Cognition, Consciousness, and Language Practice Flashcards

A set of 77 practice flashcards covering terms and definitions related to cognition, consciousness, and language based on lecture notes.

How is cognition defined?

Mental process of thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving.

What is the definition of consciousness mentioned on page 1?

Awareness of oneself and the environment.

What is metacognition?

Ability to think about thinking.

What is a concept?

Organizing information into meaningful categories.

How is concept formation defined?

Mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

What is categorization?

Organizing concepts into categories based on common properties.

What is an algorithm?

Methodical, logical rule that guarantees solving a problem.

What is a heuristic?

Simple thinking strategy that allows quick judgments but may lead to errors.

What is confirmation bias?

Tendency to search for information that supports preexisting beliefs.

What is the availability heuristic?

Judging likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.

What is the representativeness heuristic?

Judging probability based on similarity to a prototype.

What is functional fixedness?

Difficulty seeing a new use for an object beyond its normal function.

What is a mental set?

Inability to solve a problem because of a fixation on previous solutions.

What is insight learning?

Sudden realization of a solution.

What is convergent thinking?

Thinking focused on finding a single correct answer.

What is divergent thinking?

Thinking that generates many possible solutions.

How is creativity defined?

Novel and valuable thinking.

What is the definition of consciousness mentioned on page 2?

Awareness of internal and external stimuli.

What is an altered state of consciousness?

Naturally occurring change in awareness.

What is wakefulness?

Consciousness characterized by high awareness of self and environment.

What is sleep?

Periodic natural loss of consciousness.

What is a circadian rhythm?

Internal biological clock regulating sleep-wake cycles.

What is melatonin?

Hormone released by the pineal gland promoting sleep.

What is NREM-1?

Sleep stage characterized by theta waves and light sleep.

What is NREM-2?

Sleep stage characterized by sleep spindles and K-complexes.

What is NREM-3?

Deep sleep characterized by delta waves.

What is REM sleep?

Sleep stage with vivid dreams and brain activity similar to wakefulness.

What is a sleep cycle?

Repetitive cycle through sleep stages approximately every $90\,\text{minutes}$.

How is sleep paralysis defined?

Temporary inability to move while falling asleep or waking up.

What is sleep apnea?

Disorder involving repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep.

What is insomnia?

Difficulty falling or staying asleep.

What is narcolepsy?

Sudden attacks of sleep during waking hours.

What is somnambulism?

Walking or performing activities while asleep.

What is somniloquy?

Talking during sleep.

What are nightmares?

Recurrent frightening dreams that awaken the sleeper.

What are night terrors?

Episodes of fear and autonomic arousal during deep sleep.

What are psychoactive drugs?

Chemical substances that alter perceptions, mood, consciousness, or behavior.

What is tolerance?

Reduced effect of a drug after repeated use.

What is withdrawal in the context of psychoactive drugs?

Physiological adaptation causing symptoms when drug use stops.

What is dependence?

Compulsive drug-seeking behavior despite harmful consequences.

What are stimulants?

Drugs that increase nervous system activity.

What is dopamine?

Stimulant neurotransmitter associated with reward pathways.

What are depressants?

Drugs that decrease nervous system activity.

What are hallucinogens?

Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory experiences without sensory input.

What is psilocybin?

Hallucinogen found in mushrooms.

What is LSD?

Potent hallucinogenic drug.

What is THC?

Active psychoactive component of marijuana.

What is an opiate?

Drug that relieves pain by acting on opioid receptors.

How is language defined?

System of communication using symbols and rules.

What is a phoneme?

Smallest distinctive sound unit of language.

What is a morpheme?

Smallest unit of meaning in language.

What is syntax?

Rules governing sentence structure.

What is semantics?

Rules governing meaning derived from language.

What is grammar?

Socially shared rules for combining words and phrases.

What is the behaviorist theory of language?

Learning language through reinforcement and imitation.

What is the nativist theory?

Theory proposing an innate biological basis for language acquisition.

What is the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)?

Proposed innate language acquisition system.

What is language acquisition?

Ability of children to learn language rapidly during early development.

What is the critical period?

Time period during which language is most easily acquired.

What is Broca's Area?

Brain region involved in speech production.

What is Wernicke's Area?

Brain region involved in language comprehension.

What is Broca's aphasia?

Impaired speech production with relatively intact comprehension.

What is Wernicke's aphasia?

Fluent but nonsensical speech with impaired comprehension.

What is linguistic relativity?

Theory suggesting language influences thought.

What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

Hypothesis that language determines cognition and perception.

How is intelligence defined?

Ability to understand and adapt to the environment.

What is fluid intelligence?

Intelligence involving reasoning, memory, and processing speed that tends to decline with age.

What is crystallized intelligence?

Intelligence involving accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that tends to increase with age.

What is emotional intelligence?

Ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

What is problem identification?

Ability to correctly identify a problem's source.

What is problem solving?

Ability to generate potential solutions to a problem.

What is critical thinking?

Evaluating information and arguments logically.

What is psychological dependence?

Psychological dependence characterized by cravings and compulsive drug seeking.

What is physiological dependence?

Physical need for a drug resulting from neurochemical changes.

What is overregularization?

Overgeneralization of grammatical rules by children learning language.

What is a holophrase?

Child's first meaningful one-word utterance.

What is telegraphic speech?

Two-word stage of language development.