Test Two Flashcards
Define consciousness.
Continuous stream of thoughts, feelings,sensations, and perceptions of which we are aware from moment to moment.
Define circadian rhythms.
Within each 24-hr period, the regular fluctuations from high to low points of a bodily function, such as sleep/wakefulness.
Define suprachiasmatic nucleus.
A tiny structures in the brain’s hypothalamus that controls the timing of circadian rhythms via secretion of melatonin by the pituitary; often referred to as the biological clock.
What is narcolepsy?
A serious sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden, uncontrollable attacks of REM sleep.
Define learning.
A relatively permanent change in behaviour, knowledge, capability, or attitude that is acquired through experience and cannot be attributed to illness, injury, or maturation.
What is generalization?
In classical conditioning, the tendency to make a conditioned response to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus; in operant conditioning, the tendency to make the learned response to a stimulus that is similar to the one for which is was originally reinforced.
Describe discrimination.
The learned ability to distinguish between similar stimuli so that the conditioned response occurs only to the original conditioned stimulus but not to similar stimuli.
What is extinction?
The weakening and often eventual disappearance of a learned response (in classical conditioning, the conditioned response is weakened by repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus).
Define spontaneous recovery.
The reappearance of an extinguished response (in a weaker form) when an organisms is exposed to the original conditioned stimulus following a rest period.
What is positive reinforcement?
A reward of pleasant consequence that follows a response and increases the probability that the response will be repeated.
What is negative reinforcement?
The termination of an unpleasant stimulus after a response in order to increase the probability that the response will be repeated.
What is a primary reinforcer?
A reinforcer that fulfills a basic physical need for survival and does not depend on learning (ex: food, water, sleep, termination of pain)
What is a secondary reinforcer?
A neutral stimulus that becomes reinforcing after repeated pairing with other reinforcers.
Define punishment.
The removal of a pleasant stimulus or the application of an unpleasant stimulus, both of which tend to suppress a response.
What is observational learning?
Learning by observing the behaviour of others and the consequences of that behaviour; learning by imitation.
Define sensory memory.
The memory system that holds information coming in through the senses for a period ranging from a fraction of a second to several seconds.
Define short-term memory.
The second stage of memory, which holds about seven (5-9) items for less than 30s without rehearsal. Working memory: the mental workspace we use to keep in mind tasks we are thinking about at any given moment.
Describe long-term memory.
The relatively permanent memory system with a virtually unlimited capacity.
What is declarative memory?
A subsystem within long-term memory that stores facts, information, and personal life experiences, also called “explicit memory”
What is non-declarative memory?
The subsystem within long-term memory that consists of skills acquired through repetitive practice, habits, and simple classically conditioned responses. also called “implicit memory”.
What is episodic memory?
Subpart of declarative memory that contains memories of personally experienced events.
What is semantic memory?
Subpart of declarative memory that stores general knowledge, our mental encyclopedia or dictionary.
What is the serial position effect?
The tendency to recall the beginning and ending items in a sequence better than the middle items.
What is the primacy effect?
The tendency to recall the first items in a sequence more readily than those in the middle of the sequence.
What is the recency effect?
The tendency to recall the last items in a sequence more readily than those in the middle of the sequence.
Define retrieval cues.
Any stimuli or bits of information that aid in the retrieval of particular information from long-term memory.
What is recall?
A measure of retention that requires one to remember material without the help of retrieval cues, as in an essay test.
What is recognition?
A measure of retention that requires one to identify material as familiar, or as having been encountered before.
What is relearning method?
Measuring retention in terms of the percentage of time or learning trial saved in relearning material compared with the time required to learn it originally; also called the savings method.
Define consolidation failure.
Any disruption in the consolidation process that prevents a permanent memory from forming.
Describe the decay theory.
A theory of forgetting that holds that the memory trace, if not used, disappears with the passage of time.
What are depressants?
Drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system,slow down bodily functions, and reduce sensitivity to outside stimulation.
What is drug tolerance?
A condition in which the user becomes progressively less affected by the drug so that larger and larger doses are necessary to achieve or maintain the same effect.
