Midterm 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Folk psychology

A

An umbrella term for various assumptions and theories based on the everyday behaviour of ourselves and others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Stimulus

A

An entity in the external environment that can be perceived by a stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

bit

A

Short for “binary digit”; the most basic unit of information. Every event that occurs in a situation with two equally likely outcomes provides one “bit” of information

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Information theory

A

The theory that the information provided by a particular event is inversely related to the probability of its occurrence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Filter model

A

A theory based on the idea that information processing is restricted by channel capacity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

channel capacity

A

The maximum amount of information that can be transmitted by an information- processing device

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Introspection

A

“Looking inward” to observe one’s own thoughts and feelings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Primary memory

A

What we are aware of in the “immediately present moment”; often termed “immediate memory” or “short-term memory”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Secondary memory

A

Knowledge acquired at an earlier time that is stored indefinitely, and is absent from awareness; also called “long-term memory”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Brown- Peterson task

A

An experimental paradigm in which subjects are given a set of items and then a number. Subjects immediately begin counting backward by threes from the number and, after a specific interval, are asked to recall the original items

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Ecological approach

A

A form of psychological inquiry that reflects conditions in the real world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Afforsdances

A

The potential functions or uses of stimuli (ie objects and events) in the real world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Information pickup

A

The process whereby we perceive information directly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Schema

A

An expectation concerning what we are likely to find as we explore the world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Perceptual cycle

A

The proc SS whereby our schemas guide our exploration of the world and in turn are shaped by what we find there

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Cognitive ethology

A

A new research approach that links real-world observations with laboratory- based studies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Metacognition

A

Knowledge about the way that cognitive processes work; understanding of our own cognitive processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Modules

A

Different parts of the brain, each of which is responsible for particular cognitive operations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Phrenology

A

The study of the shape, size, and protrusions of the cranium in an attempt to discover the relationships between parts of the brain and various mental activities and abilities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Localization of function

A

The idea that there is a direct correspondence between specific cognitive functions and specific parts of the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Law of mass action

A

Learning and memory depend on the total mass of brain tissue remaining rather than the properties of individual cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Law of equipotentiality

A

Although some areas of the cortex may become specialized for certain tasks, any part of an area can (within limits) do the job of any other part of that area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Interactionism

A

Mind and brain are separate substances that interact with and influence each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

epiphenomenalism

A

“Mind” is a superfluous by-product of brain functioning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Parallelism

A

“Mind” and brain are two aspects of the same reality, and they operate in parallel

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Isomorphism

A

Mental events and neural events share the same structure

27
Q

Sensory system

A

A system that links the physical and perceptual worlds via the nervous systems; composed of sensory receptors, neural pathways, and distinct regions of the brain preferentially dedicated to the perception of information

28
Q

Broca’s aphasia

A

A deficit in the ability to produce speech as a result of damage to Broca’s area

29
Q

Broca’s area

A

The area of the brain’s left hemisphere that is responsible for how words are spoken

30
Q

Wernicke’s area

A

Area of the brains left hemisphere that is responsible for processing the meaning of words

31
Q

Wernicke’s aphasia

A

A deficit in the ability to comprehend speech as a result of damage to Wernicke’s area

32
Q

Interhemispheric transfer

A

Communication between the Brain’s hemispheres, enabled in large by the corpus callosum

33
Q

Split brain

A

A condition created by severing the corpus callosum

34
Q

Emergent property (Sperry)

A

In sperry’s sense, a property that “emerges” as a result of brain processes, but is not itself a component of the brain. In the case of the mind, this means that consciousness is neither reducible to, nor a property of, a particular brain structure or region

35
Q

Emergent causation

A

In Sperry’s sense, causation brought about by an emergent property, once the “mind” emerges from the brain, it has the power to influence lower-level processes

36
Q

Supervenient

A

In sperry’s sense, describes mental states that may simultaneously influence neuronal events and be influenced by them

37
Q

Event related potential (ERP)

A

An electrical signal emitted by the brain after the onset of a stimulus

38
Q

Positron emission tomography (PET)

A

An imaging technique in which a participant is injected with radioactive substances that mingles with the blood and circulates to the brian. A scanner is then used to detect the flow of blood to particular areas of the brain

39
Q

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

A

A non- radioactive magnetic procedure for detecting the flow of oxygenated blood to various parts of the brain

40
Q

Magnetoencephalopathy (MEG)

A

A non-invasive brain imaging technique they directly measures neural activity

41
Q

Connectionism

A

A theory that focuses on they way cognitive processes work at the physiological/ neurological (as opposed to information- processing) level. It holds that the brain consists of an enormous number of interconnected neurons and attempts to model cognition as an emergent process of networks of simple units (e.g. Neurons) communicating with one another

42
Q

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

A

An MRI- based neuroimaging technique that makes it possible to visualize the white- matter tracts within the brain

43
Q

Neural network

A

Neurons that are functionally related or connected

44
Q

Hebb rule

A

A connection between two neurons takes place only if both neurons are firing at approximately the same time

45
Q

Parallel processing

A

Many neural connections may be active at the same time

46
Q

Serial processing

A

Only one neural activity may take place at any one time

47
Q

Visual Agnosia

A

An inability to identify objects visually even though they can be identified using other senses (ex touch)

48
Q

Perception

A

The processing of sensory information in such a way that it produces conscious experiences and guides action in the world

49
Q

Cornea

A

The outer tissue of the eye and the first layer that the light passes through on its way to the back of the eye

50
Q

Pupil

A

The space through which light passes on its way to the back of the eye; adjusted in size by the iris; to an observer the pupil appears black

51
Q

Iris

A

The tissue that surrounds the pupil and is responsible for the distinct colour of the eye

52
Q

Lens

A

The transparent tissue in the eye that refracts the light and focuses it in the back of the eye

53
Q

Retina

A

The tissue at the back of the eye that contains light receptors

54
Q

Photoreceptors

A

Cells that transduce light energy into a neural signal

55
Q

Fovea

A

The region of the retina where photoreceptors are packed most densely

56
Q

Primary visual cortex

A

The area at the back of the brain that is primarily responsible for the basic processing of visual information

57
Q

Retinotopic

A

A principle organization of the primary visual cortex, whereby information falling on adjacent areas of the retina is processed in adjacent areas of the cortex

58
Q

Achromatopsia

A

A visual deficit characterized by inability to perceive colour because of damage to the area of the brain that processes colour information

59
Q

akinetopsia

A

(Motion blindness)

An inability to perceive the motion of objects

60
Q

Ventral pathway

A

“What” pathway; The stream of visual processing in the brain that is responsible for determining object shape, colour, and meaningful identity

61
Q

Dorsal pathway

A

“Where” pathway; the stream of visual processing in the brain that is responsible for determining object location and motion, and which guides action

62
Q

Feedforward sweep

A

The propagation of visual information from the primary visual cortex down the “what” and “where” pathways

63
Q

Re-entrant (feedback) connections

A

Connections between brain areas that allow the propagation of visual information from the end points of the “what” and “where” pathways back to the primary visual cortex