psych exam 2 Flashcards
Sensory receptors
sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli
Sensory adaptation
reduced sensitivity in response to constant stimulation
Rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement
The eye’s sensory receptors are called…
rods and cones
Cones
detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
Which two senses are chemical senses?
Taste & smell
Vestibular sense
our sense of balance and body movement/position
Learning
the process of acquiring through experience, new and relatively enduring information or behaviors
Classical conditioning
a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli and anticipate events
Reinforcement
aimed at increasing behavior
Punishment
aimed at decreasing behaviors
Give an example of positive reinforcement.
Giving a dog a treat for doing a trick
Observational learning
learning by observing others
Modeling
the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
Implicit memory
retention of learned skills, procedures, or classically conditioned associations, without conscious awareness
Explicit memory
retention of facts and personal events you can consciously retrieve
Spacing effect
the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through mass study or practice
Recall
memory demonstrated by retrieving information learned earlier (fill in the blank)
Episodic memory
explicit memory of personally experienced events
Semantic memory
explicit memory of facts and general knowledge
Recognition
memory demonstrated by identifying items previously learned (multiple choice)
Serial position effect
our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list
Why is it important to be able to forget information?
–Forgetting unimportant information helps us remember what matters most
–Forgetting bad memories is also good for our mental health and well-being
Metacognition
cognition about our cognition; thinking about thinking; keeping track of and
evaluating our mental processes
Convergent thinking
narrowing the available solutions to determine the single best solution to a problem
Divergent thinking
expanding the number of possible solutions to a problem; creative thinking that branches out in different directions
What are the stages of infant speech?
Babbling, one-word, two-word, telegraphic
Achievement test
a test designed to assess what a person has learned (ex: the final exam)
Aptitude test
a test designed to predict a person’s future performance (ex: SAT)
Intrinsic motivation
the desire to perform a behavior well for its own sake
Extrinsic motivation
the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment
James-Lange theory
physiological sensations precede feelings of emotion
Cannon-Bard theory
physiological sensations and feelings of emotion occur simultaneously
Why do we need emotions?
–They give us information
–They help us to communicate
–They motivate us and prepare us to take action
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
bottom to top: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualization
