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Mid-Term Exam
Mid-Term Exam
150
Psychology
Undergraduate 3
10/23/2008

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
absolute threshold
Definition
smallest quantity of physical energy that can be reliably detected by an observer
Term
activation-synthesis theory of dreams
Definition
dreaming results from the cortical synthesis and interpretation of neural signals triggered by activity in the lower part of the brain
Term
affect heuristic
Definition
tendency to consult one's emotions instead of estimating probabilities objectively
Term
algorithm
Definition
problem-solving strategy guaranteed to produce a solution even if the user does not know how it works
Term
alpha waves
Definition
regular, slow rhythm and a high amplitude when you first close your eyes (stage 1)
Term
altered states of consciousness
Definition
use of psychoactive drugs
Term
anatomical codes
Definition
different sensory modalities (vision/hearing) exist because signals received by the sense organs stimulate different nerve pathways leading to different areas of the brain
Term
anthropodenial
Definition
tendency to think that human beings have nothing in common with other animals
Term
anthropomorphism
Definition
tendency to falsely attribute human qualitites to nonhuman beings
Term
audition
Definition
sense of hearing that provides a vital link with the world around us
Term
auditory nerve
Definition
carries the hair cells' signals to the brain
Term
availability heuristic
Definition
tendency to judge the probability of a type of event by how easy it is to think of examples of instances
Term
avoidance of loss
Definition
when people try to avoid or minimize risks and losses when they make decisions
Term
basilar membrane
Definition
where the hair cells are embedded, stretches across the interior of the cochlea
Term
binocular cues
Definition
visual cues to depth of distance requiring two eyes
Term
biological rhythm
Definition
periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system; may or may not have psychological implications
Term
brightness
Definition
lightness or luminance, dimension of cisual experience realted to the amount of light emitted from or reflected by an object
Term
circadian rhythm
Definition
biological rhythm with a period of about 24 hours
Term
cochlea
Definition
small-shaped, fluid-filled organ in the inner ear, containing the organ of Caorti, where the receptors for hearing are located
Term
cognitive approaches to intelligience
Definition
assumes there are many kinds of intelligence and emphasizes the strategies people use when thinking about a problem and arriving at a solution
Term
cognitive dissonance
Definition
state of tension that occurs when a person simultaneuosly holds two cognitions that are psychologically inconsistent or when a person's belief is incongruent with his or her behavior
Term
cognitive ethology
Definition
study of cognitive processes in nonhuman animals
Term
cognitive schema
Definition
integrated mental network of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations concerning a particular topic or aspect of the world
Term
cognitivie approach to dreams
Definition
emphasizes current concerns, but it makes no claims about problem solving during sleep
Term
componential intelligience
Definition
refers to the info-processing strategies you use when you are thinking intelligently about a problem
Term
concept
Definition
mental category that groups objects, relations, activities, abstractions or qualities having common properties
Term
conciousness
Definition
the awareness of oneself and the environment
Term
confirmation bias
Definition
tendency to look or pay attention only to information that confirms one's own belief
Term
consolidation
Definition
process by which the synaptic changes associated with recently stored memories become durable and stable, causing memory to become more reliable
Term
contextual intelligience
Definition
refers to the practical application of intelligence, which requires you to take into account the different contexts in which you find yourself
Term
convergence
Definition
turning inward of the eyes, which occurs when they focus on a nearby object
Term
convergent versus divergent thinking
Definition
convergent follows a particular set of steps  that they think will converge on one correct solution where divergent tries side alleys and new ways and generate several possible solutions
Term
critical period
Definition
crucial period of time
Term
dark adaptation
Definition
process by which visual receptors become maximally sensitive to dim lights
Term
deductive reasoning
Definition
form of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from certain premises; if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true
Term
delta waves
Definition
very slow waves with very high peaks (stage 3)
