Psych Exam 2 Flashcards

Question

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Answer 1

A previously neutral stimulus that triggers a response after learning, like a bell that predicts food.

Answer 2

A natural, automatic reaction to the unconditioned stimulus, such as salivating to food.

Answer 3

A learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus, like salivating when hearing the bell.

Answer 4

Occurs when the conditioned response fades because the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, such as the dog stopping salivation when the bell rings but no food appears.

Answer 5

Classical conditioning pairs two stimuli to trigger an involuntary response, while operant conditioning links behavior with consequences to shape voluntary actions.

Answer 6

Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to a bell by pairing it with food, proving that behaviors can be learned through association.

Answer 7

Bandura’s Bobo Doll study showed that children imitate aggressive behavior they observe, supporting the power of observational learning.

Answer 8

Adding something/taking something away

Answer 9

Making a behavior happen more/making a behavior happen less

Answer 10

ratio/interval

Answer 11

Studying in small sessions over time, which improves memory better than cramming.

Answer 12

Mixing different topics or skills while studying, like alternating between math and psychology to strengthen learning connections.

Answer 13

the process of turning information into a form your brain can store, like remembering a phone number by repeating it aloud.

Answer 14

LTP is the strengthening of connections between neurons after repeated activation, helping solidify learning

Answer 15

Rats or mice swim in a pool to find a hidden platform, and it showed that animals with hippocampal damage have trouble learning and remembering spatial locations.

Answer 16

Retrieval is bringing stored information back to mind, like recalling what you ate for dinner last night.

Answer 17

osing memories from before an injury, such as forgetting events before a car accident.

Answer 18

the inability to form new long-term memories after brain damage, as seen in patient H.M.

Answer 19

maintaining encoded information over time, like keeping a fact in long-term memory after studying.

Answer 20

it’s easier to remember information when you’re in the same mood or state as when you learned it, like recalling happy memories when you’re cheerful.

Answer 21

remembering the first and last items on a list better than the middle ones.

Answer 22

unconscious memory for skills and habits, like riding a bike without thinking about it.

Answer 23

conscious recall of facts or events, like remembering your first day of college.

Answer 24

memory of personal experiences, like your last birthday party.

Answer 25

general knowledge about the world, like knowing Paris is the capital of France.

Answer 26

a type of implicit memory for actions or skills, like typing on a keyboard.

Answer 27

Patient H.M. had his hippocampus removed, causing severe anterograde amnesia—he couldn’t form new explicit memories but could still learn new motor skills, showing the hippocampus is essential for forming new long-term declarative memories.

Answer 28

the initial, brief holding of sensory information acting as a "buffer" before its processed further (a few seconds)

Answer 29

the temporary holding of information for about 20-30 seconds, with a limited capacity of about 7 items (+-2)

Answer 30

dynamic model of short-term memory that involves the active processing of both new information and information retrieved from long-term memory (ex. doing math problems)

Answer 31

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse for the brain's knowledge, skills, and experiences

Answer 32

when false information changes a memory, like believing you saw broken glass after hearing there was a crash.

Answer 33

recalling a memory but assigning it to the wrong source, like thinking you read something online that a friend actually told you.

Answer 34

the ability to focus on one conversation in a noisy room, like hearing your name across a crowded party.

Answer 35

a task where different sounds are played in each ear to study selective attention, like focusing on one message while ignoring the other.

Answer 36

a method where people report their thoughts and feelings at random times to study consciousness, like checking in multiple times a day via phone surveys.

Answer 37

shifting attention without moving your eyes, like noticing a car approaching from the corner of your vision.

Answer 38

focusing by moving your eyes toward the stimulus, like looking directly at a bird in a tree.

Answer 39

finding a target based on a single attribute, like spotting a red circle among blue circles.

Answer 40

finding a target based on a combination of features, like spotting a red circle among red squares and blue circles.

Answer 41

ignoring one side of space, usually after brain damage, like eating only the right side of a plate.

