Psych

Consciousness

Subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Dual Processing

Information is often processed on separate conscious (high road) and unconscious (low road) tasks.

Blindsight

A condition where a person unconsciously responds to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.

Parallel Processing

Processing multiple parts of a problem simultaneously, often unconsciously.

Sequential Processing

Processing one aspect of a problem at a time, typically more conscious and deliberate.

Behavior Genetics

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

Heritability

The proportion of variation in a trait that can be attributed to genetics.

Epigenetics

The study of environmental factors on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.

Sensation

The process where sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from the environment.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Transduction

Conversion from one form of energy to another, such as transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses.

Change Blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment due to inattentional blindness.

Signal Detection Theory

Theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation.

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulus energy required to detect a particular stimulus.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning in which one links two or more stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

A type of associative learning where behavior is linked to a response.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Shaping

Training a complex behavior step by step.

Cognitive Learning

The acquisition of mental information through observation, imitation, or language.

Memory Models

Conceptual frameworks that describe the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval in memory.

Long-Term Memory

A relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of information in the memory system.

Intrinsic Motivation

Desire to perform behavior for its own sake.

Extrinsic Motivation

Desire to perform behavior to receive rewards or avoid punishment.

Vicarious Learning

Learning by observing the consequences of another's behavior.

Night Terrors

Appearance of being terrified during NREM-3 sleep.

Circadian Rhythm

Regular bodily rhythms on a 24-hour cycle regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Carpenter's Rule of Thumb

A guideline suggesting that skills can improve with practice and that learning is often trial and error.

Cognitive Dissonance

The psychological discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs or attitudes.

Social Learning Theory

The theory that suggests we learn behaviors by observing and imitating others.

Motivational Interviewing

A counseling approach focused on enhancing a person's motivation to change.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations.

Memory Consolidation

The process by which recent memories are transformed into a more stable form.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others.

Implicit Memory

A type of memory that does not require conscious thought, often demonstrated through performance.

Conditioned Response

A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has become associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Sensory Memory

The shortest-term element of memory that allows an individual to retain impressions of sensory information.

Operant Extinction

The gradual weakening of a conditioned behavior when reinforcement is no longer provided.

Cognitive Neuroscience

Field mapping conscious functions of the cortex and understanding brain activity related to cognitive processes.

Change Blindness

Failure to notice changes in the environment due to a lack of attention.

Transduction

The conversion of one form of energy to another, particularly in sensory processing.

Sensation

The process where sensory receptors receive and represent stimuli from the environment.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to recognize meaningful objects.

Classical Conditioning

Type of learning linking two stimuli to elicit a conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

Learning process where a behavior is linked to its consequence, affecting the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Vicarious Learning

Learning that occurs through observing the consequences of others' actions rather than through direct experience.

Heritability

The proportion of variation in a trait attributed to genetic factors.

Epigenetics

Study of how environmental factors affect gene expression without altering DNA.

Circadian Rhythm

The biological clock that regulates bodily rhythms on a 24-hour cycle.

Night Terrors

High arousal and appearance of being terrified during NREM-3 sleep.

Implicit Memory System

Involves memory types that operate without conscious awareness, like procedural skills.

Constructed Memories

Memories that are encoded based on meaning, which can result in inaccuracies.