PSYCH 02 10/13-10/27 EXAM 4

Attention

What is Selective Attention?

Focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. Example, blocking side conversations while the teacher is talking.

How many passes did the people in the white shirts pass (The older, first one)

15

How many passes were there in the white shirts? (The newer one, second)

16

Why are there changes in these videos?

It determines if you notice unexpectable things

What are the two informative ‘blindnesses’?

Inattentional blindness (failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere. Cognitive resources. Surprised) and change blindness (Failing to notice changes, even when looking for them. Not surprised)

What changed in the flicker task of the nature scene?

The shadow of the tree

What changed in the flicker task of the little girl outside?

The tiny flowers on her shirt

What is the top-down effect?

The top-down effect in psychology occurs when prior knowledge, expectations, and cognitive states influence perception and interpretation of sensory information.

Most people’s attention usually spot _____ things first?

Dangerous

Who do we call the ‘Elvis’ of Psychology?

Sigmund Freud

Why is Sigmund Freud prominant?

He was first to hypothesize about the unconscious mind and was popularized.

What is biological rhythms?

-Influence many aspects of behavior in both animals and humans.

-Can become free running when humans are placed in controlled environments that are unlinked to external stimuli such as light, activity, etc.

What is biological rhythm?

A regular fluctuation in a bodily process

What is circadian rhythm?

A bodily process that varies about a 24-hour cycle. (Ex. alerted by sensory input (environmental) stimuli.) The single most important factor contributing to the length of our sleep/wake cycles is light.

How long do humans have a free-running cycle?

About every 25 hours.

What is phase shifting?

Time-shifting the circadian clock, it is easier to travel west than east.

What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)?

The brain structure that functions as our internal (circadian) clock. It receives visual input.

What happens if you destroy the SCN in animals?

It abolishes sleep and activity rhythms.

What can be defined as the capacity to selectively focus awareness on particular stimuli or aspects of the environment?

Attention

As the sun sets, what is responsible for detecting the decrease in light, which in turn stimulates production of melatonin?

Hypothalamus

Brain activity results in telltale electrical signals that can be detected by a(n):

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

When multitasking, what kind of tasks are LESS apt to interfere with each other?

Different, simple, and well-rehearsed tasks

Deprivation of REM sleep often results in:

Memory problems and increased aggression

What is change blindness?

Failure to notice changes, even when looking for them. Not surprised

What is inattentional blindness?

Failure to see objects is attention is elsewhere. Surprised, cognitive function.

What is sleep?

A periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness.

What are the two kinds of sleep?

NREM and REM

What is the stages of sleep?

Stage 1 (NREM Sleep, mixture of alpha and theta brain waves), Stage 2 (NREM Sleep, sleep spindles, K complexes, theta brain waves, beginnings of delta waves), Stage 3 (NREM Sleep, Delta brain waves), REM Sleep (Fast, active brain waves accompanied by rapid eye movements.)

What is stage 1 of sleep?

NREM Sleep, mixture of alpha and theta brain waves, sometimes experience hallucinations.

Awake and drowsy is measured by:

An EEG cap, slow, alpha waves.

What is stage 2 of sleep?

NREM Sleep, sleep spindles, K complexes, theta brain waves, beginnings of delta waves, sleep talking occurs this stage.

What does an EEG measure?

Surface activity of your brain directly below your skull.

What are sleep hallucinations?

False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of stimuli. (Ex. flashes of light, movement, etc.)

What is stage 3 of sleep?

NREM Sleep, Delta brain waves, difficult to wake someone up this stage, sleepwalking/bed wetting could occur during this stage.

What is REM Sleep?

Rapid eye movement, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur, also called ‘paradoxical sleep’ due to the brain being active but the body appears to be resting.

What is ‘paradoxical sleep’?

When the brain is active, but the body is resting physically, during REM.

What age does REM start decreasing?

65+

REM Sleep starts usually at what hour?

After 6 hours.

What is restoration theory?

The body wears out during the day, and sleep is necessary to put it back in shape. (Ex. Growth hormone levels, highest during sleep)

What is the preservation and protection theory?

Sleep emerged in evolutions to preserve energy and protect during the time of day when animals would be danger of being preyed upon. (Leaned towards evolution) In other words, you sleep during the night, so you have energy during the day to be active.

Sleep disorders ______?

Occur consistently, are abnormal, cause distress, and interfere with daily functioning.

What is insomnia?

Recurring problems in falling asleep or staying asleep

What is narcolepsy?

Uncontrollable ‘sleep attacks’, where individuals lapse directly into REM sleep at inopportune times.

What is sleep apnea?

Temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

What are night terrors?

High arousal and appearance of being terrified. Occur of during stage 4 sleep and are seldom remembered.

What are dreams?

A sequence of images, emotions and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind.

What is manifest content?

The remembered storyline of a dream. (Freud)

What is latent content?

The underlying meaning of a dream. (Freud)

Why do we dream?

To file away memories, to make sense of neural static, to maintain neural pathways

What is a drive or motivation?

A behavior that motivates an individual to achieve a specific set of goals. Drives change over time motivating what we think, feel, and do.

What are regulatory drives?

Helps preserve life by regulating basic body functions and needs.

What are non-regulatory drives?

Serves other purposes. (Ex. achievement, curisoity)

What is instinct theory?

Defines human behavior in terms of a series of instincts. (untrue)

What is an instinct?

A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is NOT learned.

Why did instinct theory collapse?

It applied well to simple organisms but fell apart in more complex animals, and rather than explaining behaviors it simply described them.

What is drive-reduction theory?

The idea that a physiological need creates and aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

What is an example of the drive-reduction theory?

Need (for food, water.), Drive (hunger, thirst), and drive-reducing behaviors (eating, drinking.)

What is homeostasis?

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state.

What does an imblance of homeostasis cause?

A feeling of discomfort or tension due to a physiological need.

What happens when homeostasis is restored?

There will be a feeling of relief and/or comfort when the need is satisfied.

What is the “Set Zone”?

The acceptable range of a physiological parameter that is required to support normal body functions.

What is an incentive?

A positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.

What is arousal theory?

There appears to be internal motivation to seek optimum levels of arousal, rather than simple homeostasis.