Psych Quiz #2

Sensation

Receiving stimuli from the environment

Perception

When your brain processes information

Absolute Threshold

How much stimuli does it take for an individual to detect its presence 50% of the time

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference — JND)

The difference between two stimuli that must occur before an individual notices

Subliminal Perception (connected to Subliminal Messaging)

Detection of information below the conscious awareness

Bottom-Up Processing

Used by children and for people experiencing new concepts; looking at something piece-by-piece and noticing details before noticing the larger picture

Top-Down Processing

Knowledge playing a role in understanding and being able to recognize patterns to fill in gaps

Cones

(in eye) Pick up color

Rods

(in eye) Sensitive to light

Trichromatic Color Theory

Three cones (receptors) in the eye that detect different short (red), medium (green), and long (blue) wavelengths of light that overlap`

Opponent-Process Theory (Edwald Hering)

Four receptors in the eye in pairs (red-green and blue-yellow); each side gets stimulated which inhibits the other side

Binocular cues

Cues from both of our eyes

Convergence

(Binocular cue) Eye muscles working together to determine how close/far something is

Monocular Cues

Cues from one eye

Linear Perspective

(Monocular cue) Parallel lines recede and seemingly converge

Texture Gradiation

(Monocular cue) Texture gets denser as it gets further away

Familiar Size

(Monocular cue) We logically understand size (this is also top-down processing)

Depth Perception

(Monocular cue) We have 2D eyes that see a 3D world

Perceptual Illusion (Gestalt)

Misinterpretation of sensory information, caused by the brain's tendency to organize stimuli into meaningful patterns (two heads and a vase or duck/rabbit)

Figure-ground

(Perceptual illusion) Foreground & background in perception (think vase/faces illusion)

Law of Proximity

(Perceptual illusion) The brain makes up “groupings” based on things being near each other

Law of Closure

(Perceptual Illusion) Our brain tends to fill in missing information to perceive objects as whole, even if parts are missing (think Pac-Man four corners making a square illusion)

Perceptual Set

Predisposition to experiencing things in a certain way given stimulus (i.e. if you are drinking something that looks translucent you may describe it as watered-down even if it isn’t)

Perceptual Constancy

Awareness that objects stay the same despite change in senses (i.e. lights turn off, room looks different, but the paint color is still the same)

Attention (“Cocktail Party” effect)

The brain’s ability to focus in on one thing despite there being a lot of stimuli

Stroop Effect

An interference phenomenon where the brain struggles to process conflicting information

Most commonly in the form of detecting color and text: RED GREEN BLUE

Signal Detection Theory

Decision making based on uncertainty (“jumping to conclusions”)

The Sound Shadow (localization)

Using your ears and hearing to understand location

Mirror-Touch-Synesthesia (MTS)

Condition in 2% of humans where you can feel other people’s senses only by learning about/seeing them

Beta waves

Waves that are high when you are awake; concentration & alertness

Alpha waves

Waves responsible for relaxing the brain and slowing it down

Stage 1

Sleep stage characterized by theta waves; Non-REM1

Stage 2

Sleep stage characterized by theta waves and possibility of sleep spindles; Non-REM2

Stage 3

Sleep stage characterized by delta waves and possibility of night tremors; Non-REM3

Stage 4

The sleep stage after the previous one that also had delta waves and was Non-REM3

Stage 5 (Stage R)

Sleep stage with most dreaming and wilder dreams; beta waves; nightmares

Circadian Rhythms

24 hour sleep/wake cycle involving blood pressure and body temperature; goes up as day progresses but then wanes around 3PM

decrease

A ___ in body temperature decreases circadian rhythms

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Brain structure that synchronizes its own day/night cycle using information from the retinas (eyes)

Napping

Helps with sleep deprivation — from 8 min to hours

Somniloquy

Sleep talking

Somnambulism

Sleep walking

Ambien

Drug that helps people sleep but has side effects that include sleep driving and eating

Psychodynamic Theory of Dreaming (Freud)

Theory that sleeping is unconscious thoughts surfacing

Manifest content

(Psychodynamic Theory of Dreaming) Literal and surface content of dream

Latent content

(Psychodynamic Theory of Dreaming) Hidden and “true” meaning of dream

Cognitive Theory of Dreaming

Theory that dreams have no hidden meaning and are literally just mental stimulation

Activation Synthesis Theory of Dreaming

Theory that the brain needs to keep moving and being active, and dreams are a result of the “neural ride”

Insomnia

Sleep disorder characterized by the inability to fall asleep or back asleep

Sleep apnea

Sleep disorder characterized by the windpipe failing to open, causing people to be able to suffocate to death in their sleep

REM Behavior Disorder

Sleep disorder characterized by a person physically acting out during REM sleep (i.e. if you dream that you punch you punch your partner in the real world)

