Test 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Neuron

A

A specialized cell of the nervous system that receives and transmits messages.

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2
Q

Dendrites

A

Root-like structures, attached to the cell body of a neuron that transmits impulses to other neurons from bulb-shaped structures called axon terminals or terminal buttons.

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3
Q

Myelin

A

A fatty substance that encases and insulates axons, facilitating transmission of neural impulses.

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4
Q

Sensation

A

The stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system.

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5
Q

Perception

A

The process by which sensations are organized into an inner representation of the world.

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6
Q

Visible light

A

The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that stimulates the eye and produces visual sensations.

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7
Q

Hue

A

The color of light, as determined by its wavelength.

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8
Q

Cornea

A

Transparent tissue forming the outer surface of the eyeball.

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9
Q

Iris

A

Muscular membrane whose dilation regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.

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10
Q

Pupil

A

The black-looking opening in the center of the iris, through which light enters the eye.

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11
Q

Lens

A

A transparent body behind the iris that focuses an image on the retina.

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12
Q

Retina

A

The area of the inner surface of the eye that contains rods and cones

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13
Q

Photoreceptors

A

Cells that respond to light

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14
Q

Bipolar Cells

A

Neurons that conduct neural impulses from rods and cones to ganglion cells

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15
Q

Ganglion cells

A

Neurons whose axons form the optic nerve.

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16
Q

Optic nerve

A

The nerve that transmits sensory information from the eye to the brain.

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17
Q

Rods

A

Rod-shaped photoreceptors that are sensitive only to the intensity of light.

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18
Q

Cones

A

Cone-shaped photo-receptors that transmit sensations of color.

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19
Q

Fovea

A

An area near the center of the retina that is dense with cones and where vision is consequently most acute.

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20
Q

Blind spot

A

The area of the retina where axons from ganglion cells meet to form the optic nerve.

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21
Q

Visual acuity

A

Sharpness of vision

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22
Q

Presbyopia

A

A condition characterized by brittleness of the lens

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23
Q

Dark adaptation

A

The process of adjusting to conditions of lower lighting by increasing the sensitivity of rods and cones.

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24
Q

Complementary

A

Descriptive of colors of the spectrum that when combined produce white or nearly white light.

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25
Q

Afterimage

A

The lingering visual impression made by a stimulus that has been removed.

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26
Q

Trichromatic theory

A

The theory that color vision is made possible by three different types of cones, some of which respond to red light, some to green, and some to blue.

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27
Q

Opponent-process theory

A

The theory that color vision is made possible by three different types of cones, some of which respond to red or green light, some to blue or yellow, and some to the intensity of light.

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28
Q

Trichromat

A

A person with normal color vision

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29
Q

Monochromat

A

A person who is sensitive to black and white only and hence color-blind.

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30
Q

Dichromat

A

A person who is sensitive to black-white and either red-green or blue-yellow and hence is partially color blind.

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31
Q

Closure

A

The tendency to perceive a broken figure as being complete or whole.

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32
Q

Perceptual organization

A

The tendency to integrate perceptual elements into meaningful patterns.

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33
Q

Proximity

A

Nearness; the perceptual tendency to group together objects that are near one another.

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34
Q

Similarity

A

The perceptual tendency to group together objects that are similar in appearance.

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35
Q

Continuity

A

The tendency to perceive a series of points or lines as having unity.

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36
Q

Common fate

A

The tendency to perceive elements that move together as belonging together.

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37
Q

Top-down processing

A

The use of contextual information or knowledge of a pattern in order organize parts of the pattern.

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38
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

The organization of the parts of a pattern to recognize, or form an image of, the pattern they compose.

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39
Q

Three general steps

A
  1. Detect stimuli (sensation) 2. Transduction (transform physical energy into neural impulses in receptors) 3. Send to brain and organize (representations)
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40
Q

Texture Gradient

A

Objects that are evenly spaced, but the texture changes to demonstrate distance, further distance, looks closer.

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41
Q

Relative size

A

Objects that are the same size have a bigger visual angle when they’re closer to you. Bigger on retina, closer to you. Signals depth.

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42
Q

Relative height

A

Position on image: As an object approaches the horizon line, the further away it gets.

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43
Q

Linear perspective

A

Parallel lines converge in the distance: i.e. narrow road.

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44
Q

Occlusion

A

Objects that are closer to you may partially block objects that are further away.

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45
Q

Psychology

A

The science that studies behavior and mental processes

46
Q

Theory

A

A set of hypothesized statements about the relationships among events.

47
Q

Pure research

A

Research conducted without concern for immediate applications

48
Q

Applied research

A

Research conducted in an effort to find solutions to particular problems

49
Q

Behaviorism

A

The school of psychology that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior and studies relationships between stimuli and responses.

50
Q

Reinforcement

A

A stimulus that follows a response and increases the frequency of the response.

51
Q

Gestalt psychology

A

The school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes and to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns.

52
Q

Psychoanalysis

A

The school of psychology that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior.

53
Q

Biological perspective

A

The approach to psychology that seeks to understand the nature of the links between biological processes and structures such as the functioning of the brain, the endocrine system, and heredity, on the one hand, and behavior and mental processes, on the other.

54
Q

Cognitive

A

Having to do with mental processes such as sensation and perception, memory, intelligence, language, thought, and problem-solving.

55
Q

Social-cognitive theory

A

A school of psychology in the behaviorist tradition that includes cognitive factors in the explanation and prediction of behavior; formerly termed “social learning theory”

56
Q

Sociocultural perspective

A

The view that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in behavior and mental processes.

