Making Sense of the environment Flashcards
habituation
repeated exposure to the same stimulus, decreases response
dishabituation
recovery of response after habituation when second stimulus is presented. change in response to the old stimuli, not the new one
classical conditioning
takes advantage of the biological, instinctual responses, to create associations between two unrelated stimuli. turning a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus and response
innat- we do it naturally (salivate when smelling bread) US- bread smell UR- salivate
neutral stimuli
does not products a reflexive response
conditioned stimulus and conditioned response
normally neutral stimulus that now causes reflexive response (conditioned response)
extinction
organism gets habituated to the conditioned stimulus (bell with no meat)
spontaneous recovery
if extinct conditioned stimulus is presented again
generalization
stimulus similar to conditioned stimulus, causes conditioned response (lil Albert and white rat)
discrimination
learns to distinguish between two similar similar
operant conditioning
links voluntary behaviors with consequences to alter frequency of behaviors
positive (op conditioning)
adding something
negative (op conditioning)
taking something away
punishment (op conditioning)
decreasing likelihood of behavior
reinforcement (op conditioning)
increasing likelihood of behavior
escape learning
reduce unpleasantness of something that already exists (taking medicine for a headache)
avoidance learning
prevent unpleasantness of something that has yet to happen by increasing behavior (neg reinforcement)
fixed ratio schedule
specific number (every 3t times)
variable ratio
average number is relatively constant (every 2 times, then 8, then 4 then 6)
fixed interval
time- every 60 seconds..
variable interval
varying interval of time (every 60 sec, then 90 sec, then 30 sec)
what schedule works best for learning
Variable ratio- very rapid, very resistant
shaping
rewarding increasingly specific behaviors
latent learning
without reward
instinctive drift
overcoming instinctive behaviors
automatic processing
gained without effort
controlled (effortful) processing
active memorization/learning
ways to encode information
visual, acoustic (way it sounds), semantic (meaningful context) STRONGEST- semantic, WEAKEST-visual
self-reference effect
put things into the context of your own life
maintenance rehearsal
repetition of piece of info to keep it in working memory
method of loci
associating a list with a route
peg-word
numbers with items that rhyme (one-sun)
sensory memory
iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory), lasts under 1 second. occipital lobe- visual, temporal lobe-auditory
short term memory
30 seconds without rehearsal, 7 +- rule- approximately 7 numbers, happens primarily in the hippocampus
working memory
hippocampus, manipulate the info (do math in our heads)
long term memory
limitless. primarily controlled by hippocampus but eventually move to the cerebral cortex
elaborative rehearsal
associating info to knowledge already stored in your longterm memory
two types of long term memory
implicit (non-declarative/procedural) and explicit (declarative)
implicit memory
unconscious, skills and conditioned responses, (procedural memory)
explicit memory
conscious memory. declarative memory -facts and events then broken down into episodic memory (events and experiences) vs. semantic memory (facts, concepts)
retrieval
recognition, relearning, recall, semantic network spreading activation, context effects, state-dependent memory, serial position effect (first and last things on a list)
Alzheimers
lost of acetylcholine neurons in the hippocampus, progressive dementia
retrograde amnesia
loss of previously formed memories
anterograde amnesia
the inability to form new memories
proactive interference
old info interfering with new learning (old pimples interfering with new skin)
retroactive interference
new information causing you to forget old information
misinformation effect
getting more info confuses you
source-monitoring error
remembering the details of an event but confuses the context under which those details were gained
information processing model
our brains are like a computer. 4 key components:
- thinking requires sensation, encoding, and storage of stimuli
- stimuli must be analyzed by the brain
- decisions made in one situation can be modified or used to solve new situations
- problem solving does not only depend on the persons cognitive level, but also complexity of the problem
Piagets States of Cog Development
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
- continuous and sequential process
Schemas
a concept, behavior, or sequence of events. As you proceed through different stages, you learn how to place new information into the different schemata
adaptation (Piaget)
assimilation- classifying new info into existing schemata
accommodation- existing schema MODIFIED to fit new info
Sensorimotor Stage
ages: birth-2 years JAX
Primary reactions- sucking thumb, secondary reactions- getting response from environment
milestone that ends this stage: Object permanence- understanding that objects exist even when you don’t see them
representational thought begins-mental representations of objects and events
Preoperational Stage
age: 2-7 years old JAMIE
symbolic thinking-make believe
egocentrism- unable to imagine what other people feel
centration- doesn’t understand conservation
Concrete Operational Stage
age: 7-11 years old JARED
understand conservation, understand perspectives of others, logical thought (math)
Formal Operational Stage
age: 11+ ME AND MAMI
problem solve, think logically about abstract ideas and moral reasoning
types of problem solving
trial and error- least logical
algorithm- formula
deductive reasoning (top down)- general to specific
inductive reasoning (bottom up) -specific to general
heuristics
rules of thumb
availability heuristic- how likely something is
representativeness heuristic- categorizing items
disconfirmation principle
evidence proved that solution does not work
confirmation bias
focus on information that fits your beliefs while ignoring information that goes against them- leads to overconfidence
belief perseverence
inability to reject a particular belief despite clear evidence against it
Multiple intelligences
linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal
Stages of sleep
BAT-D
B: beta- alert, mental concentration
A: alpha- awake but relaxing
T: theta- Stage 1- as you go deeper into sleep, sleep spindles and K complexes appear
D: delta-stages 3 and 4, slow wave sleep- cognitive recovery, memory consolidation
NREM sleep
stages 1-4
REM sleep
inbetween NREM sleep- brain is awake but muscles are paralyzed, dreaming occurs, procedural memory consolidation
circadian rhythm
waking and sleeping schedule
hormones in sleep
melatonin- pineal gland, makes us sleepy
cortisol- adrenal cortex, makes us awake
activation synthesis theory of dreaming
dreams caused by random activation of neural circuits
problem solving dream theory
dreams solve problems while asleep
cognitive process dream theory
dreams are the sleeping counterpart of your stream of conscious
depressants
reduce nervous system activity, sense of relaxation and reduced anxiety. increases GABA activity. examples are alcohol and Barbiturates
alcohol
increases GABA activity and dopamine levels
Stimulants
arousal in nervous system- examples, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy
amphetamines/cocaine
increase release (decrease reuptake) of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. reduction in appetite and sleep, anxiety, paranoia, euphoria
ecstasy
hallucinogen combined with an amphetamine
opiates and opioids
cause decreased reactions to pain and sense of euphoria
examples: morphine, codeine, heroin
hallucigens
distortions of reality
examples: LSD, shrooms
drug addiction/reward pathway
nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, and the medial forebrain bundle between them
selective attention
cocktail party phenomenon- we shift our attention when it is important to us
language
phonology- sound
morphology- structure of words
semantics- association of meanings with words
syntax- words put together to form sentence
pragmatics- depending on context and preexisting knowledge
timeline of language
9-12 months: babbling 12-18 months: 1 word a month 18-20 months: combining words 2-3: longer sentences 5 years: language is mastered
Nativist Biological Theory of language
innate ability for language- Language acquisition device
critical period- between 2 and puberty
sensitive period- before puberty
Learning Behaviorist Theory of language
language by operant conditioning, repeat and reinforce sounds
Social Interactionist Theory of Language
driven by the child’s desire to communicate and behave socially
Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis
language affects the way we think, not the other way around
Brocas aphasia
not able to produce sounds
Wernicks Aphasia
no speech comprehension
Conduction Aphasia
not able to repeat anything