Term
depressants
Definition
drugs that slow down activity in the central nervous system
Term
dialectical reasoning
Definition
process by which opposing facts or ideas are weighed and compared with a view to detemining the best solution or to secalving differences
Term
difference threshold
Definition
smallest difference in stimulation that can be reliably detected by an observer when two stimuli are compared
Term
dissociation
Definition
split in consciousness in which one part of the mind operates independently of others
Term
doctrine of specific nerve energies
Definition
principle that different sensory modalities exist because signals received by the sense organs stimulate different nerve pathways leading to different areas of the brain
Term
emotional intelligience
Definition
ability to identify your own and other people's emotions accurately, express your emotions clearly, and regulate emotions in yourself and others
Term
endogenous
Definition
generated from within rather than by external cues
Term
equilibrium
Definition
sense of balance
Term
experiential intelligience
Definition
refers to your creativity in transferring skills to new situations
Term
extrasensory perception (ESP)
Definition
communication through one's mind to another
Term
face module
Definition
recognize faces even if they can't recognize other objects
Term
factor analysis
Definition
statistical method for analyzing the intercorrelations among various measures or test scoresl clusters of measures or scores that are highly correlated are assumed to measure the same underlying trait, ability, or aptitude
Term
fairness bias
Definition
certain circumstances where we do not try to avoid loss altogether
Term
feature-detector cells
Definition
cells in visual cortes that are sensitive to specific features of the environment
Term
figure and ground
Definition
 people always organize the visual field (figure stands out from the rest of the environment)
Term
formal reasoning problems
Definition
info needed for drawing a conclusion or reaching a solution is specified clearly, and there is a single right answer
Term
frequency
Definition
how rapidly the medium vibrates
Term
functional codes
Definition
rely on the fact that sensory receptors and neurons fire only in the presence of specific sorts of stimuli
Term
g factor
Definition
general ability assumed by many theorists to underlie specific mental abilities and talents
Term
ganglion cells
Definition
neurons in the retina of the eye, which gather info from receptor cells; axioms make up the optic nerve
Term
gate-control theory of pain
Definition
experience of pain depends in part on whether pain impulses get past a neurolgical gate in the spinal cord and thus reach the braing
Term
gestalt principles
Definition
describe the brain's organization of sensory info into meaningful units and patterns
Term
gustation
Definition
taste
Term
hair cells (cilia)
Definition
receptor cells that play the same role in hearing as the retina do in vision
Term
heritability
Definition
statistical estimate of the proportion of the total variance in some trait that is attributable to genetic differences among individuals within a group
Term
heuristic
Definition
rule of thumb that suggests a course of action of guides problem solving but does not guarantee an optimal solution
Term
hidden observer
Definition
watching but not participating
Term
hindsight bias
Definition
tendency to overestimate one's ability to have predicted an event once the outcome is known
Term
hue
Definition
dimension of visual experience specified by color names and realted to the wavelength of light
Term
hypnosis
Definition
procedure in which the practitioner suggests cahnges in the sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, or behavior of subject
Term
implicit learning
Definition
occurs when you acquire knowledge about something without being aware of how you did so and without being able to state exactly what it is you have learned
Term
inattentional blindness
Definition
failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because you are not attending to it
Term
inductive reasoning
Definition
the premises provide support for a conclusion, but it is still possible for the conclusion to be false
Term
informal reasoning problems
Definition
there often is no clearly correct solution
Term
intelligience
Definition
inferred characteristic of an individual, usually defined as the ability to profit from experience, acquire knowledge, think abstractly, act purposefully, or adapt to changes in the environment
Term
intelligience quotient (IQ)
Definition
measure of intelligence now derived from norms provided for standardized intelligence tests
Term
internal desynchronization
Definition
state in which biological rhythms are not in phase with on another
Term
justification of effort
Definition
