during normal waking hours, as
well as by
cataplexy, sleep paralysis and
hallucinations.
nativism:
that aspects of
cognitive processes and behaviour are
innate.
natural experiment:
experiment
whereby the researcher cannot directly control the
independent variable
nor
participant
allocation to conditions.
naturalistic
observation:
a study whereby the observer does not manipulate any variables within a
natural setting where behaviour takes place, by merely observing and
recording.
Observational technique
can be divided into
participant
observation (where the researcher takes contributes to a groups
behaviour, whilst
participants are unaware of the observers true
purpose or identity) and
non-participant observation (whereby the
researcher remains inconspicuous).
natural selection:
a principle of
Darwins
theory of evolution that animals that have
adapted better to their envir
onment allows some members of a species to produce more offspring that
others, as a result of possessing advantageous
traits that improve
survival chances and increase reproductive success.
nature vs nurture:
a debate within
psychology that explores the extent to which specific
aspects of behaviour are inherited or learnt as a result of
environmental influences.
negative
correlation:
a relationship between two measured variables where as one variable
increases the other variable decreases.
negative emotions:
can be described as any feeling which causes
you to be miserable and sad. These
emotions make you dislike yourself and others, and take away your
confidence.
negative
reinforcement:
in
operant
conditioning, a method to increase the probability and strength of a
response by removing or withholding an
aversive
stimuli (negative
reinforcer)
negative-state relief:
proposal that we assist
others in order to alleviate negative feelings, for instance to lessen
feelings of guilt or sadness.
negative symptoms:
in
abnormal psychology, particularly with reference to
schizophrenia,
deficits in functioning that reveal the absence of expected behaviours,
for instance, flat
affect and limited speech.
neo-Freudian:
a term that is used
to characterise a group of Freudian-influenced
psychologists who,
whilst accepting the concept of
unconscious conflict, disagree over the
extent of the influence of bodily pleasures or frustrations and have
placed greater emphasis on other aspects of behaviour and experience.
Famous neo-Freudians include
Adler and
Jung.
neonate research:
investigations carried out using newborn infants.
nerve impulse:
the electrical
signal produced when a
neuron is active, which passes from the
dendrites, along the
axon, to the specific terminals.
neurological disorder:
disturbance in structure or function of the
nervous system resulting from developmental abnormality, disease,
injury, or toxin.
neuron:
(‘nerve cell’) a
cell of the nervous system that functions to receive and communicate
information to other cells .
neurophysiology: study of the workings of
the nervous system including
brain function.
neuroscience:a branch of
psychology, also called
physiological psychology. Neuroscience is the study of the
functioning of the nervous system which includes the structures and
functioning of the
brain and its relationship to behaviour.
neurosis: a
mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known
neurological or organic dysfunction.
neuroticism:is a fundamental
personality
trait in the study of
psychology. It can be
defined as an enduring tendency to experience negative
emotional states.
neurotransmitter:
chemical
messengers released by the terminals of a
neuron which cross
between the
synapses of
neurons, to have an
excitatory or
inhibitory effect on an adjacent
neuron.
neutral stimulus: in
classical conditioning, a
stimulus which initially fails to elicit a
response, but as conditioning continues, becomes a conditioned
stimulus.
Nietzsche
(1844-1900):
Nineteenth-century
philosopher.
nominal data:
data that is organised on the basis of category.
nomothetic:
refers to a
perspective or method that attempts to establish general patterns of
behaviour that can be extended to all members of a population.
non-conformity:
refers to
situations whereby an individual withstands the tendency to conform to
the
attitudes, judgements or behaviour of the majority.
non-directional
hypotheses (two-tailed hypotheses):
states that the
independent variable will have an effect upon the
dependent variable, but does not specify the direction (e.g.
higher/lower scores) of effect upon the
dependent variable.
non-invasive
procedures:
procedures (e.g.
MRI,
PET scans) for imaging the
brain do not require
direct contact and interference with
brain tissue.
non-participant
observation:
the observer remains
inconspicuous so that the behaviour of the
participants is not affected.
non-verbal
communication:
generally referred to
as ‘body
language‘ by non-psychologists, refers to any form of
communication that is not conveyed through verbal or written language,
for instance posture and facial expressions.
Norepinephrine or ‘noradrenaline’:
a
neurotransmitter that is important in the regulation of mood;
disturbances in its tracts have been implicated in
depression and
mania.
normal distribution:
a type of
frequency distribution which is represented by a symmetrical,
bell-shaped curve, whereby the
mean,
mode and
median all lie at the
highest point of the curve.
normative influence:
an
explanation of
conformity which occurs as a result of a desire to
be accepted in a group and liked by others.
null hypothesis:
the
hypothesis that any difference between the
independent and
dependent variables merely occur as a result of chance, rather than
as any significant effect of the
independent variable.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
