AP Pysch Cognifition Flashcards

anchoring effect

tendency to be influenced by a suggested reference point, pulling our response toward that point

Being influenced by a suggested reference point, affecting your response.

"What's it called when your answer is swayed by a reference point?"

anterograde amensia

inability to form new memories

"What term describes the trouble making new memories?"

aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding).

Impairment of language due to brain damage.

Scribbled brain and language

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance

fortune teller

artificial concept

concept that is defined by a very specific set of characteristics

jigsaw puzzle piece

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings

Unconscious encoding of information.

person's brain with running screws.

avilability heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common

Estimating likelihood based on memory.

a person thinking about memorable events

basal ganglia

a set of subcortical structures that directs intentional movements

Subcortical structures for movement.

a person moving.

belief perseverance

clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited

Clinging to beliefs despite evidence.

someone holding onto something tightly

broca's area

controls language expression - an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Controls speech muscles.

left frontal lobe

cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Coordinates movement and balance.

rear brainstem

cohort

a group of people from a given time period

17th century gentlemen

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

seeking information that supports beliefs.

searching for something

construct validity

the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure

"Measuring what it should - it's about __________ validity."

content validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

How well a test covers relevant behavior.

It samples the ____________ behavior.

context-dependent memory

The theory that information learned in a particular situation or place is better remembered when in that same situation or place.

Remembering better in the same situation.

Better recall in the same __________.

convergent thinking

narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution

Narrowing down for the best solution.

Finding the single __________ solution.

criterion/concurrent validity

how well the test can predict an individual's performance on an established test of the same skill or knowledge area; test correlates well with a measure that has already been validated

Predicting performance on established tests.

Predicting performance on ____________ tests

cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Comparing people of different ages.

Comparing different ________.

crystallized intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills.

Our accumulated knowledge is ____________.

deductive reasoning

the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations

Our accumulated knowledge is ____________.

General to ________ reasoning

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

Encoding based on meaning, best for retention.

Meaningful encoding leads to __________ retention.

divergent thinking

expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that diverges in different directions

Expanding problem solutions creatively.

Thinking in different ________.

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

Sensory memory of sounds.

Auditory stimuli in ________ memory.

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Encoding needing attention and effort

Encoding with attention and ________.

eidetic memory

the ability to perfectly recall images, sounds, or objects without the use of memory aids, such as mnemonics; also called photographic memory

Perfect recall without aids, like photos.

Perfect recall - ________ memory.

elaborative rehearsal

a method of transferring information from STM into LTM by making that information meaningful in some way

Transferring info from STM to LTM with meaning.

Making information meaningful - ________ rehearsal.

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

A test to measure what someone has learned.

"What type of test assesses your learning?"

algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem.

A step-by-step method to solve a specific problem.

"What's a systematic problem-solving method?"

alternate-forms reliability

using different varieties of the test to measure consistency between them

Using different versions of a test to check for consistency.

"How do you ensure test consistency with different versions?"

amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

Part of the brain related to memory and strong emotions like fear and anger.

"Which brain structure is linked to fear and aggression?"

emotional intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

Understanding and managing ________.

encoding failure

the inability to recall specific information because of insufficient encoding of the information for storage in long-term memory

Unable to recall due to insufficient encoding.

Forgetting due to poor ________.

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

Cues specific to a memory enhance recall.

Specific cues help ________ recall.

episodic memory

the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place

Past personal experiences at a specific time

Personal experiences tied to ________.

exemplar

a proposal concerning the way humans categorize objects and ideas in psychology. It argues that individuals make category judgments by comparing new stimuli with instances already stored in memory.

Categorizing by comparing to stored instances.

Categorizing by comparing to ________.

explicit/declarative memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

Consciously knowing and declaring - ________ memory

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person's total score.

Identifying clusters of related items on a test.

Clusters

face validity

extent to which respondents can tell what the items are measuring

Respondents can tell what items measure.

People Telling Ruler

fixation

the inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set

Inability to see a problem from a new perspective.

Stuck in one way of thinking

flashbulb memory

A clear and vivid long-term memory of an especially meaningful and emotional event.

Clear, vivid memory of emotional events.

a Flashbulb with a picture

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

Ability to reason quickly and abstractly.

abstract drawing

flynn effect

The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations

Rise in average IQ scores over decades.

IQ scores rising

framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

How an issue is posed affects decisions.

social media

functional fixedness

the tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving

Thinking of things only by their usual functions.

stuck in usual

general (g) intelligence

a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

A factor underlying mental abilities.

character stats

heritability

The proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Proportion of a trait attributed to genes.

