PSYC PAST PAPER #1

adaptation

using assimilation and accommodation to make sense of the world

assimilation

incorporating new experiences into existing schemas

accommodation

when a schema has to be changed to deal with a new experience

equilibrium

when a child’s schemas can explain all that they experience; a state of mental balance

sensory register

our immediate memory of sensory information

duration

the length of time information can be stored in short term memory and long term memory

capacity

the amount of information that can be stored in short term memory and long term memory

rehearse

when we repeat information over and over again to make it stick

displacement

when the short term memory becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older information

interference

when new information overwrites old information

visual agnosia

an inability to recognise things that can be seen

prosopagnosia

‘face blindness’ or an inability to recognise faces

roles of the left hemisphere

language processing, logical thinking, right side control

roles of the right hemisphere

spatial ability, creativity and music, emotional recognition, and left side control

anti-social behaviour

behaviour that is unhelpful, destructive and agressive