tendency of individuals to increase their liking for something that they have worked hard or suffered to attain; common form of dissonance reduction
Term
kinesthesis
Definition
sense of body position and movement of body parts
Term
loudness
Definition
dimension of auditory experience related to the intensity of a pressure wave
Term
lucid dream
Definition
dreamer is aware of dreaming
Term
manifest versus latent content of dreams
Definition
aspects of what we we concsiously experience during sleep and may remember upon awakening vs. unconscious wishes and thoughts being exspressed symbolically
Term
marijuana
Definition
drug that falls outside of the four classifications (tetrahydrocannabinal (THC)
Term
melatonin
Definition
hormone secreted by the pineal gland that is involved in the regulation of daily biological rhythms
Term
mental age (MA)
Definition
measure of mental development expressed in terms of the average mental ability at a given age
Term
mental image
Definition
mental representation that mirrors or resembles the thing it representsl mental images can occur in many and perhaps all sensory modalities
Term
mental sets
Definition
tendency to solve problems using procedures that worked before on similar problems
Term
metacognition
Definition
knowledge or awareness of one's own cognitive processes
Term
mindlessness
Definition
mental inflexibility, inertia, and obliviousness to the present context
Term
monocular cues
Definition
visual cues to depth or distance that can be used by one eye alone
Term
narcolepsy
Definition
sleep disorder involving sudden and unpredictable daytime attacks of sleepiness or actual sleep
Term
negative afterimage
Definition
after staring at a particular hue, one sees something different (stare at green and see red after)
Term
nonconscious processes
Definition
mental processes occuring outside of and not available to conscious awareness
Term
non-REM sleep
Definition
fewer eye movements in a cycle that recurs about every 90 mins
Term
olfaction
Definition
sense of smell
Term
opiates
Definition
drugs that relieve pain and commonly produce euphoria
Term
opponent-process theory
Definition
theory of color perception that assumes that the visual system treats pairs of colors as opposing or antagonistic
Term
optic nerve
Definition
carries information out through the back of the eye and on to the brain
Term
organ of Corti
Definition
structure in the cochlea containing hair cells that seve as the receptors for hearing
Term
papillae
Definition
knoblike elecations on the tongue. Containing the taste buds
Term
parapsychology
Definition
study of purported psychic phenomena such as ESP and mental telepathy
Term
perception
Definition
process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory info
Term
perceptual constancy
Definition
accurate perception of objects as stable or unchanged despite chanes in the sensory patterns they produce
Term
perceptual illusion
Definition
illusions
Term
perceptual set
Definition
habitual way of perceiving, based on expectation
Term
phantom pain
Definition
experience of pain in missing limb or other body part
Term
pitch
Definition
dimension of auditory experience related to the frequency of a pressure wave; related to height or depth of a tone
Term
PMS
Definition
vague cluster of physical and emotional symptoms associated with the days preceding menstruation
Term
postdecision dissonance
Definition
theory of cognitive dissonance, tension that occurs when you believe you may have made a bad decision
Term
prereflective stages
Definition
where people assume that a correct answer always exists and that it can be obtained directly through senses or authorities
Term
problem-focused approach to dreams
Definition
symbols and metaphors in a dream do not disguise its true meaning; they convey it
Term
proposition
Definition
unit of meaning that is made up of concepts and expresses a single idea
Term
prototype
Definition
especially representative example of a concept
Term
psychedelic drugs
Definition
concsious-altering drugs that produce hallucinations, change thought processes, or disrupt the normal perception of time and space
Term
psychoactive drug
Definition
drug capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, or behavior
Term
psychoanalytical theory of dreams
Definition
in dreams we are able to express our unconscious wishes and desires, which are often sexual or violent in nature
Term
psychometric approach to intelligience
Definition
focuses on how well people perform on standardized aptitude tests, which are designed to measure the ability to acquire skills or knowledge
Term
quasi-reflective stages
Definition
people recognize that some things cannot be known with absolute certainty, and they realize that judgments should be supported by reasons, yet they pay attention only to evidence that fits what they already believe
Term
reasoning
