Psychology2 exam Flashcards
Focusing on specific information while ignoring other information
What is selective attention
Failing to detect available stimuli due to selective attention
What is inattentional blindness?
Failing to detect changes in stimuli due to selective attention
What is change blindness
Our biological clocks (controlled by hypothalamus), provides approximate schedule for physical processes
What are circadian rhythms
Sensitive to changes in light
What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
How does light affect the SCN, and how are the pineal gland and melatonin involved in our sleep-wake cycle?
If it is dark, the SCN directs the pineal gland to secrete melatonin, and when it is light out, the SCN directs the pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin.
What is the effect of artificial lighting on our melatonin production?
It can interfere with our circadian rhythm, and cause our melatonin production to decrease
What is N-REM sleep?
Non-rapid eye movement sleep, consisting of 3 stages
What is N1?
Light sleep, right when you go to bed, don’ t know they are asleep.
What is a hypnagogic jerk?
A sudden and strong involuntary twitch or muscle contraction, that occurs while an individual is beginning to fall asleep.
What is a hypnagogic hallucination?
A vivid visual, auditory, tactile, or even kinetic perception that, like sleep paralysis, occurs during the transitions between wakefulness and REM sleep. Images that people are experiencing
What is N2?
True Sleep, brain activity slows, reductions in heart rate and muscle tensions
What is N3?
Deep sleep
What happens during N3?
Further slowing of brain activity, hard to awake, growth hormones released from pituitary gland
What is REM sleep?
Rapid eye movement, brain waves resemble wakefulness
What happens during REM sleep?
Eyes move back and forth, HR BP and breathing are rapid or irregular, dreams
What is the meaning of “paradoxical sleep?
Although the body is motionless, the brain waves are firing like crazy
What is sleep paralysis?
When you can’t move while dreaming, Pons send messages to stop our muscles from moving
What are the theories of sleep?
a. Evolutionary/adaptive Protection, not to go out and vulnerable to predators in the dark
b. Restorative Sleep supports growth and healing
c. Information processing Sleep supports cognitive processes, supports learning and restores and rebuilds memory
What are the effects of sleep deprivation on mood?
Irritability, mood disruption, increased risk of depression, increased risk of obesity
What are the theories explaining dreaming?
Freudian Dreams stem from unconscious thoughts
Activation synthesis Brain’s internally generated signals form dreams, dreams come from random neurons firing in the brain, where the content of our dreams come from
Information processing Memories of events form dreams
Preserving neural pathways Purpose of dreaming is to provide brain stimulation
What is manifest content?
The actual images in the dreams
What is latent content?
The unconscious thoughts, feelings, and wishes behind the manifest content
Activation synthesis
Brain’s internally generated signals form dreams, dreams come from random neurons firing in the brain, where the content of our dreams come from
Information processing
Memories of events form dreams
Preserving neural pathways
Purpose of dreaming is to provide brain stimulation
What are the ways in which behavior geneticists can determine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to traits and behavior?
Adoption studies Compare adopted children to adoptive families and biological families
Twin studies (monozygotic vs. dizygotic) Compare pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins
Monozygotic? Share 100% of genes
Dizygotic? Share 50% genes (on average)
Adoption twin studies Compare MZ twins separated in infancy and MZ twins reared together
What are the primitive reflexes (e.g., rooting)?
Sucking - if you put something in their mouth they will suck, Rooting - when you touch their cheek and they turn towards it, Moro - loud noise will be startled and flail their arms, Grasping - squeezing anything that touches their palm, Babinski - if you stroke their feet then their toes will spread and curl
What was Piaget’s approach to cognitive development?
Children understand the world with schemas/schemas - mental categories
What are assimilation?
Fitting new information into the present system of knowledge. Ex. Child calls anyone that was an adult with short hair “dad” whether right or wrong
accommodation?
As a result of new information, change existing schemas
What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
Sensorimotor - birth to 2 years, looking sucking touching
Preoperational - 2 to 7
Concrete operational 7 to 11, can understand conservation
Formal operational Age 11 to adulthood, Abstract and systematic reasoning, thinking about future possibilities
What is object permanence?
Understanding that something continues to exist even when it cannot be seen
(part of sensorimotor stage