Unscored AAMC Sample Test Psy/Soc

Terms i don't know/don't know well

spreading activation

spread of activation from the representations of presented words to semantically related words

depth of processing

Depth of processing is generally used to explain superior episodic memory with increasing depth of the encoding task (not intrusion of semantically related words in free recall or recognition performance)

visuospatial sketchpad

visuospatial sketchpad is a component of Baddeley's Working Memory model. It is the store that holds visual information for manipulation

continuity effect

Continuity is one of the Gestalt principles of perceptual grouping. our eyes naturally follow the flow of lines, curves, and other visual elements, grouping them together as a single unit rather than seeing them as separate, unrelated pieces

_____-_____ memory and _____-_____ memory represent separate memory systems. This explains the serial position effects, where people remember the earliest words (primacy) and latest words (recency) on a list

short-term, long-term

proactive interference

Proactive interference involves the interference of information from long term memory with new information

social reproduction

perpetuation of inequalities through social institutions (like educational systems or the economy)

social stratification

objective social hierarchy in a society

Group polarization

phenomenon in which people who are in agreement get together with each other to discuss an issue, and their views get more extreme.

symbolic interactionism

a theory that examines patterns and meanings of social interaction;

norms and rituals have an impact on people’s relationships

conflict theory

calls attention to differences across social groups in power and status. how structural differences among groups influence individual relationships

anomie

a lack of attachment to social norms, which can result in a breakdown in the connections b/t individuals and their community. an individual can feel disconnnected from the larger community

groupthink

overemphasis on consensus. promotes group cohesion and consensus over group dissent

________’s idea of general intelligence

Spearman’s idea of general intelligence proposes that a single factor, labeled "g" for general intelligence, underlies all specific cognitive abilities. individuals who perform well in one area of cognitive tasks are likely to perform well in others

________ theory of multiple intelligences

Gardner’s idea of multiple intelligences emphasizes interpersonal intellectual functioning as a separate category from other types of intellectual functioning

_______’s idea of hereditary genius

Galton’s idea of hereditary genius: human intellectual abilities, including genius, are primarily determined by genetics

______’s idea of mental age

Binet’s idea of mental age refers to an individual's cognitive abilities compared to the average abilities of their age group

latent learning

the acquisition of a behavioral response in the absence of any reinforcement

Extrinsic motivators

Extrinsic motivators are introduced as an outcome of a response, where the child is given an incentive (play time) for producing the correct response

pre-adolescents are in Kohlberg’s ______________ stage of development. in this stage, moral reasoning is determined by what is rewarded and what is punished

preconventional

James–Lange theory of emotion

physiological arousal precedes the experiencing of emotions

Cannon-Bard theory

physiological arousal and emotions are experienced simultaneously

Schachter & Singer's two-factor theory

includes cognitive appraisal as a factor in emotional experience. a person interprets their arousal, which results in an emotion

5-6 year olds are in Piaget’s _____________ period and have not mastered the concept of conservation. 8-9 years are in Piaget’s ________ _____________ period, the criterion for which is the ability to solve conservation problems

preoperational; concrete operational

_____-________ nations are relatively weak in economic and political infrastructure, but are developing their economies and governments. They are not necessarily dependent on another country

semi-periphery

_________ expressions have been shown to be universal, both in their production and in their recognition, independent of cultural influences.

facial

Unlike the universal (and innate) nature of the production and recognition of facial expressions, bodily ________ and _________ are socially learned and culturally variable

postures, gestures

Freud’s ___ reflects unconscious instincts and other more innate aspects of personality

id

Freud’s ____ refers to the more conscious aspects of personality

ego

In Mead’s theory of identity, the ___ is the spontaneous and autonomous part of the self

“I”

According to Mead’s theory of identity, the ____ is the part of the self that is formed in interaction with others and with the general social environment

me

________-______ conditioning involves pairing a new neutral stimulus with the CS, which replaces the original UCS. The resulting CR, emitted in response to the new CS, will not be as strong as the original CR

second-order

____________ _________ is the return of a conditioned response (CR) after it has been extinguished

Spontaneous recovery

_________ is a protein hormone secreted by fat cells. It causes the brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger

Leptin

___________ refers to the eventual disappearance of an acquired response following a series of trials in which a CS is no longer followed by the UCS or an operant response is no longer followed by reward

Extinction

________ _________ is a type of long-term memory that operates without conscious awareness. it is exhibited (during retrieval) through the use of indirect memory measures.

Implicit memory

________ _________ is the very brief retention of sensory information, acting as a buffer for stimuli from our senses. It holds info for a fleeting moment before it's either discarded or transferred to short-term memory

sensory memory

One of Gestalt’s grouping principles is _________, where elements placed close together are perceived as a group, even if they have different features (shapes, color, sizes)

proximity

One of Gestalt’s grouping principles is _________, where the human eye tends to perceive objects as being grouped together if they appear to follow a continuous path, whether it's a line, curve, or other visual flow. It is usually illustrated when some part of a visual stimulus is hidden, and the unseen portion is inferred as continuous with the visible portion

continuity

One of Gestalt’s grouping principles is ______ _____, which is the observation that elements moving together tend to be perceived as a unified group (ex: a flock of flying birds)

common fate

The ___________ effect refers to the observation that an individual who needs assistance will be less likely to be helped (or receive needed help more slowly) as the number of people nearby increases

bystander

________ _______ refers to the social position that is most central to a person's identity, often shaping how they are perceived and interact with others

master status

________ _______ refers to characteristics given at birth, or early in life

Ascribed status

________ _______ refers to honor or prestige but without specifying how that status was attained

Social status

_______ ________ describes the level of connection to the institutions and structures of a society. The association between discrimination and health is stronger for U.S.-born members of an ethnic minority group compared to immigrant members of the same ethnic minority group. This is because U.S. born members would likely have greater level of ________ __________ than immigrant members of the same group. This would mean greater exposure to incidences of discrimination, as constituted by systems of stratification in the U.S

social integration

information about stimuli presented to the left half of patient’s visual field will be projected to the ______ hemisphere

right

The ____ hemisphere is where linguistic abilities are lateralized

left

_____ are the photoreceptors primarily responsible for detecting gray-scale tones in dimly lit environments

Rods

The ______ is the portion of the retina that is most dense in cones

fovea

Linguistic determinism, also known as the _____-______ hypothesis, proposes that the structure of a language influences the way its speakers perceive and think about the world

Sapir-Whorf

Differences in _________ between visual stimuli are perceived as differences in brightness

amplitude

__________ ________ refers to a form of power that rests in the legitimacy of a unique individual

Charismatic authority

_________ __________ is a psychological defense mechanism where a person expresses the opposite of their true feelings, often in an exaggerated or extreme way

reaction formation

__________ is a defense mechanism where unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable behaviors. It's a way of handling intense emotions by channeling them into productive or creative outlets, rather than expressing them directly or suppressing them

Sublimation

________ ___________ is the theory that knowledge and reality are shaped by social interactions and cultural contexts, rather than being objectively determined. Ex: From this perspective, technologies are not independent from the societies in which they were created but rather have social factors like values built into them (regardless of whether or not the technology creators intended to)

Social constructionism

When one looks to the side of an object, its image falls in the _________ of the retina, which contains a higher density of light sensitive rods, which results in a clearer image in the dark

periphery