Psych + Soc Flashcards
What is Weber’s Law?
It describes the linear relationship b/w stimulus intensity and noticing the difference b/w it
JND: smallest difference b/w intensity that can be detected 50% of the time
Absolute Threshold: minimum intensity of stimulus to detect it 50% of the time
What is associated with the vestibular system?
Balance and spatial orientation, operates in the inner ear
What is signal detection theory?
How we make decisions under conditions of uncertainty, discerning important stimuli vs. noise
Also includes consideration of individual’s psychological state
Bottom-up vs. top-down processing?
Bottom-up: stimulus/sensory info influences perception
Top-down: background knowledge/context influences perception
What are the Gestalt principles?
Similarity: similar items (by characteristics) are grouped together
Proximity: close together items are grouped together
Continuity:
Closure: gaps between lines are closed, object is seen as a whole
What is the structure of the eye?
Conjunctiva: outmermost layer that light hits first
Cornea: transparent sheet of tissue
Pupil: mini-hole
Lens: bends light onto the retina
Vitreous: jelly substance that maintains pressure
Retina: photoreceptors (made up of fovea/cones and macula)
Sclera: white of the eye, muscle attachment
Choroid: blood vessels
Optic disc: blind spot
What is the mechanism of vision?
Light enters the eye through the pupil then is bent onto the retina by the lens, photoreceptor cells in the retina sends a neural impulse to the brain
What are the photoreceptor cells? Fields of vision?
Rods: responsible for low-light vision
Cones: responsible for color vision (trichromatic theory)
Central field: high in cones so high color and detail acuity
Peripheral field: high in rods so low light and motion detection
What side is vision processed in the brain from the eye?
Left visual field corresponds to right side of the brain and vice versa
What is parallel processing?
Refers to the simultaneous processing of color and motion so we see it all at once
What is the mechanism of sound?
1) sound hits the pinna (outer ear) and enters the auditory canal
2) then hits the tympanic membrane (eardrum) which vibrates the malleus, incus, and stapes
3) which then interacts with fluid and cochlea that propagates signal to brain
What is deafness characterized by?
A problem in the conduction of sound waves to the cochlea then brain
Solved by a cochlear implant that has a microphone and a transmitter to a receiver that stimulates the cochlea
What are the types of somatosensation? And receptors?
Temperature (thermoception), thermoreceptor (hot, cold)
Pressure (mechanoception), mechanoreceptor (sound waves, touch)
Pain (noiception)
Position (proprioception)/balance
Photoreceptor and chemoreceptor
How are smell (olfactory) and taste (gustatory) signals sent to the brain?
The nose contains bundles of nerves that a molecule binds to a specific receptor on that sends a signal
The tongue contains bundles of specific receptors that when bound sends a signal
What are the sleep stages? How long? What are they controlled by? Measurable?
N1 –> N2 –> N3 –> N2 –> REM (dreaming)
In 90 minute cycles
N2 sleep spindles
Controlled by circadian rhythms associated with melatonin (pineal gland)
Sleep debt can be paid back
Measures include cortisol, melatonin, and core body temp
What are some examples of depressants? Opiates? Stimulants? Hallucinogens? How does the brain function with continued use?
Depressants: suppress neural activity (GABA is inhibitory)
- alcohol
- barbituates (lower anxiety and make you sleepy)
- benzos (lower anxiety and make you sleepy)
Opiates: act on endorphin receptors to simulate euphoria
- heroine
- morphine
Stimulants: intensify neural activity (Glutamate is excitatory)
- caffeine
- nicotine
- cocaine
- amphetamines
Hallucinogens
- ecstacy
- LSD
- weed
Brain starts to anticipate drug use and compensates to try to maintain homeostasis
What are the routes of drug use?
Oral -- Slower Inhalation -- Faster IV -- FAST (more addictive) IM Transdermal -- SLOW
What is the reward pathway in the brain?
VTA in the midbrain (dopamineee)
With the amygdala, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens
Tolerance vs. withdrawal? Dependence?
