Psychology - Unit 1 Test Part 2

Consciousness

Consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

Cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition

Dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Blindsight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus simultaneously

Sequential processing

processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time

Insomnia

recurring problems falling and staying asleep

Sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and reapeated momentary awakenings

Narcolepsy

uncontrollable sleep attack; fall asleep at inopportune times

REM sleep behavior disorder

a sleep disorder in which normal REM paralysis does not occur; movement often acting out one’s dream

Dream

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

Wish fulfillment theory (dream)

dreams project subconscious, unacceptable feelings

Information processing theory (dream)

dreams are tools for organizing and filing the day’s experiences into our memories

Activation synthesis theory (dream)

dreams are a byproduct of synthesis of an active brain’s random neural firing

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Sensory receptors

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimulus

Perception

the process by which our brain organizes and intercepts sensory information, enabling us to recognize objects and events as meaningful

Bottom-up processing

information processing that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

Top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another

Psychophysics

the study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experiences of them

Absolute threshold

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect

Subliminal

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Signal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimuli (signal) amid the background stimulation (noise); absolute thresholds do not exist

Difference threshold

the minimum amount needed for us to hear or feel if a stimuli

Weber’s law

the principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different

Sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Wavelength

the distance from the peak of one light wave or sound wave to the peak of the next

Hue

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

Intensity

the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness

Cornea

the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and the iris

Pupil

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which the light enters

Iris

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Lens

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Accomadation

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus images of near and far objects on the retina

Retina

the light-sensitive back inner surface of the eye, containing receptor rods and cones, plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

Rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement; necessary for night and peripheral vision

Cones

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or well-lit conditions; detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Fovea

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Optic nerve

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Blind spot

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors: one most sensitive to red, one most sensitive to green, and one most sensitive to blue

Opponent-process theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

Feature detectors

nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus (ie. shape, angle, movement)

Parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimuli or problem simultaneously

Audition

the sense or act of hearing

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Pitch

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Middle ear

the chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing three tiny bones which concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

Cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves travelling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

Inner ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Sensorineural hearing loss

the most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve

Conduction hearing loss

a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Cochlear implant

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through the electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Place theory

the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Frequency matching theory

the theory that the rate of nerve impulses travelling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense pitch

Sense of touch

our skin is our largest cell receptor and contains different cells for various touch sensations: pressure, warmth, cold, and pain

Gate-control theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals and allows them to pass on to the brain

Pain

a biopsychosocial phenomenon; helps us to know when something is wrong; no one type of stimulus produces pain

Nociceptors

specialized sensory receptors that detect harmful temperatures, pressures, or chemicals

Gustation

the sense of taste

Olfaction

the sense of smell

Kinesthesis

the sense of movement; our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Vestibular sense

the sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance

Sensory interaction

the principle that one sense can influence another

Embodied cognition

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgment; when circuits that process sensations interact with circuits that produce cognition

Circadian rhythm

our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

nREM sleep

non-rapid eye movement sleep

Alpha waves

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Delta waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm; in response to light, the SCN adjusts melatonin production