Definitions Flashcards
Consciousness
Refers to the State of being aware of and able to think about one‘s own existence, thoughts and surroundings
Two Track mind
Brain operates on two distinct levels - conscious and unconscious
Selective attention
Cognitive process that allows individuals to focus on specific stimuli while filtering out irrelevant information
- enabling efficient processing of important Details in a complex environment
Inattentional Blindness
psychological phenomenon where individuals fail to notice visible objects when their attention is focused on a different task
Change Blindness
perceptual phenomenon where individuals fail to notice significant changes in their visual environment, often due to a lack of attention or the way information is presented
- limitations of Visual awareness
Sleep (REM-NREM)
- 1 cycle = 90 min
- NREM1 = light sleep
- NREM2 = deeper Sleep
- NREM3 = deep sleep
- REM = rapid eye movement - dream phase
Personality
Refers to the unique and stable patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that define a person
Defense Mechanism
Psychological strategy that individuals unconsciously use to protect themselves from anxiety or emotional distress
Repression - Defense Mechanism
Pushing distressing thoughts into the unconscious
- forgetting a traumatic childhood event
Projection - Defense Mechanism
Attributing one‘s feelings to others
- a jealous Partner accusing their spouse of infidelity
Displacement - Defense Mechanism
Redirecting emotions to a safer target
- yelling at a friend After a Bad day at work
Rationalization - Defense Mechanism
Justifying behaviors with logical reasons
- saying „I didn’t want that Job anyway“ after being rejected
Humanistic Theory
- way of understanding people that focuses on their positive qualities, personal growth and their ability to choose their own path in life
- everyone has the potential to become the best Version of themselves
Carl rodgers‘ person-centered perspective
- emphasizes the individual‘s innate drive toward self-growth, self-actualization and fullfilment
- people need an Environment that fosters acceptance, empathy and genuineness
Psychology
Scientific Study of behaviour and mental processes, encompassing everything from brain activity to cultural influences
Freudian Psychology
Emphasizes unconscious processes and early life experiences
Humanistic Psychology
Highlighted growth potential and personal fulfillment
Cognitive Psychology
Explores mental processes like memory and problem-solving
Biological and evolutionary Psychology
Studies brain mechanisms, genetics and evolution
Social-cultural psychology
examines how behavior and thought differ across cultures and contexts
Behaviorism
Focuses on observable behavior and rejects introspection
Correlation
Identifies relationships between variables but does not imply causation
Experimentation
- Manipulates independent variables to observe effects on dependent variables
Random sampling
ensures every individual has an equal chance of participation, enhancing the study‘s generalizability
Control groups
Compare outcomes to groups without experimental manipulation
Blind- and Double-Blind- Procedures
Minimize bias in data collection and interpretation
Cocktail Party effect
Ability to focus on one voice in a noisy environment but shift attention of a salient stimulus arises
Functions of Sleep
- protection
- Restoration
- memory consolidation
- creativity
- growth
Insomnia
Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep
Narcolepsy
Sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks
Sleep apnea
Breathing interruptions during sleep
Night terrors
High arousal and panic during NREM3, primarily in children
Memory
Is the persistence of Learning over time, encoded, stored and retrieved for later use
Intelligence
mental potential to learn from experience, solve Problems and adapt to new situations
Motivation
- Is a need or a desire that energizes and directs behavior
- arises from the interplay between biological drives, learned incentives and environmental influences
Stress
- is the process of perceiving and responding to events that are appraised as threatening or challenging
