PSYC 2000 Exam 3 Study Guide: Sensation, Development, and Stress

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, definitions, and concepts from Chapters 5 (Sensation & Perception), 9 (Development), and 14 (Stress & Health) based on the PSYC 2000 Exam 3 Study Guide.

Sensation

The physiological detection of physical or chemical information by sensory receptors.

Perception

The psychological organization and conscious interpretation of sensory information, influenced by context, attention, and expectations.

Transduction

The conversion of physical or chemical stimulus energy (such as light, sound, or odor molecules) into neural signals.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulus intensity that can be detected approximately $50\%$ of the time.

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference / JND)

The smallest change between stimuli that can be detected; it is easier to notice when the original stimulus is weak rather than strong.

Sensory Adaptation

A decrease in the perception of a stimulus when that stimulation remains constant over time.

Inattentional Blindness

The failure to perceive a clearly visible event or object while attention is concentrated elsewhere.

Bottom-Up Processing

A perceptual process that constructs a complete perception starting from incoming sensory details.

Top-Down Processing

A perceptual process that uses prior experience, knowledge, and expectations to interpret sensory input.

Müller-Lyer Illusion

A perceptual illusion where identical line lengths appear different, linked to experience in "carpentered" environments containing many corners.

Rods

Photoreceptors in the retina that are highly sensitive to light, support peripheral and motion vision in low light, and do not provide color vision.

Cones

Photoreceptors concentrated in the fovea that detect fine detail and color vision in brighter light.

Trichromatic Theory

A color vision theory stating that the retina possesses three distinct cone types sensitive to different wavelengths (commonly described as red, green, and blue).

Opponent-Process Theory

A color vision theory proposing that color channels operate in opposing pairs (red–green, blue–yellow, black–white), which accounts for visual afterimages.

Linear Perspective

A monocular depth cue wherein parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance.

Proprioception

The body sense that provides information about static body position.

Kinesthesia

The body sense that detects body movement.

Cross-Sectional Design

A developmental research design that assesses and compares individuals of different ages at a single point in time.

Longitudinal Design

A developmental research design that follows and repeatedly assesses the same group of participants over an extended period.

Cross-Sequential Design

A developmental research design that follows multiple distinct age cohorts simultaneously across time.

Teratogens

Environmental agents—such as specific drugs, chemicals, or maternal infections—that can cause harm to prenatal development during critical periods.

Assimilation

In Piaget's theory, the cognitive process of interpreting new information using an existing schema.

Accommodation

In Piaget's theory, the cognitive process of modifying an existing schema when new information no longer fits.

Object Permanence

The cognitive understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are hidden from view; typically develops during the sensorimotor stage.

Egocentrism

A characteristic of Piaget's preoperational stage where a child has difficulty taking another person's perspective.

Conservation

The principle that a fundamental quantity (such as volume or mass) remains unchanged despite changes in its physical appearance.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky's concept defining the gap between what a learner can accomplish independently and what they can achieve with skilled assistance.

Scaffolding

A guided learning technique where temporary support is provided to a learner and gradually withdrawn as their competence increases.

Secure Attachment

An attachment pattern in Ainsworth's Strange Situation characterized by distress upon caregiver departure and comfort upon their reunion.

Authoritative Parenting

A parenting style that balances high, clear behavioral expectations with warmth, responsiveness, and open communication.

Authoritarian Parenting

A parenting style characterized by strict control, high demands, and low emotional responsiveness.

Preconventional Morality

Kohlberg's earliest level of moral reasoning, in which moral judgments are determined by direct personal consequences such as punishment and reward.

Postconventional Morality

Kohlberg's highest level of moral reasoning, guided by abstract ethical principles and internal moral codes rather than external rules.

Cognitive Appraisal

The personal meaning and evaluation assigned to a situation, which directly shapes an individual's stress response.

Distress

An unpleasant, undesirable form of stress resulting from threatening or taxing conditions.

Eustress

A positive or manageable form of challenge that can motivate performance, adaptation, and personal growth.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye's three-stage model of the body's physiological response to persistent stress, comprising alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Frustration

The negative psychological response experienced when progress toward a desired goal is blocked or impeded.

Approach-Avoidance Conflict

A motivational conflict where a single goal or choice possesses both appealing and unappealing characteristics.

Double Approach-Avoidance Conflict

A conflict in which an individual must choose between two distinct options, where each option carries both advantages and disadvantages.

Psychoneuroimmunology

The interdisciplinary field that investigates the complex interactions among psychological processes, the nervous system, and immune system function.

Burnout

A state of negative emotional, cognitive, and behavioral alterations caused by prolonged, unrelenting stress and frustration.

Problem-Focused Coping

A coping mechanism that directly targets the stressor itself to eliminate it or reduce its practical demands.

Emotion-Focused Coping

A coping mechanism that aims to regulate and manage emotional reactions to a stressor when the situation cannot be altered.

Concentrative Meditation

A stress-reduction practice that involves deliberately focusing attention onto a single repetitive or unchanging stimulus.

Mindfulness

A stress-regulation practice that involves intentionally maintaining open, nonjudgmental attention on immediate present-moment experiences and activities.