Narcolepsy

Sleep disorder characterized by suddenly falling asleep throughout the day

Fatal Familia Insomnia (FFI)

Terminal condition where you progressively sleep less and less, and you are stuck in pre-sleep indefinitely

Tolerance

Continued use of a drug meaning you need to take more of the drug to feel effects

Psychological dependence

Repeat use of a drug for emotional reasons (pleasure)

Physical dependence

Repeat use of a drug or physiological reasons (avoiding cravings, withdrawl)

Alcohol

Substance that is a depressant that can result in an addiction and dependence

Heroin and Morphine

Opiates that induce euphoria and depress the CNS, causing endorphins to become dependent on stimulation

Painkillers

Gateway to heroin

• Codeine

• Fentanyl

• Morphine

• Opium

• Hydrocodone

• Oxycodone

Caffeine

Stimulant that provides short term energy and a short withdrawal period

The #1 drug Americans take

Caffeinism

Overindulgence and high dependence on caffeine (>5 cups of coffee a day)

Nicotine

Stimulant that raises dopamine, attention, and alertness while decreasing anger and anxiety; months long withdrawal

Cocaine

Increases stamina and can cause heart attacks, extremely hard to quit

Crack

The most potent form of cocaine

Inhalants

Stimulants that offer a rapid high — i.e. paint thinner sniffing

Ecstasy (MDMA)

Stimulant and hallucinogen that causes long term impairment and long term depression (killing axons for serotonin)

LSD

Hallucinogen that causes the user to feel warm and fuzzy and alters their perception of colors and images; nausea, tremors, memory loss

Marijuana (cannabis)

Hallucinogen (active ingredient is THC) that affects neuron membranes and hence hormones; used to treat AIDS and cancer

Psychoactive drugs

200+ million annual users; most popular in the mid-late 70s, before dipping in the 80s, spiking in the 90s, and being down in the 00s

Psychadelics

Name for hallucinogens (includes LSD and marijuana)

Non-Associative Learning

Learning about one stimulus

Associative Learning

Learning in which we connect two separate events

Classical Conditioning

(Associative Learning) Stimulus A predicts stimulus B

(UCS) Unconditioned Stimulus

(Classical Conditioning) Thing that produces a reflexive, natural response

(UCR) Unconditioned Response

(Classical Conditioning) Reaction to an unconditioned stimulus

(NS) Neutral Stimulus

(Classical Conditioning) Stimulus with no meaning that can be assigned a meaning with conditioning

(CS) Conditioned Stimulus

(Classical Conditioning) A neutral stimulus that has been assigned to a UCS via conditioning

(CR) Conditioned Response

(Classical Conditioning) A response to a conditioned stimulus that would otherwise be unconditioned

Acquisition

(Classical Conditioning) Initial learning of a stimulus and the response to it

Generalization

(Classical Conditioning) Introduction of a new CS that is similar to the “old” CS

Discrimination

(Classical Conditioning) New, distinct stimulus that is connected to the “old” CS

Extinguished

(Classical Conditioning) Multiple spontaneous recoveries eventually wears out and diminishes the meaning of a CR, and it eventually dies

Spontaneous Recovery

(Classical Conditioning) Reintroduction of a CS after a prolonged period of time — does not last

Ivan Pavlov

👤 Created an experiment with Classical Conditioning with a dog, food, and a bell

John Watson

👤 Known for an experiment with Classical Conditioning with a loud noise, child, and mouse

Counterconditioning

(Classical Conditioning) Weakening the CR by introducing a new UCS with a different meaning (whistle now means pain or something)

Law of Effect

If a behavior has a positive outcome, it is strengthened; if it has a negative outcome, it is weakened

Edward Thorndike

👤 Law of Effect

Operant Conditioning

(Associative Learning) Type of learning in which behavior is strengthened or weakened by the consequences that follow it; involves the use of rewards and punishments to shape behavior

B.F. Skinner

👤 Formal learning theory, strict on empirical research

Positive Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) Beneficial stimulus added

Negative Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) Negative stimulus taken away

Positive Punishment

(Operant Conditioning) Negative stimulus added

Negative Punishment

(Operant Conditioning) Positive stimulus taken away

Primary Enforcer

(Operant Conditioning) Food, water, or other basic thing (like comfort) that is automatically and inherently satisfying

Conditioned Enforcer

(Operant Conditioning) Not something that is inherently satisfying but can be traded for something satisfying (like money)

Fixed Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) After x responses, get reward (where x is a definite and known number)

Variable Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) After ??? responses, get reward

Fixed Interval Schedule of Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) After x time, get reward (where x is a definite and known amount of time)

Variable Interval Schedule of Reinforcement

(Operant Conditioning) After ??? time, get reward