Tolerance: continued use leads to getting used to it so need more to achieve same effect
Withdrawal: a period of not having drug leads to experience opposite/negative symptoms
Combine those with neurochemical changes = dependence
What are the treatment methods for substance abuse?
CBT: focuses on recognizing a problem then developing more positive behaviors and coping strategies
Motivational interviewing: trying to create intrinsic motivation change
Group meetings: AA, NA
What makes it harder to multi-task?
Similar tasks, complex tasks,
What is sensory memory?
Iconic (visual) or echoic (auditory) that only lasts seconds
What is working memory? How many things can be stored?
Visuospatial sketchpad (reading a map), phonological loop (reading/listening), episodic buffer (timeline), and central executive (attention, task switching)
7 +/- 2 pieces of information
Subject to serial position effects (primacy and recency)
What is long-term memory?
Explicit (declarative): facts/events (episodic) or semantic (language)
Implicit (non-declarative): procedural memory (negative priming is associated)
Unlimited storage
What is memory encoding?
Sensory information –> memory
Many strategies like rote rehearsal, chunking, mnemonic devices, self-referencing, spacing
What is memory retrieval? What can influence it?
Memory –> use
Can be influences by priming (unconscious exposure) or contextual cues (environment)
Free recall is the hardest, recognition is the easiest
What is memory reconstructive bias? Confabulation?
Every retrieval is changed in small and not perfect so the brain fills gaps in with potentially wrong information (confabulation)
What is source monitoring error?
A misattribution of a memory to its source
What is flashbulb memory?
Highly vivid emotional memories
What is memory long-term potentiation?
Basically neuroplasticity in how new cells aren’t grown but neuronal connections are just strengthened
What is memory decay and interference?
Decay: when memories aren’t encoded well or retrieved for a while those connections fade
Retroactive interference: new learning impairs old memories
Proactive interference: old memories impairs new learning
What is the effect of aging on memory? Intelligence?
Stable: implicit/non-declarative/procedural memory
Improves: semantic memory, crystallized IQ (accumulated knowledge and verbal skills), and emotional reasoning
Declines: recall, episodic memory, formation of new memories, fluid IQ (abstract and quick reasoning)
What is Alzheimer’s?
An extreme form of dementia characterized by forgetting to the point of interfering with ADL’s progressively worsening brain atrophy from amyloid plaques and neuro-tangles
What is Korsakoff’s?
Memory disorder caused by a Thiamine deficiency and characterized by either retrograde amnesia: can’t recall previous memories or by anterograde amnesia: can’t encode new memories
What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
Sensorimotor (0-2)
- sensory perception
- object permanence
Pre-operational (2-7)
- symbolic thinking
- egocentric (only think about self)
Concrete-operational (7-12)
- develop conservation
- and empathy
Formal-operational (12+)
- abstract thinking
What are decision making heuristics? Availability? Representativeness? Confirmation bias? Belief Perseverance?
Mental shortcuts taken
Availability: based on using examples that readily come to mind, knowledge/info we have
Representativeness: judge something in relation to a stereotype
Confirmation bias: seeking facts that confirm own position, stronger for emotional things
Belief perseverance: still holding belief even when there is strong evidence to the contrary
What is spreading activation?
A relational way to organize concepts so the activation of one concept pulls all related concepts together too
General intelligence? 8 intelligence? Hereditary genius? Mental age?
General intelligence: there is one intelligence that underlies all cognitive tasks
8 intelligences: 8 different modalities/types of intelligence
Hereditary genius: Some people just have higher human ability that is inherited
Mental age: a comparison of someone’s mental age to their physical/biological age
What is the behaviorist theory of language? Nativist? Materialist? Interactionist? Relativity?
Behaviorist: Skinner, language is learned and conditioned behavior (not born with it)
Nativist: Chomsky, language is innate with a critical period
Materialist: looks at what happens in the brain
Interactionist: Vygotsky, its the interaction between biology and the social to learn language, nature vs. nurture
Relativity: cognition is determined by the structure of a language
How is language lateralized in split-brains?
Language is lateralized to the left so in split brain cases where information is sent to the right it can’t access the left to process the language
What is broca’s area? Wernicke’s area?
