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MCAT > Concept 6: Processing the Environment > Flashcards

Concept 6: Processing the Environment Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

Weber’s Law

A

Just noticeable difference. Can we see a change in stimulus? dI/I=K

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2
Q

Absolute threshold of stimulation

A

When we can sense the stimulation 50% of the time

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3
Q

Types of somatosensations

A

Thermoception, mechanoception, proprioception, nociception

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4
Q

The vestibular system is responsible for:

A

Balance. There are semicircular canals with endolymph and crystals.

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5
Q

Utricle

A

Part of the vestibular system that is responsible for direction.

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6
Q

Saccule

A

Part of the vestibular system that is responsible for head position.

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7
Q

Signal detection theory

A

When you can decide when the signal (stimulus) is strong enough for someone to notice. Example would be a dim light flashing. Stimuli vs noise.

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8
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

When the stimuli of a new situation influences your perception.

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9
Q

Top-down processing

A

When you use previous knowledge to influence perception.

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10
Q

Gestalt Principle

A

Why we perceive things the way we do. Five points. Law of similarity, pragnanz, proximity, continuity, and closure.

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11
Q

What are the three visual cues?

A

Depth, form and speed. Binocular and monocular vision contributes to the three cues.

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12
Q

Binocular vision attributes to:

A

retinal disparity (L+R=image) and convergence (depth perception)

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13
Q

Monocular vision attributes to:

A

Relative size, interposition (what is in front), relative height, and motion parallax (further away looks slower)

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14
Q

The Phototransduction Cascade

A

Light turns rods/cones off–>bipolar cells–>retinal ganglial cells–> optic nerve

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15
Q

What is rhodopsin

A

It is found in the photoreceptors where retinal resides.

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16
Q

Trichromatic theory

A

color part of parallel processing. That we have cones in our retina that sense red, green and blue light waves.

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17
Q

Parvo pathway

A

form part of the parallel processing that looks at spatial resolution.

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18
Q

Magno pathway

A

motion part of parallel processing. High temporal resolution.

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19
Q

Parallel processing

A

there are a special set of cells in the retina that look at color, form, and motion.

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20
Q

Scoptic vision

A

Used in a low level of light

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21
Q

Mesoptic vision

A

Used at dawn and dusk

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22
Q

Photoptic vision

A

Used at high levels of light

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23
Q

Marr’s stage

A

input image–>primal sketch–>2.5D image–>3-D model

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24
Q

Auditory canal windows and membranes

A

Oval window(high F)–>circular window(low F). Organ of corti with the basilar membrane and tectorial membrane.

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25
Q

Hair bundles in the cochlea have what?

A

Kinocilium with tip links that allow K+ to flow in, creating an action potential.

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26
Q

What part of the brain receives all the auditory information?

A

Primary Auditory Cortex

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27
Q

Interaural time

A

time it takes for sound to reach right vs left ear.

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28
Q

Interaural level

A

difference in sound pressures between ears.

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29
Q

What two factors does sound loudness depend on?

A

Pressure and frequency.

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30
Q

What is auditory space?

A

The area extending around the head in all directions to perceive sound.

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31
Q

Kinesthesia

A

The somatosensation of movement of the body. Different from proprioception, which is position and balance.

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32
Q

Where does taste and smell meet in the brain?

A

Orbitofrontal cortex.

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33
Q

The five tastes

A

Bitter, sweet, umami, salty, and sour.

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34
Q

What are the four levels of consciousness?

A

Alterness (beta), Daydreaming (alpha), Drowsiness (theta), and sleep (delta).

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35
Q

Sleep stages are:

A

3 Non-REM: N1 (t), N2 (t), and N3 (d). REM-dreaming. Order of sleep pattern is 1, 2, 3, 2, REM, 1.

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36
Q

Circadian Rhythm

A

Wakefulness, metabolism and body temperature regulation.

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37
Q

Consolidate means:

A

forming long term memory from sleep.

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38
Q

Freud’s Theory of Dreams

A

1) What happens is the manifest content. 2) Latent content is the hidden meaning.

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39
Q

Dreaming: Activation Synthesis Hpothesis

A

our brainstem activity is high and our cerebral cortex tries to make sense of our dreams. Dreams don’t have meaning.

