Test 2 Flashcards
What is consciousness?
Everything of which we are aware at any given time
What are circadian rhythms? How do they affect physiological and psychological functioning?
The body’s internal clock
They regulate heartrate, appetite, hormone and enzyme secretion/elimination, body temp., alertness, learning, and moods
What are the different theories on sleep?
Restorative theory: restore/repair body and mind
Circadian theory: evolutionary trait to keep out of harm’s way during night
What are the different stages of sleep?
1: wake to sleep
2: light to deeper sleep
3: deeper sleep
4: deepest sleep
What is sleep deprivation?
Lack of good quality sleep
How does sleep change throughout the lifespan?
Infants: longest, erratic sleep patterns
6-puberty: stabilization of sleep patterns
Adolescents: sleep patterns influenced by lifestyles
Adults: more time in bed, but less time asleep
What are parasomnias and dyssomnias?
Parasomnia: behaviors and physiological states that normally occur only in the waking state take place during sleep
Dyssomnia: sleep disorder in which the timing, quantity, or quality of sleep is impaired
How does dreaming occur?
Prefrontal cortex is suppressed during REM sleep
What are the different theories of dreams?
Cognitive: thinking while we sleep
Activation-synthesis: random firing of brain cells during REM
Evolutionary: survival/coping mechanism
What are altered states of consciousness?
temporary change in a person’s mental state
How do humans alter their state of consciousness?
Getting high, wasted, tripping out, meditation, hypnosis
What is meditation?
Techniques used to block out distractions and to control physical and psychological problems
What are psychoactive substances?
Any substance that alters mood, perception, or thought
How do drugs affect the brain’s neurotransmitter system?
Create a sense of pleasure by increasing availability of dopamine
What is the difference between substance abuse and substance dependence?
Abuse: continuous use of substance that negatively affects an individual’s life
Dependence: user develops drug tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and impulsiveness
How do stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens affect behavior?
Stimulants: speed up activity in CNS
Depressants: decreases activity in CNS
Hallucinogens: alter perceptions of time and space
What is learning?
A relatively permanent change in behavior, knowledge, capability, or attitude
What is classical conditioning?
Learn to associate one stimulus with another
Any event or objects in the environment to which an organism responds
Stimulus
Elicits unconditioned response without learning (food, loud noise, light in eye)
Unconditioned stimulus (US)
Response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus without learning
Unconditioned response (UR)
Presented shortly before an unconditioned stimulus
Neutral stimulus
Neutral stimulus that becomes associated with US then elicits a CR
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
A learned response elicited by CS because of repeated pairing with an US
Conditioned response (CR)
Weakening and disappearance of CR because of repeated presentation of CS without US, like forgetting
Extinction
Reappearance of extinguished CR when an organism is exposed to CS following rest period
Spontaneous recovery
What is generalization?
Tendency to make a CR to a stimulus that is similar to the original CS
What is discrimination?
Learned ability to distinguish between similar stimuli
What is a taste aversion?
Intense dislike and/or avoidance of particular foods
What was the “Little Albert” experiment all about?
Watson and Rayner (1920) classically conditioned child to fear a rat
What is operant conditioning?
Consequences of behavior are manipulated modify the frequency of an existing behavior or create a new one
What are consequences?
Effect of a response
What are reinforcement and punishment and when are they used?
Reinforcement: event that serves to strengthen response
Punishment: a consequence enacted to eliminate undesired behavior
What are primary and secondary reinforcements?
Primary: reinforcer that fulfills a basic physical need
Secondary: reinforcer learned through association with other reinforcers
What are the disadvantages of punishment?
Punishment only suppresses behavior when the punishing agent is present
Does not help develop more appropriate behavior
Punished often becomes fearful (aggressive) towards punisher
What are schedules of reinforcement?
Systematic process for administering reinforcement which influences the operant conditioning process
What are ratio (fixed/variable) and interval (fixed/variable) schedules?
Ratio: number of occurrences
Interval: relate to time, number of times
What other types of learning were discussed? (Cognitive, insight, latent, observational, media)
Cognitive: using mental processes and forming mental representations
Insight: “lightbulb” moment
Latent: occur until organism is motivated to do so
Observational: learning by observing others
Does the media affect aggressive and violent behaviors?
Yes
What is memory?
Includes the encoding, storage, and retrieval of info.
How are memories formed?
Repeated exposure to an experience
What is the process required for remembering?
Encoding, storage, and retrieval of info.
What brain structures are involved in the memory process? What are their primary functions?
Hippocampus: forms episodic memories
Cerebral cortex: stores long term memories
Amygdala: fight or flight response
Basal ganglia: associated with habits and skills
Cerebellum: implicit memory related to more control and coordination
Prefrontal cortex: working memory
How are computer information processing and human memory similar?
Both encode, store, process and retrieve info; but human memory involve context and emotion
What are the different types of memories systems proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin? (Sensory, working, and long-term)
Sensory: Large capacity; ~2 sec.
Short term: 5-9 items; <30 sec.
Long term: unlimited; minutes-lifetime
What are maintenance and elaborative rehearsal?
Maintenance: “shallow”
Elaborative: “deep”
What is displacement, chunking?
Displacement: new items push out existing items
Chunking: grouping info into larger units
What are the factors that influence/impede memory formation?
Attention and focus
Emotional state
Sleep
Stress and anxiety
Repetition and practice
Context and environmental cues
Nutrition and physical health
Age
Drugs and alcohol
Mental and physical health conditions
Motivation
What is the retrieval process and what interferes with this process?
Stimulus aids in retrieving info. from long term memory
Primary, Recency, and Context effects
What is the difference between recall and recognition?
Recall: involved access of memory
Recognition: identifying familiar material
What is meant by memory being reconstructed?
An event pieced together from a few highlights
What are the various forgetting examples?
Encoding failure
Decay
Interference
Consolidation failure
Motivated forgetting
Prospective forgetting
What is amnesia?
Partial or complete loss of memory
What types of amnesia discussed?
Anterograde: inability to form long-term memories
Retrograde: loss of memory occurring shortly before loss of consciousness
Infantile: inability to recall events from first few years
What is dementia?
Neurological disorders in which degenerative processes in the brain diminish people’s ability to remember and process info.
