Cognitive Psychology Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms from Cognitive Psychology lecture notes.

Accuracy

The percentage of correct responses over a set of trials.

Amygdala

A subcortical structure of the temporal lobe that plays a role in regulating emotion and memory.

Anterior

Toward the front of the brain.

Basal ganglia

A set of subcortical structures responsible for procedural learning and routine actions.

Between-subjects design

An experimental design that assigns each participant to only one condition.

Brainstem

The interior portion of the brain that regulates body functions.

Cerebellum

The structure behind the brainstem responsible for coordinating movements.

Cerebral cortex

The outer covering of the cerebrum where conscious experience takes place.

Component

A specific ERP waveform tied to a particular cognitive process.

Construct

A label given to a set of related observations.

Control condition

A baseline comparison group that does not receive experimental treatment.

Correlation

A mathematical technique that searches for relationships among variables.

Deduction

The logical process of going from general statements to specific examples.

Delayed recall task

A memory task where items are recalled after a delay.

Dependent variable

The measurement of the participant's response to the treatment.

Digit span task

A procedure that assesses short-term memory capacity by repeating digit lists.

Dorsal

Toward the back.

Electroencephalography

A technique that records voltage fluctuations originating in the brain using electrodes.

Error rate

The percentage of incorrect responses over a set of trials.

Event-related potential

A waveform extracted from EEG that signifies a specific cognitive process.

Experiment

A controlled situation designed to test a hypothesis.

Experimental condition

The group that receives a treatment to test a hypothesis.

Experimental method

A means for systematically testing hypotheses in controlled situations.

Falsifiability criterion

The principle that a theory must make predictions that can be disconfirmed.

Field study

A study conducted under natural circumstances outside of the laboratory.

Fixation

Momentary gaze of the eyes on a single location while reading.

fMRI

A brain-imaging technique that tracks blood flow using magnetic properties.

Free recall task

A memory task in which participants repeat items in any order.

Frontal lobe

The lobe responsible for motor movement, planning, and decision making.

Hippocampus

A subcortical structure that plays a role in memory and learning.

Hypothesis

A prediction about future observations derived from a theory.

Immediate recall task

A memory task in which participants repeat items without delay.

Implicit learning

Learning that takes place outside of conscious awareness.

Independent variable

The types of treatment given to different groups in an experiment.

Induction

The logical process of going from specific examples to general statements.

Inferior

Toward the bottom of the brain.

Latency

The time between stimulus presentation and response initiation.

Lateral

Toward the side of the brain.

Lateralization

The fact that some cognitive functions are processed in only one hemisphere.

Lexical decision task

A task where participants indicate if a letter string is a word.

Medial

Toward the midline of the brain.

Model

A simplified version of the phenomenon under investigation.

Naturalistic observation

Observing and describing a phenomenon in its natural setting.

Nonword

A pronounceable letter string that is not a word.

Occipital lobe

The lobe that processes visual input.

Operational definition

Defining a construct in terms of how it is measured.

Parietal lobe

The lobe that monitors body position and navigation.

PET

A brain imaging technique that tracks blood flow using gamma rays.

Phonological loop

A short-term memory buffer for spoken language.

Posterior

Toward the back of the brain.

Primacy and recency effects

The observation that the first and last items in a list are more accurately recalled.

Priming

Enhanced recall due to previous exposure of similar items.

Psycholinguistics

The scientific study of the cognitive processes involved in language.

Regression

A movement of the eyes back to a previously viewed location.

Reliability

The degree to which an instrument gives consistent measurements.

Saccade

A quick movement of the eye while reading.

Semantic anomaly

A grammatically correct sentence that does not make sense.

Serial recall task

A memory task requiring participants to repeat items in the correct order.

Subcortical structures

Brain structures located below the cerebral cortex.

Superior

Toward the top of the brain.

Temporal lobe

The lobe that processes auditory input and is responsible for object recognition.

Theory

A framework that explains observations and makes predictions.

Trial

A single application of the treatment in an experiment.

Two-alternative forced-choice task

An experimental task requiring the participant to decide between two options.

Validity

The degree to which an instrument measures what it claims to measure.

Ventral

Toward the belly.

Wernicke’s aphasia

Speech filled with vocabulary and grammatical errors, accompanied by difficulty in speech comprehension.

Wernicke’s area

A region in the left temporal lobe that is generally described as the language comprehension area of the brain.

Within-subjects design

An experimental design that assigns each participant to every condition.