Everything

What is Psychology?

The scientific study of mind, brain, and behaviour.

Key features of a Science

Grounded in observations, cumulative, self-correcting, achieves explanation and understanding.

What is Falsification in science?

The principle that scientific theories must be testable and able to be disproven.

What is Reliability in Measurement?

The consistency of a measure across time or various conditions.

What is Validity in Measurement?

The degree to which a measure accurately assesses the construct it is intended to measure.

Cranial Capacity Hypothesis

The unfounded belief that larger skull size indicates higher intelligence.

What does the term 'Critical Thinking' mean in Psychology?

The process of exercising judgment on data quality and theoretical adequacy.

What is the definition of 'Hypothesis'?

A testable prediction derived from a theory.

What is a 'Theory' in scientific terms?

A set of principles that explains and organizes empirical observations.

What is the role of Independent Variables in Experimental Designs?

Factors manipulated by researchers to observe effects on a dependent variable.

What is 'Sampling Bias'?

A situation when the sample in a study is not representative of the larger population.

What is meant by 'Causation'?

The relationship where one event is affected by another event.

What is the 'Dorsal Pathway' in visual processing?

The pathway that processes visual information for action and spatial awareness.

What is the 'Ventral Pathway'?

The pathway that processes visual information for object recognition and identification.

What is Broca's Area?

A brain region involved in speech production, typically located in the left frontal lobe.

What is Wernicke's Area?

A brain region involved in language comprehension, typically located in the left temporal lobe.

What is 'Synaptic Plasticity'?

The ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time in response to increases or decreases in activity.

What defines 'Neuroplasticity'?

The capacity of the brain to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.

What is the function of the Hippocampus?

Involved in the formation of new episodic memories and spatial navigation.

What does 'Long-term Potentiation' refer to?

The long-lasting strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity.

What is meant by 'Action Potential'?

The brief electrical impulse that conducts down the axon of a neuron.

What is 'Cognitive Load'?

The total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory.

What is 'Subliminal Perception'?

The ability to perceive stimuli below the threshold of conscious awareness.

What is 'Classical Conditioning'?

A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired.

What is 'Operant Conditioning'?

A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviour.

What is the role of the 'Corpus Callosum'?

The structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

What is 'Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)'?

A neuroimaging procedure that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow.

What is a 'Neurotransmitter'?

A chemical substance that transmits signals across the synapse from one neuron to another.

What is an 'Exemplar'?

Specific instances or examples of a category used to represent that category.

What is 'Prototype'?

The most typical example of a category that represents the average features.

What does 'Signal Detection Theory' describe?

How information is detected amid noise and uncertainty.

What is 'Mental Set'?

A framework for thinking about a problem that influences problem-solving.

What is 'Problem Space'?

The set of possible pathways to solve a problem.

What is 'Memory Recall'?

The ability to retrieve information stored in memory.

What is 'Encoding'?

The initial learning of information, converting it into a construct that can be stored.

What does 'Decay' in memory refer to?

The gradual fading away of memory traces over time.

What is 'Interference' in memory processes?

The phenomenon where the retrieval of one memory is inhibited by the presence of another.

What is 'Attentional Blink'?

The phenomenon where a person fails to see a second target shortly after seeing a first target.

What is 'Dual-Task Studies'?

Research methods that require participants to perform two tasks simultaneously to assess cognitive load.

What does 'Framing Effect' mean in decision-making?

The way information is presented influences how it is perceived and decisions made.

What is 'Executive Function'?

Higher-order cognitive processes that regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

What is 'Illusory Conjunction'?

A perceptual mistake where features from multiple objects are incorrectly combined.

What is 'Contextual Memory'?

Memory retrieval that is enhanced when the context at retrieval matches the context at encoding.

What does 'Episodic Memory' refer to?

A type of long-term memory that involves recollection of specific events.

What is 'Semantic Memory'?

Memory for facts and general knowledge unrelated to personal experience.

What is 'Procedural Memory'?

A type of long-term memory involved in skills and actions.

What does 'Cognitive Dissonance' refer to?

The mental discomfort experienced when holding contradictory beliefs or values.

What is 'The Law of Effect'?

