Chapter 4

Question 1

psychophysics

Answer 1

study of the relationship between physical stimuli and the perception of those stimuli

Question 2

two point threshold

Answer 2

point where the perception of two points touching the skin changes from ‘one point percived’ to ‘two points percived’

Question 3

weber’s law

Answer 3

as stimulus A increased in intensity, it takes larger differences between stimulus A and stimulus B for a person to dect the differences

Question 4

jnf (just noticeable difference)

Answer 4

point where the difference between two stimuli becomes just barley detectable

Question 5

absolute threshold

Answer 5

point on the continuum of a physical dimension where an increase in physical stimulation results in the initial perception of a stimulus

Question 6

difference threhold

Answer 6

point on the continuum of a physical demension where a difference between two stimuli is first detected

Question 7

method of limits

Answer 7

ascending trails (stimuli is first above the threshold, the increased till detected) desending trials (stimuli is first well above threshold, then decreased until no longer detected)

Question 8

method of constant stimuli

Answer 8

stimuli of varying physical intensities are presented in random order

Question 9

method of adjustment

Answer 9

the subject directly controls a physical stimulus, adjusting it until it is barley dtected

Question 10

introspection

Answer 10

method of expericening some phenomenon and then describing the conscious experience of the phenomenon

Question 11

internal perception

Answer 11

observers would give brief verbal responses to controlled stimuli

Question 12

mental chronometry

Answer 12

reaction time research - goal was to measure the time taken for mental events

Question 13

personal equation

Answer 13

calibrating the reaction of different astronomers against eachother - because different reaction times among astronomers yielded different measurments

Question 14

subtractive method

Answer 14

method of measuring mental events - reaction times for simple tasks where subtracted from reaction times of more complicated tasks

Question 15

complication experiement

Answer 15

subtractive method - reaction times for simple tasks where subtracted from reaction times of more complicated tasks

Question 16

voluntarism

Answer 16

the mind actively organizes information

Question 17

apperception

Answer 17

high level of awareness, in which we focus our full attention on some object and apprehend it fully

Question 18

nonsense syllables

Answer 18

consonant-vowel-consonant combinations

Question 19

serial learning

Answer 19

memorizing a list of verbal stimuli and repeating it back in order of presentation

Question 20

saving method

Answer 20

the difference between the amout of time to learn a list of nonsense syllables and the time it takes to relearn the list later

Question 21

remote assocition

Answer 21

indirect associations between list items separted by more then a single item

Question 22

ecological memory

Answer 22

study of memory as it occurs in everyday situations

Question 23

retroactive inhibition

Answer 23

interference from some activity the intervines between the learning of a list of stimuli items and its recall

Question 24

just’s law

Answer 24

if two associations have equal strength, additional practice strengthens the older association more then the newer

Question 25

memory drum

Answer 25

device for presenting verbal stimuli in a memory experiement

Question 26

systematic experimental introspection

Answer 26

experience of complex mental events was followed by detailed descriptions

Question 27

fractionalism

Answer 27

complicated events were broken down into sections, then separated introspections were accomplished for each section

Question 28

mental set

Answer 28

giving observers instructions that make them think a certain way

Question 29

imageless thought

Answer 29

and thought process that couldnt be reduced to mental images

Question 30

conscious attitudes

Answer 30

mental process as hesitation and doubt occured during imageless thought