How much is due to genes?

heuristic

a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms

Quick thinking strategy, may have errors.

rabbit

hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Neural center for explicit memory.

Nucleus of the Brain

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

Fleeting visual memory, like a photo.

flash picture

implicit/nondeclarative memory

Long-term memory for procedural tasks, classical conditioning, and primary effects. This type of memory does not require conscious awareness or the need to make declarations about the information remembered.

Long-term memory without awareness.

mountain

imagination effect

occurs when repeatedly imagining fake actions and events can create false memories

Imagining creates false memories.

Fake

inductive reasoning

reasoning from detailed facts to general principles

Detective Conan

insight

a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem

Sudden problem-solving realization

A-ha moment

intelligence quotient (iq)

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 [thus, IQ = (ma/ca) x 100]. On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Mental age ratio, standardized to 100

MA/CA *100

interrater reliability

the amount of agreement in the observations of different raters who witness the same behavior

Agreement among different raters.

Hand Shaking

intuition

an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning

Effortless, immediate thought

Automatic, immediate

justification effort

the tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain

Liking something you worked for

A tin-foil trophy

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Permanent memory store

A big bag ? LTM

long-term potentiation

an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Enhanced synapse firing potential.

pew-pew

linguistic determinism

the strong form of Whorf's hypothesis—that language controls the way we think and interpret the world around us

Language controls our thinking.

Thinking in Chinese

linguistic influence

the weaker form of "linguistic relativity"—the idea that language affects thought (thus our thinking and world view is "relative to" our cultural language).

Language affects thought

Chinese thoughts

longitudinal study

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

Repeated study over a long period

10 years - 100 years

maintenance rehearsal

a system for remembering involving repeating information to oneself without attempting to find meaning in it

Repeating without finding meaning.

when you're reading and you don't realize you're actually reading

memory consolidation

the gradual, physical process of converting new long-term memories to stable, enduring memory codes

Gradual conversion of new memories

mastery or refinement

mental set

a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past

Tendency to approach problems the same way.

Old ways work best

misinformation effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

Adding misleading info to memory.

fake memories

mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Happiness with warmth and fuzzy feelings

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

Recalling experiences linked to current mood.

mood

morphemes

the smallest meaningful units of language

Tiny meaningful parts

motivated reasoning

processing information in a way that allows consumers to reach the conclusion that they want to reach

Processing to reach a desired conclusion

bias

negative transfer

mastery of one task conflicts with learning or performing another

Previous learning interferes with new.

Old vs New

normal curve

the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Bell-shaped distribution

graph

overgeneralization of grammar

a phenomenon in which language learners—first, second, or additional—apply a rule or a pattern in a situation where it does not apply in the target language, resulting in a nonconventional form

Applying rules where they don't fit.

I ran vs I runned

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.

Brain multitasking on many aspects.

multitasking

phonemes

in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

Smallest sound units in language.

sound

planning fallacy

the tendency to underestimate how long it will take to complete a task

Underestimating task time.

Procastination

positive transfer

when old information facilitates the learning of new information

Old info helps learn new info.

Old Helps New

predictive validity

the extent to which a score on a scale or test predicts scores on some criterion measure

Test predicts other measures

other outcomes

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language

Brain part for thinking and planning.

front brain

primacy effect

tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well

Remembering items at the beginning

1, 2, 3

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

Activation of associations.

Activating mental connections

proactive interference

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Past learning disrupts new recall.

Past vs New (recall)

procedural memory

the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or "knowing how" to do things

Skills acquired through practice.

practice makes perfect

prospective memory

remembering to do things in the future

Another from for this is an agenda

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

category

recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

Retrieving information from memory.

searching for info

recency effect

tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well

Remembering the end of a list well.

... 7,8,9

recognition

a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test

Identifying learned items (multiple-choice).

MCQs

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

Altered memories upon retrieval.

Changing memories during...

reductionism

the reduction of complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study

Simplifying complex systems.

intelligence and sadness

reliability

consistency of measurement

similar throughout

representative heuristic

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes

Judging likelihood based on prototypes.

suit and tie = lawyer

retrieval failure

the inability to recall long-term memories because of inadequate or missing retrieval cues

Forgetting due to lacking cues.

No Cues = No answer

retroactive interference

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

New learning disrupts old recall.

New makes Old gone

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

Cant remember anything

risk/loss aversion

the tendency of people to prefer avoiding losses to achieving equivalent gains

Preferring to avoid losses.

is this going to hurt me more?

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

Exceptional skill despite limitations.

Stephen Wiltshire

self-reference effect

tendency to better remember information relevant to ourselves

Remembering self-relevant info.

Everything about me

semantic memory

a network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world

General knowledge network.

Setting, Characters, Timeline