Answer 42

tests attention by naming the ink color of a word that spells a different color, like saying “red” when the word “blue” is in red ink

Answer 43

Inattentional blindness is failing to notice unexpected objects when focused on something else, like missing the “invisible gorilla” walking through a basketball game.

Answer 44

the study of subjective conscious experience, which makes consciousness hard to measure objectively.

Answer 45

includes hidden thoughts, desires, and memories that influence behavior without awareness.

Answer 46

trying to push unwanted thoughts out of mind, but the rebound effect makes them return even stronger later.

Answer 47

when someone can recognize some types of objects but not others, like identifying tools but not animals after brain damage.

Answer 48

seeing objects only for their usual use, like not realizing a book can be used to prop open a door.

Answer 49

thinking you understand something better than you do, like believing you fully understand how a zipper works until asked to explain it.

Answer 50

we categorize objects by comparing them to specific examples we’ve seen, like thinking of a robin when categorizing birds.

Answer 51

we categorize objects by comparing them to an ideal or average example, like thinking of a “typical bird” rather than remembering every type.

Answer 52

emotional signals guide decision-making, like feeling anxious about a risky investment and deciding not to invest.

Answer 53

relying too heavily on the first piece of information, like basing a bargain on the initial price you see.

Answer 54

judging likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind, like thinking plane crashes are common after seeing one on the news.

Answer 55

overvaluing certain outcomes over probable ones, like preferring a guaranteed $50 over a 50% chance to win $120.

Answer 56

valuing something more simply because you own it, like refusing to sell a mug you bought for $5 for $10.

Answer 57

believing past events affect independent future events, like thinking a coin is “due” to land heads after five tails.

Answer 58

the tendency to fear losses more than valuing equivalent gains, like avoiding a $50 loss more than seeking a $50 gain.

Answer 59

judging probability based on similarity to a stereotype, like assuming a quiet person is more likely to be a librarian than a salesperson.

Answer 60

continuing an endeavor because of past investments, like finishing a terrible movie just because you paid for the ticket.

Answer 61

The prefrontal cortex is key for evaluating risks and rewards when making decisions.

Answer 62

often involve the right temporal lobe, where sudden “aha!” solutions occur.

Answer 63

the process of evaluating what a situation means for you emotionally, like feeling fear when judging a loud noise as dangerous.

Answer 64

resisting an immediate reward for a better future one, like saving money instead of spending it right away.

Answer 65

a cultural guideline for when and how to show emotions, like smiling politely even when upset.

Answer 66

managing or changing emotional responses, like calming yourself before a big presentation.

Answer 67

comes from outside rewards, like studying to earn good grades.

Answer 68

facial expressions can influence emotion, like feeling happier when you smile.

Answer 69

comes from internal enjoyment, like painting because it’s fun, not for praise.

Answer 70

the desire to meet goals and excel, like training hard to win a race.

Answer 71

reinterpreting a situation to change its emotional impact, like viewing a test as a challenge instead of a threat.

Answer 72

Developed by Abraham Maslow, the hierarchy of needs says humans must meet basic needs (like food and safety) before pursuing higher goals like love, esteem, and self-actualization.

Answer 73

Emotions result from bodily reactions—like feeling afraid because your heart is racing.

Answer 74

Emotions and bodily reactions happen at the same time—like feeling fear while your heart races.

Answer 75

Emotions depend on both physical arousal and a cognitive label—like interpreting your racing heart as excitement on a roller coaster.

Answer 76

People follow display rules through techniques like masking (hiding emotion), neutralizing (showing no emotion), intensifying (exaggerating feeling), or deintensifying (showing less emotion).

Answer 77

The amygdala rapidly evaluates emotional significance, especially for fear; overactivity here is linked to disorders like anxiety and PTSD.

Answer 78

Dimensional theories describe emotions along valence (pleasant–unpleasant) and arousal (calm–excited) scales—so anger and fear share high arousal but differ in valence.

Psych Exam 2 Flashcards

(104 cards)