PSY101 Exam #3 Study Guide

Consciousness

The state of being aware of and able to think about one's own existence, thoughts, and surroundings.

Insomnia

A sleep disorder characterized by the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Hypersomnolence

Excessive sleepiness, which can occur despite a prolonged main sleep period.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep.

Parasomnias

Abnormal behaviors during sleep, including night terrors and sleepwalking.

Dreaming

The experience of images, sounds, and sensations during sleep, often occurring during REM sleep.

Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreaming

Suggests that dreams reflect unconscious desires and conflicts.

Biological Theory

Proposes that dreaming serves a biological function, possibly related to brain development and memory.

Cognitive Theory of Dreaming

States that dreams are a way of processing and consolidating memories and experiences.

Mnemonic Device

A technique or strategy that aids in memory retention and retrieval.

Associative Network

A conceptual structure that describes how different items of knowledge are connected.

Retrieval Cues

Stimuli that help to recall information from memory.

Encoding Specificity Principle

Memory is most effective when information available at encoding is also present at retrieval.

Flashbulb Memories

Highly detailed and vivid memories of significant events.

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

A rare ability to recall an overwhelming number of autobiographical memories in great detail.

Blocked Recall

The temporary inability to retrieve information from memory.

Interference

When learning new information hampers the recall of previously learned information.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments.

Vicarious Reinforcement

Learning that occurs by observing the consequences of another's behavior.

Imprinting

A form of learning occurring at a specific life stage in animals, where a young animal forms an attachment to a caregiver.

Language Acquisition Device

A hypothetical tool in the brain that helps children rapidly learn and understand language.

Universal Grammar

The theory that the ability to learn language is innate and that underlying grammatical structures are common to all languages.

Linguistic Determinism

The hypothesis that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition.

Prototype

A mental image or best example of a category.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

System 1 Thinking

Fast, instinctive, and emotional thinking.

System 2 Thinking

Slower, more deliberate, and more logical thinking.