Exam 1 Terms to know Flashcards
Analytic introspection
A procedure used by early psychologists in which trained participants described their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli
Behaviorism
Approach to psychology founded by Watson, states that observable behavior provides the only valid data for psychology, consequence: consciousness and unobservable mental processes are not worth being studied by psychologists.
Reinforcer
In operant condition, describe any event/stimulus that strengthens the frequency of the behavior that precedes it. A reinforcer increases the likelihood that the specific behavior reoccurs.
Neuropsychology
The study of the behavioral effects of brain damage in humans.
Axon
Part of the neuron that transmits signals from the cell body to the synapse at the end of the axon.
Neuron
Cell that is specialized to receive and transmit information in the nervous system.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical that is released at the synapse in response to incoming action potentials.
Dendrite
Structures that branch out from the cell body to receive electrical signals from other neurons.
Structuralism (/)
An approach to psychology that explained perception as the adding up of small elementary units called sensations.
Synapse
Space between the end of an axon and the cell body or dendrite of the next axon.
Prosopagnosia
Condition caused by damage to the temporal lobe that is characterized by an inability to recognize faces.
(neuronal) firing rate
Rate at which the axon fires with action potentials, depends on the intensity.
Unconscious inference
Helmholtz’s idea that some of our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions that we make about the environment.
Semantic(s)
regularities: characteristics associated with the functions carried out in different types of scenes.
Environmental regularities
Characteristics of the environment that occur frequently. Ex: blue associated with open sky, landscape often green and smooth, verticals and horizontals often associated with buildings.
Bayesian inference
The idea that our estimate of the probability of an outcome is determined by the prior probability (our initial belief) and the likelihood (the extent to which the evidence is consistent with the outcome)
Gestalt principles/laws
Principles of perceptual organization, the whole is different than the sum of its parts, principles of good continuation, principle of good figure/simplicity, principle of similarity
Action potential (/)
Propagated electrical potential responsible for transmitting neural information and for communication between neurons. Action potentials typically travel down a neuron’s axon.
Experience-dependent plasticity
Shaping of neural responding by experience, experience can shape the nervous system. (A mechanism that causes an organism’s neurons to develop so they response best to the type of stimulation to which the organism has been exposed)
Dichotic listening paradigm
The procedure of presenting one message to the left ear and a different message to the right ear.
Cocktail party effect
The ability to focus on one stimulus while filtering out other stimuli, especially at a party where there are a lot of simultaneous conversations.
Stroop effect
An effect originated in the task to respond to one aspect of a stimulus and ignore another aspect. It is difficult for people.
Fixations
In problem solving, people’s tendency to focus on a specific characteristic of the problem that keeps them from arriving at a solution. In perception and attention, a pausing of the eyes on places of interest while observing a scene.
Saccades
Eye movements from one fixation point to another.
Schema
A schema is a cognitive structure that serves as a framework for one’s knowledge about people, places, objects, and events. Schemas help people organize their knowledge of the world and understand new information.
