BCS Midterm

classical conditioning

involuntary response to stimuli

operant conditioning

voluntary response to stimuli, shaped by prior stimuli (skinner)

structuralism

The structure of the elements that make up our minds, uses introspection to explain mental states, data is subjective

functionalism

Functions of mental operations, not interested in elements. WHY questions about the mind

empiricism

Knowledge is built by accumulating experiences

behaviorism

Behavior is explained by reinforcement and conditioning. Focuses on measurable and controllable responses to stimuli. Opposes introspection because it isn’t objective.

nativism

pre-wired biological functions, innate ability to learn language, generative grammar (chomsky), very differnt from behaviorism

ecological approach

derived from functionalism, focuses on real-world settings

evolutionary approach

how human minds have evolved over time, comparing humans and primates

controlled observation

combines experiment and observation (manipulating the items. customer sees first in the store)

naturalistic observation

observing natural behavior, takes time and luck

box and arrow modeling

assumes that processing happens one step at a time, you must complete a process to move to the next

connections modeling

simulates our neural network, a sporadic activation of nodes

top-down processing

using prior knowledge to interpret information (word superiority effect)

bottom-up processing

relying solely on sensory input from external stimuli, without using prior knowledge or expectations

fMRI

where did it happen

MRI

when did it happen in the brain

the four lobes

temporal, occipital, parietal, frontal

language processing, reading comprehension

frontal lobe, mostly left hemisphere, Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area

listening comprehension

primary auditory cortex in temporal lobe, broca’s area, wernicke’s area

where is motor control

frontal lobe

cognitive control

frontal lobe, takes a bit to develop

frontal lobe over-arching functions

planning, decision-making, voluntary movement

where is auditory perception and language comprehension

temporal lobe

what area does vocal sounds and speech activate

primary auditory cortex

what lobes are used for facial recognition

occipital lobe —> temporal lobe

the primary somatosensory cortex

parietal lobe

thalamus

relays info to the cerebral cortex

hypothalamus

regulates biological functions (thirst, hunger)

hippocampus

memory

amygdala

emotion/fear center

parietal lobe

sensory information (touch, temperature)

temporal lobe

auditory, language, and memory processing

occipital

visual processing

language hemisphere

left side

recognition hemisphere

right side

severed corpus callosum: right visual field…

can recognize, can name

severed corpus callosum: left visual field…

can recognize, can’t name

non-linguistic sequences

actions coordinated in order like walking (often difficult to explain)

linguistic sequences

learning sentences, phrases, sound sequences

broca’s area is involved in both…

linguistic and non-linguistic sequences

original function of broca’s area

making tools step-by-step, labeling objects in order to communicate

evidence for implicit grammatical sequence learning

brain areas show surprise when presented with non-grammatical sequences, they take more effort to process

sequential learning experiment tracked..

how much carries over from learning phase to testing phase, and when the Broca’s area is activated

perception route

Distal stimulus of real object in world (“what”) -> proximal stimulus (processed through visual cortex) -> percept (interpreted through temporal cortex)

distal stimulus

an object or event in the world

proximal stimulus

directly stimulates sensory receptors

percept

gestalt principles of simplicity

proximity, similarity, continuation, closure, common fate

continuation principle

assume continuation of a pattern (olympic rings)

closure

filling in missing parts (panda image)

sensory memory

brief storage of sensory input

working memory

processing input and temporarily storing

larger working memory=

better control over attention, faster response

prototype matching

matching input with pre-stored “prototypes” to identify it (less time consuming)

exemplar matching

matching input with each stored instance in long-term memory (more time consuming)

feature analysis

use specific features from the input to recognize

all bottom up processing

prototype, examplar, and feature analysis

evidence of prototypes

pattern recognition experiment

theories of selective attention

filter, attenuation, spotlight, schema

passive receiver and processor theories

filter, attenuation

active receiver and processor theories

spotlight, schema

filter theory 

attention filter gets rid of non-relevant info

attenuation theory

Irrelevant info is tuned down rather than filtered out

evidence against filter theory

input from the unattended ear were still processed

S1

activates when shifting internal to external and vice-versa

switching from internal to external

activates premotor cortex and S1

between-subject design

compare the behavior between two groups

within-subject design

Compare how an individual reacts in different conditions

chomsky vs skinner

Chomsky said language is innate, skinner said language is reinforced behavior

difference between white and grey matter

Grey matter processes and interprets (outer layer), white matter transmits info to areas of the brain (under grey)

faculty psychology

the idea that the brain is separated into different faculties/sections

phrenology

idea that the size of a brain region corresponds with the power of it functions

limbic system

hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and hypothalamus

ventral stream

recognizes “what”

dorsal stream 

recognizes “where”

gestalt

the way a thing has been put together

episodic memory

personal experiences

semantic memory

general knowledge

procedural memory

hard to describe motor skills, riding a bike

declarative memory

can be described

implicit memory

acquired without being aware,