Refined Psyc 100

Sensation

Using sensory systems to detect environmental stimuli.

Sensory Transduction

Process where sensory receptor cells convert stimuli into neural impulses.

Absolute Threshold

Minimum stimulus detected, such as a candle flame seen from 50 km away.

Difference Threshold

Smallest detectable difference between stimuli.

Sensory Adaptation

Reduced response to repeated stimuli, like clothes on skin.

Perception

Conscious recognition of sensory input.

Bottom-up Processing

Sensory info travels to the brain for processing.

Top-down Processing

Perception influenced by memory and expectations.

Signal Detection Theory

Theory stating detecting stimuli depends on both sensitivity and response criteria.

Olfaction

Sense of smell; odourants detected by olfactory receptor neurons.

Gustation

Sense of taste; taste buds on papillae detect five basic tastes.

Tactile Sense

Sense of touch; somatosensory receptors detect pressure, temperature, pain, and vibration.

Fast Pain Pathways

Neural pathways that convey sharp pain quickly.

Slow Pain Pathways

Neural pathways that convey burning pain slowly.

Audition

Sense of hearing; sound waves processed in the cochlea.

Frequency Theory

Theory that states different rates of neural firing correspond to different frequencies of sound.

Place Theory

Theory that different frequencies activate specific regions of the cochlea.

Sound Localization

Ability to determine the location of a sound based on loudness and timing between ears.

Vision

Sense where light enters through the eye, focused on the retina.

Trichromatic Theory

Theory proposing three types of color receptors in the eye.

Opponent Process Theory

Theory that states color pairs inhibit each other.

Perceptual Constancies

Recognition that size and shape remain stable despite environmental changes.

Kinesthetic Sense

Sense of body position and movement.

Vestibular Sense

Sense responsible for balance and head movement.

Gestalt Laws of Perception

Principles for organizing visual stimuli, including proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, and figure-ground.

Binocular Cues

Depth perception cues that rely on both eyes, like retinal disparity and convergence.

Monocular Cues

Depth perception cues that can be perceived by one eye, like relative height and linear perspective.

Classical Conditioning

Learning by association, as demonstrated in Pavlov's experiments.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally causes a response, such as food.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

A natural response to an unconditioned stimulus, like salivation.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Initially neutral stimulus that becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to a conditioned stimulus, such as salivation to a bell.

Acquisition

The process of learning a conditioned response.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response over time.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a conditioned response after a pause.

Stimulus Generalization

Responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Discrimination

The ability to differentiate between the conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli.

Higher-Order Conditioning

When a conditioned stimulus is used to condition a new stimulus.

Phobias

Conditioned fears that can be treated with systematic desensitization.

Operant Conditioning

Learning based on the consequences of behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Positive Punishment

Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Negative Punishment

Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Continuous Reinforcement

Schedule of reinforcement where every response is reinforced.

Intermittent Reinforcement

Schedule where responses are reinforced only part of the time, can be fixed/variable ratio or interval.

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior.

Learned Helplessness

Condition where repeated failure leads to giving up.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching others perform behaviors.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire when observing or performing an action.

Vicarious Learning

Learning from the consequences experienced by others.

Implicit Learning

Learning that occurs without conscious awareness.

Latent Learning

Learning that is not demonstrated until it is needed.

Insight Learning

A sudden realization of a solution to a problem.

Stroop Effect

Conflict between automatic and controlled processing, demonstrated by reading color words in different ink colors.