Untitled Flashcards Set

PSYC 2301 Exam 3 Test Aid
Condensed for a standard sheet (front & back)

Front Side: Chapters 7 & 8

Chapter 7: Memory

3 Stages of Memory

1. Sensory Memory: Brief retention (0.5–4 sec), large capacity (e.g., iconic/echoic memory).

2. Short-Term (Working) Memory: Holds ~5-9 items for ~30 sec. Uses chunking (e.g., phone numbers) and rehearsal (repetition).

3. Long-Term Memory: Unlimited storage. Includes:

   • Explicit/Declarative: Facts/events (Episodic: personal experiences; Semantic: general knowledge).

   • Implicit/Non-declarative: Skills (Procedural: riding a bike), conditioned responses, priming.

Memory Strategies

• Method of Loci: Link info to familiar places (e.g., visualize groceries in rooms of your house).

• Mnemonics: Use acronyms (HOMES for Great Lakes) or acrostics (PEMDAS).

Amnesia Types

• Retrograde: Can’t recall past events (e.g., forgetting pre-accident memories).

• Anterograde: Can’t form new memories (e.g., 50 First Dates).

Theories of Forgetting

• Decay: Fades from disuse (e.g., forgetting a childhood friend’s name).

• Interference:

  • Proactive: Old info blocks new (e.g., old password interferes with new).

  • Retroactive: New info blocks old (e.g., new address overwrites old).

Chapter 8: Thinking, Language, Intelligence

Concepts

• Prototype: Best example (e.g., robin as a “bird”).

• Artificial: Defined by rules (e.g., “triangle” has 3 sides).

Problem-Solving Barriers

• Mental Set: Reusing old strategies (e.g., using a hammer for all tasks).

• Functional Fixedness: Can’t see new uses (e.g., using a shoe as a hammer).

Algorithms vs. Heuristics

• Algorithm: Step-by-step (e.g., math formula).

• Heuristic: Rule-of-thumb (e.g., “working backward” to solve a maze).

Intelligence Theories

• Spearman’s g-factor: General intelligence (e.g., high IQ across subjects).

• Cattell: Fluid (problem-solving) declines with age; Crystallized (knowledge) grows.

• Sternberg’s Triarchic:

  • Analytical: Academic tests.

  • Creative: Inventing solutions.

  • Practical: Street smarts.

Language Development

• Phonemes: Smallest sound units (e.g., /b/ in “bat”).

• Morphemes: Meaningful units (e.g., “un-” + “happy”).

• Stages: Babbling → One-word (“mama”) → Telegraphic (“want milk”).

IQ & Bell Curve

• Average: 85–115.

• Gifted: 130+. Intellectual Disability: <70.

Creativity

• Traits: Originality (unique ideas), Fluency (many ideas), Flexibility (shift strategies).

• Example: Edison’s 1,000 failed lightbulb attempts.

Back Side: Chapter 9 & Key Tables

Chapter 9: Life Span Development

Piaget’s Cognitive Stages

1. Sensorimotor (0–2 yrs): Object permanence (e.g., peek-a-boo).

2. Preoperational (2–7 yrs): Egocentrism (e.g., “If I hide, you can’t see me”).

3. Concrete Operational (7–11 yrs): Conservation (e.g., same water in different glasses).

4. Formal Operational (11+ yrs): Abstract thinking (e.g., debating ethics).

Prenatal Development

• Germinal (0–2 wks): Zygote forms.

• Embryonic (2–8 wks): Organs develop; teratogens (e.g., alcohol → FAS).

• Fetal (9 wks–birth): Movement, brain growth (100B neurons at birth).

Attachment Types (Ainsworth)

• Secure: Comfort with caregiver (e.g., child explores, returns to mom).

• Anxious-Ambivalent: Clingy yet resistant (e.g., cries when mom leaves, angry when she returns).

• Avoidant: Indifferent (e.g., ignores caregiver).

Parenting Styles

• Authoritative: Firm + nurturing (best outcomes: confident kids).

• Authoritarian: Strict, no warmth (anxious kids).

• Permissive: Lenient (impulsive kids).

Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development

• Gap between solo ability and guided potential (e.g., teacher scaffolds math problems).

Erikson’s Stages

• Trust vs. Mistrust (0–1 yr): Responsive care → security.

• Identity vs. Role Confusion (12–20 yrs): Teens explore self (e.g., career choices).

Key Tables