Broca: frontal lobe, speech
Wernicke’s: temporal lobe, comprehension
What is the limbic system? Associated structures?
It is responsible for the storage/retrieval of emotional memories and is the emotion/drive center
HIPPO HAT
Hippocampus (memory formation), hypothalamus (endocrine regulation), amygdala (emotional center), thalamus (sensory relay center, except smell)
What is the prefrontal cortex? Where are emotions lateralized?
It is responsible for executive functioning and control
Positive emotions are lateralized to the left
Negative emotions are lateralized to the right
What are emotions made up of? Six universal emotions?
Subjective experiences accompanied by physiological and behavioral (expressive displays) changes
Cognitive component in some theories
Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust
What is the James-Lange theory of emotion?
Emotional experiences are a result of physiological responses
Stimulus –> physio response –> emotion
What is the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion?
Emotional experiences and physiological changes occur independently and simultaneously
What is the Schacter-Singer/Two-Factor theory of emotion?
Emotional experiences are a result of the cognitive interpretation of physiological changes
Stimulus –> physio response –> cognitive interp –> emotion
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
Optimal performance comes from a state of moderate arousal (not too low or high)
What is stress? Examples?
A strain experienced from a disruption in equilibrium, stressor –> stress reaction
Significant life changes (divorce), catastrophic events (earthquake), daily hassles, ambient stressors (environmental)
What is the appraisal theory of stress?
That stress results less from events and more from the cognitive interpretation of that event
Primary appraisal: presence of a threat/stressor
Secondary appraisal: capability to cope w/
What is the general adaptation syndrome to stress?
1) alarm: stress response activated (low resistance)
2) resistance: too much sustained cortisol release (high resistance)
3) exhaustion: damage from sustained cortisol (low resistance)
What are physical effects of cortisol? Cardiac? Metabolism? Reproductive? Immune?
Increased BP, vascular disease, CAD
Also raises BG so can exacerbate diabetes
Stress response diverts away from reproductive system
Acute inflammation but chronically can suppress immune system
What are the behavioral effects of stress/cortisol?
Can be wide ranging because cortisol receptors on many body structures
Can include anhedonia (lack of pleasure) –> depression, anger, anxiety, addiction
Learned helplessness: results in inability to identify coping mechanisms b/c constant helpless feeling
Afferent vs. efferent neurons?
Afferent neurons are ascending for stimulus
Efferent neurons are descending for response/reflex
White vs. gray matter?
White matter represents myelinated neurons
Grey matter represents the cell body/soma
What are the functions of the frontal lobe? Parietal lobe? Occipital lobe? Temporal lobe? Cerebellum? Brain stem? Cerebrum?
Frontal lobe: includes motor, prefrontal, broca’s area
Parietal lobe: somatosensory
Occipital lobe: vision
Temporal lobe: sound, wernicke’s area
Cerebellum: movement and position coordination
Brain stem: vital functions from midbrain, pons, medulla
Cerebrum: includes thalamus and hypothalamus
What are the important neurotransmitters?
GABA: inhibitory
Glutamate: excitatory
Acetylcholine: muscle contraction
Seretonin: mood regulation
Dopamine: pleasure/reward
What are the different brain “imaging” techniques?
Structural: CT and MRI
Functional: EEG (this is less so imaging)
Both: fMRI (oxygenation), PET (glucose metabolism/radioactive)
What are twin/adoption studies used to study?
Gene-environment interaction b/c with twins (identical: 100%, fraternal: 50%) genetic information is controlled for so if studied in different environments it can yield information
What is the drive-reduction theory to motivation?
That humans seek to maintain homeostasis in drives of warmth, hunger, thirst, arousal etc.
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
Top
Self-actualization: maximizing potential
Self-esteem: confidence, achievement
Love: and belonging
Safety: health, shelter, employment etc.
Physiological needs: food, water, sleep etc.
Bottom
What is incentive theory of motivation?
Humans seek to maximize external rewards, minimize punishments
It can be associated with community acceptance vs. displeasure
What is the expectancy theory of motivation?
Involves combination of belief in self capability, outcome control, and desirability