“I knew it all along” phenomenon; after learning the outcome, people believe they predicted it
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psych science
scientific study of mind and behavior; the use of the scientific method to create, test and improve hypotheses concerning behavior and the factors and processes underlying behavior
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biopsychosocial
systematically considers biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery; behavior or mental process
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naturalistic observation
research method that involves observing subjects in their natural environment
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survey
asking questions of a carefully selected group of people
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correlation
when one trait or behavior accompanies another, we say the two correlate
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experimentation
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process
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ethical guidelines
do not harm, tell subjects risks, informed consent, minimized discomfort, confidentiality, no invasion of privacy, debrief, provide results
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central tendency
mean, median, mode
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neurons
a nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system; the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles, and for transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between
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neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron
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nervous system
fast, electrical and chemical communication through the neurons
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endocrine system
slower, chemical communication through hormones in the blood
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brainstem
oldest part of the brain beginning where the spinal chord swells; connects cerebrum and spinal chord
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limbic system
the part of the brain involved in our behavioral and emotional responses; amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus
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amygdala
linked to emotion
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cerebral cortex
ultimate control and information processing center
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association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions. They are involved in learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
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splitting brains
a brain in which the two cerebral hemispheres have been separated by partial or complete destruction of the corpus callosum
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natural selection
the way that any genetically determined behaviour that enhances the ability to survive and reproduce will continue in future generations
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circadian rhythym
physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle; impacts our sleep-wake cycles, temperature, hormonal, and digestive systems
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NREM-1
fantastic images resembling hallucinations, falling or floating sensation or a bodily jerk
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NREM-2
you relax more deeply and begin 20 minutes of this sleep; sleep spindles
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NREM-3
slow wave sleep (30 min) where your brain emits large, slow delta and you are hard to awaken
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depressants
substances that reduce arousal and stimulation; alcohol, barbiturate, opiates
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sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
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perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
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inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention or focus is directed elsewhere
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absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
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color processing
the retina’s red, green, and blue cones respond in varying degrees to different color stimuli; the cones responses are then processed by opponent process cells
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parallel processing
thinking about many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions such as vision
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perceptual organization
the process by which the elements of visual and other sensory information are structured into a coherent whole; for example, two people can look at the same image and have different interpretations of it
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depth perception
the ability to see objects in 3D although the images are in 2D; allows us to judge distance
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hearing
sound waves striking the outer ear; cochlear hair cells in the inner ear; temporal lobes
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auditory canal
the channel located in the outer ear that funnels sound waves from the pinna to the tympanic membrane
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ear drum
also called the tympanic membrane, is a thin layer of tissue that vibrates in response to sound waves
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ossicles
hammer, anvil, and stirrup; transfer sound wave vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window of the cochlea
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oval window
membrane covered opening of the cochlea; vibrates when it receives the sound waves and causes the fluid inside the cochlea to move
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cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear. sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger wave impulses
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transduction
the motion of the sound vibration against the oval window of the cochlea causes ripples in the basilar membrane bending the hair cells lining its surface
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how do we locate sounds?
sound waves strike one ear sooner and more intensely than the other. from this info, our nimble brain can compute the sounds location
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nociceptors
detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemiclas
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gate control theory
spinal chord has a neurological gate that blocks pain signals
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taste
also called gustation
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5 basic tastes
sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami
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taste buds
over 200 on the top and sides of your tongue, each have a pore that catches food chemicals
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kinesthetic sense
position and motion detectors in muscles
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vestibular sense
located in ears and monitors the head’s and body’s movements
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synesthesia
stimulation of one sense triggers another
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classical conditioning
learning associations between events we do not control
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shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcement guides behavior toward closer approximations to the desired behavior
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positive reinforcement
adding a desirable stimulus; for example, getting a hug or paycheck
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negative reinforcement
removing an aversive stimulus; for example, fastening seat belt to turn off beeping
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fixed ratio
every so many; reinforcement after every nth behavior, such as buy 10 coffees get 1 free
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fixed interval
every so often; reinforcement for behavior after a fixed time, such as Tuesday discount prices
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variable ratio
after an unpredictable number; reinforcement after a random number of behaviors, as when playing slot machines
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variable interval
unpredictably often; reinforcement for behavior after a random amount of time, as when studying for an unpredictable pop quiz
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punishments
decrease behaviors
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positive punishments
adding an aversive stimulus; spanking, parking ticket
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negative punishment
removing a rewarding stimulus; time out from privileges, revoked license
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external locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal direction determine our fate
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internal locus of control
the perception that we direct and create our own fate
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observational learning
learning without direct experience, by watching and imitating others
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memory
the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information
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sensory memory
the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system
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short term memory
memory that holds a few items briefly before the information is stored or forgotten
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long term memory
relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system
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effortful processing strategies
chunking, mnemonics, hierarchies
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shallow processing
encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words
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deep processing
encoding semantically, based on the meaning of words; tends to yield the best retention
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retrieval cues
smells, tastes, sights; priming
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priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in long term implicit memory
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encoding failure
much of what we sense we never notice, and what we fail to encode, we will never remember
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creativity
the ability to produce new and valuable ideas
expertise
imaginative thinking skills
a venturesome personality
intrinsic motivation
a creative environment
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heuristics
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but more error prone than algorithm; for example, asking the office for the locker combinations
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learning
relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience
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language
our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
french psychologist commissioned by the govt to design fair and unbiased intelligence tests for school children; his test was transformed into the stanford-binet IQ test
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validity
the test measures and predicts what it’s supposed to; criteria for testing
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algorithm
a methodical, logical rule or step-by-step procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem
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convergent thinking
narrowing the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution; i.e. aptitude tests/ SAT
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divergent thinking
expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative tests
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confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconception and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
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mental set
our tendency to approach a problem with the mindset of what has worked for us previously
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fixation
the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving
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functional fixedness
a tendency to think only of the familiar functions of an object
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representativeness heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes
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availability heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind, we perceive such events are common
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belief perseverance
clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited
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framing
the way an issue is posed; how an issue is worded can significantly affect judgements
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phonemes
in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit
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morphemes
in a language, the smallest unit carries meaning
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chomsky
a built in predisposition to learn grammar rules, which he called universal grammar, helps explain why preschoolers pick up language so well
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sternberg’s triarchic theory
3 intelligences: analytical, creative, practical
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factor analysis
a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test
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savant syndrome
a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill
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achievement test
exams scoring what you’ve learned
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aptitude test
seeks to predict your ability to do college work
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David Wechsler and WAIS
yields an overall intelligence score and verbal comprehension
Studied by 58 people
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Flashcard (20)