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• Classic-Fiction

Relearning—a measure of retention of memory that assesses the time saved compared to learning the first time when learning information again.

Reliability—consistency or repeatability of results.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)—a treatment for depression involving repeated pulses through a magnetic coil positioned above the right eyebrow of the patient that does not result in memory loss.

Replication—repetition of the methods used in a previous experiment to see whether the same methods will yield the same results.

Representativeness heuristic—tendency to judge the likelihood of things according to how they relate to a prototype; in social psychology the prejudgement of people in the same way.

Repression—most frequently used Freudian defense mechanism, characterized by unconscious forgetting; pushing threatening thoughts, feelings, and memories into the unconscious mind.

Resistance—blocking of anxiety-provoking feelings and experiences in the process of psychoanalysis.

Resistance stage—second stage of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome characterized by the use of “fight or flight” mechanisms to control, cope with, or flee from the stressful situation.

Resistant attachment—mixed reactions of infants to their mothers in the Strange Situation. They may approach their mothers upon their return but, at the same time, continue to cry or even push their mothers away.

Reticular formation (a.k.a. reticular activating system)—a network of neurons extending from the brainstem/hindbrain into the midbrain essential to the regulation of sleep, wakefulness, arousal, and attention.

Retina—light-sensitive surface in the back of the eye containing rods and cones that transduce light energy. Has layers of bipolar cells and ganglion cells that transmit visual information to the brain.

Retrieval—the process of getting information out of memory storage.

Retrieval cue—a stimulus that provides a trigger to get an item out of stored memory.

Retroactive inference—recently learned information disrupts our ability to remember older information.

Retrograde amnesia—involves memory loss for a segment of the past usually around the time of an accident, such as a blow to the head.

Reversibility—characteristic of Piaget’s concrete operational stage, the logical negation of an operation, for example, if 4 + 2 = 6 then 6 − 2 = 4

Rods—photoreceptors that detect black, white, and gray and movement; are necessary for peripheral and dim-light vision when cones do not respond. Distributed throughout the retina of the eye, except in the fovea.

Roles—ascribed social positions in groups and defined behavior expectations.

Rooting reflex—the newborn’s tendency to move its head when stroked on the cheek, turn toward the stimulus as if searching for a nipple, and open its mouth.

Rorschach inkblot test—a projective test in which a person is shown a series of symmetrical inkblots and asked to describe what he or she thinks they represent.

Saltatory conduction—rapid conduction of impulses when the axon is myelinated since depolarizations jump from node (of Ranvier) to node.

Sample—the subgroup of the population that participates in the study.

Satiety—absence of hunger.

Savants, also known as people with savant syndrome—individuals otherwise considered mentally retarded who have a specific exceptional skill typically in calculating, music, or art.

Scapegoat theory—attributes prejudice to frustration; when own self-worth is in doubt or jeopardy, we find others to blame.

Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotions— an emotion is inferred from physiological arousal, and label of that emotion is based on our cognitive explanation for the arousal.

Schema—framework of basic ideas and preconceptions about people, objects, and events based on past experience in long-term memory; concepts or frameworks that organize and interpret information.

Schizophrenia—a serious mental disorder characterized by thought disturbances, hallucinations, anxiety, emotional withdrawal, and delusions.

School psychologists—assess and counsel