pscyh

Sensation (seeing)

how information about external stimuli makes it to our brain

Perception (believing)

how our brain interprets this information

Bottom-up Processing

Processing of raw info entering our sensory nervous system. We see base features before constructing the understanding.

Top-Down Processing

Processing that draws upon expectations and experiences to interpret incoming sensory info. Higher-level focus rather than raw info or basic parts first.

Parallel processing

the ability of the human brain to simultaneously process lots of sensory information at the same time. Allows us to process large amounts of data quickly and simultaneously. (the eye->thalamus->limbic system ->occipital-> parietal-> frontal lobes)

Perceptual constancy

the tendency to perceive an object you are familiar with as having a constant shape, size, and lightness etc. despite the stimuli changes that occur.

Selective attention

The filtering of irrelevant information around us and helps us focus on the things that demand our attention.

Sensory Adaptation

The process by which our brain cells become less sensitive to constant stimuli that are picked up by our senses. (smell dissipating after a while)

Schema

a collection of basic knowledge that serves as a guide to perception, interpretation, imagination, or problem solving.

Priming

Exposure to a certain stimulus influences their response to a subsequent prompt. (mistaking pea because you saw it earlier)

Framing

The bias where people react differently to a particular decision depending on how it’s presented, or “framed”. (15% vs 85%)

perceptual set

a predisposition to perceive things in a certain way. Seeing some things and ignoring others.

self-concept

one’s description and evaluation of oneself

self-efficacy

our perception of competence

self-serving bias

the tendency to interpret events in a way that assigns credit for success to oneself but denies one’s responsibility for failure, which is blamed on external factors

modesty bias

individuals attribute failure to internal factors and success to situational factors

fundamental attribution error

the tendency people have to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior. (bad things happen to others, only bad people do bad things)

Pygmalion Effect (self-fulfilling prophecy)

situations where high expectations lead to improved performance and low expectations lead to worsened performance

fixed mindset

An entity (talent, intelligence, etc.) is static. You either have it or you don’t

growth mindset

An entity is fluid. You can progress through effort, and in spite of setbacks.

stereotype threat

when individuals fear they may confirm negative stereotypes about their social group.

spotlight effect

which people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are.

Algorithms

a problem-solving strategy that guarantees a solution to a problem.

Heuristics

A problem-solving strategy that makes finding a solution more likely and efficient but does not guarantee a solution

Mental Set

a tendency to only see solutions that have worked in the past (in a particular way)

Fixation

mental set rigidity, your set hinders the process of finding a solution.

Functional Fixedness

the tendency to only think of things in terms of their usual function.

Confirmation/Expectancy bias

The tendency to attend to evidence that complements and confirms to our beliefs or expectations, while ignoring evidence that does not.

Availability bias

A faulty heuristic strategy that estimates probabilities based on information that can be recalled (made available) from personal experience. – bias based on past experiences

Hindsight Bias

The tendency, after learning about an event, to "second guess" or believe that one could have predicted the event in advance.

Self-consistency Bias

The commonly held idea that we are more consistent in our attitudes, opinions, and beliefs than we actually are. The feeling of “I’ve always liked …” even though you haven’t.

Anchoring Bias

Focusing too much on one specific detail when there is much more to be seen.

Representativeness Bias

unintentional prejudice. -- Assuming that because someone or something shares one characteristic with a group of people/things, they share all of the characteristics of that group.

Role of Hippocampus in memory

essential in encoding and transferring memories from short term to long term storage. Sensory Info → Limbic System → Cerebral Cortex for Sensory Processing. Cerebral Cortex → Hippocampus (rehearsal/encoding/forming of new connections) → Cerebral Cortex or other parts of the brain (for LT storage)

Encoding

The process by which information is initially recorded in a form of usable memory

Storage

The maintenance of material saved in the memory system

Retrieval

material in memory storage is located, brought into awareness, and used.

multi store model

memory is a multi-part process. Incoming information is transferred into sensory memory, working memory, and long term memory. (things are forgotten in short term sensory and working)

Working memory

where rehearsal occurs. encoding and retrieval with long term memory as well.

levels of processing model

The deeper the consideration and processing (understanding), the longer it is remembered. Structural → phonetic → semantic processing

Explicit; semantic and episodic memory

conscious recall. semantic is our facts and general knowledge where episodic is personal experienced events.

Implicit; procedural and priming memory

without conscious recall. procedural is our motor and cognitive skills and priming is the enhanced identification of objects or words

Neuralplasticity and synaptic pruning (relevance to procedural memory upkeep)

use it or lose it! You retain what you devote yourself to. (forgetting a language you no longer practice)

Elizabeth Loftus (be familiar with her contributions to recall failures)

research fake memories due to retrieval failure, change in memories of past events due to exposure to false information.

Storage Failure

improper encoding and storage capacity, leading to forgetting memories.

Recall Failure

a type of forgetting that occurs when information that has been previously encoded and stored in long-term memory cannot be accessed or retrieved when needed

Flashbulb Memory (what it is, and why we are critical of it)

The reality about emotional memory is that it is often subject to the influence our schema for narrative conventions (i.e. storytelling schema). May distort true memories

Chunking (think back to our chunk-list review activity)

grouping based on a common factor

Mnemonic Devices

easily rememberable phrases that help with retrieving other memories often by association

State Dependent Memory

memory for a past event is improved when the person is in the same biological or psychological state as when the memory was initially formed. (chewing gum and studying)

Self Reference Effect

enhanced memory for stimuli by relating that information to self

Serial Position Effect

the effect of an item’s position in a list of items to be learned on how well it is remembered. (middle is not remembered)

Rehearsal and Overlearning

continue to practice retrieving and rehearsing information even after it has been mastered.