57
Q

Gender

A

The culturally defined concepts of masculinity and femininity.

58
Q

Critical thinking

A

A way of evaluating claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence.

59
Q

Scientific method

A

An organized way of using experience and testing ideas to expand and refine knowledge.

60
Q

Hypothesis

A

In psychology, a specific statement about behavior or mental processes that is tested through research.

61
Q

Correlation

A

An association or relationship among variables, as we might find between height and weight, or between study habits and school grades.

62
Q

Selection factor

A

A source of bias that may occur in research findings when participants are allowed to choose for themselves a certain treatment in scientific study.

63
Q

Sample

A

Part of a population

64
Q

Population

A

A complete group of interest to researchers, from which a sample is drawn

65
Q

Random sample

A

A sample drawn so that each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to participate.

66
Q

Stratified sample

A

A sample drawn so that identified subgroups in the population are represented proportionately in the sample

67
Q

Volunteer bias

A

A source of bias or error in research reflecting the prospect that people who offer to participate in research studies differ systematically from people who do not.

68
Q

Case study

A

A carefully drawn biography that may be obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological tests

69
Q

Survey

A

A method of scientific investigation in which a large sample of people answer questions about their attitudes or behavior.

70
Q

Naturalistic observation

A

A scientific method in which organisms are observed in their natural environments.

71
Q

Correlational method

A

A mathematical method of determining whether one variable increases or decreases as another variable increases or decreases.

72
Q

Correlational coefficient

A

A number between +1.00 and -1.00 that expresses the strength and direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables.

73
Q

Experiment

A

A scientific method that seeks to confirm cause and effect relationships by introducing independent variables and observing their effects on dependent variables.

74
Q

Independent variable

A

A condition in a scientific study that is manipulated so that its effects may be observed

75
Q

Dependent variable

A

A measure of an assumed effect of an independent variable

76
Q

Experimental groups

A

In experiments, groups whose members obtain the treatment

77
Q

Control groups

A

In experiments, groups whose members do not obtain the treatment, while other conditions are held constant

78
Q

Placebo

A

A bogus treatment that has the appearance of being genuine

79
Q

Blind

A

In experimental terminology, unaware of whether or not one has received a treatment

80
Q

Double-blind study

A

A study in which neither the subjects nor the observers know who has received the treatment.

81
Q

Informed consent

A

A participant’s agreement to participate in research after receiving information about the purposes of the study and the nature of the treatments.

82
Q

Debrief

A

To explain the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant

83
Q

Cognitive learning

A

Acquisition of info stored for later use

84
Q

Latent learning

A

Learning with no behavioral signs

85
Q

Tolman and Honzik

A

Rats and reinforcement. One group always reinforced, the other reinforced at end, third never reinforced. Cognitive mapping.

86
Q

Insight learning

A

Puzzle you need to solve, not being reinforced, ah-ha moment at the end. Köhler.

87
Q

Observational learning

A

Learning through watching others. Bandura. Needed to attend to it, retain the information, be able to reproduce that information, and have a motivation to repeat it.

88
Q

Axon

A

A long, thin part of a neuron that transmits impulses to other neurons from bulb-shaped structures called axon terminals or terminal buttons.

89
Q

Myelin

A

A fatty substance that encases and insulates axons, facilitating transmission of neural impulses

90
Q

Neural impulse

A

The electrochemical discharge of a nerve cell, or neuron

91
Q

Polarize

A

To ready a neuron for firing by creating an internal negative charge in relation to the body fluid outside the cell membrane

92
Q

Resting potential

A

The electrical potential across the neural membrane when it is not responding to other neurons

93
Q

Depolarize

A

To reduce the resting potential of a cell membrane from 70 millivolts toward zero

94
Q

Action potential

A

The electrical impulse that provides the basis for the conduction of a neural impulse along an axon of a neuron

95
Q

All-or-none principle

A

The fact that a neuron fires an impulse of the same strength whenever its action potential is triggered

96
Q

Refractory period

A

A phase following firing during which a neuron is less sensitive to messages from other neurons and will not fire

97
Q

Synapse

A

A junction between the axon terminals of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another neuron

98
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

Chemical substances involved in the transmission of neural impulses from one neuron to another

99
Q

Receptor site

A

A location on a dendrite of a receiving neuron tailored to receive a neurotransmitter

100
Q

Acetylcholin (ACh)

A

A neurotransmitter that controls muscle contractions

101
Q

Hippocampus

A

A structure of the brain that is involved in memory formation

102
Q

Dopamine

A

A neurotransmitter that affects the ability to perceive pleasure, voluntary movement, and learning and memory; it is involved in Parkinson’s disease and appears to play a role in schizophrenia

103
Q

Norepinephrine

A

A neurotransmitter whose action is similar to that of the hormone epinephrine and that may play a role in depression

104
Q

Serotonin

A

A neurotransmitter involved in emotional arousal and sleep; deficiencies of serotonin have been linked to eating disorders, alcoholism, depression, aggression, and insomnia.

105
Q

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

A

An inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps calm anxiety

106
Q

Endorphins

A

Inhibitory neurotransmitters that occur naturally in the brain and in the bloodstream and are similar to the narcotic morphine in their functions and effects.

107
Q

Nerve

A

A bundle of axons from many neurons

108
Q

Central nervous system

A

The brain and spinal cord

109
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A

The part of the nervous system consisting of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system

110
Q

Somatic nervous system

A

The division of the peripheral nervous system that connects the central nervous system with sensory receptors, skeletal muscles, and the surface of the body