Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

MCAT Behavioral Sciences Review > 4 Cognition, Consciousness, and Language > Flashcards

4 Cognition, Consciousness, and Language Flashcards

1
Q

cognition

A

how our brains process and react to incredible information overload from the world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Information Processing Model

A
  1. Thinking requires sensation, encoding, and storage of stimuli.
  2. Stimuli must be analyzed by the brain (rather than responded to automatically) to be useful in decision-making.
  3. Decisions made in one situation can be extrapolated/adjusted to help solve new problems (situational modification).
  4. Problem-solving is dependent not only on the person’s cognitive level, but also on the context/complexity of the problem.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

cognitive development

A

development of one’s ability to think and solve problems across the lifespan

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Piaget

A

stages of cognitive development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

schema

A

concept, behavior, sequence of events

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

adaptation

A

new information processed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

assimilation

A

classifying new info into existing schemata

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

accommodation

A

existing schemata modified to encompass new info

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

stages of cognitive development:

1. sensorimotor stage

A

birth - 2 years

child learns to manipulate environment in order to meet physical needs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

primary circular reactions

A

repetition of body movement, originally occurred by chance

ex. sucking thumb (soothing)

sensorimotor stage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

secondary circular reactions

A

manipulation focused on something outside body

ex. throwing toys from high chair (response from environment)

sensorimotor stage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

object permanence

A

understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of view

sensorimotor stage

milestone that ends stage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

stages of cognitive development:

2. preoperational stage

A

2 to 7 years

symbolic thinking: ability to pretend, play make-believe, have an imagination

egocentrism: inability to understand what another person may think/feel
centration: tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon, inability to understand concept of conservation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

stages of cognitive development:

3. concrete operational stage

A

7 to 11 years

undestand conservation
consider perspectives of others
engage in logical thought while working with concrete objects/information directly available

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

stages of cognitive development:

4. formal operational stage

A

> 11 years

ability to think logically about abstract ideas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Vygotsky

A

engine driving cognitive development = child’s internalization of his/her own culture

  • interpersonal/societal rules
  • symbols
  • language
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

late adulthood

fluid intelligence

A

problem-solving skills

peak in early adulthood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

late adulthood

crystallized intelligence

A

use of learned skills/knowledge

peak in middle adulthood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

mental set

A

tendency to approach similar problems in the same way

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

functional fixedness

A

inability to consider how to use an object in nontraditional manner

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

trial-and-error

A

various solutions tried until one works

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

algorithms

A

formula/procedure for solving a certain type of problem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

deductive reasoning (top-down)

A

starts from general set of rules; draws conclusions from the information given

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

inductive reasoning (bottom-up)

