psych midterm spring 2025

Consciousness

The awareness of the sensations, thoughts, and feelings being experienced at a given moment.

Stage 1 of Sleep

Transition between wakefulness and sleep; characterized by relatively rapid, low-amplitude brain waves.

Stage 2 of Sleep

Characterized by slower, more regular wave patterns and momentary interruptions known as 'sleep spindles'.

Stage 3 of Sleep

Deepest stage of sleep; least responsive to outside stimulation.

REM Sleep

Stage of sleep characterized by increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, erections, eye movement, and dreams.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Measurement of electrical activity in different parts of the brain, recorded as a visual trace.

Circadian Rhythm

A biological process that occurs approximately every 24 hours.

Unconscious Wish Fulfillment Theory

Freud's theory that dreams represent unconscious wishes that dreamers desire to see fulfilled.

Dreams for Survival Theory

Antti Revonsuo's theory that dreams allow for critical information related to daily survival to be reconsidered and reprocessed.

Activation Synthesis Theory

John Allen Hobson's theory that the brain produces random electrical energy during REM sleep, stimulating stored memories.

Classical Conditioning

Type of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a naturally occurring stimulus to produce a learned response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Stimulus that naturally brings about a particular response without prior learning.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has become associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization

Tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus with the conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

Type of learning where voluntary responses are strengthened or weakened by their consequences.

Reinforcement

Any event or stimulus that increases the probability that a response will occur again.

Positive Reinforcement

Addition of a pleasurable stimulus following a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Reinforcement

Removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Punishment

Stimulus that decreases the probability that a previous behavior will occur again.

Shaping

Teaching complex behavior by rewarding closer approximations of the desired behavior.

Token Economy

A system where tokens are used to reinforce behavior, which can be exchanged for desired items or privileges.

Learned Helplessness

Tendency to fail to act to escape from a situation due to a history of repeated failures.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs by watching others and imitating their behavior.

Insight Learning

A sudden realization of a problem's solution, often referred to as a 'lightbulb moment'.

Instinctive Drift

The tendency for animals to revert to their original behaviors after being conditioned.