Exam 2 study guide Fall 2023 Psyc 150

Sensation

The process of detecting and receiving information from the environment through our senses.

Perception

The process of interpreting and making sense of the sensory information received.

Bottom-up Processing

The process of understanding and interpreting information from new experiences.

Top-down Processing

The process of understanding and interpreting information based on prior knowledge, expectations, and context.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum level of stimulus intensity required for a person to detect a sensory stimulus.

Transduction

The process of converting sensory stimuli into neural signals that can be interpreted by the brain.

Sensory Adaptation

The process by which our sensory receptors become less responsive to a constant or repetitive stimulus over time.

Sensory adaptation in media

The media keeps changing so that one keeps engaged and not adapting and geting used to it.

Three steps for all sensory systems

1. Recieve

2. Transform

3. Deliver

Perceptual Set

The tendency to perceive and interpret sensory information in a particular way based on our expectations, beliefs, and past experiences.

Context Effects

Surrounding information affects perception and decision-making by altering how we interpret stimuli. Two types of influence exist: semantic, where meaning impacts perception, and episodic, where previous experiences affect current judgments. Context effects emphasize the significance of environmental cues in shaping our understanding and behavior.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, resulting in a learned response.

Unconditioned Stimuli

Stimuli that naturally triggers a response without any prior learning or conditioning. (ex. discomfort, liking of food)

Conditioned Stimuli

Stimuli that triggers a learned response through association with an unconditioned stimulus. It elicits a conditioned response without the need for reinforcement. (ex. bell, office, smell)

Unconditioned Response

Automatic and unlearned reaction to a stimulus. (ex. fear/anxiety, salivating)

Conditioned Response

The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus. It is acquired through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus. (ex. fear/anxiety, salivating)

Operant Conditioning

A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened or weakened by the consequences that follow it.

The law of effect

Behavior that is followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated, while behavior followed by an unpleasant consequence is less likely to be repeated.

Extinction

The gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

Positive Reinforcer

A stimulus or event that, when presented after a behavior, increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Reinforcer

The removal or avoidance of a stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again.

Positive Punishment

The presentation of an aversive stimulus or event after a behavior, decreasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Punishment

The removal or loss of a desired stimulus or event after a behavior, decreasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Reinforcement Schedules

Patterns or rules that determine when and how often reinforcement is delivered for a particular behavior.

variable ratio

A type of reinforcement schedule where rewards are given after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule leads to high rates of response and resistance to extinction.

fixed interval

A fixed interval is a schedule of reinforcement where a specific amount of time must pass before a behavior is rewarded.

fixed ratio

reinforcement schedule where a behavior is reinforced after a specific number of responses. This schedule encourages consistent and frequent performance of the behavior.

variable interval

A type of reinforcement schedule where the time between each reinforcement varies.

Observational Learning

Learning by observing and imitating the behavior of others.

Memory

The ability to store, retain, and recall information or experiences. It is the process by which our brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information.

Encoding

The process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Recall

The process of retrieving information from memory.

Sensory Memory

The initial stage of memory that briefly holds sensory information before it is processed further.

Misattribution

The process of attributing a memory or experience to the wrong source.

recovered memory debate

Ongoing controversy regarding the reliability and validity of recovered memories, referring to the recall of traumatic events that were previously forgotten. Supporters argue it is a genuine psychological phenomenon, while critics question its accuracy due to potential influence from suggestion, therapy techniques, and false memories.

Implicit Memory

Memory that is unconsciously and effortlessly retrieved and influences behavior without conscious awareness.

Explicit Memory

Memory that involves conscious effort and awareness in the retrieval of information.

Concept

A mental representation or category that groups together objects, events, or ideas that share common features.

Prototype

The best or most typical example of a particular concept.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure or set of rules for solving a problem or completing a task.

Insight

A sudden and often novel realization or understanding of a problem or solution.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and favor information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Fixation

The inability to see a problem from a new perspective, often getting stuck in a particular way of thinking.

Availability Heuristic

A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating or making judgments about a topic.

Receptive Language

The ability to understand and comprehend language.