Definition
drawing of conclusions or inferences from observations, facts, or assumptions
Term
reflective judgment
Definition
different stages where people make different assumptions about how things are known and use different ways of justifying or defending their beliefs
Term
reflective stages
Definition
where people are willing to consider evidence from a cariety of sources and to reason dialectically
Term
REM sleep
Definition
sleep periods characterized by eye movement, loss of muscle tone, and dreaming
Term
retina
Definition
neural tissue lining the back of the eyeball's interior, which contains the receptors for vision
Term
retinal disparity
Definition
slight difference in lateral seperation between two objects as seen by the left eye and the right eye
Term
rods and cones
Definition
visual receptors that respond to dim light/ color vision
Term
saturation
Definition
vividness or purity of color; dimension of visual experience related to the complexity of light waves
Term
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Definition
controversial disorder in which a person experiences depression during the winter and an improvement of mood in the spring
Term
selective attention
Definition
focusing of attention on selected aspects of the encironment and the blocking out of others
Term
semicircular canals
Definition
sense organs in the inner ear, which contribute to equilibrium by responding to rotation of the head
Term
sensation
Definition
detection of physical energy emitted of reflected by physical objects
Term
sense receptors
Definition
specialized cells that convert physical energy in the environment of the body to electrical energy that can be transmitted as nerce impulses to the brain
Term
sensory adaptation
Definition
reduction or disappearance of sensory responsiveness that occurs when stimulation is unchanging or repetitious
Term
sensory deprivation
Definition
absence of normal levels of sensory stimulation
Term
signal-detection theory
Definition
psychophysical theory that divides the detection of a sensory signal into a sensory process and a decision process
Term
sleep apnea
Definition
disorder in which breathing briefly stops during sleep, causing the person to choke and gasp
Term
sleep spindles
Definition
occasional short bursts of rapid, high peaking waves (stage 2)
Term
sociocognitive explanation of hypnosis
Definition
the effects of hypnosis result from an interaction between the social influence of the hypnotist (socio) and the abilities, beliefs, and expectations of the subject (cognitive)
Term
Stanford-Binet Intelligience Scale
Definition
the older the test taker is, the more the test requires in the way of verbal comprehension and fluency, spatial ability, and reasoning
Term
stereotype threat
Definition
burden of doubt a person feels about his or her performance, due to negative stereotypes about his or her group's abilities
Term
stimulants
Definition
drugs that speed up activity in the central nervous system
Term
subconscious processes
Definition
mental processes occurring outside of conscious awareness but accesible to consciousness when necessary
Term
subliminal perception
Definition
ads that will supposedly help you raise your self-esteem
Term
suprachiastic nucleus (SCN)
Definition
area of the brain containing a biological clock that governs circadian rhythms
Term
synesthesia
Definition
rare condition in which stimulation of one sense also evkes a sensation in another
Term
tacit knowledge
Definition
strategies for success that are not explicitly taught but that instead must be inferred
Term
taste buds
Definition
nests of taste-receptor celss
Term
think drink effect
Definition
thinking you are drunk when you really have had a non-alcoholic drink
Term
timbre
Definition
distinguishing quality of a sound; dimension of auditory experience related to the compexity of the pressure wave
Term
tolerance
Definition
increased resistance to a drug's effect accompanying continued use
Term
triarchic theory of intelligience
Definition
emphasizes info-processing strategies, the ability to transfer skills to new situations, and the practical application of intelligence
Term
trichromatic theory
Definition
color preception that proposed three mechanisms in the visual system, each sensitive to a certain range of wavelengths; their interaction is assumed to produce all the different experiences of hue
Term
Wechsler Adult Intelligience Scale
Definition
IQ tests for adults (verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, processing speed)
Term
Wechsler Intelligience Scale for Children
Definition
IQ tests for children (verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, processing speed)
Term
withdrawal
Definition
physical and psychological symptoms that occur when someone addicted to a drug stops taking it
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