Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Examples and Definition
Explore the concept of autonomy vs. shame and doubt, with examples of how it influences early childhood development.
What Are Primary and Secondary Emotions?
Learn the difference between primary and secondary emotions, and how they shape your emotional responses.
What It Means to Be a Deep Thinker, According to Psychology
Deep thinkers are considered and creative. Learn more about how to recognize the signs—and boost your own deep thinking skills in the process.
Understanding External Locus of Control: Impact, Signs, and How to Change It
Does it feel like luck, fate, or outside forces are controlling your life? Here’s why having an external locus of control can lead to a sense of helplessness.
What It Means to Have Strong-Willed Personality Traits
Being strong-willed means you persevere in the face of challenges. But it can also make you stubborn and unwilling to change. Here’s how to strike a balance.
Definition of Fluid Intelligence
Fluid intelligence is your ability to reason quickly and solve problems. Learn why it’s so important—and at what age it tends to peak.
Examples of Confirmation Bias (and How to Overcome It)
Looking for information that confirms what you already believe? That’s the confirmation bias at work. Here’s why it happens and how it affects how we think.
What Is Crystallized Intelligence? Definition and Examples
Crystallized intelligence is all about what you’ve learned. Here’s why the wisdom you’ve picked up along the way is so important.
A List of Negative Personality Traits
We all have our flaws, but these negative traits can really drag you down. Learn how to spot—and maybe even fix—the worst offenders.
180+ Great Hobbies for Introverts to Recharge and Relax
Whether you want to relax or spark your creativity, these 180+ introvert-friendly hobbies will help you find the perfect balance of calm and enjoyment.
Ambivert vs. Omnivert: What Are the Differences?
Ambiverts can switch between social and solo, but omniverts take it to another level. Here’s what sets these personality types apart (and how to tell if you’re one).
What is Kolb’s Learning Cycle and How Does it Work?
David A. Kolb, an influential American educational theorist, is best known for his work on experiential learning theory. Central to this theory is Kolb’s learning cycle, which comprises four stages: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. This cycle explains how individuals learn through a continuous process of experiencing, reflecting, conceptualizing, and experimenting. …
100 of the Most Common Neutral Personality Traits
Neutral personality traits are characteristics that are not viewed as either inherently good or bad. Instead, they tend to be more nuanced, and whether they are advantageous or disadvantageous tends to depend on the situation, context, or impact. Unlike positive attributes or positive demeanors, these personality characteristics don’t always lean toward good, but they don’t…
Overt Behavior: Definition and Examples in Psychology
Overt behavior refers to actions that can be observed and measured. In other words, these are the behaviors that other people can see, such as your speech and physical actions. Overt behaviors can be contrasted with covert behaviors. Covert behaviors are actions and mental processes that occur in the mind and cannot be readily observed….
Reserved Personality Meaning: What It Means to Be a Reserved Person
Reserved people tend to me more private, introverted, and cautious. Learn more about what it means you have this type of personality.
Examples of Conditioned Reinforcers
A conditioned reinforcer, also known as a secondary reinforcer, is a stimulus that becomes reinforcing after it is associated with primary reinforcers or other conditioned reinforcers. Unlike primary reinforcers, which are inherently rewarding (such as food, water, or shelter), conditioned reinforcers only acquire their reinforcing power through repeated pairing with primary reinforcers or other conditioned…
Ecological Theory: Bronfenbrenner’s Five Systems
Learn how Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory explains the impact of different environments on human development.
Negative Reinforcement vs. Punishment
Negative reinforcement and punishment are both important concepts in B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning. Negative reinforcement removes something bad to encourage good behavior, while punishment adds something bad to discourage bad behavior. Understanding the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment is really important. They both try to change behavior, but they work in different…
Reinforcement vs. Punishment: What Are the Differences?
Reinforcement in psychology involves increasing the likelihood of a behavior by introducing a stimulus, whereas punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior by introducing a consequence. Reinforcement strengthens a behavior, while punishment weakens it. Reinforcement and punishment are both important concepts in operant conditioning, a behavioral theory of learning introduced by psychologist B.F. Skinner. Operant…
Insight Learning Theory: Definition, Stages, and Examples
Insight learning theory is all about those “lightbulb moments” we experience when we suddenly understand something. Instead of slowly figuring things out through trial and error, insight theory says we can suddenly see the solution to a problem in our minds. This theory is super important because it helps us understand how our brains work…