Key Terms in Psychology and Neuroscience

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Key Terms lecture list.

Sensation

The process by which sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from the environment.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling recognition of meaningful objects and events.

Selective Attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus while filtering out competing stimuli.

Ambiguous Figures

Visual images that can be perceived in two or more distinct ways depending on how they are interpreted.

Paradigm

A broad model, framework, or worldview that shapes how concepts, theories, and observations are understood.

Frames of Reference

A complex set of assumptions, beliefs, or standards that filter and give meaning to experiences and perceptions.

Schema

A mental structure or cognitive framework that organizes and interprets information based on prior knowledge and experience.

Paradigm Shift

A fundamental change in the basic concepts and underlying assumptions of a discipline or mental framework.

Predictive Coding

A theory of brain function suggesting the brain continuously constructs and updates predictions about incoming sensory data.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human flourishing, strengths, and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.

Selective Perception

The tendency to perceive and interpret stimuli in a way that aligns with pre-existing beliefs, expectations, or needs.

Functional Fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.

Reframing

A psychological technique that involves altering the perspective or conceptual context through which a situation is viewed.

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the nervous system to modify its structure and neural connections in response to experience or injury.

Hippocampus

A major structure located in the temporal lobe of the brain involved in learning and memory processing.

Neurons

Specialized nerve cells that process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals in the nervous system.

Synapse

The minute gap or junction between two neurons across which nerve impulses pass via neurotransmitters or electrical signals.

Brain reserve

The brain's structural capacity to withstand age-related changes or neuropathology without experiencing significant functional decline.

Well-being

A state of overall health, happiness, and life satisfaction encompassing emotional, mental, and physical functioning.

Flourishing

A state of positive mental health characterized by high levels of well-being, personal growth, and optimal psychological functioning.

Distributed Processing

A model of neural organization where complex mental operations are carried out across networks of interacting brain regions.

Neural Darwinism

A theory proposing that neural connections undergo selection akin to natural evolution, where active connections are preserved and inactive ones pruned.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype that occur without altering the underlying DNA sequence.

Neurogenesis

The biological process by which new functional neurons are generated and integrated into the brain.