Psvh 7-8

Prototype

The best example or representation of a concept.

Natural Concepts

Created naturally through either direct or indirect experience.

Artificial Concepts

Defined by a specific set of characteristics.

Schemata

Allows your brain to work efficiently by filling in gaps of information.

Role Schema

Male assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave.

Event Schema

A set of routine or automatic behaviors (e.g., using an elevator).

Language

A communication system that involves using words and systematic rules to organize those words.

Lexicon

The words of a given language.

Grammar

The set of rules that are used to convey meaning using the lexicon.

Phoneme

The basic sound unit in a language (e.g., 'ah' and 'bah').

Morphemes

The smallest units of language that convey meaning.

Semantics

The meaning derived from morphemes and words.

Syntax

The way words are organized in a sentence.

Noam Chomsky

Proposed that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined.

Critical Period

A developmental period where a skill should be acquired (e.g., learning language).

Trial and error

Continuing to try different solutions until the problem is solved.

Algorithm

A step-by-step problem-solving formula.

Heuristic

A general problem-solving framework.

Working Backwards

Solving problems by focusing on the end result.

Mental Set

Persistence in approaching a problem in a way that has worked in the past.

Functional Fixedness

Inability to perceive an object being used for something other than what it was designed for.

Anchoring Bias

Tendency to focus on one piece of information when making a decision or solving a problem.

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to focus on information that confirms existing beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

Leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable.

Representative Bias

Tendency to unintentionally stereotype someone or something.

Availability Bias

Tendency to make a decision based on recent examples or information.

Nature Perspective

Belief that intelligence is inherited from a parent's genetic makeup.

Nurture Perspective

Belief that intelligence is shaped by a child's developmental environment.

Range of Reaction

Theory that each person responds to the environment in a unique way based on genetic makeup.

Memory

A set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information.

Encoding

The input of information into the memory systems.

Automatic Processing

Encoding details like time, space, frequency, and meaning of words automatically.

Effortful Processing

Encoding of details that requires time and effort.

Storage

The creation of a permanent record of information.

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory

Model where information passes through three distinct stages to be stored in long-term memory.

Explicit Memory

Memories of facts and events that can be consciously recalled.

Semantic Memory

Knowledge about words, concepts, and language.

Episodic Memory

Information about events personally experienced.

Implicit Memory

Memories that are not part of conscious awareness.

Retrieval

The act of getting information out of memory storage.

Recall

Accessing information without cues.

Recognition

Identifying previously learned information after encountering it again.

Amygdala

Involved in fear and fear memories, influenced by stress hormones.

Hippocampus

Associated with explicit memory and spatial memory.

Cerebellum

Plays a role in processing procedural memories.

Arousal Theory

The idea that strong emotions trigger the formation of strong memories.

Flashbulb Memory

A record of an atypical event with strong emotional associations.

False Memories

Memory errors where events are recalled that never took place.

Amnesia

Loss of long-term memory due to disease, trauma, or psychological issues.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to remember new information after trauma.

Retrieval Failure

Ineffectiveness in recalling memories due to lost cues.

Transience

Decreasing accessibility of memory over time.

Absentmindedness

Forgetting caused by lapses in attention.

Blocking

Temporary inability to access information.

Misattribution

Confusion about the source of a memory.

Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve

Graph showing how memory retention decreases over time.

Rehearsal

Conscious repetition of information to be remembered.