Exam 2 Terms

Question 1

retrograde amnesia

Answer 1

memory loss for a segment of the past but not for new events. New memory construction is not effected.
*much more common; often occurs after the brain experiences trauma like electric shock or a physical blow.

Question 2

tip of the tongue phenomenon

Answer 2

a type of effortful retrieval associated with a person’s feeling that s/he knows something (say, a word or a name) but cannot quite pull it out of memory.
*reveals we do not store information about a topic or experience in one way

Question 3

prospective memory

Answer 3

remembering information about doing something in the future; includes memory for intentions.
This includes both timing when we have to do something and the content - what we have to do.

Question 4

amnesia

Answer 4

the loss of memory
*two types - anterograde: affects retention of new information and events
Retrograde: unable to recall chunks of time prior to the event that caused amnesia

Question 5

anterograde amnesia

Answer 5

affects retention of new information and events.

Question 6

flashbulb memory

Answer 6

memory of emotionally significant events that people often recall with more accuracy and vivid imagery than everyday events. IE: 9/11. Being able to recall, years later, small details about the event.

Question 7

retrieval

Answer 7

the memory process that occurs when information that was retained in memory comes out of storage.

Question 8

motivated forgetting

Answer 8

when something is so painful or anxiety laden that remembering it is intolerable. IE: Repressed memories.

Question 9

interference theory

Answer 9

people forget things not because the memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they remember.

Question 10

explicit / declarative memory

Answer 10

conscious recollection of information that can be verbally communicated
IE: recounting events in a movie, remembering the members of the presidential candidate.

Question 11

semantic memory

Answer 11

explicit memory pertaining to a person’s knowledge about the world.

Question 12

schema

Answer 12

a preexisting mental concept or framework that helps people to organize and interpret information.
they influence the way we handle information, how we encode it, the inferences we make about it and how we retrieve it.

Question 13

procedural memory

Answer 13

memory for skills

*being able to type without thinking where the keys are, or being able to tie your shoe.

Question 14

encoding

Answer 14

the first step in memory - the process by which information gets into memory storage.

Question 15

levels of processing

Answer 15

a continuum of memory processing from shallow to intermediate to deep, with deeper processing producing better memory.
EG: Remember mom
1. Shallow processing remembers the shapes of the letters
2. Intermediate processing involves giving the stimulus a label - like reading.
3. Deepest processing level entails thinking about the stimulus and associating the word with your mother. *the more deeply we process, the better the memory

Question 16

short term memory

Answer 16

limited capacity memory system in which information is usually retained for only as long as 30 seconds unless strategies are utilized to remember it longer.
* 7+/- 2 items.

Question 17

storage

Answer 17

how information is retained over time and how it is represented in memory

Question 18

instinctive drift

Answer 18

the tendency of animals to revert to instinctive behavior that interferes with learning.

Question 19

preparedness

Answer 19

species - specific biological predisposition to learn in certain ways but not others.
*EG: bomb sniffing dogs or dolphins; snakes invoking fear in humans and monkey

Question 20

punishment

Answer 20

consequence that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur. It must be immediate, cannot be variable.

Question 21

latent/implicit learning

Answer 21

unreinforced behavior that is not immediately reflected in behavior. EG: Following friend around the mall as she shops. Later, you’re able to return and find the things you need because you previously wandered around with him.

Question 22

spontaneous recovery

Answer 22

the process in classical conditioning by which a conditioned response can recur after a time delay, without further conditioning.

Question 23

operant conditioning

Answer 23

form of associative learning in which the consequences of one’s behavior change the probability of the behavior’s occurrence
*BF Skinner.

Question 24

conditioned response

Answer 24

learned response to the conditioned stimulus that occurs after CS-US pairing. EG: CR = dog salivated when the bell is run.

Question 25

acquistion

Answer 25

intial learning of the conenction between the US and the CS

Question 26

unconditioned response

Answer 26

response to a stimulus without conscious effort. IE: dog salivates when meat enters the room.

Question 27

unconditioned stimulous

Answer 27

stimulus that produces a response without prior learning. EG: the steak.

Question 28

classical conditioning

Answer 28

Pavlov. Process of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. IE: dog slobbers when bell rings because he associates it with the food that soon comes.

Question 29

observational learning

Answer 29

learning that occurs through observing and imitating another’s behavior. Children learn through this process.
*this is different from associative learning in behaviorism because it relies on mental process: learner has to pay attention, remember, and reproduce what the model did.

Question 30

associative learning

Answer 30

when an organism makes a connection, or an association between two events.
conditioning is the process of learning these associations

Question 31

behaviorism

Answer 31

theory of learning that focuses solely on observational behaviors. Discounts the importance of mental activity such as thinking, wishing, and hoping.
*Define learning as relatively stable, observable changes in behavior.

Question 32

acquistion

Answer 32

first stage of learning when a response is established. Connection between the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus.

Question 33

stimulants

Answer 33

psychoactive drugs that increase the nervous system’s activity.
*most common: caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine

Question 34

hypnosis

Answer 34

altered state of consciousness or psychological state when the individual is unusually receptive to suggestions.
Four steps:
1. minimizes distractions
2. tell person to concentrate on something specific
3. informs person of what to expect, such as relaxing or floating
4. suggests certain feelings like “eyes getting heavy” Person interprets this as being caused by suggestion and accepts them as indication something is happening

Question 35

depressents

Answer 35

psychoactive drugs that slow down mental and physical activity.
Most common: alcohol, barbiturates, tranquilizers, opiates

Question 36

activation synthesis theory of dreaming

Answer 36

theory dreams occur because the brain is attempting to find logic in random brain activity that occurs during sleep. Stems from the lower part of the brain.
*dreams are merely a slideshow, and not a main event. “cognitive trash”

Question 37

Suprachiasmic nucleus (SCN)

Answer 37

small brain structure that uses input from the retina to synchronize its own rhythm with daily cycle of day and night.

Question 38

circadian rhythms

Answer 38

daily behavioral cycles:
sleep/wake cycle
body temp
blood pressure
blood sugar level

Question 39

automatic processes

Answer 39

require little consciousness to perform. Do not interfere with other activities.
IE: driving home, typing without looking at keyboard

Question 40

conciousness

Answer 40

individual’s awareness of external events and internal sensations under a condition of arousal.
*includes awareness of the self and thoughts of one’s experiences

Question 41

stream of consciousness - William James

Answer 41

continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings
WJ includes the thoughts and feelings we have about our feelings. We are aware of the thoughts and the feelings as a whole

Question 42

opiates

Answer 42

depressant

• used widely as sleeping aids
• in heavy doses can lead to impaired memory and decision making.
• can be lethal in large doses
• cause withdraws

Question 43

divided consciousness view of hypnosis

Answer 43

says hypnosis involves a special divided state of consciousness - splitting the consciousness into components.

1. one part follows commands
2. other part acts as a hidden observer.

Question 44

REM Sleep

Answer 44

active stage of sleep during which the most vivid dreams occur.