Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary related to cognitive psychology and neuroscience based on the lecture notes.

B.F. Skinner

A psychologist known for his work on behaviorism and reinforcement through conditioning.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of how we perceive, learn, remember, and function.

Introspectionism

A method to isolate elements of conscious experience by examining one's own thoughts and feelings.

Behaviorism

An approach that emphasizes observable behaviors rather than inner mental processes.

Classical Conditioning

Learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.

Independent Variable (IV)

The factor that is manipulated in an experiment to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The outcome measured in an experiment, which is affected by the independent variable.

Mental Chronometry

The study of the time course of mental processes.

Action Potential

An electrical signal that travels down the axon of a neuron when it fires.

Synapse

The junction between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron.

Neurons

Cells specialized to create, receive, and transmit information in the nervous system.

Cerebral Cortex

The outermost layer of the brain, responsible for higher cognitive functions.

Localization of Functions

The concept that specific functions are served by specific areas of the brain.

Single Dissociation

A condition where damage to one part of the brain affects one function but not another.

Double Dissociation

A pattern of data showing that damage to one brain area affects one function while damage to a different area affects another.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A brain imaging technique used to visualize internal structures of the body.

Perception

The process of organizing, interpreting, and consciously experiencing sensory information.

Selective Attention

The process of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others.

Dichotic Listening

A research method where two different audio messages are presented to each ear.

Feature Integration Theory (FIT)

A theory stating that attention is needed to bind different features of objects together.