Factor Analysis -- ok, we know how most students feel about statistics, so we will make this as
quick and painless as possible. Factor Analysis is a type of statistical procedure that is conducted
to identify clusters or groups of related items (called factors) on a test. For example, when you
take a multiple choice Introductory Psychology test, a factor analysis can be done to see what
types of questions did best on and worst on (maybe they did best on factual types of questions
but really poorly on conceptual types of questions). That wasn't too bad was it?
Family Therapy -- a type of therapy in which members of a family are treated. They may
not be in the same room at the same time, but the members of the family are all counseled to
encourage all members to partake in open communication and healing. For example, when
parents are having problems with a child, they may all go to therapy together so that parents can
learn about their child's feelings and in turn, the child can learn about his or her parents'
feelings. This promotes understanding and empathy that is often the cause of communication
problems.
Feature Detectors -- the ability to detect certain types of stimuli, like movements, shape,
and angles, requires specialized cells in the brain called feature detectors. Without these, it
would be difficult, if not impossible, to detect a round object, like a baseball, hurdling toward
you at 90 miles per hour.
Fetus -- this is the longest stage of prenatal, human development that lasts from 9 weeks after
conception to birth. By the end of the 6th month, the fetus usually has developed internal organs
(e.g., stomach and intestines), which also become functional. Many people believe that it is
important to talk to the fetus to help foster attachment, and get the baby used to the sound of the
parents voice. Others believe that this is not useful as the fetus can't hear. However, the reality is
that the fetus is responsive to sound at approximately 6 months of development. So...talk it up,
they can hear.
Figure-Ground -- the Gestalt Psychologists studied all sorts of perceptual organization; the
ways that humans organize information about what they see, hear, etc. What they found was that
there are two main visual components necessary for a person to see an object properly; a figure
(the object) and the ground (the background or surroundings in which the object occurs). Thus,
when you look at a picture on a wall, the picture is the figure and you can distinguish it clearly
from its surroundings, the wall (ground).
Fixation -- this term has several different meanings in Psychology. Fixation has a long history
in Freudian and clinical Psychology, and refers to when a person is "stuck" in one stage of
psychosexual development. For example, if a person does not get through the oral stage of
development properly, then Freud would say that the person is fixated in the oral stage and will
continue to seek oral pleasures, and will not be able to progress to the next stage of development
until the oral issues are resolved. Fixation also refers to an inability to adopt any different or new
perspective on a problem. It is similar to fixation in the Freudian sense except that here it is not
necessarily referring to psychosexual development.
Fixed-Interval Schedule -- with this type of Operant Conditioning reinforcement
schedule, an organism must wait (either not make the operant response, whatever it is in that
experiment; or it can make the response but the response produces nothing) for a specific
amount of time and then make the operant response in order to receive reinforcement. For
example, if you are conducting a study in which you place a rat on a fixed-interval 30 second
schedule (FI-30s), and the operant response is pressing the lever, then the rat must wait for 30
seconds, then press the lever, and it will receive reinforcement. This type of schedule is called
fixed because the amount time the organism must wait remains constant. In addition, the
investigator can determine what NOT waiting will do. If the rat presses the lever before the
interval has elapsed, it can either make the interval start all over again (so if the rat waits 15
seconds and then presses the lever, it starts the 30 seconds all over again), or do nothing so that
the rat can press the lever constantly for 30 seconds, and then the next one will produce
reinforcement.
Fixed-Ratio Schedule -- with this type of Operant Conditioning reinforcement schedule,
an organism must make a certain number of operant responses (whatever it may be in that
experiment) in order to receive reinforcement. For example, if you are conducting a study in
which you place a rat on a fixed-ratio 30 schedule (FR-30), and the operant response is pressing
the lever, then the rat must press the lever 30 times before it will receive reinforcement. This
type of schedule is called fixed because the number of operant responses required remains
constant.
Flashbulb Memory -- the sudden onset of a clear memory of an emotionally significant
moment or event. When you are trying to remember something and then it "all of a sudden
comes to you", you have experienced a flash bulb memory. It is like turning on a light.
Fluid Intelligence -- there are two main type of intelligence, crystallized intelligence and
fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is your ability to reason in an abstract way. For example, if I
asked you to come up with as many different possible uses for a tire, you would have to use very
abstract reasoning - think about what a tire is, the different types, the sizes, etc., then go through
cognitive lists of situations, uses, and much more. One unfortunate problem with this type of
reasoning is that it tends to decrease during later adulthood.
Forensic Psychology -- is there a better source for information about forensic psychology than the Academy of Forensic Psychology? We don't think there is, so we're using their definition here: Foresnsic Psychology is the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system. The word "forensic" comes from the Latin word "forensis," meaning "of the forum," where the law courts of ancient Rome were held. Today forensic refers to the application of scientific principles and practices to the adversary process where specially knowledgeable scientists play a role.
