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Babbling stage
Beginning at 3 to 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language
Barbiturates
Drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment
Basal metabolic rate
The body’s resting rate of energy expenditure
Basic research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Basic trust
According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers
Behavior genetics
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Behavior therapy
Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors
Behavioral medicine
An interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease
Behaviorism
The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not (2)
Belief bias
The tendency for one’s preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning, sometimes by making invalid conclusions seem valid, or valid conclusions seem invalid
Belief perseverance
Clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they formed has been discredited
Binocular cues
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes
Bio-psycho-social perspective
A contemporary perspective which assumes that biological, psychological and sociocultural factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders
Biofeedback
A system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension
Biological psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists
Biological rhythms
Periodic physiological fluctuations
Bipolar disorder
A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania
Blind spot
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there
Bottom-up processing
Analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information
Brainstem
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions
Broca’s area
An area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech
Bulimia nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by private “binge-purge” episodes of overeating, usually of highly caloric foods, followed by vomiting or laxative use
Burnout
Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion brought on by persistent job-related stress
Bystander effect
The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present