Psych midterm

gestalt

an organized whole

retinal disparity

the difference between two eye images hinting an object’s distance

stroboscopic movement

illusion of continuous movement when viewing a rapid series of slightly different images

phi phenomenon

illusion of movement when adjacent lights blink in succession

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects are unchanging despite differing circumstances

schema

a concept that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schma

accomodation

adapting current understandings to incorporate new info

executive functions

cognitive skills that work together to solve problems

insight

sudden realization of a solution

fixation

refusal to see another perspective

mental set

tendency to approach a problem in a particular way

intuition

effortless and automatic thought

availabiluty heuristic

judging likelihood of events based on recency in memory

parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of stimulus simulaneously

working memory

active processing of both incoming sensory info and long-term memory info

phonological loop

memory component briefly holding auditory info

episodic memory

conscious memory made up of personally experienced events

hippocampus

helps process conscious memories for storage

encoding specificity principle

states that cues specific to a particular memory is more effective to help us recall it

serial position effect

tendency to best recall the last items of a list initially but the first items after a delay

interleaving

mixing in the study of different topics

anterograde amnesia

inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

inability to remember old memories

proactive interference

prior information disrupting recall of new information

retroactive interference

new information disrupting recall of prior information

repression

the removal of anxiety-arousing memories from consciousness

reconsolidation

process where memories, when retrieved, are altered before being stored again

misinformation effect

when misleading info corrupts stored memories

factor analysis

procedure identifying clusters of related items on a test

crystallized inteligence

accumulated knowledge and verbal skills

CHC theory

states intelligence is both general and has specific parts

WAIS test

most widely used inteligence test, has 15 subtests

psychometrics

study of measuring of human abilities and traits

content validity

extent to which a test samples what it’s supposed it

predictive validity

how successful a test predicts behavior

construct validity

how much a test measures a specific concept

basal ganglia

brain structure facilitating formation of procedural memories for skills

context effect

understanding meaning g behind a situation helps us interpret better

epigenetics

environments influencing our genes

somatic nervous system

nervous system consciously controlling skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

nervous system taking care of subconscious tasks

sympathetic nervous system

nervous system warming up your body to gain energy

parasympathetic nervous system

nervous system relaxing our body to calm down

glial cells

cells that support, nourish, protect neurons

threshold

the stimulation level needed to trigger neurons

neurotransmitters

messengers crossing the neurons

interneurons

neurons connecting motor and sensory neurons

terminal branch

part of a neuron connecting axon to synapse

endorphins

natural neurotransmitters linked to pleasure and perception of pain

agonist

molecule increasing a neurotransmitter’s action

antagonist

molecule blocking a neurotransmitter’s action

endocrine system

body’s communication system that secretes hormones

hormones

chemical messengers that affect other tissues

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, and memory

dopamine

neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

serotonin

neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

norephinephrine

neurotransmitter that helps control alertness

epinephrine synonym

adrenaline synonym

GABA

major inhibitory neurotransmitter

glutamate

major excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in memory

substance P

neurotransmitter involved in pain perception and immune response

EEG

recording of electrical activity of the brain

MEG

uses magnetic fields to measure brain activity

CT

takes x-ray pictures of the brain

PET

uses radioactive glucose to identify active parts of brain

MRI

uses radio waves and magnetic fields to show brain activity

fMRI

uses blood flow to identify brain activity

hindbrain

division of brain that directs essential survival functions

forebrain

division of brain that manages complex cognitive functions

midbrain

division of brain that controls motor movements

brainstem

part of the hindbrain, controls automatic survival functions

medulla

part of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

pons

part of the brainstem, controls sleep

thalamus

brain’s sensory control center, helps direct messages

reticular formation

filters information and controls state of alertness

cerebellum

part of the hindbrain, processes sensory input, coordinates movement/balance, enables learning/memory

limbic system

system helping with emotions and motivations

amygdala

enables aggression and fear

hypothalamus

directs maintenance activities, linked to emotion and reward

hippocampus

forms new memories

cerebral cortex

cortex covering the forebrain’s central hemisphere, offers high capacity for thinking

frontal lobe

lobe enabling language, higher thinking, muscle movements

parietal lobes

lobe receiving sensory input for touch

occipital lobe

lobe receiving information from visual fields

temporal lobes

lobe receiving audio information and enables language processing

motor cortex

cortex controlling voluntary movements

somatosensory cortex

cortex processing touch

association areas

areas of cerebral cortex not involved in motor/sensory functions but higher mental functions

neurogenesis

formation of new neurons

corpus callosum

bond of neural fibers connecting the hemispheres

split-brain

condition from surgery cutting corpus callosum

prefrontal cortex

cortex processing new memories and helps judgement/planning

cortisol

regulates body’s stress responsee

teratogens

chemicals and viruses that can harm the fetus

habituation

babies being less responsive with repeated stimulation

maturation

biological growth processes that enable or deny behavior changes

critical period

period of early life when experiences produce normal development

relational aggression

an act of aggression intended to hurt one’s social standing

social learning theory

theory that we learn behavior by observing and being rewarded