A

create a theory via generalizations

specific instances –> generalizations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
heuristics
simplified principles used to make decisions
26
availability heuristic
how easily similar situations can be imagined | decide how likely something is
27
representativeness heuristic
categorizing items on the basis of whether they fit the prototypical, stereotypical, or representative image of the category
28
disconfirmation principle
when a potential solution fails during testing, it should be discarded
29
confirmation bias
tendency to focus on information that fits beliefs/reject that which does not attributes to overconfidence, belief perserverance
30
intuition
ability to act on perceptions that may not be supported by available evidence recognition-primed decision model
31
emotion
subjective experience of a person in a certain situation
32
Gardner
Theory of Multiple Intelligences 1. linguistic 2. logical-mathematical 3. musical 4. visual-spatial 5. bodily-kinesthetic 6. interpersonal 7. intrapersonal
33
intelligence quotient (IQ)
Stanford-Binet IQ test | (mental age / chronological age) x 100
34
reticular formation (in brainstem)
keeps prefrontal cortex
35
alertness maintained by neurological circuits in ________ cortex
prefrontal
36
electroencephalography (EEG)
records brain wave activity | average of electrical patterns within different portions of brain
37
beta waves
high frequency occur when alert/attending to a task that requires concentration neurons randomly firing
38
alpha waves
awake, but relaxing with eyes closed | slower, more synchronized
39
theta waves
Stage 1 --> as soon as you doze off irregular, slower frequencies, higher voltages Stage 2 --> more deep sleep with sleep spindles and K complexes
40
delta waves
Stage 3 and 4 --> deep sleep slow-wave sleep (SWS) EGG activity slows --> only few waves/second low-frequency, high voltage cognitive recovery; memory consolidation (declarative) increased growth hormone release
41
REM sleep | "paradoxical sleep"
between cycles of non-REM arousal like wakefulness muscles paralyzed - dreams - memory consolidation (procedural)
42
sleep cycle
50 min in children 90 min in adults makeup changes through night (early = SWS --> wakeful --> later = REM)
43
disruptions in sleep cycle
``` decreased: cognitive development memory mood problem solving motor skills ```
44
Circadian rhythms
24-hour cycle somewhat affected by external cues (ex. light) biochemical signals
45
pineal gland | partially attributed to sleepiness
melatonin
46
adrenal cortex | wakefulness
cortisol
47
dreaming
75% during REM (longer, more vivid) not fully understood
48
activation-synthesis theory
widespread, random activation of neural circuitry mimic incoming sensory information & stored process cortex stitches unrelated info together bizarre, but somewhat familiar
49
problem-solving dream theory
a way to solve problems while sleeping | different interpretations of obstacles
50
cognitive process dream theory
sleeping counterpart of stream-of-consciousness
51
neurocognitive models of dreaming
seek to unify biological & psychological perspectives correlate subjective, cognitive experience with measurable physiological changes
52
hypnosis
highly suggestible state
53
meditation
quieting of mind for some purpose
54
reduce nervous system activity | relaxation/reduced anxiety
depressants
55
increases activity of GABA receptor (chloride channel --> hyperpolarization of membrane) - generalized brain inhibition - diminished arousal at moderate doses increases dopamine levels - mild euphoria - logical reasoning/motor skills affected - fatigue may result Long-Term: cirrhosis, liver failure, pancreatic damage, gastric/duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal cancer, brain disorders
alcohol
56
alcohol myopia
inability to recognize consequences of actions
57
increase GABA activity sense of relaxation - highly addictive - easily overdosed (especially if mixed with alcohol)
barbiturates | benzodiazepines
58
increase arousal | increase frequency of action potentials (different mechanisms)
stimulants
59
increase dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin decrease reuptake^ - decreased appetite - decreased need for sleep - increased heart rate and blood pressure euphoria, hypervigilance, anxiety, delusions of grandeur, paranoia withdrawal: depression, fatigue, irritability
amphetamines
60
decreased reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin euphoria, hypervigilance, anxiety, delusions of grandeur, paranoia withdrawal: depression, fatigue, irritability anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties
cocaine
61
hallucinogen + amphetamine "designer amphetamine" - increased heart rate and blood pressure - blurry vision - sweating - nausea - hyperthermia euphoria, increased alertness, overwhelming state of well-being/connectedness
ecstasy (MDMA)
62
morphine, codeine | natural
opiates
63
oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin | semi-synthetic
opioids
64
complex interaction between various NTs (especially serotonin) distortions of reality/fantasy enhancement of sensory experiences introspection increased heart rate and blood pressure and body temperature dilation of pupils sweating
hallucinogens ex. LSD
65
decreases GABA activity increases dopamine activity (pleasure) eye redness, dry mouth, fatigue, impairment of short-term memory increased heart rate increased appetite decreased blood pressure
marijuana active chemical = THC cannabinoid, glycine, opioid receptors
66
mesolimbic reward pathway
motivation & emotional response (1/4 dopaminergic pathways in brain) activation leads to positive reinforcement for substance abuse = drug addiction
67
selective attention
focus on one part of the sensorium filter between sensory stimuli and processing systems
68
divided attention
ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time familiar/routine tasks --> automatic processing
69
phonology
actual sound of a language
70
categorical perception
pronunciation of words varies between people auditory example of constancy, children must learn
71
morphology
structure of words
72
semantics
association of meaning with a word
73
syntax
how words are put together to form sentences
74
pragmatics
dependence of language on context/pre-existing knowledge
75
timeline of language
9 to 12 months: babbling 12 to 18 months: ~1 word/month 18 to 20 months: "explosion of language" and combining words 2 to 3 years: longer sentences (3 words or more) 5 years: language rules largely mastered
76
nativist (biological) theory of language
Chomsky existence of some innate capacity for language
77
transformational grammar
syntactic transformations/changes in word order that retain the same meaning nativist theory - Chomsky
78
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
theoretical pathway in brain that allows infants to process/absorb language rules nativist theory - Chomsky
79
learning (behaviorist) theory of language
Skinner language acquisition by operant conditioning
80
reinforcement
parents/caregivers repeat/reinforce sounds that sound much like the language spoken by the parents (in infants)
81
social interactionist theory
interplay between biological and social processes | driven by child's desire to communicate/behave in social manner
82
Whorfian hypothesis (linguistic relativity hypothesis)
perception of reality determined by content of language | language affects the way we think
83
Broca's area
inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe controls motor function of speech via connections with the motor cortex
84
Wernicke's area
superior temporal gyrus of temporal lobe language comprehension
85
arcuate fasciculus
bundle of axons connecting Broca's and Wernicke's areas language comprehension speech production
86
aphasia
deficit of language production/comprehension
87
Broca's (expressive) aphasia
language comprehension, but no production
88
Wernicke's (receptive) aphasia
language production, but no comprehension
89
conduction aphasia (arcuate fasciculus)
connection lost (unable to repeat something that has just been said)

MCAT Behavioral Sciences Review (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions