EXAM PREP

Fechner's Law

A principle describing the relationship between the magnitude of a stimulus and the intensity of the sensation produced, foundational in psychophysics.

Trichromatic Theory of Vision

This theory proposes that the human eye has three types of photoreceptors, each sensitive to one of the three primary colors (red, green, blue), allowing the perception of a broad spectrum of colors.

Stroop Effect

A phenomenon where the color of a word does not match the word itself, leading to slower reaction times as individuals must suppress the automatic reading process to name the color.

Endogenous Variables

Factors that are determined within a system or model.

Exogenous Variables

Factors that are determined outside a system or model and are considered independent.

Capgras Syndrome

A condition where an individual has an impaired feeling of familiarity for loved ones, possibly due to decoupling of the brain representation of the face from autonomic responses.

Illusory Conjunction

A perceptual phenomenon where features from multiple objects are miscombined, leading to errors in perception.

Controlled Processing

A cognitive process that requires conscious attention and resources, allowing for goal-directed behavior.

Automatic Processing

A cognitive process that does not require attention for its execution and can occur unconsciously.

Sustained Attention

The ability to maintain focus on a task or stimulus over an extended period, which is crucial for complex tasks.

Modal Model of Memory

A framework describing the process of memory through sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Flashbulb Memory

Vivid and highly confident memories of significant events that are not necessarily more accurate than everyday memories.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form new long-lasting memory traces after an injury.

Retrograde Amnesia

The inability to remember events that occurred before an injury.

Semantic Dementia

Progressive loss of semantic memory, associated with frontotemporal dementia.

Exemplar Theory

Suggests that individuals store individual examples of objects in memory rather than form an abstract prototype.

Loss Aversion

The tendency for individuals to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains.

Qualitative Difference Approach

Analyzes the unique characteristics of different states of consciousness, focusing on how these differences influence perception.

Functional Fixedness

The inability to perceive a new use for an object due to its conventional use hindering problem-solving.

Remote Association

A type of convergent thinking task where participants identify a common attribute among unrelated words.

Incubation

A process in creative problem-solving that can be enhanced by taking breaks.

Availability Heuristic

A cognitive bias where people rely on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic.

Representativeness Heuristic

Judging the probability of an event based on how closely it resembles a prototype, potentially leading to misinterpretation.

Deep Structure

The underlying meaning of a sentence, in contrast to the specific words used (surface structure).

Hypnotic Suggestibility

The degree to which individuals are susceptible to hypnotic suggestions.