Unit 2 Vocab Flashcards
Perception
How we interpret the information around us
Bottom-up processing
build upon small sensory units
Top-down processing
build upon what we already know
Schemas
How do we organize or create information
Gestalt Psychology
How people perceive the world around them as a whole
CLosure
Brain activity fills in missing information to perceive a complete object, even when parts of it are obscure or missing
Figure and ground
the brain automatically separates a focused object from its background
Proximity
objects that are physically close to each other are perceived as belonging in a group
Similarity
connects two senses that are similar
Selective attention
raw sensory data is interpreted and organized into meaningful experiences
Cocktail party effect
Someone says your name, your attention goes straight to that conversation instead of your own
Inattentional blindness
Don’t realise changes
Change blindness
Changes happen in front of us but we don’t notice unless told
Binocular depth cues
two eyes
Retinal disparity
Retinal differences in the right and left eye
Convergence
merging retinas, cross-eyes
Monocular depth cues
one eye
Relative depth cues
depth perception cue where objects that appear sharp and clear are perceived as being closer than objects that appear hazy
Relative size
objects far away are smaller than objects that are near
Texture gradient
depth perception dictates if a texture is coarse, distinct, fine, etc.
Linear perspective
parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance
Interposition
one object blocks another showing depth
Size constancy
objects have a consistent size even with distance
Shape constancy
objects have consistent shapes even with distance
Brightness/color constancy
color is constant even with different light variation
Stroboscopic effect
continuous motion is represented by scenes of short samples
Phi phenomenon
series of still images in rapid succession create the illusion of the pictures moving
Concepts
generalized idea
Prototypes
ideal model for the concept
Assimilation
using existing schema
Accommodation
changing schema
Algorithms
a methodical, step-by-step procedure or set of rules that guarantees the correct solution to a problem by considering all possible options
Heuristics
mental shortcut
Representativeness heuristic
judge the likelihood of something based on the prototype
Abailability heuristic
how easy it is to bring something to mind
Mental set
the tendency to approach a problem using the same strategy that has worked in the past, even when a different approach might be more effective
Priming
activation, often unconscious, of particular association in memory
Framing
presentation of information/wording can influence memory (15mph vs 55mph)
Gambler’s fallacy
belief that the odds have increased because an even hasn’t changed yet
Sunk-cost fallacy
follow through with something, even when you shouldn’t because of your prior commitment to it (you hate your career choice but you have already invested in three years of college)
Executive functions
ability to think critically, plan ahead, control impulses
Creativity
ability to create novel and valuable ideas
Divergent thinking
many solutions, creative
Convergent thinking
only one solution
Functional fixedness
stuck on one solution
Encoding
take in information
Storing
inactive memories
Retrieving
finding memories
Explicit memory
facts and experiences
Episodic memory
personal experiences
Semantic memory
knowledge
Implicit memory
memory we do not know exists
Procedural memory
Ex. Typing
Prospective memory
remember to perform a planned action or intention at a specific time in the future
Long-term potentiation
strengthening of neurons through activation
Working memory
conscious, active processing from auditory
Phonological loop
auditory information
Visuospatial sketchpad
visual information
Multi-store model
human memory consists of three distinct stages: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM)
Sensory memory
memory encodes sensory information
Iconic memory
visual sensory memory
Echoic memory
auditory sensory memories
Short term memory
small amount of information for brief period
Long term memory
fully encoded memories
Automatic processing
Unconscious effort (implicit)
Effortful processing
attention/conscious effort (explicit)
Shallow processing
Basic level
Deep processing
connect to prior information
Structural
Shallow level of information processing
Phonemic
ability to remember information based on how it sounds, specifically the sounds of words
Semantic
stores general knowledge and facts about the world, like the definition of words, concepts, and historical events, essentially encompassing a person’s accumulated knowledge not tied to specific personal experiences or timeframes
Mnemonic devices
memory strategies
Method of loci
memory strategy that uses familiar spacial areas to remember information
Chunking
grouping
Categories (mnemonic device)
sensation, organization, cognition, intelligence, affection, learning
Hierarchies (mnemonic device)
Please, Stop, Eating, Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization
Spacing effect
studying crates better memories longterm
Massed practice
studying all at once
Distributed practice
Studying overtime
Serial position effect
Beginning and end will be remembered the best
Primacy effect
People remember the beginning of a list the best
Recency effect
people tend to remember the last information the best
Maintenance rehearsal
Repetition to enhance memory
Elaborative rehearsal
Connect new information to existing information creating associations
Autobiographical memory
a memory system that stores personal experiences and facts from an individual’s life
Hyperthymesia
Superior autobiographical memory
Amneisa
Loss of memory
Retrograde amnesia
When someone forgets the memories BEFORE their accident
Anterograde amnesia
When someone can not make new memories
Alzheimer’s disease
Brain disorder that gradually destroys memories and thinking skill cause by a LACK OF ACETYLCHOLINE
Infantile amnesia
Adults can not have memories before three years old because of infantile amnesia
Recall
Remember information without prompts (Essays)
Recognition
Remember information with prompts (Multiple choice questions)
Context-dependent memory
Memory recall connected to the ENVIRONMENT
Mood-congruent memory
Memory recall is connected to the emotional state
State-dependent memory
Memory recall is connected to physical state
Testing effect
Using self-testing to simulate the actual test. This takes advantage of Context-dependent and Mood-congruent memory
Metacognition
awareness and understanding of one’s own thought process
Forgetting curve
Occurs rapidly after initial learning and levels lead to zero over time
Encoding failure
When memories do not move from short-term to long-term memories. Often happens when a person is not paying attention.
Proactive interference
Old memories interfere with new memories
Retroactive interference
New memories interfere with the recall of old memories
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
When someone knows that they know the information but is helpless to recall the information from long-term memory
Repression
Memories that are subconsciously forgotten, often due to trauma
Misinformation effect
When a person’s memory of an event becomes less accurate due to misleading information that is encountered after the event
Source amnesia
Information is known, but the source of the information has been forgotten
Constructive memory
the brain creates memories and updates them based on new experiences (people never look younger in your memories, they look like they look now)
Memory consolidation
stabilizing and strengthening a new memory trace into a long-term memory
Imaginaiton inflation
When someone becomes more confident that an event happened after imagining it, even though it didn’t happen
Intelligence
Ability to learn from experiences, solve problems, and use knowledge in new situations
General Ability
overall intelligence is a compilation of specific abilities
Multiple intelligences
intelligence is not a single entity (social intelligence, emotional intelligence, etc.)
Intelligence quotient (IQ) formula
Mental age / chronological age X 100
Psychometric principles
Fundamental guidelines used to ensure the quality of tests
Standardized test
uniform testing procedure, compare groups
Validity
accuracy
Construct validity
the extent to which your test or measure accurately assesses what it’s supposed to
Predictive validity
the ability of a test or other measurement to predict a future outcome
Reliability
Consistency
Test-retest reliability
the same test will give the same result
Split-half reliability
a method of assessing a test’s internal consistency by dividing the test into two equal halves and comparing the scores from each half to see if the produce similar results
Stereotype threat
Fall into the trap of a stereotype
Stereotype lift
preform better because of a stereotype
Flynn effect
IQ increases on average of 3 points every decade (currently decreasing)
Achievement tests
tests what someone knows
Aptitude tests
tests someones future preformance
Fixed mindset
stuck in failure
growth mindset
use failure to grow