Actions followed by pleasurable outcomes are more likely to be repeated.

What is 'Shaping' in psychology?

A process in operant conditioning where successive approximations of a desired behaviour are reinforced.

What is 'Social Learning Theory'?

The theory that people learn behaviors through observation and imitation of others.

What is 'Transduction' in the senses?

The process of converting sensory signals into neural impulses.

What is the 'Neuroscience of Resilience'?

The study of how the brain adapts and maintains function in the face of stress or adversity.

What does 'Hindsight Bias' refer to?

The tendency to see events as having been predictable after they have already occurred.

What is 'Behaviorism'?

A psychological approach that emphasizes the study of observable behavior.

What does 'Cognitive Load Theory' suggest?

The theory that working memory has limits that can be exceeded when learning complex tasks.

What is 'Sensory Memory'?

A brief storage of perceptual information before it is processed into short-term memory.

What is 'Confirmation Bias'?

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs.

What is an 'Analogy'?

A comparison between two different things that are similar in some way.

What is the 'Availability Heuristic'?

A cognitive shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic.

What is 'Overgeneralization'?

The error of applying a rule too broadly.

What is 'The Dunning-Kruger Effect'?

A cognitive bias wherein people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

What is 'Sunk Cost Fallacy'?

The phenomenon where a person continues an endeavor because of previously invested resources (time, money, effort).

What does 'Anchoring Effect' mean?

The cognitive bias where individuals rely too heavily on an initial piece of information when making decisions.

What is 'The Availability Cascade'?

A self-reinforcing cycle that explains the escalation of a belief through increased public awareness.

What is 'Cognitive Behavioral Therapy'?

A form of psychological treatment that helps patients identify and change negative thought patterns.

What is 'Vicarious Reinforcement'?

Learning that occurs by observing the reinforcement or punishment of others.

What does 'Declarative Memory' entail?

Memory that can be consciously recalled, including facts and events.

What is 'Long-Term Memory'?

The storage of information over an extended period, potentially a lifetime.

What does 'Memory Consolidation' refer to?

The process by which short-term memories are transformed into long-term memories.

What is 'Context Dependent Memory'?

The improved recall of specific episodes or information when the context present at encoding and retrieval are the same.

What is 'Social Cognition'?

The study of how people process social information and the effects of that processing on their behavior.

What is 'The Theory of Planned Behavior'?

A theory that links beliefs and behavior, suggesting that intention is the best predictor of behavior.

What is 'Cognitive Flexibility'?

The mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, or to think about multiple concepts simultaneously.

What is 'Metacognition'?

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

What is 'Visual Perception'?

The ability to interpret and make sense of visual information from the environment.

What does 'Transdisciplinary Research' mean?

Research that integrates knowledge across disciplines to solve complex problems.

What is 'Functionalism' in psychology?

A school of thought that focuses on mental processes and their role in enabling people to adapt to their environments.

What is 'Cognitive neuroscience'?

The field that studies the relationship between cognitive processes and brain function.

What is 'Vision for Action'?

The processing of visual information to guide movements.

What is 'Vision for Perception'?

The processing of visual information to recognize and categorize objects.

What is 'Sensation'?

The process of sensing our environment through the presence of stimuli.

What does 'Perception' involve?

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to give it meaning.

What is 'Bottom-Up Processing'?

An approach that begins with sensory input, building up to a final perception.

What is 'Top-Down Processing'?

An interpretation of sensory input based on prior knowledge and experiences.

What does 'Gestalt Psychology' focus on?

The idea that the mind forms perceptual wholes rather than just a sum of parts.

What is 'Semantic Memory'?

A type of long-term memory involving the capacity to recall words, concepts, or numbers.

What is 'Declarative Memory'?

A type of long-term memory that involves conscious recollection of factual information.

What does 'Unconditioned Stimulus (US)' mean in classical conditioning?

A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without conditioning.

What does 'Conditioned Response (CR)' refer to?

A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

What does 'Positive Reinforcement' mean?

Adding a stimulus after a behavior that increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.

What does 'Negative Reinforcement' mean?

Removing a negative stimulus after a behavior that strengthens the behavior.