Non Module Terms

Selective attention

Focusing on one specific aspect

Cocktail party effect

Ability to focus on a conversation in noisy environment (able to tune out other stimuli); type of selective attention

Inattentional blindness

Person fails to notice unexpected stimulus in the moment

Change blindness

Failure to notice large changes in environment because focus was elsewhere, rooted in memory (not focused on how something looked earlier)

Schemas

Mental frameworks of categories of objects/events/people that influence perception, help make up perceptual sets based on past experiences/knowledge/beliefs

Perceptual set

Tendency to perceive some aspects of sensory data + ignore others

Physical illusions

Manipulation of monocular cues for depth perception

Physiological illusions

Visual system getting overstimulated

Cognitive illusions

Mismatch between what you perceive and what you sense

Metacognition

Thinking about how you think and why

Executive functions

Cognitive processes that allow people to generate + organize etc

Formal concept

Logical and rigid rules that define concept

Natural concept

Formed from experiences and has fuzzy boundaries

Assimilation

Add new info to existing schemas

Accomodiation

Modifying existing schemas/making new ones in response to new info

Functional fixedness

Cognitive bias that limits person to use an object only in its traditional use

Priming

Exposure to one stimulus influences response to subsequent stimulus without conscious guidance

Gambler’s fallacy

Cognitive bias that occurs when random outcome of event is influenced by previous outcomes even if each event is independent

Sunk cost fallacy

Continuing to invest more into decision because too much has been invested, even if it’s not worth it anymore

Multiple intelligence

Suggests people have different types of intelligence

Growth mindset

Belief that abilities/intelligence can be developed

Fixed mindset

Belief that intelligence can’t be changed

Norms

Each test taker completes test in same conditions

Construct validity

How well test measures

Predictive validity

How well test predicts

Retest reliablity

Comparison between test attempts to see how stable scores are

Split half reliability

Divies test in half then compares scores, similar results means more reliable

Flynn efect

Average IQ scores have been increasing over generations, suggests rise in g is due to environment/culture changes

Stereotype threat

Phenomenon where people underperform when they feel at risk of confirming negative sterotypes

Stereotype lift

Stereotypically advantaged groups perform better

Memory

Persistence of learning overtime, info that can be stored/retrieved

Multi store model

Memory is 3 party system (sensory + long term + short term memory)

Baddeley’s working memory

System in brain that allows you to temporarily retain + manipulate stored info involved in complex process

Central executive

Control center of working memory; manages attention + coordinates other memory components + integrates information from our senses and long-term memory + essential for planning/problem solving/decision making

Phonological loop

Part of working memory that processes + stores auditory and verbal info + temporarily holds words/sounds for a few seconds + rehearses info in phonological store via subvocal repetition

Visuospatial sketchpad

Part of working memory that handles visual + spatial info + allows temporary storage and manipulate images spatial relationships which enables tasks like navigation

Memory span

Number of items a person can remember and repeat back using attention and short-term memory, magic number is 7 + or - 2 (5-9)

Effortful processing

Actively encoding to embed info into long term memory

Automatic processing

Unconscious encoding of information about space, time, frequency, and well-learned tasks

Levels of processing model

Depth of which info is processed, more will be remembered

Shallow processing

Basic level of processing without engaging with its meaning

Structural

Type of shallow encoding that focuses on physical structure of info

Acoustic

Type of shallow processing based on auditory aspects of info

Deep encoding

Processing info be connecting it to meaning (semantic)

Chunking

Grouping info into large meaningful units so more items can be hold in short term memory

Categories

Organizing related items with categories to structure info in a logical way

Hierarchies

System of ranked categories or levels for organizing info

Mnemonics

Helps recall info with simple cues like patterns or images

Method of loci

Associates items with physical locations

Amygdala

Involved in declarative + episodic memory, primary processor of emotional reactions

Cerebellum

Involved in implicit memories (conditioned associations)

Basal ganglia

Memory retrieval + procedural memory (habits)

Hippocampus

Where explicit memories for facts and episodes are processed + fed to other brain regions for storage “save button“

Autobiographical memory

Encompasses events + experiences of person’s life (both semantic + episodic memories)

Procedural memory

Recall of how to perform skills automatically (implicit memory)

Prospective memory

Remembering to perform planned action/recall planned intention in the future

Massed practice/cramming

Learning intensively over short period with no breaks

Maintenance rehearsal

Repeating reviewing info for short term memory

Elaborative rehearsal

Adding meaning to info for deep processing

Retrieval cues

Helps remember previously learned info

Context dependent memory

Remembering info better in same environment where you first learned it

State dependent memory

Retrieval is most effective when individual is in the same state of consciousness as when memory was formed

Primacy effect

Items presented at beginning of list are remembered better than items following, allows to be encoded into long term memory

Recency effect

Items presented at the end of list are remembered better than those in the middle, are still in short term memory and makes them accessible

Overlearning

Continued rehearsal after mastery and promotes improved recall

Tip of the tongue phenomenon

Confidence in knowing a name/word but can’t immediately recall it

Infantile amnesia

People cannot recall personal memories before age 3-4

Constructive memory

Process where memories are being actively constructed

Imagination inflation

Imagining an event occured can increase confidence that it actually occurred