Psychology Exam 2

Genome

The entire set of an organism's genetic material, stored within its DNA.

Chromosomes

Thread-like structures within the cell nucleus composed of DNA and proteins, carrying genetic information.

Behavioral Genetics

The field that examines how genetic factors contribute to individual differences in behavior and traits.

Kinship Studies

Comparing behavioral similarities among individuals with varying degrees of genetic relatedness to estimate genetic contribution to specific traits.

Adoption Studies

Assessing similarities between adopted children and their biological and adoptive parents to disentangle genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

Twin Studies

Comparing behavioral similarities of identical and fraternal twins to explore the heritability of traits.

Degree of Genetic Relatedness

Understanding the extent of genetic material shared between individuals and its influence on traits.

Genetics and Intelligence

The complex trait of intelligence influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

Genetics and Temperament

The role of genetic factors in determining an individual's emotional and behavioral characteristics.

Concordance Rate

Measure of similarity between pairs of twins for a specific trait, indicating the strength of genetic influence.

Evolutionary Psychology

Exploring how human behavior and psychological traits have evolved over time through natural selection.

Attachment

The theory that early attachments formed with caregivers shape an individual's future relationships and emotional well-being.

Evolutionary Explanations of Mate Selection

Explaining why certain traits are considered attractive in potential mates based on evolutionary principles.

Sex Differences in Mate Preferences

Suggesting that there are sex differences in mate preferences due to differences in reproductive investment.

Sensation

The process by which sensory organs detect and respond to sensory information from the external environment.

Perception

Interpreting and making sense of the sensory information received through sensation.

Illusions

Perceptual experiences that do not accurately represent physical reality, highlighting how the brain can misinterpret sensory information.

Wavelength

The physical property of light and sound waves determining color and pitch, respectively.

Range of Light Wavelengths

The visible spectrum of light wavelengths humans are sensitive to, associated with different colors.

Eye Anatomy

The structures of the eye, including the cornea, iris, lens, accommodation, nearsightedness, farsightedness, retina, fovea, and blind spot.

Cornea

The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that helps in focusing light.

Iris

The colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil.

Lens

A flexible structure that adjusts its shape to focus light on the retina.

Accommodation

the process by which the lens changes its shape to focus on objects at different distances

Nearsightedness

Also known as (myopia) occurs when distant objects are focused in front of the retina, making them appear blurry.

Farsightedness

Also known as (hyperopia) occurs when near objects are focused behind the retina, making them appear blurry.

Retina

The innermost layer at the back of the eye that contains photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) for transducing light into neural signals.

Fovea

A small area in the center of the retina with a high concentration of cones for detailed and central vision.

Blind Spot

The blind spot is a small region on the retina where the optic nerve exits the eye. There are no photoreceptor cells in this area, leading to a gap in our visual field.

Transduction

The process by which sensory receptors convert physical stimuli into neural signals.

Rods

Sensitive to low light conditions and responsible for peripheral and night vision.

Cones

Responsible for color vision and function best in well-lit conditions.

Audition

The sense of hearing.

Range of Audible Sound Frequencies

The range of sound frequencies humans can typically hear.

Pure Tone

A sound composed of a single frequency.

Complex Sound

Composed of multiple frequencies and can be distinguished by their timbre.

Ear Anatomy

The structures of the ear, including the pinna, ear drum, ossicles, and cochlea.

Pinna

The visible part of the outer ear and helps capture sound waves.

Ear Drum

A thin membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves, also know as Tympanic Membrane.

Ossicles

Tiny bones in the middle ear that amplify and transmit sound vibrations to the cochlea.The bones are malleus, incus, and stapes.

Cochlea

The spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear responsible for transducing sound vibrations into neural signals.

Bottom-Up Processing

This involves building up perceptions from sensory input, starting with low-level features and working towards higher-level processing.

Top-Down Processing

This involves using prior knowledge and context to interpret and make sense of sensory input.

Gestalt Psychology

Principles of perception, including proximity, closure, similarity, and the law of good figure (Prägnanz).

Proximity

Objects that are close to each other are perceived as belonging together.

Closure

We tend to perceive incomplete figures as complete or closed.

Similarity

Objects that are similar in some way (e.g., shape or color) are grouped together.

Pragnanz

We tend to perceive objects in the simplest and most organized way possible. Also known as the law of good figure.

Depth Cues

Visual cues that help perceive depth and distance, including relative height, overlap, texture gradient, linear perspective, and binocular disparity.

Relative Height

Objects at different heights in our visual field can be perceived as closer or farther away.

Overlap

When one object partially covers another, we perceive the covered object as being farther away.

Texture Gradient

As a surface recedes into the distance, the texture becomes less detailed and more uniform.

Linear Perspective

Parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance.

Binocular Disparity

Our brain uses the slight difference in the images perceived by each eye to gauge depth and distance in three-dimensional space.