psych unit 3 Flashcards
associative learning
learning that events occur together
classical conditioning
learning that occurs when two things become automatic
neural stimulus
something that elects no response before conditioning
unconditioned stimulus
something that naturally and automatically triggers a response
example: food in mouth
unconditioned response
an unlearned natural response to something
example: salivating to food
positive reinforcement
increases behavior by presenting something rewarding
negative reinforcement
increases behavior by stopping/reducing a negative stimuli
positive punishment
adding an unfavorable consequence to discourage a behavior, such as scolding or imposing a fine.
negative punishment
involves taking away something desirable to reduce a behavior, such as revoking privileges or access to a favorite activity.
fixed ratio
a reward is given after a set number of desired behaviors occur.
fixed interval
given a reward at a specific consistent time
variable ratio
a partial schedule of reinforcement in which a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses.
variable interval
unspecific and unconisitent time a reward is given
explicit memory
facts (semantic) and experiences (episodic)
hippocampus
implicit memory
Skills, associations
Often unconscious, automatic cerebellum
encoding
perceiving information and creating a memory
storage
placing and keeping information in memories
retrieval
bringing back information from memory to awareness
recognition
being able to recognize something you have seen before
recall
being able to remember something without being prompted
sensory memory
immediate, very brief
short term/working memory
conscious, active processing
long-term memory
relatively permanent, limitless
chunking
breaking things into a chunks so its easier to remember
mnemonics
using memory aids that often involve vivid imagery or associations. For example, the mnemonic “PEMDAS” helps people remember the order of operations in math (
distributed practice
spaced out repetition, studying over time rather then cramming
vizuilazation
creating mental images or diagrams to represent information or concepts
priming
occurs when an individual’s exposure to a certain stimulus influences their response to a subsequent prompt, without any awareness of the connection
context-dependent memory
a phenomenon in which the retrieval of memories is stronger when it occurs in the same environment or context in which the memories were originally formed.
serial position effect
the psychological tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle
Proactive interference vs. Retroactive interference
when a person is trying to learn or recall a new memory while the old memory keeps interfering. Retroactive interference happens when new memories interfere with trying to remember old memories or information.
Anterograde amnesia vs. Retrograde amnesia
A person cannot remember new information but can remember events from before the onset of amnesia. Retrograde amnesia: A person can remember new information but cannot remember events from before the onset of amnesia.
The misinformation effect
occurs when a person’s recall of episodic memories becomes less accurate because of post-event information.
bottom-up processing
Begins with
sensory
receptors and
works up to
brain
top-down processing
Guided by
higher-order
processes;
perceptions
drawing on
experiences/
expectations
transduction
Conversion of one form of energy into another
● Transforming sights/smells/sounds into neural impulses that
our brain can interpret
Sensory Adaptation
● Diminished sensitivity after constant stimulation
○ Our nose is always in our vision, our brain just
blokes it out
rons
detect black and white; peripheral vision
■ Cones:
color vision, fine detail
traumatic theory
ye color receptor types,
each sensitive to red,
green, and blue
wavelengths
● Color = stimulates cones
● Color-deficient = colorblind
●
Opposing processes (red-
green, blue-yellow, white-
black) enable color vision
● Cones’ responses are then
processed by opponent-
process cells.
● Afterimages
