psych/soc jackwestin

imagery encoding

process where individuals create visual representations or mental images to aid memory

priming

phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus

chunking

technique where information is organized into meaningful units

elaborative processing

involves making meaningful connections between new information and pre-existing knowledge

method of loci

memory technique where individuals associate pieces of information with specific locations or places in their minds

spreading activation

concept referring to how the activation of one memory or concept can trigger the activation of related memories or concepts

dual coding hypothesis

states that memory is enhanced when we encode information both verbally and visually

semantic network

involves the interconnectedness of concepts in memory based on their meanings

economic and social standings of an individual relative to others in society

socioeconomic status describes ___

non-opinion statistical characteristics such as marital status, ethnicity, income, and age

demographic characteristics describes

the accumulation of cultural knowledge, behaviors, and skills that a person can use to effectively function in society

cultural capital

society has a dynamic, adaptive equilibrium. each aspect of society has an intended and unintended function

functionalism

the interdependence between individuals in a society that leads to the enhancement of the lives of others based on shared values and beliefs

social solidarity

looks at inequality between social classes; social inequality will eventually lead to social change

conflict theorist

feature of experimental research that influences participant behavior toward a result that is expected by experimenters

demand characteristics

the tendency for individuals to not respond, or stop responding, to researchers during an experiment, this confounding the results

response bias

focuses on how individuals label things in society, and then change how they act toward those things

symbolic interactionism

easy tasks require high arousal (stimulating music to clean room) in order to not get bored of the task. difficult tasks require lower arousal, otherwise the person is too stressed for the difficult task

explain the correlation between optimal arousal level and task difficulty level according to yerkes-dodson law

we are motivated to act by external rewards or punishments, not just internal drives

explain the incentive theory of motivation

people are motivated to maintain a “just right” level of arousal —not too bored, not too stressed. we seek stimulation or calm depending on the current level of arousal

explain the optimum arousal theory