Psychology Test 2 Flashcards
What is the difference between sensation and perception? [2 marks]
Sensation is the stimulation of sensory organs by energy in the environment whereas perception is the selection, organization and subjective interpretation of sensory input.
What is an absolute threshold? [2 marks]
An absolute threshold is the minimum amount of energy that is needed for a specific sensory system to detect a stimulus in the environment 50% of the time.
- Describe the main visual pathway in the brain. [3 marks]
Neural Impulses from the eye travel through the optic nerve, to the thalamus, then to the LGN, where it finally reaches the primary visual cortex where visual information splits into two pathways, the What and Where pathways.
- What are the three classes of human skin receptors? [3 marks]
Touch
Temperature of Objects
Pain
Describe the types of brain waves found during the five different stages of sleep. [5 marks]
Theta Waves
Theta Waves with K complexes and Spindles
Mostly Theta waves and delta waves
Mostly delta waves
Beta Waves
What is the name of the sleep disorder characterized by vivid, fear-evoking dreams that occur during REM sleep? [1 mark]
Nightmare
Describe the Stroop task and state which part of a subject’s brain is most activated while performing this task. [4 marks]
In the Stroop Task, subjects identified the color of words that name different colors, the dorso-lateral, pre frontal cortex is highly activated due to an interference between color perception and language processing areas of the brain
Describe the process of classical conditioning using an example from your own life. [4 marks]
In classical conditioning, you take an unconditioned stimulus, that naturally elicits an unconditioned response, along with a neutral stimulus, and over several trials, that neutral stimulus will turn into a conditioned stimulus which can elicit a conditioned response
Explain and give examples for positive and negative reinforcement. [4 marks]
Negative Reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus in order to strengthen behavior. For example, taking aspirin to relive headaches will increase aspirin use in the future. Positive reinforcement involves adding a pleasant stimulus in order to strengthen behavior. For example, praising a kid for doing homework will increase chance of kid doing homework again.
Define and give an example of escape learning. [2 marks]
This is a form of negative reinforcement where you escape a feared or unpleasant stimulus and when you escape you feel so much better
What is a Just Noticeable Difference? [1 mark]
A JND is the smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect
Explain how light is converted into electrochemical impulses in the brain.
Light enters the pupil, reaches the retina’s photoreceptors, and triggers signals that travel through cells to create action potentials in the ganglion cells.
Explain the Young-Helmholtz (trichromatic) theory of color vision and provide two examples of phenomena that could not be explained by this theory.
The human eye has three types of receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue wavelengths. This theory, however, doesn’t explain afterimages in complementary colors, color blindness in red-green or blue-yellow, or why people often describe colors using four primary shades: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Brain waves that occur when we are relaxed and calm are called _____________ waves. [1 mark]
Alpha
Identify and explain three ideas of the functional significance of the unconscious. [3 marks]
Unconscious processes are fast and efficient, allowing us to act without conscious thought, and they can work alongside conscious processes, enabling multitasking. Additionally, these processes function even in the absence of consciousness, such as during sleep.
What is the name of the sleep disorder characterized by episodes of intense panic, and at what stage of sleep are they usually found?
Night Terrors during slow wave delta sleep (stage 4)
Explain the Cognitive view of dreaming.
The Cognitive view suggests that dreams reflect the daily issues and information we encounter, serving as a way to process and organize this material. It argues that dreams are not inherently meaningful, but instead help clear the brain’s memory storage for new information.
Explain how a conditioned taste aversion develops and state why it is unique from other types of classical conditioning. [4 marks]
Taste aversions are formed when a food (conditioned stimulus) becomes associated with illness (unconditioned response) after just one pairing with a viral infection (unconditioned stimulus). They are unique because they require only a single association, are hard to condition to non-oral stimuli, and the unconditioned response can occur hours after the conditioned stimulus.
What is observational learning? [2 marks]
Observational learning occurs when an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of others, who are called models. Essentially, it involves being conditioned indirectly by virtue of observing another’s conditioning.
Explain the difference between fixed ratio and variable interval reinforcement schedules. Which works best and explain why? [4 marks]
response or every fifth response. In a variable interval schedule a different amount of time passes before each reinforcer, such as after 2 minutes, then after 1 min., then after 3 min. (average 2 min). In general, ratio schedules produce more rapid responding, however, variable schedules produce steadier rates of responding and greater resistance to extinction.
Describe the location and function of the two types of photoreceptor cells.
*Cones: found in center of retina (fovea) and are sensitive to fine detail and color
*Rods: found in periphery of retina and are sensitive to movement but not fine detail (better for night vision)
Explain the structure and function of the “what” and “where” pathways in the visual system.
After processing in the primary visual cortex, signals move through two pathways in the secondary visual cortex. The “what” pathway goes to the temporal lobes for color and form processing, while the “where” pathway leads to the parietal lobes for motion and depth analysis.
What are negative color afterimages, and why are they significant to the trichromatic theory of color vision?
Staring at an object for a prolonged time creates an afterimage on the retina, which appears in complementary colors when looking at a blank space. This phenomenon, known as a negative afterimage, cannot be explained by the trichromatic theory of color vision.
Brain waves that occur during deep sleep are called ______________ waves.
Delta