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40
Q

Insomnia:

A

Persistent trouble falling asleep

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41
Q

Study layout: Arm

A

a group of participants in a random, controlled trial, who are allocated a treatment (Experimental or control).

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42
Q

Study layout: Sham

A

mock treatment. Different from a placebo, which is a sugar pill.

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43
Q

What does amphetamines do?

A

Block reuptake of dopamine

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44
Q

Nicotine does what?

A

an ACh receptor site antagonist

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45
Q

LSD does what?

A

modifies serotonin neurotransmission

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46
Q

What are the dopamine pathways?

A

Mesolimbic, mesocortical, nigrostriatal, and tuberoinfundibular

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47
Q

Acetylcholine

A

excitatory neurotransmitter

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48
Q

Dopamine

A

feel good one

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49
Q

GABA

A

inhibitory

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50
Q

Glutamate

A

excitatory, learning and memory

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51
Q

norepinephrine

A

attention, emotions, sleep and learning

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52
Q

Serotonin

A

mood, appetite, body temp, and pain

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53
Q

Adenosine

A

hungry and tired

54
Q

Endorphines

A

Pleasure and reward

55
Q

Glycine

A

PNS inhibitory

56
Q

The three Heuristics

A

1) Availability–ease at which an idea can be brought to mind
2) Representativeness–categorize based off of similarity
3) Anchoring-and-adjustment–where people estimate a number from a bias starting point.

57
Q

Types of experiments (thus far that I’ve found)

A

True experiment–subjects randomly assigned. Good for cause and effect
Quasi Experiment–(natural experiment) membership in treatment level is not under control. Population cohort
Observational Study–sample of population and independent variable out of control of designer

58
Q

Exogenous cues

A

External stimuli for attention

59
Q

Endogenous cues

A

Internal stimuli for attention

60
Q

Inattentional blindess

A

not noticing other things around you

61
Q

Change blindness

A

fail to notice a change

62
Q

Broadbent’s early selection theory

A

sensory, register, selective filter, perceptual processing

63
Q

Deutsch and Deutsch’s Late selection theory

A

meaning before filter

64
Q

Treisman’s attenuation theory

A

no filter, just attenuation (dampening)

65
Q

Priming

A

exposure to one stimuli influences another

66
Q

Information processing model:

A

Sensory, working, and long term memory

67
Q

Sensory memory

A

iconic and echoic

68
Q

Working memory

A

short term memory. has visio-spacial sketchpad, phonological loop (verbal info), and articulatory control process (speech). The central executive controls these processes. Then passes through the episotic buffer to LTM

69
Q

Long term memory

A

Has explicit: semantic and episodic; and Implicit, procedural and priming.

70
Q

Memory decay

A

unable to retrieve info later

71
Q

Episodic memory

A

who, what, when, where, why knowledge. Something that can be explicitly stated.

72
Q

Semantic network

A

memories connected by a network

73
Q

Covert orientation

A

focusing on an object without moving the body or eyes

74
Q

Attentional capture

A

attention by an object in motion

75
Q

Neglect syndrome

A

brain damage causes a change or loss in the capacity of the spatial dimensions of divided attention

76
Q

Selective attention

A

focusing on one task

77
Q

Divided attention

A

focusing on multiple tasks at once

78
Q

What did Posner and Snyder describe

A

an action as automatic if the action does not affect other mental activities

79
Q

Piaget’s stages of cognition development

A

Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

80
Q

preoperational cognition

A

2-6 years of age. Uses words and images to represent objects but does not reason logically. Egocentric. Language development. Pretend play.

81
Q

concrete operational

A

7-12 years of age. Reason logically, therefore can add and subtract. Learning about conservation.

82
Q

Formal operational

A

12+. abstract thinking and consequences. Able to develop moral thinking.

83
Q

Schemas

A

an idea “box” where we store similar items that fall within that category. We add items through assimilation. If the new item does not fit the schema, we accommodate and form a new schema.

84
Q

What are the two types of problems

A

Well-defined: clear start and finish. And ill-defined, which is ambiguous start and finish.

85
Q

Ways to solve problems

A
  1. Trial and error. 2. Algorithm. 3. Heuristics.
86
Q

What are heuristics?

