Psych Test #2

bottom-up processing

analyzing a stimuli

top-down processing

knowledge shapes our interpretation of the stimuli

figure-ground

the tendency to perceive objects, or figures, as existing on a background

proximity

things that are close together belong together

similarity

grouping similar things together

good continutation

things that line up

closure

filling in the gap

common fate

things that move together belong together

pictorial cues

depth in a picture

kinetic cues

motion is used to estimate depth

physiological cues

accommodation and convergence

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly

chunk

a group of familiar stimuli stored as a single unit

the serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

primacy effect

tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well

recency effect

tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well

explicit memory

remembering with awareness

episodic memory

remembering it like an episode because it is personally experienced

semantic memory

facts and knowledge

What are the two types of explicit memory

episodic and semantic

implicit memory

remembering without awareness

procedural memory

practice for memory

Brain areas associated with explicit memory

hippocampus and frontal lobes

Brain areas associated with conditioning and procedure

cerebellum and basal ganglia

Brain areas associated with emotions

amygdala

Retrograde amnesia

loss of memories from our past

anterograde amnesia

inability to form new memories

What happens during retrograde amnesia?

Cannot store memories to consolidate it

What happens during anterograde amnesia?

Cannot form new memories

encoding specificity

the way info is encoded determines the way you remember it

state-dependent memory

the context/setting/mood can get attached t memories

interferance

confusing different information that cause forgetfulness

proactive interference

old info interferes with new info

retroactive interference

new info interferes with old info

childhood amnesia

can't remember things from childhood

decay

the synapses of the memory decay and cause forgetfulness

Motivation

repressing memories

reconsolidation

the re-storage of memory after retrieval

misinformation effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

false memories

Using imagination to create inaccurate memories

analogical representations

mental images and maps

symbolic representation

concepts

automization

practice to make something a habit

Nature vs. Nurture

genes vs environment

sensitive/critical periods

time periods when specific skills develop most easily

Assimilation

understanding the world based on ideas you already learned

Accommodation

modifying learned ideas to learn something new

Stages of Cognitive Development

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Sensorimotor Stage age

birth to 2 years

schema

knowledge/mental representation

What happens during the sensorimotor stage?

children experience the world through senses and movements

occlusion

cannot think without stimulus

object permanence

the knowledge that an object exists even when it is not in sight

Preoperational age

2-7 years

What happens during the preoperational stage?

lack of conservation and there is egocentrism

conservation

properties stay the same even though the shape changes

egocentrism

your own point of view is not affected by others

Concrete Operational age

7-12 years old

Animism

thinks that everything is living

What happens during the concrete operational

lack of abstraction and cannot understand mechanical operations

formal operational stage age

12 and up

abstract reasoning

construct a model or representation

Formal operation

imagining an action and reversing

Ethology

study of animal behavior

Imprinting

animals will follow their caregiver

cupboard theory

babies are attracted to mom because she supplies

Theory of Attachment

the child and the adult want to be together

separation anxiety

nervousness when separated from the parent

secure attachment

attachments rooted in trust and marked by intimacy

anxious-resistant attachment

an insecure attachment between infant and caregiver, characterized by distress at separation and anger at reunion

avoidant attachment

infants who seem unresponsive to the parent when they are present, are usually not distressed when she leaves, and avoid the parent when they return

developmental psychology

physical, cognitive, social change throughout life span

cross-sectional studies

comparing people of different ages

longitudinal studies

studying a group of people over time

continuity and stage

Is development a gradual, continuous process or a sequence of separate stages?

stability and change

Which of our traits persist through life? How do we change as we age?

Habituation

decreased responding with repeated stimulation

Zygote

fertilized eggs

embryo

developing human organism 2 weeks after conception

fetus

developing human organism 9 weeks after conception

teratogens

chemicals or viruses can damage an embryo or fetus

fetal alcohol syndrome

abnormalities caused by a pregnant woman's drinking

maturation

sequence of biological growth

cognition

mental activities

scaffold

temporary support as children develop higher levels of thinking

stranger anxiety

when infants have a fear of strangers

attachment

emotional tie with another person

temperament

a person's emotional reactivity and intensity

basic trust

a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy

adolescence

childhood to adulthood

Precoventional morality

before the age of 9 obey the rules

conventional morality

uphold laws for social appoval

postconventional morality

basic rights and ethics

Trust vs. Mistrust

infancy

autonomy vs shame and doubt

toddler

Initiative vs. Guilt

Pre-schooler

Competence vs. Inferiority

elementary school

idenity vs. role confusion

adolescence

intimacy vs isolation

young adult