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

Cognition, Consciousness, and Language Flashcards

1
Q

how our brains process and react to the information overload presented to us by the world

A

cognition

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2
Q

states that the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information much like a computer

A

information processing model

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3
Q

development of one’s ability to think and solve problems

A

cognitive development

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4
Q

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational

A

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

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5
Q

one of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development:

focuses on manipulating environment to meet physical needs through circular reaction; object permanence ends stage

A

sensorimotor stage

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6
Q

one of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development:

focuses on symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration

A

preoperational stage

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7
Q

inability to imagine what another person may think or feel

A

egocentrism

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8
Q

tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon

A

centration

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9
Q

one of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development:

focuses on understanding the feelings of others and manipulating physical objects

A

concrete operational stage

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10
Q

one of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development:

focuses on abstract thought and problem solving

A

formal operational stage

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11
Q

intelligence that consists of solving new or novel problems, possibly using creative methods

A

fluid intelligence

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12
Q

intelligence related to solving problems using acquired knowledge, often can be procedural

A

crystallized intelligence

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13
Q

causes normal mild level of cognitive decline

A

aging

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14
Q

disorders and conditions characterized by general loss of cognitive function

A

dementia

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15
Q

organic brain disorders, genetic and chromosomal conditions, metabolic derangements, and drug use are _____ that affect _____

A

biological factors that affect cognition

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16
Q

pattern of approach for a given problem

A

mental set

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17
Q

inability to consider how to use an object in a nontraditional manner

A

functional fixedness

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18
Q

type of problem solving:

various solutions are tried until one is found to work

A

trial-and-error

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19
Q

type of problem solving:

formula or procedure for solving a certain type of problem

A

algorithm

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20
Q

type of problem solving:

starts from set of general rules and draws conclusions from information given

A

deductive (top-down) reasoning

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21
Q

type of problem solving:

seeks to create a theory via generalizations

A

inductive (bottom-up) reasoning

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22
Q

shortcuts or rules of thumb used to make a decision

A

heuristics

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23
Q

exist when an experimenter or decision maker is unable to objectively evaluate information

