Psych Test Nov 6th

Sensation

Activation of sense organs

Perception

How stimuli are interpreted

An example of physical response is…

Someone touching your arm

An example of psychological response is…

Sense of sight

Difference Thresholds

small difference we can see to distinguish between two stimuli, but not so different that it impacts our perception

Absolute thresholds

• smallest intensity of stimulus that must be present to be detected

• Noise is considered background stimulation that interferes with with perception of other stimuli

Vision

light enters eye and is converted to a form used by neurons to send messages to brain

occipital lobe

responsible for visual perception (ex. colour, form, and motion)

transduction

sensory signal is converted to an electric signal to be processed by visual cortex

cornea

protective layer on eye where light enters

iris

ring of muscle that controls the size of our pupil and determines how much light enters our eye

lens

behind pupil, helps light focus

retina

nerve cells at back of the eyeball, transmits incoming light so brain can perceive what we are seeing

optic nerve

carries neural impulses from eye to brain

rods (in retina)

thin, cylindrical receptors that are highly sensitive to light and play a key role in peripheral visions

cones (retina)

cone-shaped, light sensitive receptors, responsible for sharp focus and colour perception (ex. Bright lights)

trichromatic theory

Suggests that there are 3 kinds of cones in the retina, each of which responds primarily to a specific range of wavelengths

opponent-process theory

cone receptor cells are linked to form three opposing pairs, working in opposition of each other

frequency

number of wavelengths that occur in a second

amplitude

wave patterns that allow us to distinguish loud vs soft noises

the three bones in the middle ear

ossicles, aka the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup

gestalt laws of organization

argues that perception of stimuli in our environment goes beyond the individual elements that we sense. Instead, it represents the bits and pieces of sensation put together to make something more meaningful than the separate elements

top-down processing

the importance of context in determining how we perceive objects

bottom-up processing

recognizing and processing information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to the perception of the whole

memory

encoding, storing, and retrieving information

encoding

receiving information

storing

storing info for later use

retrieving

recovering stored info

sensory memory

momentary storage that only lasts an instant, unlikely to remember it later on

iconic sensory memory

lasts about one second, visual stimuli

echoic

2-3 seconds, auditory memory

short term memory

holds memory for 15-25 seconds. Retention is short, but info is assigned meaning

long term memory

info is stored (relatively) permanently

working memory

the idea that short term memory isnt as stagnant as we thought, but a lot more active. Keeps info in an active state for a brief period of time, so we can do something with it.

recall

specific piece of info that needs to be retrieved (ex. fill in the blank questions)

recognition

occurs when people are presented with a stimulus and asked whether they’ve been exposed to it previously. (ex. Multiple choice test question)

consolidation

where memories becomes fixed and stable in long term memory

flashbulb memory

memories so vivid that it is like a snapshot of an event (ex. Mom remembering her teacher bringing in tv so they can see what’s happening on 9/11).

repressed memory

memories that have been so shocking to your system that you unconsciously pushed to the back of your mind so you don’t remember it

stage one of sleep

usually only lasts a few minutes, fast and low amplitude brain waves. This is the stage from wakefulness to sleep.

stage two of sleep

sleep becomes deeper, makes up about half of our total sleep. Our brain wave power is slower and more regular. Sleep Spindles are moments of interruption (ex. Someone slamming a cupboard)

stage three of sleep

this is considered to be the deepest state of sleep, it is challenging to wake someone from this state, sometimes causing sleep inertia which is a state of confusion or mental fog. In order to feel rested when you wake up, you must hit this stage of sleep.

(REM) rapid eye movement

Major muscles appear paralyzed, breathing rate increases, blood pressure rises, heart rate becomes irregular and increases. Usually accompanied by dreams.

evolutionary perspective of sleep

suggests that sleep was used as a form of protection for our ancestors from predators and because food was harder to find at night so they slept for something to do.

neurological perspective of sleep

sleep restores and replenishes our bodies and brains. Reduced activity during REM allows neurons to repair themselves for when you wake up.

biological perspective of sleep

sleep assists with our physical growth and brain development as children. Growth hormones are released during a deep sleep.

psychoanalytic theory of sleep

Freud developed the unconscious wish fulfillment theory, meaning dreams represent unconscious desires we wish to achieve. LATENT CONTENT: is the interpretation of the dream. MANIFEST CONTENT: is the symbol of dream (ex. Teeth falling out)

evolutionary theory of sleep

suggests that dreams permit info that is required for survival, represent concerns about our daily lives.

neuroscience theory of sleep

suggests that electrical energy randomly simulates memories lodged in our brain. Believes dreams are our brain’s way of making sense of neural activity. 

common sleep disturbances include…

insomnia, sleep apnea, night terrors, narcolepsy, and sleep paralysis

circadian rhythm

processes that occur regularly on a 24 hour cycle

psychoactive drugs

lead to an altered state of consciousness, influence a person's emotions, perception, and behaviour (ex. Coffee or alcohol)

addictive drugs

produce a dependence in the user, and withdrawal leads them to a craving of the drug. The body becomes accustomed to the drug to the point where it cannot function without it. Can apply to things such as nicotine, but also non-substances like gambling and sex.

stimulant drugs

(coke or meth) Causes increase in energy, anxiety, and alertness, decrease in appetite. Withdrawal symptoms include apathy, depression, prolonged sleep etc.

depressant drugs

(alcohol and anxiety meds like klonopin) Causes a decrease in anxiety, impulsiveness, slurred speech etc. Withdrawal symptoms include nausea, depression, seizures etc.

narcotic depressants

Heroin, morphine, and opiods (vicodin, fentanyl, oxys, percs). Reduces anxiety and pain, seizures, confusion, euphoria etc. Withdrawal includes pain, anxiety, vomiting, cramps etc.

hallucinogens

Weed, molly, and acid.

steroids

increased muscle mass, aggression, acne etc. Withdrawal symptoms include weight loss, depression, menstrual changes etc.

learning

the process of acquiring, through experience, new info and behaviours

habituation

the decrease in response to a stimulus that occurs after repeated presentations of the same stimulus

• Ex. Young infants will initially show interest in a novel stimulus (bright coloured toy), but will lose interest if they see that toy over and over again

classical conditioning

type of learning where a neutral stimulus brings about a response after being paired with a stimulus (the office)

conditioned stimuli

learned behaviour

unconditioned response

behaviour that was not learned

what was the little albert experiment?

conditioned an eleven month old baby to be afraid of rats

operant conditioning

a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened (more or less likely to recur), depending on its favourable or unfavourable consequences

thorndike’s law of effect

a direct connection between the stimulus and the response without awareness that the connection existed

skinner box

a chamber with a highly controlled environment that was used to study animals and forced them to learn to obtain food while within the box

cognitive learning theory

focuses on the internal thoughts and expectations of learners

latent learning

A new behaviour is learned, but not demonstrated until some incentive is provided for displaying it

observational learning

Learning by watching the behaviour of another person/model