Psychology 3312 Exam 1

Ilusion of knowledge

People are not good at describing their own behavior as we think we know, therefore it’s so in our mind

Mind/body dualism

Humans are a union of the mind and body

Structuralism

Elements of conscious experiences

Imageless thought debate

Titchner believed all thought relied on imagery, while Kulpe did not and ended up being correct

Behaviorism

We only measure behaviors and focus on stimuli

CT scan

Brain x-rays to show structure

EEG

A device taht records electrical activity at the scalp

fMRI

REcords how the blood moves around to feed the brain

MEG

Records magnetic pulls actings from the blood that runs through the brain

tMS

Stimulates the brain and “knocks out” parts to see what they do

Memory is an aspect that functions to

1) Preserve information over time 2) Learn from past experiences 3) Predict future events by developing internal modeal

Encoding

Translating information into neural code

Serial position effect

The ability to recall an item is influenced by the item’s position in a series

Encoded specificity principle

Memory enchanced with similar encoidng and retrieval conditions

Context-dependent memory

Memory in which it’s easier to remember something in the same enviornment you originally encoded it in

State-dependent memory

It’s easier to remember something when our internal states during retrieval and learning match

Mood-congruent recall

We tend to recall information matched with current mood

Storage

Retaining information over time

Semantic memory

Permanent memory storage that serves as our own mental library

Schemata

Store collected of knowledge about some topic

Associative network

Massive network of associated ideas and ocncepts that are represented by a node

The sorter the line of information….

the stronger the association

Retrieval

Accessing stored information

Priming

Exposure to one stimulus influences perception of subsequent stimulus

Classical view

We built up representation with our neurons throughout the creation of our forward coding models

Reverse hierarchy theory

Our brains recall first with the gist then have to remember feedback connections to integrate this information for deatils

What was the purpose of Ebbinghaus’s relearning of the list?

To study “pure” memory without confounding it with meaning

1st recall

Memorizing a list of nonsense syllables until perfect recall

Retention interval

Setting aside the list for a moment during the relearning task

2nd recall

Relearning/recalling the list perfectly

Rehearsal

The umber and frequency of rehearsal icnreases retention

Maintenance rehearsal

Repeating low-level things over and over

Elaborative rehearsal

Studying while using the meaning of the information

Action effect

We have better memory when associated actions are actually carried out vs describing them

Retrospective memory

Memory for past events

Prospective memory

Remembering to perform an activity in the future

Amnesia

Memory loss from brain injury or illness

Retrograde amnesia

Memory loss for events before the onset

Anterograde amnesia

Memory loss for events after the event

Infant/childhood amnesia

The inability to retrieve episodic memories before age 2-4

Mnemonic device

A memory aid for studying, often verbal

Retrieval cues

Signals that provide a means of accessing information in long-term memory

Long term memory

A library of more durable stored memories with a grand storage compacity and memories that can last for a lifetime

Declarative LTM

Factual knowledge that we are explicity and intentional about when we apply it

Procedural LTM

Skills and actions that are implicit and unconsciously influencing s

LTM Models

Inputs → Sensory memory → Working memory with long term memories

Process of forming memories

A series of biochemical events within sensory and motor neurons in a networks of cortical areas across different lobes

Where is sensory memory processed?

Sensory areas of cerebral cortex where they develop dense neurotransmitter release points

What does the prefrontal cortex do regarding memory?

Supports central-executive functions

What is the role of the thalamus?

Encoding new memories and retrieving old ones

Wht is the importance the crebellum in this context?

It’s crucial to procedural memory

Short-term/working memory

Memory that temporarily holds limited amount of information with a limited capacity

How long does short-term memory last?

Milliseconds to a few minutes

Limited capacity of short-term memory

Only a few items can be active in short term memory dpending onhow much atteniton and effort is involved

Digit spand memory test:

REading each line of digits then looking away to see how many you can recall

What is the limit of visual working memory?

4 items

Subitizing

Remembering the number of a small set without count

Chunking

Combining individual items into larger units of meaning

Phonological information

When storing audiotry information, we keep it as if we’re listening ot it on loop

Phonological similarity effect

Recalling information is harder the more similar it sounds

World length effect

You recall more fro ma list of shorter words than a list of longer words

Word pace effect

You recall more words that are quicker to say vs slower

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Mental images for simulation, visualization, and calculation because creating a mental image for abstract concepts leads to better recall

Central executive

Coordination of the systems to inspect, transform, and manipulate information

Decay theory

With time and disuse, the trace of long-term physical memory in the nervous system fades

Interference theory

We forget information because other items in long-term memory impair our ability to retrieve it

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Momentary inability to recall some information that is known and stored in long-term memory

Dementia

Symptom with impaired memory and other cognitie deficiencies

Wht causes Alzheimer’s disease and subsequently dementia?

Plaques and tangles in the brain

What is the Deese-Roedinger-McDermott Paradigm?

A procedure where they showed people al ist of words and they had to recall as many “test” words as possible

Misinformation effect

Memory reports were biased on what they saw on the accidents based on the wording of the questions

Source confusion

Recalling someting but forgetting where we encountered it

Who’s most suspectible to misleading suggestins?

Children

What can aid with implanting memories?

Encouraging mental imagery and showing photos to people

Weapon focus effect

The witness will remember less about hte crime and the assailant when the “weapon” is present

What is preferred in the judicial system over eyewitness testimony?

Signal detection

Transsacccadic memory

Our memory which is based on how we move our eyes on the task/information needed

What are the egocentric coordinates?

Foot, body, head, and eyes, which must work in conjuction

What are the allocentric coordiantes?

Objects and external space

How does transsaccadic memory differ from VSTM?

It accounts for changes in target location through moving the eyes, works for relational and identity information but not positional

Saccade target theory

Successive imaes are fused based on enviornmental factors, not retinal coordinates

Cartesian theater

WE believe that this is a full representaiton of the visual world in our mind but it doens’t fully exist

What is the only place where there’s a full representation of the visual world?

The fovea

Saccadic masking:

Visual processing during eye movements is selectivel y suppressed so we don’t notice the motion of the ey or the blur on it

Fuzzy trace LTM theory

The idea that we cost two main concept: Verbatim and gist which is stored in parallel to each other

Dual opponent process

The gist and verbatim can have opposite effects of memory and support false memories

Functional specialization

Neurons can be selectively responsive to particular types of stimuli

What do neurons favor during functional specialization?

Faces over places

Auditory/temporal attention

WE can attend to visual/spatial features and auditory features such as music

Somatosensory attention

Attention to stimulation of body parts that modulates activity in the somatosensory cortex

Top down attention

The dorsal fronto-parietal network controls goal-directed attentions like knowledge

Bottom-up attention

Sensory stimultion through the ventral network

What is the most common form of neuro neglect?

Right parietal damage in the brain

Extinction in the brain

When one becomes oblivious to the presence of an object

Blindsight

A “nonvisual” feeling that someting has happened or is present due to non consicous processing

Signal detection theory

Presents signals on some trials/displays, and adds no signal on other trials/displays

Types of eye tracking

Infrared tracking with an illuminator and high speed camera

What side are we biased towards attenton-wise?

Right side

Change blindness

Attention is necessary to see changes in front of us

Attentional blink

Attentional resources get “drained’ and need time to “recover”