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Exam 2
Chapters 3,6,8,9
110
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
03/26/2011

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
sensation
Definition
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Term
perception
Definition
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Term
bottom-up processing
Definition
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory info
Term
top-down processing
Definition
info processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
Term
pyschophysics
Definition
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experiences on them
Term
absolute threshold
Definition
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Term
signal detection theory
Definition
a theory prediction how and when we detect the presence of a fait stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold
Term
difference threshold
Definition
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference
Term
Weber's Law
Definition
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli most differ by a constant minimum percent, not constant amount
Term
sensory adaption
Definition
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Term
transduction
Definition
conversion of one form of energy into another. in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret
Term
hue
Definition
dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light
Term
intensity
Definition
the amount of energy in a light or sound wave (brightness or loudness)
Term
pupil
Definition
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Term
iris
Definition
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Term
lens
Definition
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Term
retina
Definition
the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual info
Term
accomidation
Definition
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Term
rods
Definition
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray: necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
Term
cones
Definition
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. See color
Term
optic nerve
Definition
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Term
blind spot
Definition
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
Term
fovea
Definition
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
Term
feature detectors
Definition
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle or movement
Term
parallel processing
Definition
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously: the brian's natural mode of info processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving
Term
young-helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory
Definition
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- red, green, blue
Term
opponent-processing theory
Definition
the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision. Ex: some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red
Term
gestalt
Definition
an organized whole. our tendency to integrate pieces of info into meaningful wholes
Term
figure-ground
Definition
organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings (figures vs. ground)
Term
grouping
Definition
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Term
depth perception
Definition
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional (allows us to judge distance)
Term
visual cliff
Definition
a lab device for testing depth perception in infants
Term
binocular cues
Definition
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
Term
retinal disparity
Definition
a binocular cue for perceiving depth: by comparing images from the two eyes the brain computes distance
Term
monocular cues
Definition
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Term
phi phenomenon
Definition
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Term
perceptual constancy
Definition
perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
Term
color consistency
Definition
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
Term
perceptual adaptation
Definition
in vision the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
Term
perceptual set
Definition
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Term
human factors psychology
Definition
a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
Term
consciousness
Definition
our awareness of ourselves and our environment
Term
cognitive neuroscience
Definition
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition
Term
dual processing
Definition
the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Term
selective attention
Definition
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Term
inattentional blindness
Definition
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Term
change blindness
Definition
failing to notice changes in the environment
Term
circadian rhythm
Definition
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle
Term
REM sleep
Definition
rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur
Term
alpha waves
Definition
relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
Term
sleep
Definition
periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness
Term
hallucinations
Definition
false sensory experiences such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
Term
delta waves
Definition
large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
Term
insomnia
Definition
recurring problems in failing or staying asleep
Term
narcolepsy
Definition
sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks
Term
sleep apnea
Definition
a sleep disorder characterized by temporary pause of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
Term
night terrors
Definition
sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered
Term
dream
Definition
sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping persons mind
Term
manifest content
Definition
according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream
Term
latent content
Definition
according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream
Term
REM rebound
Definition
the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation
Term
hypnosis
Definition
a social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur
Term
posthypnotic suggestion
Definition
a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized, used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors
Term
dissociation
Definition
a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others
Term
encoding
Definition
the processing of info into the memory system
Term
storage
Definition
the retention of encoded info over time
Term
retrieval
Definition
the process of getting info out of memory storage
Term
sensory memory
Definition
the immediate, very brief recording of sensory info in the memory system
Term
STM
Definition
activated memory that holds a few items briefly
Term
LTM
Definition
relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system, includes knowledge, skills, and experiences
Term
working memory
Definition
newer understanding of STM that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial info, and of info retrieved from LTM
Term
automatic processing
Definition
unconscious encoding of incidental info, such as space, time and frequency, and of well-learned info, such as word meanings
Term
effortful processing
Definition
encoding that requires attention and conscious effort
Term
rehearsal
Definition
the conscious repetition of info, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage
Term
spacing effect
Definition
the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention that is achieved through massed study or practice
Term
serial position effect
Definition
our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list
Term
visual encoding
Definition
the encoding of picture images
Term
acoustic encoding
Definition
the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
Term
semantic encoding
Definition
the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words
Term
imagery
Definition
mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding
Term
mnemonics
Definition
memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices
Term
chunking
Definition
organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically
Term
iconic memory
Definition
momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second
Term
echoic memory
Definition
a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds
Term
hippocampus
Definition
a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage
Term
recall
Definition
a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve info learned earlier, as on a fill in the blank test
Term
recognition
Definition
a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple choice test
Term
relearning
Definition
a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time
Term
priming
Definition
the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory
Term
deja vu
Definition
that eerie sense that its happened before. cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience
Term
mood congruent memory
Definition
the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with ones current good or bad mood
Term
proactive interference
Definition
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new info
Term
retroactive interference
Definition
the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old info
Term
repression
Definition
basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
Term
misinformation effect
Definition
incorporating misleading info into ones memory of an event
Term
source amnesia
Definition
attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined
Term
language
Definition
our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
Term
phoneme
Definition
in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit
Term
morpheme
Definition
in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word
Term
grammar
Definition
in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others
Term
semantics
Definition
the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning
Term
syntax
Definition
the rules from combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language
Term
babbling stage
Definition
beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language
Term
one-word stage
Definition
the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words
Term
two-word stage
Definition
beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly two-word statements
Term
telegraphic speech
Definition
early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram "go car" using mostly nouns and verbs
Term
aphasia
Definition
impairment of language usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to broca's area or to wernickes area
Term
Broca's area
Definition
controls language expression- area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech
Term
Wernickes's area
Definition
controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe
Term
linguistic determinism
Definition
whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think
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