A

biases

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24
Q

tendency to focus on information that fits an individuals beliefs

A

confirmation bias

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25
a "gut feeling" regarding a particular decision
intuition
26
subjective experience of a person in a certain situation; how a person feels often influences how a person thinks and makes decisions
emotion
27
proposes seven areas of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences
28
intelligence that involves ability to evaluate and reason
analytical intelligence
29
intelligence that involves ability to solve problems using novel methods
creative intelligence
30
intelligence that involves dealing with every day problems at home or at work
practical intelligence
31
intelligence that refers to the ability to perceive, express, understand, and manage one's emotions
emotional intelligence
32
underlying variable of intelligence, often measured with standardized tests (such as Stanford-Binet ____ Test)
intelligence quotient (IQ)
33
state of being awake and able to think, perceive, process, and express information, β and α waves predominate on EEG
alertness
34
stage of sleep: | light sleep dominated by theta waves on EEG
stage 1
35
stage of sleep: | slightly deeper sleep than stage 1; includes theta waves, sleep spindles, and K complexes
stage 2
36
bursts of high-frequency waves during sleep
sleep spindles
37
singular high amplitude waves during sleep
K complexes
38
stage of sleep: | deep (slow-wave) sleep (SWS); delta waves predominate EEG
stages 3 and 4
39
includes stages 3 and 4 of sleep
NREM (non-rapid eye movement)
40
mind appears close to awake on EEG, but person is asleep, eye movements and body paralysis occur in this stage; more frequent toward the morning
REM (rapid eye movement)
41
refers to single complete progression through sleep stages; approximately 90 minutes for adults, normal cycle is stage 1-2-3-4-3-2-REM or just 1-2-3-4-REM
sleep cycle
42
changes in lighting in the evening trigger release by pineal gland resulting in sleepiness
melatonin
43
levels increase in early morning to help promote wakefulness
cortisol
44
mostly occurs during REM sleep
dreaming
45
include dyssomnias (insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, sleep deprivation) and parasomnias (night terrors, sleep walking)
sleep-wake disorders
46
disorders that make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or avoid sleep
dyssomnias
47
abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep
parasomnias
48
state of consciousness in which individuals appear to be in control of normal functions, but are in highly suggestible state; often used for pain control, psychological therapy, memory enhancement, weight loss, and smoking cessation
hypnosis
49
involves a quieting of the mind and is often used for relief of anxiety
meditation
50
reduce nervous system activity, resulting in sense of relaxation and reduced anxiety; includes alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines that promote or mimic GABA activity in brain
depressants
51
cause an increase in arousal in the nervous system by increasing dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin concentration at the synaptic cleft; include amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy
stimulants
52
naturally occurring forms of opium; type of narcotic (painkiller); include morphine and codeine
opiates
53
synthetic derivatives of opium; type of narcotic (painkiller); include oxycodone, hydrocodone, and heroin
opioids
54
drugs which typically cause introspection, distortions of reality and fantasy, and enhancement of sensory experiences; include LSD, peyote, mescaline, ketamine, and psilocybin-containing mushrooms
hallucinogens
55
which is the psychoactive drug with lowest risk of dependence: stimulants, hallucinogens, alcohol, or sedatives
hallucinogens
56
has depressant, stimulant, and hallucinogenic effects, active ingredient is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
marijuana
57
pathway that mediates drug addiction; includes nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, and ventral tegmental area; dopamine is the main neurotransmitter in this pathway
mesolimbic pathway
58
allows one to pay attention to a particular stimulus while determining if additional stimuli in the background require attention
selective attention
59
uses automatic processing to pay attention to multiple activities at once
divided attention
60
consists of phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics
language
61
refers to the actual sound of speech
phonology
62
refers to building blocks of words, such as rules for pluralization (-s) or past tense (-ed)
morphology
63
refers to the association of meaning with words
semantics
64
refers to the rules dictating word order
syntax
65
refers to the change in language delivery depending on context
pragmatics
66
explains language acquisition as being innate and controlled by the language acquisition device (LAD)
nativist (biological) theory
67
explains language acquisition as being controlled by operant conditioning and reinforcement by parents and caregivers
learning (behaviorist) theory
68
explains language acquisition as being caused by a motivation to communicate and interact with others
social interactionist theory
69
states that the lens through which we view and interpret the world is created by language
Whorfian (linguistic relativity) hypothesis
70
part of brain speech areas are found in
dominant hemisphere
71
controls motor function of speech; damage can result in ____ aphasia
Broca's area (Broca's aphasia)
72
nonfluent aphasia in which generating each word requires great effort
Broca's aphasia
73
controls language comprehension; damage can result in _____ aphasia
Wernicke's area (Wernicke's aphasia)
74
fluent, nonsensical aphasia with lack of comprehension
Wernicke's aphasia
75
connects Wernicke's area and Broca's area; damage results in conduction aphasia
arcuate fasiculus
76
aphasia marked by inability to repeat words heard despite intact speech generation and comprehension
conduction aphasia
77
is a systemic error made by study participants who forget or omit details from the data collection
recall bias
78
occurs when information collected to quantify a particular disease outcome is incorrect
measurement bias
79
explains the process through which two variables are related
meditating variable (mediator)
80
dream theory: | attributes dreams to random neuronal activity
activation synthesis theory
81
dream theory: | states that dreams are a way to solve problems during sleep
problem solving dream theory
82
dream theory: | states that dreams arise from the stream of consciousness being continuous during arousal and sleep
cognitive process dream theory
83
dream theory: | combines biological and psychological perspectives of dreaming with physiological change
neurocognitive model of dreaming

MCAT Behavioral Sciences (13 decks)

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