exam 1 Flashcards
Empiricism
belief that we acquire knowledge through though empirical evidence-> aka experience and observation
Rationalism
the route to knowledge is through thinking and logical analysis. Don’t need experiments to develop new knowledge, important for theory development
Gestalt psychology
we best understand psychological phenomena when we view them as organized,structured wholes. Studied insight, seeking to understand the unobservable mental event by which someone goes from having no idea about how to solve a problem to understanding it fully in what seems a mere moment of time
ecological validity
methods, material and setting of the study must approximate the real-world that is being examined
computer simulations
attempt to make computers simulate human cognition performance on various tasks
Forebrain
located toward top and front. comprises the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia, the limbic system, thalamus, and hypothalamus.
midbrain
helps to control eye movement and coordination
hindbrain
medulla oblongata ->bodily functions, pons -> relay station. cerebellum-> balance
cerebral cortex
outerlayer of the cerebral hemisphere, plays vital role in our thinking, sensing, voluntary movement
limbic system
emotion, motivation, memory and learning
hippocampus
influence learning and memory-. memory formation and spatial memory
thalamus: relays sensory info to cerebral cortex
Sulcus/sulci
small grooves in the brain
gyrus/gyri:
bulges between adjacent sulci or fissures. these folds greatly increase the surface area of the cortex
cerebral hemispheres
two halves of the brain, each are responsible for diff things. left= language, movement, examining past experinces to find patterns. Right=semantic knowledge , practical langauge use, self-recognition
contralateral
transmission from one side of the brain to another
ipsilateral
transmission on the same side of the brain
corpus callosum
neural fibers that connect the two hemisphere
tendency toward contralateral specialization & hemispheric specialization (especially for language
some functions are highly lateralized but most depend on integration of both hemispheres
split-brain patients
patients who had severed corpus callosum, right hemisphere is organized into relatively independent functioning units that work in parallel. info can’t cross from one hemi to the other
Frontal lobe
motor processing, higher thought processes-> abstract reasoning, prob solving, planning and judgment. producing speech
parietal lobe:
somatosensory processing, receive inputs regarding touch, pain, temperature, limb position. consciousness and paying attention
occipital lobe:
visual processing. each area specialized for one thing
temporal lobe
auditory processing and comprehending language. retention of visual memories
Motor cortex
specializes in planning, control, and execution of movement-> particularly movement involving any kind of delayed response