psych quarterly

consolidation

accomodation

(CC=change or create schema) new schema are created bc info that is learned is diff from what u already know (adding turtle would turn schema into animals)

action potentiall

when a neuron transmits an electrical charge down its axon; the “firing” of the charge

activation synthesis theory of dreaming

dreams have no meaning

algorithm

a step by step process; if done correctly you will get the right answer

all or nothing principle

the principle that once the threshold of something is reached (-55mv) the neuron “must fire”

assimilation

when you incorporate new info into existing schema (dog+cat=animals)

autonomic nervous system

Carries signals from CNS that drives the things that your body does w/o thinking

availability heuristic

when you assume the right answer is the 1st thing to pop in your brain

babbling

4-10 months, spontaneous vocalization of sounds; by 10 months these will take on sounds of home language

central nervous system

Brain + Spinal Cord

cerebellum

the “little brain'“ underneath occipital lobes; controls coordination, smooth movement, and muscle memory (procedural memory)

circadian rhythm

the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle

cognitive perspective

a psychological approach that focuses on understanding human behavior by examining mental processes such as perception, memory, and thinking

(lack of) conservation

struggle to understand certain properties of objects remain the same even when their appearance changes (think that skinny tall water>stubby wide water)

convenience sample

method of choosing subjects based on their availability, willingness, and ease of access

cross-sectional study

research where different age groups are tested at the same time (one point in time)

crystallized intelligence

knowledge + skills you acquire over time - vocab, general knowledge, experience (increases as you age)

dependent variable

the outcome or results of the experiment that’s being measured

discontinuous

development is a sequence of seperate, distinct, stages

distributed practice

Spreading practice out over time

dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in mood, movement, attention, and learning

encoding failure

failure to pay attention so there’s nothing to retrieve

ethics

the standards that direct the conduct of its professional members

experimental method

A systematic approach used in scientific research to investigate cause-and-effect relationships between variables

evolutionary perspective

an individual's thoughts and behaviors are based on what would give them the best chance of survival; subsequently, the behaviors that give the best chance of survival are passed on to further generations.

fMRI

shows brain activity by blood thing

functional fixedness

the perceived inability of someone to use an object for something other than its original intended purpose

gambler’s fallacy

the belief that the chances of something happening with a fixed probability become higher or lower as the process is repeated

heritability

how much of the variation that exists between a group of individuals is due to genetics/an explanation of the differences that exist between us related to genetic factors

hindsight bias

when you think you knew something all along after the outcome has occurred

hippocampus

brain structure involved in memory; damage to it results in inability to form new memories & ability to recall old memories; memories not actually stored here- just enables them to be stored and retrieved

HSAM

ability to accurately recall a large number of experiences and associated dates from events occurring throughout much of one’s lifetime

hypothalamus

constantly monitors blood to maintain homeostasis; linked with emotions like rage; directly connected to the pituitary gland & helps regulate endocrine system

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form attachments early in life, usually during a limited critical period

independent variable

the factor the researcher is testing (“if” part of the hypothesis/the treatment)

intelligence ethics

the ability to make ethical decisions when faced with moral challenges or dilemmas

levels of processing

focuses on the depth of processing memory (how deep you know something)

long term memory

relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system

longitudinal study

research that examines how individuals develop by studying the same sample over a long period in time

maintenance rehearsal

repetition of the info in its OG form (repeating something to yourself to remember)

mean

avg

median

middle most

memory consolidation

sleep is important in converting short term memories to long term memories

metacognition

thinking about thinking, purposeful awareness of ones personal thought processes

misinformation effect

info learned after an event can alter your memory

mnemonic

technique used to enhance memory and recall

morpheme

smallest units of language that carry meaning (heat=1, pre=1, preheat=2)

narcolepsy

sudden REM sleep

nature vs nurture

the extent to which heredity/genes (nature) & the environment (nurture) each influence behavior

neurons

a nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system

object permanence

understanding that objects continue to exist even when they can’t be seen, hear, or sensed in general

operational definition

defining IV, DV, and extraneous variables in terms of precisely described operations, measurements, or procedures, to make experiment replicable

parasympathetic nervous system

chill the heck out response, makes sure u take it nice and easy

peripheral nervous system

Everything besides brain + spinal cord; does the thing the CNS tells it to do

phineas gage

a railroad construction foreman who survived a severe brain injury in the mid-19th century. His case is often studied in psychology because of the dramatic personality changes he experienced after his accident, which provided early evidence for the role of the frontal lobes in personality and behavior

phonological loop

component of working-memory model that deals with audio/sound info

placebo

harmless substance given to control groups so they don’t know which group they’re in

prefrontal cortex

front-most part of your frontal lobes, last part in human brain to finish developing; can suppress the limbic system so you don’t act immediately on your emotions; in charge of impulse control

preoperational stage

ages 2-7: children start using language, imagination, and symbols to represent objects and events

primacy effect

people more likely to remember info presented at the beginning of a list

random assingment

randomization that ensures each participant has an = chance of being assigned to treatment condition in an experiment (makes experiment more valid)

REM sleep

(REM stands for "rapid eye movement") is the stage of sleep in which we dream

reuptake

“return back home” when the cell goes back home after the neurotransmitter stimulates it

semantic encoding

when a word, phrase, picture, etc. is encoded on the basis of meaning rather than the sound or vision of it

sensitive (critical) periods

time sensitive periods that if function isn’t completed it will never be completed + screws up development

skew

the direction in which a non-symmetrical distribution of data is leaning

sleep apnea

sleep stop breathing

somatic nervous system

Controls stuff you think about doing (info from senses + movement that u think about)

split brain

experiments on people with a severed corpus callosum) has confirmed that in most people, the left hemisphere is the more verbal, and that the right hemisphere excels in visual perception and the recognition of emotion

substance p

TRANSMITS PAIN: a neuropeptide that functions as a neurotransmitter in both peripheral and central nervous systems

sunk cost fallacy

our tendency to follow through with something that we've already invested heavily in (be it time, money, effort, or emotional energy), even when giving up is clearly a better idea

sympathetic nervous system

stress response, fight flight or freeze, preps body 4 action, responsible for freaking out

tip of the tongue effect

can’t recall the specific thing but you can recall related things

visual cliff

research method used to study depth perception in infants and animals (similar looking floor)

wernickes area

region of brain (left temporal lobe) controlling ability to understand meaning of words (can speak but u say ‘word salads’)

withdrawal

set of symptoms associated w discontinuing a drug