AP Psychology - Unit 1 Part 2 Vocab

consciousness

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

cognitive neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating).

dual processing

The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.

blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.

parallel processing

Processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously.

sequential processing

Processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems.

sleep

A periodic, natural loss of consciousness — distinct from unconsciousness from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation.

circadian rhythm

Our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

REM sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur.

alpha waves

The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

NREM sleep

Non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep.

hallucinations

False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

hypnagogic sensations

Bizarre experiences while transitioning to sleep, such as jerking or a feeling of falling.

delta waves

The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm.

insomnia

Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks.

sleep apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep.

REM sleep behavior disorder

A sleep disorder where normal REM paralysis does not occur; individuals may act out their dreams.

dream

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind.

REM rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation.

sensation

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies.

sensory receptors

Sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli.

perception

The process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information.

bottom-up processing

Information processing starting with sensory receptors and working up to brain's integration of sensory information.

top-down processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes.

transduction

Conversion of one form of energy into another, such as transforming physical energy into neural impulses.

psychophysics

The study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them.

absolute threshold

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.

signal detection theory

A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation.

subliminal

Below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

priming

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations influencing perception, memory, or response.

difference threshold

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time.

Weber’s law

The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different.

sensory adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

wavelength

The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next.

hue

The dimension of color determined by the wavelength of light.

intensity

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave influencing perceived brightness or loudness.

cornea

The eye’s clear, protective outer layer covering the pupil and iris.

pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

iris

A ring of muscle tissue forming the colored portion of the eye and controlling pupil size.

lens

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus images on the retina.

retina

The light-sensitive back inner surface of the eye that contains receptor rods and cones.

accommodation

The process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina.

rods

Retinal receptors sensitive to black, white, and gray, necessary for twilight vision.

cones

Retinal receptors concentrated near the center of the retina, functioning in well-lit conditions.

optic nerve

The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

blind spot

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a _____ ____ because no receptor cells are there.

fovea

The central focal point in the retina where the eye’s cones cluster.

Young–Helmholtz trichromatic theory

The theory that the retina contains three color receptors most sensitive to red, green, and blue.

opponent-process theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision, such as red-green and blue-yellow.

feature detectors

Nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of stimuli.

audition

The sense or act of hearing.

frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.

pitch

A tone’s experienced highness or lowness, depending on frequency.

middle ear

The chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing three tiny bones.

cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves trigger nerve impulses here.

inner ear

The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea and semicircular canals.

sensorineural hearing loss

The most common form of hearing loss caused by damage to cochlea’s receptor cells.

conduction hearing loss

A form of hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system conducting sound waves.

cochlear implant

A device that converts sounds into electrical signals and stimulates the auditory nerve.

place theory

In hearing, the theory linking pitch we hear with the place where cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.

frequency theory

In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up matches frequency of tone.

gate-control theory

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks or allows pain signals.

gustation

Our sense of taste.

olfaction

Our sense of smell.

kinesthesis

Our movement sense; our system for sensing the position and movement of body parts.

vestibular sense

Our balance sense; our sense of body movement and position enabling balance.

sensory interaction

The principle that one sense can influence another, like smell influencing taste.

embodied cognition

The influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and states on cognitive preferences and judgments.