Glossary
habituation: a form of learning in which the response to a stimulus decreases until the stimulus is ignored if it does not convey any meaning
hallucinations: the perception of things that are not actually present, such as the auditory hallucinations that are a common feature of schizophrenia
halo effect: the likelihood that a positive impression will be formed of a person if positive information is received about that person, and a negative impression will be formed if negative information is received
health belief models: models designed to describe those factors that predict health behaviours, and to try to explain how the predictors of healthy behaviour influence the set of ‘health beliefs’ that every individual has
health locus of control: the extent to which an individual believes that their health is controlled by them (an internal locus of control) or by factors external to them (an external locus of control)
health psychology: the scientific study of the psychological processes of health, illness and health care, and, in particular, its contribution to (1) the promotion and maintenance of health, (2) the prevention and treatment of illness, (3) the identification of aetiological and diagnostic correlates of health, illness and related dysfunctions, and (4) the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy information helping: a type of pro-social behaviour. Intentional actions that benefit other people
heredity: the process by which biologically based characteristics are transmitted to offspring
heritability: the degree of inheritance of a given trait or behaviour, assessed by the degree of similarity between individuals who vary in the extent of their genetic similarity
heteroceptors: presynaptic receptors that receive messages from other neurons
heterosexism: bias arising from negative views towards or treatment of homosexuals
heuristic systematic model: Chaiken’s model of attitude change, in which when people attend carefully to the persuasive message they engage in systematic processing, but otherwise they process the information using heuristics or cognitive short-cuts
heuristics: ‘rules of thumb’ used in problem-solving, probabilistic judgement and decision-making
hippocampus: part of the forebrain, located in the medial temporal lobe. It forms a part of the limbic system and is involved in memory
histogram: a graphical display of a frequency distribution (see Figure 38.7 for examples)
holistic therapies: those therapeutic treatments that attempt to treat the whole person and enable them to make their own decisions and solve their own problems (e.g. ‘humanistic therapies’ such as client-centred therapy)
holophrases: a term used to refer to the possibility that the single word utterances of young children have a similar meaning to a phrase or sentence
homeostasis: constancy or equilibrium of the internal conditions of the body
homogeneity of variance: the assumption that the variance of one variable is stable at all levels of another variable. If your predictor variable is categorical then this means that the variance of your outcome variable or variables should be the same in each of these categories or groups. If data are continuous data (such as in correlational designs), this assumption means that the variance of one variable should be the same for all values of the other variable
horizontal cells: a layer of retinal cells that are involved in lateral inhibition
hormones: hormones are chemicals that are secreted by endocrine glands entering the bloodstream to their destination
humanism: an approach to psychology that emphasises the whole person and the human’s potential for change
humanistic: a psychological model that emphasises an individual's phenomenal world and inherent capacity for making rational choices and developing to maximum potential
Huntington’s disease: a rare genetic neurological disorder typified by abnormal movements of the body (sometimes referred to as Huntington’s Chorea)
hypercomplex cells: cells in the cortex which respond to specific stimuli such as corners and angles
hyperphagia: eating too much
hyperpolarisation: when the membrane potential of a neuron becomes more polarised (see depolarisation)
hyperventilation: breathing faster and/or deeper than necessary, thereby reducing the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood below normal. A possible causal factor in the precipitation of panic attacks
hypothalamic-pituitary portal system: a networks of capillaries in which the hypothalamus can communicate with the anterior pituitary gland
hypothalamus: a gland in the brain below the thalamus. Involved in homeostasis
hypothesis formation: in the context of inductive reasoning, the formation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomenon
hypothesis: a testable statement, derived from theory, which is used to test that theory
hypothetical construct: psychologists characterise phenomena in theoretical terms, as hypothetical constructs. These constructs remain hypothetical until their existence can be confirmed through investigation
hypothetico-deductive method: a technique of investigation that involves developing specific predictions, or hypotheses, on the basis of a psychological theory. These predictions are then tested in an empirical investigation. If the results of the study confirm the predictions, then the theory is supported
hypovolemic thirst: This thirst occurs when the intravascular fluid decreases (see also osmotic thirst)