Formal Operational Stage -- according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development,
when a person get to be approximately age 12,they acquire the ability to think logically about
abstract concepts. They can extrapolate about events that occurred at different times (does not
have to be occurring right then and there), think about people that are not there, etc.
Fovea -- this is the central focal point on the retina in the eye around which the cones cluster.
In fact, the fovea has only cones around it, which are better for detecting fine detail. So, when
trying to really see some fine detail or focus something, people tend to move the image onto the
fovea (although they may be unaware that this is what they are doing...they just think they are
trying to see something better).
Framing -- read these two questions and consider how you would respond if a person you
liked called you and presented them to you: 1) "would you like to go out tonight?"; and 2) "what
time do you want to go out tonight?" These two questions are addressing the same basic issue,
but they are framed differently - they are presented in different ways and under different
pretenses. The first, is framed in a more passive, open manner, while the second implies that you
and this person ARE going out and the only issue is what time you will be going. It is all in how
you ask!
Fraternal Twins -- these are siblings who develop from separate eggs and separate sperm
cells, but during the same fertilization period. So they end up being conceived at the same time,
developing at the same time, and being born at approximately the same time. Plus, unlike
identical twins, fraternal twins can be different sex (brother and sister).
Free Association -- Quick, say whatever comes to your mind when I say the word
"marriage". Don't limit or try to evaluate your responses, just say everything that pops into your
head. This process is a Freudian (psychoanalytic) method of exploring the unconscious in which
the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.
Frequency -- the number of complete wavelengths (also known as cycles) that occur within a
specific time. A wave with high frequency means it occurs more rapidly or often and is also
considered shorter. Frequency is used to measure all sorts of wavelengths, such as light waves,
sound waves, and brain waves.
Frequency Distribution -- this is a simple type of statistic that people often make into a
much bigger deal than it really is. Let's say you are in a class with 100 people, and you have just
taken a test. The teacher then tells you that on the test, there were 20 As, 25 Bs, 35 Cs, 15 Ds,
and 5 Fs. What the teacher has just given you is a frequency distribution; a breakdown of how all
the scores fell into the different categories or ranges that the overall score was broken into.
Frequency Theory -- this theory of how we hear sounds states that there are pulses that
travel up the auditory nerve, carrying the information about sound to the brain for processing,
and that the rate of this pulse matched the frequency of whatever tone you are hearing exactly.
We thus hear the tone because the pulse traveling up the auditory nerve matches the actual tone.
Essentially, we are getting a copy of the real sound.
Frontal Lobes -- a region of the cerebral cortex at the front of the brain (lying just behind the
forehead) that is necessary for motor control and more complex, high-end functioning like
speech, decision making, and judgments.
Frustration-Aggression Theory -- first, we need to explain frustration (not that we
don't all already know what this is). Frustration is a feeling of tension that occurs when our
efforts to reach some goal are blocked. When this occurs, it can produce feelings of anger, which
in turn can generate feelings of aggression and aggressive behavior. This theory has been utilized
to explain a lot of violent behavior over time. For example, some have stated that people who
become frustrated with their jobs because they don't like their work, can't get the raise they
want, etc., but can't take out their aggressions at work (can't yell at the boss, can't punch
annoying co-workers), will redirect this frustration and act aggressively toward others (like a
husband, wife, children, etc.).
Fugue -- this is a really interesting type of dissociative disorder in which a person suffers a
bout of amnesia and then flees their home and identity. Often the person will travel far away
from their home, assume a new identity, and live as a different person until they "snap" out of
their amnesic state.
Functional Fixedness -- people are often very limited in the ways they think about objects,
concepts, and people. When something is thought of only in terms of its functionality, then the
person is demonstrating Functional Fixedness. This type of thinking is narrow and limited, often
inhibiting the problem solving process.
Fundamental Attribution Error -- Imagine this situation, you are at school and someone
you know comes by, you say hello, and this person just gives you a quick, unfriendly "hello" and
then walks away. How would you attribute this situation - why did this person act this way? If
you react to this situation by saying the person is a "jerk" or an "ass", then you have made the
fundamental attribution error; the tendency for an observer, when interpreting and explaining the
behavior of another person (the actor), to underestimate the situation and to overestimate the
personal disposition. Maybe the person was having the worst day of their life, just found out a
loved one died, failed a test and was feeling devastated, etc. In this case, the situation may have
caused them to act in a way that was different than their normal happy self. But, you, as a normal
observer, would instead attribute their behavior to them as a person...acted that way because that
is the type of person they are.