PSYC Midterm (5a-6b)

Cattell’s Theory of Intelligence

Two types of intelligence:

Crystalized Intelligence is memorized information (nurture)

Fluid Intelligence is ability to reason and problem solve (nature)

• Practice > IQ for skill acquisition

Sensation

Process of receiving information from the five senses

Perception

Process of assigning meaning to sensations

Absolute threshold

The minimum amount a human sensory system to detect stimulus consciously (must be over 50% of the time)

Difference threshold

The minimum amount a stimulus needs to change to be detected by a human (over 50% of the time)

Constructivism

Believe perception occurs “top-down” (perception relies on pre-existing knowledge to understand sensations)

Gibsonians

Believe perception occurs “bottom-up” (sensation is automatically perceived)

Gestalt Psychology

Claims humans can never see reality objectively because pre-existing knowledge always impacts perception (ex. humans are able to understand things through patterns w/o seeing the full picture

Dual-processing approach

Combines top-down and bottom-up perception ideas

Dorsal route

Sensations do directly to motor cortex; implicit

Ventral route

Sensations are linked through language processing; explicit

Blindsight

Blind people are still able to sense visual stimulus unconsciously

Signal detection theory

Paying attention to a single stimulus in an overwhelming environment

Divided attention

Switching attention between multiple stimuli (ex. conversations)

Bottleneck hypothesis

Claims two activities calling for the same brain function can’t be done simultaneously because the mind’s resources to attend are being split & weakened for each

Filter model of attention

Humans cannot remember details of an unattended stimulus

Instinct

Unlearned yet pre-existing knowledge

Classical conditioning

Pavlov’s dogs: Unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, and neutral stimulus > neutral stimulus and conditioned response

Operant conditioning

Skinner suggests learners operate on their environment and learn through positive/negative reinforcement/punishment

Shaping

Conditioning a series of successive behaviors to reach a goal behavior (ex. positive reinforcement for a child picking up a toy, they eventually will clean their own room)

Imitated conditioning

Behavior learnt by observing a role model practicing it

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model

Dual store theory; LTM (long term storage w/ no capacity) and STM (short term storage w/ smaller capacity)

Working memory

A “workplace” that holds information in heightened availability (ex. seeing a series of digits and reciting them in backwards order)

Forgetting curve

Forgetting occurs with exponential decay

Primacy

Remembering the first information provided (and forgetting later given information because first one is still in your mind)

Recency

Remembering the final information provided because it was given most recently

Infantile amnesia

Occurs due to a) underdeveloped hippocampus or b) lack of language development (which helps us process our memories)

Extrinsic motivation

Goal-directed behavior coming from a desire to reach the outcome of a task (ex. do homework to get good grades/parent’s approval)

Intrinsic motivation

Goal-directed behavior coming from a desire to complete the task itself (ex. do homework to deepen understanding/because it’s fun)

Drive Theory

physiological need > desire for goal to fulfill that need > homeostasis

Hierarchy of needs

Coined by Maslow; physiological needs > safety > relationships > esteem > self-actualization

Set point

The point where homeostasis is reached

Synpathetic nervous system

Used in fight of flight

Parasympathetic nervous system

Used in relaxing