PSYC 200-01 Winter 2026 Midterm Study Guide

A collection of vocabulary flashcards to assist in studying for the PSYC 200-01 Winter 2026 Midterm.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the cerebrum responsible for complex thought, decision making, and voluntary behavior.

Cerebral Hemispheres

The two halves of the cerebrum, connected by the corpus callosum, with the left hemisphere focusing on language and the right hemisphere on spatial reasoning.

Frontal Lobe

The part of the cerebral cortex responsible for movement and executive functions such as planning and decision making.

Parietal Lobe

The area of the cerebral cortex that processes somatosensory information including touch and body sensations.

Temporal Lobe

The region of the cerebral cortex involved in auditory processing.

Occipital Lobe

The part of the cerebral cortex responsible for vision.

Sensation

The detection of physical energy by sensory receptors and the transmission of that information to the brain.

Perception

The organization and interpretation of sensory information, influenced by context, expectations, and prior experience.

Visual Pathway

The route visual information takes from the eye to the primary visual cortex, including structures like the optic nerve and lateral geniculate nucleus.

Photoreceptor Cells

Cells in the retina that detect light; includes rods for low light and cones for color vision.

Trichromatic Theory

A theory of color perception that states color perception results from the activity of three types of cones sensitive to different wavelengths.

Opponent Process Theory

A theory that describes color perception in terms of opposing color pairs: red/green, blue/yellow, black/white.

Feature Detectors

Neurons in the visual cortex that respond selectively to specific visual features such as edges, lines, and angles.

Dorsal Stream

The 'where' or 'how' pathway in the brain responsible for processing motion, spatial location, and guiding actions.

Ventral Stream

The 'what' pathway in the brain responsible for object recognition and form perception.

Gestalt Principles

Principles of perceptual organization that emphasize how we perceive whole objects rather than just the sum of their parts.

Depth Perception

The ability to perceive distance and three-dimensionality in our visual environment.

Visual Illusions

Occurrences when perception differs from reality, revealing how context and assumptions affect perception.

Auditory System

The system that processes sound, including characteristics such as amplitude, frequency, and purity.

Cochlea

A fluid-filled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells responsible for converting sound waves into neural signals.

Chemical Senses

Senses that depend on chemical substances, including taste (gustation) and smell (olfaction).

Somatosensation

The sense of touch that includes the perception of pressure, temperature, and pain.

Consciousness

Awareness of internal and external stimuli, encompassing mind wandering and divided attention.

Sleep Stages

Different phases of sleep characterized by distinct patterns of brain activity and physiological changes.

Circadian Rhythms

Biological rhythms that occur approximately every 24 hours, regulated by environmental cues.