A

Mental shortcuts. Availability–examples that come to mind. Representativeness–matching stereotypes that may lead to conjunction fallacy.

87
Q

Fixation

A

Getting stuck on a wrong approach to a problem

88
Q

Biases to decision making

A
  1. Overconfidence–fluency! while studying
  2. Belief perseverance–ignore or rationalize ideas you don’t like
  3. Confirmation bias–seek out only confirming facts
89
Q

Framing effect

A

how you present a question can affect the outcome of the decision

90
Q

Cognitive dissonance

A

holding two or more conflicting cognitions. Modify, trivialize, add, or denial.

91
Q

Aspects of cognition

A

Attending, identifying, and decision making and meaningful responses.

92
Q

Nativist theory of language

A

language development is in our genes

93
Q

Learning theory of language

A

learn through repetition and corrections

94
Q

Interaction approach to language

A

learn language from desire to communicate to the outside world. Environment heavily influences it.

95
Q

Broca’s area

A

involved in speaking. frontal lobe.

96
Q

Broca’s aphasia

A

unable to speak fluently but able to understand language

97
Q

Wernicke’s area

A

involved in understanding language.

98
Q

Wernicke’s aphasia

A

Speaking, but makes no sense. Unable to understand language.

99
Q

Aphasia

A

general description of language problems

100
Q

Universalism theory of language

A

thought determines language

101
Q

Piaget’s theory of language

A

thought influences language

102
Q

Vygotsky’s theory of language

A

thought and language are seperate

103
Q

Lingusitic determinism

A

Weak–language influences. Strong–language determines thought.

104
Q

Syntax

A

how words are arranged to form grammatically corrected sentences

105
Q

Semantics

A

broad meanings of each word or phrase

106
Q

Morphemes

A

smallest significant unit of meaning in a word

107
Q

Correlation coefficients range

A

-1 to 1

108
Q

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

A

Event–>Physiological change–>Interpretation of phys change–>emotion

109
Q

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

A

Event–>Phys change and emotion simultaneously

110
Q

Schacter-Singer Theory of Emotion

A

Event–>Phys response–>Identify reason for phys and event simultaneously–>Emotion

111
Q

Lazarus Theory of Emotion

A

Event–>Appraise (Label) event–>Emotion/Physiological Response separate.

112
Q

Midbrain is responsible for:

A

relay station for sensory information

113
Q

Insula is responsible for what in emotion?

A

recognition of facial expressions

114
Q

Appraisal

A

assessment of an event that makes it stressful

115
Q

Appraisal, primary vs secondary

A

Primary: irrelevant, benign/+, stressful. Secondary: harm, threat, challenge.

116
Q

The four stressors

A

Perceived challenges:

1) Significant life changes
2) Catastrophes
3) Daily hassles
4) Ambient stressors

117
Q

Endocrine system and stress: what is involved.

A

Adrenal medulla: catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine). Adrenal cortex: glucocorticoids (cortisol).

118
Q

“Trend and befriend”

A

Increase in oxytocin (pair bonding). Seen more among females.

119
Q

General Adaptation Syndrome: three phases

A

1) Alarm phase
2) Resistance
3) Exhaustion

120
Q

Physical effects of stress

A

Heart, metabolism, reproductive, and immune function.

121
Q

What two regions of the brain have high glucocorticoid receptors? What happens when there is a lot of glucocorticoids?

A

Hippocampus and frontal cortex. Atrophy.

122
Q

Learned helplessness

A

Psychologically think that you lose control, a vicious cycle.

123
Q

Coping with stress

A
  • Perceived control
  • Optimism
  • Social support
124
Q

What part of the brain is responsible for anxiety

A

amygdala

125
Q

Managing stress

A

Exercise, meditation, religious beliefs

126
Q

Cognitive flexibility

A

change plans because it is not working.

127
Q

Piaget’s Sensorimotor cognition development

A

0-2 years of age. Explore the world with sensation and motor. Develop separation anxiety and object permanence.

128
Q

Proximal stimulus

A

the stimulus that actually reaches the receptors

129
Q

Distal stimulus

A

the stimulus in the outside world (vs proximal stimulus)

130
Q

Context effect

A

top down processing method “The Cat” example. Have no problem comprehending a signal when it is in the proper context.

MCAT (13 decks)

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