Psychology Dictionary -- G

g

General intelligence. Typically compared to s which represents specific intelligences. G is the culmination of all possible s’s.

GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid)

A neurotransmitter involved in the inhibition of anxiety and excitation. Too little GABA has been associated with anxiety disorders.

Gender Identity

The internal sense of being either male or female. Usually congruent with biological gender, but not always as in Gender Identity Disorder.

Gender Role

The accepted behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of a specific gender based upon the views of a particular society or culture.

Gender Typing

The process of developing the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with a particular gender.

Generalization

The tendency to associate stimuli, and therefore respond similarly to, due to their closeness on some variable such as size, shape, color, or meaning.

Genital Stage

Freud’s final stage of psychosexual development where healthy sexual development is defined as attraction to a same aged, opposite sexed peer.

Gestalt

German word typically translated as meaning ‘whole’ or ‘form.’

Gestalt Therapy

Treatment focusing on the awareness and understanding of one’s feelings.

Grouped Frequency Distribution

A table showing the number of occurrences for a grouping of scores. Used a lot in educational settings where a score of 90 to 100 may be grouped as an A, a score of 80 to 90 may be grouped as a B, etc.

Group Polarization

The tendency for members of a cohesive group to make more extreme decisions due to the lack of opposing views.

Group Therapy

Psychotherapy conducted with at least three or four non-related individuals who are similar in some are, such as gender, age, mental illness, or presenting problem.

Group Think

The tendency for members of a cohesive group to reach decisions without weighing all the facts, especially those contradicting the majority opinion.

Gustation

Sense of taste.