Psych bio, cultural, social, individual

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from attention, learning strategies, and cognitive biases discussed in the lecture notes.

Inattentional blindness

A failure to notice something clearly visible in your visual field because your attention is focused elsewhere; more likely with high attention demand, when ignored elements are similar, or with high distraction.

Change blindness

A failure to detect differences in a visual scene when the scene is disrupted or changed.

Psychological science

The scientific study, through research, of the mind, the brain, and behavior.

Mind (level of analysis)

Internal mental processes such as thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

Brain (level of analysis)

The organ of the central nervous system responsible for processing information and supporting mental processes.

Behavior (level of analysis)

The observable actions and responses of an organism.

Levels of analysis in psychology

Biological, social, cultural, and individual levels used to study psychological phenomena.

Retrieval practice

A learning strategy that involves actively recalling information from memory to strengthen learning.

Spaced practice

Distributing study sessions over time rather than cramming, to improve long-term retention.

Elaboration

Expanding on information by explaining it, making connections, and adding details to deepen understanding.

Interleaving

Mixing different topics or problem types in practice, rather than focusing on one at a time.

Concrete examples

Using specific, tangible examples to illustrate abstract concepts.

Dual coding

Combining verbal and visual information (e.g., text and images) to enhance learning.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions, often ignoring contradictory evidence.

Post-hoc fallacy (post hoc ergo propter hoc)

The logical error of assuming that because one event follows another, the first caused the second.

Hindsight bias

The tendency to see events as having been predictable after they have occurred.

Availability heuristic

A mental shortcut that estimates likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind, often shaped by media coverage or memorable events.

Dunning-Kruger effect

A cognitive bias where people with low ability overestimate their competence, while those with high ability may underestimate theirs.